02 



REPORT ON THE 



a fraud so patent that the wonder is that custom lias tolerated 

 the practice so long. Fortunately, there was none of this kind of 

 ingenuity at the Conference, and if, henceforth, the Koyal 

 Horticultural Society veto the thing and offer prizes for bond fide 

 single plants, it will lead to a better state of things. After all, 

 even in the case of bond fide specimen plants, mere size is not 

 essential to true beauty ; and instead of encouraging size only, 

 we might do much better by offering prizes for the best and most 

 artistic groups of Orchids arranged in banks of fresh green ferns, 

 or other suitable foliage plants. 



Papers Bead at the Conference. 



Professor H. G. Eeichenbach, of Hamburgh, contributed a 

 short but extremely interesting botanical paper, the first portion 

 of which referred to the now interesting question of " Proliferous 

 Orchid Boots." The second portion referred to the slowly 

 increasing advent of " Three-lipped Orchids," and the third part 

 to an erratic Peristeria, Acineta, or Luddemdnnia, with poly- 

 morphic and possibly bi- sexual flowers. Mr. Harry Veitch's 

 paper on the "Hybridization of Orchids," and the President's 

 felicitous speech, were the masterpieces of the whole proceedings, 

 and the value of Mr. Veitch's paper was much enhanced by the 

 clear illustrations and actual specimens by which it was 

 accompanied. As this and other communications read will 

 appear in type with this report, it is perhaps unnecessary that I 

 should say more respecting them except to point out to practical 

 gardeners, and more especially to the younger members of the 

 craft, what a wide and open field there is around them for 

 original observation, experiment, and reseiirch. Mr. O'Brien's 

 paper on "The Cultivation of Orchids" also contains much 

 valuable information. Perhaps his condemnation of the use of 

 the syringe amongst Orchids was a little too sweeping, and the 

 mention of particular firms or manufactories is always a 

 questionable policy in papers of this description. The discussion 

 which followed Mr. O'Brien's paper was mainly devoted to the 

 praises of a new manure of no especial interest to us in this 

 report. One little fact brought out, however, was the desirability 

 of resting Orchids, especially when small or weakly, by removing 

 their flower spikes either before or immediately after their 

 flower-buds expand. 



