NOTES 



Then and Now. — In 1845 Dr. Lindley 

 wrote : — " We now proceed to give an account 

 of the species of another of those large genera 

 of Orchids, which fiU our collections with their 

 species, and whose names are to be found 

 scattered through so many books that even 

 the most skilful botanist scarcely knows 

 where to search for them, or when his inquiry 

 is exhausted." What would this great 

 Orchidologist have said concerning present- 

 day hybrids? 



^tik 



Mr. Chamberlain's Orchids. — The sale 

 of this well-known collection, which took 

 place April 15th and i6th, attracted a large 

 number of visitors to Messrs. Protheroe and 

 Morris' rooms in Cheapsicle. The eagerness 

 with which amateurs bid for the plants 

 showed how great was the desire to obtain 

 mementos of this famous collection, for go 

 where one may the names of Chamberlain 

 and Orchids have long been inseparable. A 

 special feature was the large number of 

 strangers, people who had never previousl)' 

 attempted the cultivation of these plants, but 

 who now wish to follow in the great 

 statesman's footsteps, at least, so far as his 

 garden walks were concerned. 



1^ ?<l ^ 



Odontoglossum Insleayi. — Of the 

 several varieties of this Mexican species that 

 known as splendens is one of the best. At the 

 sale of Mr. Chamberlain's collection a plant of 

 this variety, consisting of four bulbs, realised 

 the comparatively high sum of 12 guineas, the 

 purchaser being Mr. W. Waters Butler, of 



Edgbaston, Birmingham. Thus the plant, 

 after a brief visit to London, returns to the 

 surroundings it has long enjoyed. But there 

 is something further to note, for O. Insleayi 

 was introduced by Mr. Barker, of Birming- 

 ham, as long ago as 1838, and named m 

 honour of Mr. Insleay, at that time his 

 gardener. It is pleasing to know that 

 Birmingham may still be proud of her 

 Orchids, for the collection formed by Mr. 

 Waters Butler ranks am^ongst the finest in the 

 country. 



^.^ ^ ^ 

 Back Bulbs. — In our issue of February, 

 1914, we gave an illustration of the propa- 

 gation of Odontogiossums by utilising the 

 back bulbs, as carried on in the Linden House 

 collection, Stanwix, Carlisle. The owner of 

 this collection, Sir Benjamin Scott, now sends 

 us excellent examples of the beneficial results 

 thereby obtained. A back bulb of a hybrid 

 Odontoglossum, bearing the name Edenense, 

 has been carefully grown on for two or three 

 seasons by his able gardener, Mr. Accleton, 

 with the result that the flower shows 

 considerable improvement on that produced 

 by the original plant. The newly-made plant 

 has received every attention so far as its 

 cultural requirements are concerned, and is 

 consequently abundantly supplied with 

 \ igour and nutritive material, the final result 

 being an excellent flower of large size and 

 handsomely blotched with claret-purple. B_\- 

 this means not only can the stock of a 

 favourite variety be increased, but the plants 

 are maintained in a healthy and vigorous 

 condition, which is a far more satisfactory 

 state of affairs than a number of worn-out 

 plants sadly in need of skilled attention. 



VOL. V. 



22 



