ORCHID CONFERENCE. 



98 



It is somewhat to be regretted that a paper dealing with, the 

 naming of Orchids was not read at the Conference, especially as 

 all interested in the matter, whether botanists, amateurs or 

 gardeners, are agreed that it is a subject demanding urgent 

 attention. It is to be hoped, however, that another opportunity 

 may arise at which some definite and practicable scheme for the 

 naming of all garden varieties of Orchids and other plants may 

 be proposed and adopted under the auspices of the Eoyal 

 Horticultural Society. The one great step in advance made at 

 the Narcissus Congress was the resolution to use Latin names 

 for wild plants only, and to adopt popular English names for 

 mere garden forms. Many of the Cattleyas and Odontoglossums, 

 for example, are really not more distinct from each other than are 

 seedling Narcissi, Primroses or Chrysanthemums, and to give mere 

 garden hybrids and slightly different native or wild seedlings long 

 Latin names only increases a confusion which is becoming 

 unbearable. Seeing that some definite understanding must 

 sooner or later be arrived at on this question, it seems almost a 

 pity that this question of names was not the first subject brought 

 before the Conference. At the last moment the subject was 

 postponed in the hope that Professor Eeichenbach, together with 

 other botanists, might be induced at some future date to attend 

 and settle the matter. The Editor of the Gardeners Chronicle 

 puts the whole matter " into a nutshell " as follows : " The 

 subject of nomenclature was not only crowded out from a full 

 programme, but it was wisely eliminated till such time as the 

 great authority of Professor Reichenbach could be effectively 

 brought to bear upon it." 



It is one of the curious anomalies of our time that with all 

 the facilities afforded by English gardens, and our two national 

 herbaria combined, new or critical species of Orchids cannot be 

 named in this country. 



General Results. 



If it be true that " the proof of a pudding is in the eating 

 thereof," it will readily be granted that the good of a Conference 

 consists of the results gained. In the present case we had 

 decidedly the finest and best representative collection of Orchids 

 brought together that has ever been seen in one place, or in other 

 words a flower show quite unique of its kind. Visitors were 



