THE ORCHID REVIEW. 
VoL. XXI.] AUGUST, 1913. (No. 248. 
- OUR NOTE BOOK. 
THREE big Shows have followed each other in rapid succession, and the 
circumstance affords some interesting matter for comparison. The Ghent 
Show is a little too early for Orchids, but the period cannot be altered, 
being fixed by the flowering season of the Azaleas for which Ghent is so 
famous. But the Orchids were none the less magnificent, though the 
display as a whole was somewhat marred by the fact that it was broken up 
between six large rooms, three of which were upstairs, and these at times 
were inconveniently crowded. Of course Orchids cannot be staged in an 
unheated tent in April, and the alternative was the only practicable one 
under the circumstance. Hybrids on this occasion were more to the front 
than ever, and in Belgium, as in England, great advances have been made 
during the last five years, a fact particularly noticeable in Odontioda, 
Cymbidium, and Odontoglossum, which were present in great force. The 
excellence of the display was recognised on all hands, and the magnificent 
group staged by M. Firmin Lambeau, which was awarded the King’s prize, 
will long be remembered. The exhibits of M. Jules Hye de Crom, M. Ch. 
Dietrich, Count Joseph de Hemptinne, M. Ch. Vuylsteke, MM. Th. Pauwels 
& Cie., and Messrs. Stuart Low & Co. were excellent, while that staged. 
by Messrs. Charlesworth & Co. was remarkable for its richness and 
thoroughly representative character. The Show on this occasion was held 
on a new site, in connection with the International Exhibition, and we may 
congratulate the Society and its officials on its success. 
The Chelsea Show was brilliant in every respect, and reminiscent of the 
old Temple Show at its best, without the accompanying disadvantage of 
overcrowding, which was inevitable in so restricted a space. The Orchids 
- were scarcely so numerous as at the Royal International Exhibition held 
on the same spot a year ago, but there was no falling off as regards quality, 
and there was the usual evidence of progress among hybrids; in fact, all 
the eight Orchids which obtained First-class Certificates were of hybrid 
Origin, and all but one of the fourteen to which Awards of Merit were given. 
It is difficult to convey an idea of so much brilliance in a few words, but a 
