226 THE ORCHID REVIEW. [Aucust, 1909. 
the floods almost came, for in some of the places the grass was trodden 
to a quagmire. But for all that it was a splendid exhibition, not 
only of the Orchids, but in the manner of exhibiting them, and the Journal 
of Horticulture remarks that it was said on every hand, ‘‘ What an improve- 
ment on the Holland House Show of a year or two ago.” The Orchid 
groups are also described as ‘‘no longer set up in dense masses of unrelieved 
brilliance, but they are arranged in bays and prominences, with graceful 
ferns and even foliage plants. They form sinuous, varied groups—a great 
deal prettier, more interesting, and easier to view than used to be the case.” 
Some very pretty dells and grottoes were also to be seen, in which the 
plants were seen to great advantage. Some of these days we may even see 
an attempt to arrange the plants as if growing in their native habitats, with 
the epiphytes as if on their native branches, and the terrestrials on banks 
and dells beneath. I hope that the reporter of the daily Press will then drop 
in to do justice to the display. 
He dropped in at the last meeting of the R.H.S., as may be seen from the 
- following cutting :—‘‘ For any poor soul who has quickly tired of the heat 
wave and whose eyes are smarting with the dust and glare of it, the Royal 
Horticultural Show may be much commended. The tired eyesight rests on 
flowers and flowers, in all their daintiest summer dresses. One feels lifted out 
of this dull world on billows of glowing colour. . . . Sparkle the 
Orchids give us, wonderful, evil-looking creatures, half plant, half fly ; 
and here one like a spread of coral, and here one like a butterfly and a bag, 
and here one like a beast with long mandibles on the pounce; splashes of 
ruthless colour, ugly nightmare shapes.’’ I wish he had not so quickly 
turned away to the other plants. 
ARGUS. 
ORCHIDS AT WILDERSPOOL, WARRINGTON. 
Oor readers will probably remember two articles which appeared in these 
pages under the above title three years ago (O.R., xiv., pp. 3, 359), 1n which 
it was pointed out that Orchid culture in a compost of oak leaves was 
carried on at Warrington by Mr. William Bolton with great success. We 
have now seen a sample of the compost, and some of the plants grown in 
it, and can only say that the result leaves nothing to be desired with regard 
to their health and vigour. We remarked to Mr. Bolton that a few years 
ago a great deal was said about culture in leaf-mould, and that many people 
had tried it, but found that the roots decayed, and consequently the treat- 
ment was abandoned, so that we were greatly puzzled at his continued 
success. He replied, ‘‘I am under the impression that the roots went 
wrong because they were in leaf-mould, or some other mixture that is only 
fit for carnations or geraniums.” That at all events does not describe the 
— 
5 Dag rani eaters eee etn ow AAS OND TO ab Nea, er a ea pavic tite Muity, 
