202 : THE ORCHID REVIEW. [JULY, IQTI.. 
‘size and ripening of the growths and in the amount of bloom. I send two 
illustrations of the same plant, one being natural size, and the other reduced 
‘one-fourth. The plant had two young growths, each growth producing two 
flower spikes, the total number of flowers being thirty-two. The natural- 
size photograph shows the maximum growth containing nineteen flowers, 
the length of the pseudobulbs being sixteen inches, and nearly two inches in 
thickness. I might mention that cow manure was given regularly to these 
plants during the growing season. G. H. PRING. 
(We have selected the photograph of the whole plant for reproduction, 
the other being too large, and not giving such a good idea of what this 
finely-grown plant was like.—Ep.] 
ORCHIDS AT FLORENCE. 
A VERY interesting and quite historical collection of Orchids which we have 
now had the pleasure of seeing is that of the late H. J. Ross, Esq., Poggio 
‘Gherardo, Florence, Italy, which has been kept by his widow since his death 
in July, 1902. It has been located there since 1889, when Mr. Ross pur- 
chased the old Castello di Poggio Gherardo, which stands on a projecting 
spur of the lower ranges of the Fiesole Hills, some two miles east of 
Florence. Previous to that Mr. Ross resided at Castagnolo, Lastra a Signa, 
between Florence and Pisa, and at the time of the transfer it was computed 
to contain nearly a thousand species and varieties, and to be the finest ever 
brought together in Italy, not excepting the celebrated collection of Prince 
Demidoff, at San Donato, which was dispersed in 1878. Indeed some of 
the plants were then purchased by Mr. Ross. The nucleus of the collection 
is said to have been some boxes of Orchids which were brought to him by a 
friend from Mandalay, Upper Burma, among which were some plants of 
Vanda Parishii Marriottiana, which is believed to have been the source of 
the first plants of that variety sold in England. The date we are unable to 
give, but Mr. Ross settled in Italy in 1869, and it was probably not long 
afterwards. At all events the collection grew rapidly, and at the time of its 
transferto Poggio Gherardo required five large houses for its accommodation. 
It is interesting to note that plants of the Vanda mentioned are still there, 
and we noticed one pushing up a very fine flower spike. 
We now come to the modern aspect of the collection, and may at once 
Say that it differs materially from most of our English collections, as the 
limate is unsuitable for Cool Orchids. Mrs. Ross informed us that her 
husband made great efforts to grow them, bringing a large number from 
England, and having a special arrangement of water running on the roof to 
help keep the temperature down. They flowered magnificently once, but 
the great heat of the summer and autumn months was too much for them, 
and they dwindled away. But the climate has just the opposite effect on 
