June, 1015.] 



'IHI- ORCHID WORM). 



day the painting bears witness of the deed, 

 for the artist painted tlic plant as cleaned by 

 Sir Harry. 



4iS 



The R.H.S. Exhibitions.— The letter in 

 the May issue contains a good deal of truth 

 regarding the plants exhibited at the R.H.S. 

 meetings, but I think the trade grower has 

 also to be considered, for his main object is 

 business and not so much the attempt to 

 achieve fame by the production of large 

 s])ecimens. Very few amateurs desire to 

 ])urchase large plants, which are necessarily 

 somewhat expensive, the general inclination 

 being to buy healthy seedlings and propa- 

 gated pieces of well-known varieties, these 

 can then be grown on by the new owner, who 

 will derive much pleasure by being able to 

 say : — " I have grown this specimen, what do 

 you think of it?" I well remember one 

 occasion when the end of the R.H.S. Hall was 

 filled with a group of specimen Orchids from 

 an amateur's collection, such that no trade 

 grower could ever hope to cultivate, for the 

 time and expense incurred would be far in 

 excess of the commercial result. More than 

 one trade exhibitor took advantage of the 

 situation, and explained to those of his 

 customers who were present that all they had 

 to do was to buy the small sample plants from 

 his exhibit and cultivate them for a few years 

 when they would doubtless bring about the 

 same success. The amateur who exhibits a 

 handsome specimen does much to popularise 

 Orchid growing and indirectly assists the 

 trade grower to sell his small plants, for 

 unless the general public obtain a clear idea 

 of the plant's possible beauty when fully 

 matured they cannot be expected to purchase 

 what to them is little more than a couple of 

 bulbs and a long Latin name. The fine 

 specimens shown by an amateur are as 

 valuable to a trade grower as a good 

 illustration is to his catalogue, and nothing 

 would please me better than to see more 

 attempts made at specimen growing, such as 

 Fellows of the R.H.S. were accustomed to see 

 in years gcjne by. — Trade Grower. 



Nomenclature. — At the R.H.S. meeting, 

 held April 13th, Messrs. hdory and Black 

 received an Award of Merit for a L;elio- 

 Cattleya which they exhibited under the 

 name Nana, in honour of a Spanish lady, but 

 they subsequently discovered that an error in 

 spelling had occurred, and as the correct 

 method was Nena they wi.shed to alter the 

 same accordingly. Some discussion then 

 arose as to whether this hybrid when once it 

 had been certificated under a certain name 

 could have the same altered, as confusion in 

 the future might arise. No one, of course, has 

 any right to change a valid name, but in this 

 case there was no intention of so doing, the 

 exhibitors merely wished to correct an error 

 in the original and erroneous spelling, which 

 IS allowable under Article 57 of the Inter- 

 national Rules for Botanical Nomenclature, 

 Vienna, 1905: — "The original spelling of a 

 name must be retained, except in case of a 

 typographic or orthographic error." The 

 matter came before the R.H.S. Council, who 

 rightly decided to allow the alteration, 

 consequently Laelio-Cattleya Nena is the 

 recognised name for the hybrid between L.-C. 

 warnhamensis and L.-C. Dominiana. 



?;.jf 



Assisting Nature. — There are but few- 

 occasions when Nature may be assisted in her 

 work, and it is only when her subjects are 

 artificially cultivated that there is any real 

 need for help. One of these necessitous cases 

 occurs in Miltonia vexillaria and its hybrids, 

 the lower leaves of which so tightly enclose 

 the rooting portion of the bulb that some 

 roots find considerable difficulty in breaking 

 a way through to the compost. If these 

 lower leaves are examined there will often- 

 times be found one or more roots enclosed 

 and bent in an upward direction. The 

 method of rendering assistance consists in 

 carefully splitting the lower portion of the 

 leaves or even removing them entirely, in 

 order that no hindrance may meet the young 

 roots. Plants under cultivation need all the 

 nutriment possible, and their chief means of 



VOL. V. 



36 



