THE ORCHID REVIEW. 19 



Certificated Orchids. 

 The number of Orchids to which a First-class Certificate was issued by 

 the R. H. S. was rather in excess of last year, being in the proportion of 

 thirty to twenty-four, according to our notes. They include ten Odonto- 

 glossums, eight Lselio-cattleyas, seven Cattleyas, three Laelias, and one 

 each of Sophronitis, Sophrocattleya, and Cypripedium. This to some 

 extent also indicates the relative importance of the different groups. Going 

 into details we find five varieties of Odontoglossum crispum, namely Annie, 

 Confetti, purpurascens, Queen Empress, and Raymond Crawshay, the 

 remaining Odontoglossums being O. Hallii King Edward VII, O. X 

 loochristiense Rochfordianum, O. luteopurpureum Coundon Court var., O. 

 maculatum Thompsonianum, and O. X Wilckeanum Golden Queen. Ladio- 

 cattleya X Digbyano-Mendelii was certificated three times, the forms being 

 called Hessle var., Tring Park var., and Veitch's var., the other Lalio- 

 cattleyas being X Edgar Wigan, X Haroldiana Charlesworth's var., X 

 Semiramis superba, and X warnhamensis. The Cattleyas were X Brownhe 

 Veitch's var., X Hardyana Rochfordiana, X Iris aureo-marginata, 

 Lueddemanniana Stanleyi, X Miss Harris var. E. Ashworth, Schrcederse 

 heatonensis, and Warscewiczii Wigan's var. The Lselias are represented 

 by X Olivia and two forms of L. Jongheana, Ashworthise and Kromeri, the 

 former being an albino and the latter an exceptionally dark form. The 

 others were Cypripedium X Maudiae magnificum, Sophrocattleya X 

 Nydia, and Sophronitis grandifloraRossiteriana. Lselio-cattleya X Maronse 

 ought to have been mentioned in this connection, but the award was with- 

 drawn because a flower was not handed in for painting. Those which 

 received Awards of Merit form a much longer list, and we must pass them 

 over with this brief mention, as also the numerous plants certificated by the 

 Manchester Orchid Society. 



Use of Leaf-mould. 

 A matter which has come prominently to the front during the year has 

 been the culture of Orchids in leaf-mould. A Commission was appointed 

 to report upon the question by the Societe d' Horticulture de France, and 

 the practice has been adopted in this country by Messrs. Charlesworth, and 

 others. The system is at present on its trial, but some of the results are so 

 promising, and the reports of those who have tried it so favourable, that we 

 should not be surprised to see its use become pretty general in the future, 

 at all events for certain classes of Orchids. 



Losses during the Year. 



Several losses by death have occurred during the year, commencing with 



Sydney Cooke, gardener to De Barri Crawshay, Esq., on New Year's Day. 



Shortly afterwards the nation had to deplore the death of Her Majesty 



Queen Victoria. Other deaths successively recorded in these pages were 



