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THE ORCHIDEiE HOUSE. 



Orchideous plants, whether regarded for the beauty of their colours, 

 the singularity of their organization, the grotesque forms which they 

 assume, or the dehcious fragrance of their blossoms, must be admitted to 

 be among the most extraordinary vegetable productions of the globe. It 

 is somewhat singular, that notwithstanding the abundance in which they 

 are found, particularly in the tropics, they should have escaped the obser- 

 vation of collectors so long, and equally so, that of those which were 

 brought into Europe, so few of them were preserved for any length of 

 time. 



In the early editions of the Hortus Kewensis (our copy is dated 1789), 

 only fifteen species are recognized, and up to the beginning of the present 

 century only fifty-one species of exotic Orchideae are enumerated in our 

 best plant catalogues. Nor was it till within the last ten or fifteen years 

 that the great influx of Orchideae has taken place, and that chiefly owing 

 to a few spirited individuals, who, struck with their extraordinary habits 

 and beauty, made them their study, and encouraged their introduction. 

 Amongst the most conspicuous of these is his Grace the Duke of Devon- 

 shire, who has been most liberal in his encouragement, not only by 

 sending out collectors to discover new sorts, but also by patronising the 

 cultivation of them at home upon a very extensive scale. With his 

 Grace's name we may associate those of the late Mrs. A. Harrison, of 

 Liverpool, the late Mr. Cattley, James Bateman, Esq., and the Messrs. 

 Loddiges, RolUnsons^, Low, and Knight. The collection of Messrs. Lod- 

 diges is the most ancient as well as the most extensive, and is reputed to 

 amount to about one thousand species and varieties, altogether the most 

 splendid collection in the world. 



I'or the best principles of the cultivation of this tribe, and to a 

 great extent for the taste also which has grown up within these few 

 years, w^e are much indebted to Mr. Cooper, of Wentworth House, who 



