'56 



THE CENTENARY OF JOHN 

 DOM I NY. 



JOriN DOMINY was born at Gittisham, 

 Devon, ni l8l6, and early m life 

 adopted gardening as a profession. In 

 1 8 34, after completing- his apprenticeship in 

 a private garden, he entered the nursery of 

 Messrs. I^ucombe, Pince and Co., of Exeter, 

 where he stayed for two ot three months, and 

 thence removed to Messrs. Veitch, who at that 

 time possessed only the Exeter establish- 

 ment. Here Dominy stayed until 1 841, when 

 he accepted the position of head gardener to 

 Mr. J. P. Magor, of Redruth, where he 

 remained for nearly five years. In 1846 he 

 returned to Exeter, and continued working 

 with Messrs. Veitch, afterwards going to the 

 Chelsea establishment. In 1 880 failing health 

 compelled retirement. 



Dominy was an excellent grower of stove 

 and greenhouse plants, but it was his skill as 

 a hybridiser of orchids that won for him 

 world-wide renown. It was in the year 1852 

 that Mr. John Harris suggested to Dominy 

 the possibility of obtaining hybrid Orchids, 

 and as soon as the opportunity presented 

 itself a practical start was made. Calanthe 

 Dominii (Masuca x furcata) flowered m 1856, 

 when only two years old, and marked the 

 commencement of Dominy's work, as well as 

 being the first artificially raised hybrid to 

 flower. Dr. Lmdley, the leading botanist of 

 his time, on seeing this hybrid remarked : 

 "You will drive the botanists mad." 



This first result was soon followed by L.-C. 

 exoniensis, L.-C. Dommiana and Calanthe 

 Veitchii, tliree Orchids which hold an 

 honoured position to-day, despite the 

 thousands of other crosses that have been 

 made. The first Cypripedium hybrid, viUosum 

 X barbatum, was raised by Dominy and 

 flowered in i86g, when it received the name 

 Harrisianum, in honour of the man who first 

 gave Dominy the idea of producing hybrids. 

 In 1870 Selenipedium Dominianum appeared, 

 this being the result of crossing S. caricinum 

 and S. caudatum ; and m the same year 

 Cypripedium vexillarium (barbatum x 

 Fairrieanum) attracted much attention, and 



[April-Nlay, 1916. 



proved the forerunner of a series of beautiful 

 results. 



In 1880 the Council of tlie Royal Horticul- 

 tural Society awarded their large Gold Flora 

 Medal to Mr. Dominy in recognition of his 

 services to horticulture generally, especially 

 for his remarkable achievements in hybridisa- 

 tion. A few years later his friends presented 

 him, through Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart., with 

 a gold watch and a purse of 200 guineas. 



After his retirement Dominy still retained 

 an interest in horticultural pursuits, and was 

 a constant attendant at the R.H.S. meetings. 

 He died February 12th, i8'ji, and was buried 

 at Exeter on the 17th of that month. 



The followang is a list of the hybrids raised 

 by Dominy: — brides hybridum (affine x 

 Fieldingii), Anoectomana Dominii (A. Rox- 

 burghii x H. discolor), Macomana Veitchii 

 (H. discolor x M. petola). 



Calanthe Dommii (Masuca x furcata), C. 

 Veitchii (rosea x vestita), Phaio-Calanthe 

 irrorata (P. grandifolius x C. vestita). 



Cattlsya Brabantias (Loddigesii x 

 Aclandiae), C. Dominiana (intermedia x 

 maxima), C. hybrida (guttata x Loddigesii), 

 C. Manglesii (Lcddigesii x Lueddemanniana), 

 C. quinquecolor (AclandiEe x Forbesii). 



Laelia Pilcheri (L. crispa x L. Perrinii). 



Laslio-Cattleya devoniensis (L. crispa x C. 

 Leopoldii), L.-C. Dominiana (L. purpurata x 

 C. Dowiana), L.-C. exoniensis (L. crispa x C. 

 Mossiae), L.-C. felix (L. crispa x C. Schil- 

 leriana), L.-C. Veitchiana (L. crispa x C. 

 labiata). 



Cypripedium vexillaruim (barbatum x 

 Fairrieanum), C. Harrisianum (barbatum x 

 villosum), Selipedium Dominianum (caricinum 

 X caudatum). 



^ ^ 



Cypripedium Thora.— This hybrid was 

 shown at the Manchester Orchid Society, 

 December i6th, 1915, the official report of the 

 Society stating the parentage to be Fair- 

 rieanum X Earl of Tankerville, which we duly 

 recorded on page 115. The exhibitor, Mr. H. 

 J. Bromilow, has since informed us that the 

 above is incorrect, as the plant was shown as 

 parentage unknown. 



THE ORCHID WORLD. 



