THE ORCHID REVIEW’. 79 
ORCHIDS AT CLAREGATE, WYLDE GREEN, BIRMINGHAM. 
Tuls is one of the oldest collections in the Midlands, and long may we have 
its most esteemed owner, A. W. Wills, Esq., J.P., to preside over it. I will 
also echo the same wish respecting his able and genial gardener, Mr. A. 
Jenkins. It is always a real pleasure to see master and man working 
together with one common object in view, and that the welfare of their 
garden in general, and—what specially interests us here—their Orchids in 
particular, and taking an equally keen interest in them. 
It is not surprising, therefore, especially when we take the age of the 
collection into consideration, that it contains so many fine specimens. The 
Cypripedium House contains a well grown assortment of species and 
hybrids. We observed a splendid specimen plant of C. Rothschildianum 
bearing two enormously strong flower spikes, each with four flowers; also a 
grand plant of C. Druryi, just producing its flowerspikes. Others in bloom 
at this somewhat dull season were a fine batch of C. x Leeanum superbum, 
C. X Lathamianum inversum, C. Chamberlainianum, a particularly bright 
variety, C. tonsum, C. xX Measuresianum, C. xX Thetis, C. Boxallii,a grand 
form, C. callosum, C. X Sedeni candidulum, C. Exul, &c. Grand specimens 
were also noted, in robust health, of C. philippinense (Roebelenianum), C. X 
grande, C. Spicerianum, C. x Dominianum, C. x Harrisianum, C. longifol- 
ium, and also a nice plant with spikes of Phaius Sanderianus. Of course, to 
make the modern house of Cypripediums complete, there are also the indis- 
pensable number of young hybrids coming along in their various stages of 
growth, one or two of which were already of flowering size, viz., C. X Deed- 
manianum and C. x fascinator nobilior. 
Passing from here through a rockwork fernery we enter a house mainly 
devoted during the growing season to Dendrobiums, although, at the present 
time, these are necessarily somewhat distributed in the various houses. This 
department contains also many of the warm growing Lelias, such as L. 
Superbiens, a fine specimen of which had two lovely spikes of bloom. Among 
others were fine plants of L. tenebrosa, L. anceps Sanderiana, L. Boothiana 
(lobata), Ceelogyne Dayana grandis, Oncidium splendidum, and Dendro- 
biums of various sorts. We observed also a fine healthy plant of Mormodes 
luxatum eburneum, of which a portrait appeared in the Orchid Review for 
February, 1897 (page 49), where Mr. Wills himself describes the treatment 
siven. It has now two strong leads in the place of one. 
Next we enter the Cattleya house, where, in addition to the usual inmates 
8 oe department not yet in flower, we observed a good show of C. Trianz 
. some of which were extremely Ane varieties. It would, perhaps, 
' ec Say that certain well-known varieties were really here, because 
at for this to be absolutely true such must have come from the 
