2 THE ORCHID REVIEW. [JANUARY, I915+ 
of duty in large numbers, and the staffs of many Horticultural and Orchid 
establishments have been much depleted. 
It is an abnormal year. The great Shows at Chelsea and Holland 
House, and the fortnightly meetings at Westminster were, until the holtday 
season, as successful as usual. But the outbreak of war and the requisition 
of the Hall by the military authorities caused the abandonment of the 
August meetings, while one of those in September had to be held elsewhere 
under unsuitable conditions. The difficulty has since been removed, but 
the meetings have never quite recovered their former character. 
CERTIFICATED ORCHIDS. 
The number of First-class Certificates awarded by the Orchid 
Committee of the R.H.S. was 35, only one fewer than last year, and 
the subjects comprised eight Odontoglossums, seven Miltonias, six 
Cattleyas, three Leliocattleyas, two each of Cypripedium, Odontioda, 
and Odontonia, with a single representative of Cymbidium, Dendrobium, 
Lelia, Sophrocattleya, and Sophrolelia. No fewer than 29 of these were 
hybrids, and it is believed that the three varieties of Miltonia vexillaria 
which gained this award were seedlings of garden origin. Miltonia jumped 
suddenly to the second place on the Hst, and it is curious to note that 
Brassocattleya is absent, while last year it had five representatives. The 
Awards of Merit fell from 105 to 70, which is partly explained by the 
higher standard of excellence required to gain this award. Here hybrids 
were still more to the front, for only ten at the outside can claim to have 
been imported plants. An analysis shows that the list contains twelve 
Lzliocattleyas, eleven Cattleyas, Odontioda and Odontoglossum nine 
each, five Cypripediums, four Cymbidiums, Brassocattleya, Miltonia and 
Odontonia three each, Dendrobium and Oncidioda two, while Bulbo- 
phyllum, Oncidium, Phalznopsis, Renanthera, Sophrocattleya, Sophro- 
catlelia, and Vuylstekeara had each a single representative. It is further 
interesting to note that out of about 98 hybrids mentioned above no fewer 
that 41 are generic crosses. The Cultural Commendation necessarily 
implies a high standard of culture, and of these seventeen were awarded, 
about half as many as last year, though the decline does not represent a 
falling away in quality to this extent. 
HYeRIDs. 
Hybrids naturally tend to run in somewhat definite grooves, those being 
followed up which are of proved excellence; nevertheless several very 
interesting developments may be pointed out. One of the best is the 
handsome Odontonia Charlesworthii, raised by Messrs. Charlesworth, from 
Odontoglossum Uroskinneri crossed with the pollen of Miltonia vexillaria, 
which gained a First-class Certificate, and-was figured at page 241 of our 
