THE ORCHID WORLD. 



[September, 1916. 



after some thirteen years, a similar experience 

 occurred to that I had passed through at 

 Manley Hall. Mr. Leech and family removed 

 to Palace Gardens, Kensington, and every- 

 thing was sold and cleared away. This was a 

 most painful experience, as I had become 

 quite attached to the place, having a most 

 kind and considerate employer, fond of his 

 Orchids and ever anxious to secure new, rare 

 or other choice specimens. The East Indian 

 plants were just superb. I have not seen such 

 a collection since. The whole were well 

 leaved, and bloomed freely and regularly. 

 Here I raised hundreds of Cypripedium 

 hybrids, including C. Swanianum (Dayanum 

 X barbatum) ; the former parent was 

 discovered by Mr. (afterwards Sir Hugh) 

 Low in north-east Borneo, and sent home 

 with some nephentes to the nursery of 

 Messrs. Low and Co., from whom Mr. John 

 Day acquired the box and all its contents. 

 The Nephentes arrived dead, but a few of 

 the Cypripediums survived, and one of them 

 which flowered at Tottenham in i860 was 

 named Dayanum. 



Calanthes were also a special feature in the 

 Fallowfield collection, especially C. Veitchii, 

 one of the flower spikes of which was used as 

 the subject for the coloured plate in Warner's 

 " Orchid Album." These Calanthes were 

 placed m rows among the East Indian 

 Orchids, so that they, blooming as they do 

 without their leaves, might have their beauty 

 enhanced by the foliage of .^Erides and 

 Vandas. Among the Dendrobium hybrids 

 was the delightful D. Leechianum (aureum x 

 nobile), now considered a variety of D. 

 Ainsworthii. Some forty plants passed away 

 when the collection was sold, and I have 

 every reason to believe the purchasers were 

 not losers by the transaction. Thunia 

 Bensoniae was another success in the Fallow- 

 field collection, as also were Oncidium 

 macranthum and brides crassifolium. 



Cymbidium Parishii flowered for the first 

 time in England in Mr. Leech's collection, in 

 1878, just before other plants of it flowered 

 in the collection of Mr. John Day. 



Of Mr. G. Hardy I have most vivid 

 recollections, and well remember his personal 



request that I should visit him at Pickering 

 Lodge, Timperley, to- see his wonderful new 

 Cattleya, now known as C. Hardyana, and 

 with which I was truly charmed. 



When I left Oakley it almost seemed as if 

 my services with Orchids were likely to 

 terminate, yet, after some delay, I entered the 

 service of Mr. E. G. Wrigley, of Howick 

 House, Preston, where I found a good 

 collection of plants, the Cattleyas being 

 extensively represented. My first labour here 

 was the potting of a thousand clumps of 

 Cattleya Mossize, many of the pieces having 

 four to six leads. This was no simple under- 

 taking and took considerable time. When 

 the last was finished the whole were arranged 

 in what had been a very large pine stove. 

 The plants soon established themselves in 

 their new home, and though no shade was 

 given they were in no way harmed. In fact, 

 many produced five flowers on a bulb, and 

 were of an unusually firm texture. My stay 

 at Howick was of brief duration — just two 

 years. 



Eor some months I took duty at the Public 

 Parks at Preston, afterwards accepting an 

 engagement with Mr. G. C. Raphael, of Castle 

 Hill, Englefield Green, Surrey. The grounds 

 here were, and still are, very extensive, with 

 good glass erections, which in those days 

 were filled with plants of a distinct and 

 decorative nature. The Orchids filled several 

 houses of good size, which were well adapted 

 to their respective occupants. Whilst serving 

 here I raised hundreds of Cypripedium 

 seedlings, among them being some choice 

 forms of Leeanum, nitens and radiosum. 

 Most of these are still at Castle Hill, and in 

 the early winters I have had the delight of 

 gazing upon these glorious plants. Many of 

 the specimens carried thirty to forty flowers, 

 there being numerous instances of two flowers 

 on a spike, and several with three perfect 

 flowers. Two thousand blooms were open at 

 the time of my last visit, which was in January 

 of the present year. The seeds were sown on 

 the top of the soil of other Cypripediums, and 

 in due course came up by scores and 

 hundreds, for in watering the larger plants 

 many seeds must have been washed over the 



