VOL. LV.— No. 3,056. 



SATURDAY, MAY 25, 1912 



THE 



GARDENERS 



NOTE OF THE WEEK 



ed 



ve ci. llure, Davisi, and B. Clarkei, all of which <are 

 have been natives of South America, and were mostly 



introduced to this country in 1896 am' the 



Progress 1866-1912. 



Th 



renew the friendships that 

 have been made at the inter- 



is now being held in the extensive grounds 

 of the Royal Hospital, Chel- 

 sea, is not only a splendid 

 demonstration of British 

 horticulture, but is so great 

 a success horticulturally as 

 to far surpass in magnitude 

 a ad interest the most suc- 

 cessful gathering associated 

 with gardening that has 

 been held within the boun- 

 daries of the United King- 

 dom. It is of special in- 

 terest to those who take a 

 broad view of the various 

 aspects of the practice and 

 science of hor ticulture to 

 have evidence in a Avalk 

 through the show, that, 

 while our own countrymen 

 have made strenuous endea- 

 voiu to maintain the higli 

 reputation this country has 

 &o long enjoyed for its devo- 

 tion to the pursuit of gar- 

 dening, our foreign friends 

 have not been sparing in 

 their efforts to contribute of 

 their best to the exhibition, 

 and thereby render it truly 

 international in character, 

 as well as in name. To our- 

 selves it has been a great 

 pleasure to meet under the 

 wide-spreading tents that 

 shelter the marvellous dis- 

 plays of pi a n ts , ti o w e r s , 

 fruits, and vegetables, or in 

 the leafy and delightful 

 Ranelagh Gardens, friends 

 from distant parts of our 

 <iwn country, and also to 



and several quite new races 

 obtained as the result of the activities of 

 the hybridist. One of the most remark- two followmg years, 

 able examples of the success that has been 

 achieved in the creation of new rjjces of disation of 

 *.io,^^-o \^^r ili^i arf ni livhridisation is afforded has been 



Thus the race of 



tho 

 creati d 



SIX 



led froi 



species 



18G(i. 



mentioiu^d 

 The 



r 



'% 



- r. ' r. 



V J L 



-It- 



THE DUKE OF PORTLAND, K.G., G.C.V.O. 



President of the Royal International Horticultural Exhibition. 



new 



race of streptocarpus, now 

 so popular for conservatory 

 decoration, have also been 

 raised sin<e tlie year last- 

 named, and afford another 

 proof of the possibilities of 

 creating new groups of 

 plants by hybridisation when 

 skilfully conducte<l along 

 well-defined lines. A further 



proof 



results 



of the marvellous 



that 



be ob- 



may 



tained by the blending of 

 the distinctive characteris- 

 tics of closely allied species, 

 otherwise hybridisation, and 

 also of the progress that has 

 been made in the develop- 

 ment of orchids, is found in 

 the numerous collections of 

 these exquisitely beautiful 

 plants that form so impor- 

 tant and attractive a feature 

 of the exhibition. Forty- 

 six years ago not more than 

 half a dozen hybrids had 

 flowered, and, so far as we 

 know, none were shown at 

 the international exhibition 

 which w^as then held, but 

 now there are many hun- 

 dreds of hybrids possessing 

 merit of the highest order, 

 and a very large proportion 

 of these are represented in 

 competitive and non-com- 

 petitive collections. The 

 hybrid cypripediums, odon- 

 toglossums, odontiodas, 

 l?elio-cattleyas, 

 ley as, gophro-cattleyas, and 

 dendrobiums provide us with 



of 



irasso 



almost 



that have been held at by 



tuber 



national gatherin 



^hent, Antwerp, Haarlem, Hamburg, 

 Paris, and some other centres of horticul- of both flower 

 jural activity across the seas. It has also 

 *^en of intense interest to find, in v/alking 

 through the exhibition and bestowing 

 somtthing more than a superficial glance 

 <>n the various objects, proofs well-nigh 

 innumerable of the great progress that has 

 made in the improvement of the pro- 

 «tt^ of the garden and in methods of pro- 

 ^e^ure since the 1866 exhibition. Numer- 

 classes of plants, fruits, and vegetables 



or 



chid 



and owe 



the 



many years contributed to the attractions 

 of both flower garden and plant house. 

 The great diversity in the growth :n the 

 size and form of the flowers and m the 

 colours is well known, and to be m a posi- 

 tion to appreciate the splendid work accxm- 

 plished by those who have been engaged in 

 bringing about such magnificent 

 is only nece^^ary to remember that they 

 have been derived from six compai^tive y 

 insignificant spe^^ies. These were Beg.- 

 boliviensis, B. ros^flora, B. Pearcei, B. 



a new race 



them all to 



raisers at home and across 

 activities ot iaisei:> ai/ 



seas. Not less noteworthy m their 

 are the hybrid nymph^as, which 

 nave been raised in the interval of 

 time between the two international exhibu 

 t rs and constitute a quite new class of 

 tions, aiiu lover of hardy 



much importance. Iho lo^er j 

 water liU^ had for «>nu^ tnuo after 1860 



satisfied with the wlut. spec.es that 



the 

 way 

 have 



to be ^^^'f"^^ "7 nne of th^ most beauti- 

 unquestionably one or tne 



nUbers of our native A^^^ ^^^^ 

 now he ha.s at his command ^arletles 



IS 



ful 



■ 



