cr: 
~ The Orebid ‘Review . 
om VoL. XXV. May, 1917. No. 293, oO) 
ed QUK NOTE BOOK: Fe 
HE abandonment by the Royal Horticultural Society of its great 
Spring and Summer Shows, as announced at page 47, was probably 
unavoidable under the circumstances, but will leave a great blank in the 
horticultural functions of the year, and so far as the former Show is 
concerned one must go back for a period of thirty years to find a similar 
condition of things. In 1887 the Society was in difficulties under what has 
been called the South Kensington regime, but in the following year they 
broke away from the old traditions and, with a return to the Society’s 
legitimate business of horticulture, organised a two days’ Spring Show, on 
Thursday and Friday, May 17th and 18th, in the Middle Temple Gardens, 
on the Thames Embankment, which formed the turning point in the 
Society’s history. 
The Gardeners’ Chronicle at the time remarked: ‘The bold venture of the 
Royal Horticultural Society in holding a large Exhibition in the City deserved 
more success than the weather at first seemed likely to permit. Ultimately, 
however, the tents became filled with visitors, and a grand success seemed 
likely to be scored, particularly as the show remained open till Friday.” 
And, respecting Orchids, it added: ‘‘ The greatest triumph is secured in 
the exhibition of Orchids, the best since the famous exhibition of the first 
Orchid Conference.” In the report of the Show itself it remarked: ‘‘ Of 
all the sections of the Show probably these plants formed the most 
attractive feature, at all events to many people, completely occupying one 
side of the centre table of the wide tent. Rarely, indeed, does such a 
feast of Orchids present itself to the public gaze. Sir Trevor Lawrence, 
Burford Lodge, Dorking, showed a collection of remarkable interest. The 
plants were in perfect health, and many of them were extremely rare and 
valuable, as, for instance, Spathoglottis Kimballiana, which may be 
compared to a yellow Phalznopsis, and Lissochilus giganteus, th: 
cut spike of which was shown, Cattleya Lawrenceana, Odontoglossum 
Cervantesii, rose-coloured variety. Many Masdevallia species were shown, 
especially fine being M. Harryana majus, brilliant scarlet, and M. H. 
97 
