THE ORCHID WORLD. 



[Nov.— Dec, 1916. 



AN ORCHID HOUSE OF 

 LONG AGO. 



IT was in 1837 that Schomburyk dis- 

 covered Bollea violacea when exploring 

 the river Essequibo in British Guiana, 

 and the graphic description which he then 

 gave of the falls of this river, as well as those 

 of the Berbice, incited Mr. J. H. Llewelyn, 

 of Penllergaer, Swansea, to construct an 

 Orchideous House, the interior of which was 

 so arranged that the plants should enjoy 

 almost similar conditions to those of their 

 native home. An account of this house was 

 communicated to the Horticultural Society of 

 London in October, 1845, and was subse- 

 quently published in the Society's Journal, 

 together with the illustration now reproduced. 



Schomburgk mentioned a small island 

 whose vegetation " had that peculiar lively 

 appearance which is so characteristic in the 

 vicinity of cataracts, where a humid cloud, the 

 effect of the spray, always hovers round 

 them." This atmospheric condition Mr. 

 Llewelyn imitated by causing water from a 

 pond to fall over rough pieces of projecting 

 rock, thereby producing a misty spray. The 

 pipe conveying the water was so arranged 

 that it passed through the boiler fire in order 

 that the temperature of the house was not 

 injuriously lowered. The water was received 

 into a pool which occupied the centre of the 

 floor of the house. Little islands of rock- 

 work, covered with growing moss, served as 

 pedestals for some of the Orchids which at 

 that time were supposed to require a 

 consideraljle amount of moisture. " Plants 

 that are grown in this manner," stated Mr. 

 Llewelyn, " have a wild luxuriance about 

 them that is unknown to the specimens culti- 

 vated in the ordinary manner, and to myself 

 they are exceedingly attractive, more 

 resembling what one fancies them in their 

 native forests — true air plants, depending for 

 their subsistence on the humid atmosphere 

 alone. Different species thus intermingle 

 together in a beautiful confusion, Dendro- 

 bium, Camarotis and Renanthera, side by 

 side, with wreaths of flowers and leaves inter- 

 lacing one another, and sending their long 



roots to drink from the mist of the fall, or 

 even from the water of the pool beneath. 



" Many species are cultivated upon the 

 rocks themselves, others upon blocks of 

 wood, or baskets suspended from the roof, 

 and thus sufficient room is secured for a great 

 number of plants. At the same time the 

 general effect is beautiful, and the constant 

 humidity kept up by the stream of falling 

 water suits the constitution of many species 

 m a degree that might be expected from a 

 consideration of their native habits. Huntleya 

 (Bollea) violacea was one of the first epiphytes 

 that I planted, and it flowered and throve in 

 its new situation, as I hoped and expected. 

 The East Indian genera, however, of Vanda, 

 Saccolabium, brides, and other caulescent 

 sorts, similar in habit and growth, were the 

 most vigorous of all, and many of these in a 

 very short time only required the use of the 

 pruning knife to prevent their overgrowing 

 smaller and more delicate species." 



It was m this house, in the year 1839, that 

 the first flowers of Lselia majalis were 

 produced under cultivation. A coloured plate 

 of this species appeared in the Botanical 

 Register for June, 1844, with the following 

 interesting account : — " Indeed, so signal, in 

 the case of L. majalis, has been the failure 

 of even the most experienced cultivators, that 

 although there was scarce a collection that 

 did not contain one or more specimens of the 

 plant, still did it obstinately refuse to flower, 

 except in the solitary instance when it yielded 

 to the skilful treatment of Mr. Dillwyn 

 Llewelyn. This plant was potted in very 

 rough fibrous peat, being kept nearly dry in 

 a cool plant house until its new buds began 

 to swell, when it was removed to a hot and 

 damp stove, kept exclusively for Orchidaceae. 

 Water was regularly given until its buds had 

 acquired their full size, when it was discon- 

 tinued by degrees, and the plant carried back 

 to a lower temperature." 



Perhaps the most interesting fact concern- 

 ing this historic collection is that it is still 

 maintained by Sir John T. D. Llewelyn, 

 Bart., who was born in the year 1836, and 

 who well remembers his father receiving 

 plants from Mr. Bateman's collector and those 



