38 
THE ORCHID WORLD. 
[No\'ember, 1912. 
ORCHIDS AT BUSH HILL PARK. 
RARELY does one see such an immense 
number of mteresting Orchids as are 
cultivated by Messrs. Stuart Low and 
Co., in their Bush Hill Park Nurseries, 
Enfield. One might imagine that the greater 
part of a tropical forest had been denuded of 
its treasures in order to complete such a vast 
assemblage of specimens. 
During the many years that this establish- 
ment has been m existence importations of 
Orchids have been received from almost every 
part of the world ; in fact, it would be difficult 
to determine how many different species have, 
at one time or another, been collected for 
shipment to this important firm of Orchid 
cultivators. 
Amateurs, of course, expect to see Colom- 
bian species, such as Odontogiossum crispum 
and Cattleya Mendelii, well represented, but 
here they may be seen in thousands, houses 
100 feet m length being entirely de\ oted to 
their cultivation. Burmese and Siamese, 
Javan and Bornean, Indian and Australian, are 
but a few of the various kinds of Orchids that 
await the visitor's selection at Bush Hill Park. 
In these days there are not a few amateurs 
who have a special liking for the class of 
Orchid known as "botanical," and for those 
having this scientific inclination much of value 
and interest may be discovered. To give a 
list of these plants would mean filling a 
column with names almost unreadable by the 
young amateur, yet to the botanist thev are 
easily understood, for m most cases they 
describe one or more of the plants' special 
characteristics. The dissimilitudes of the 
flowers are remarkable, the smaller ones 
frequently being even more curiously con- 
structed than those of larger dimensions, and 
often giving greater pleasure to their owner. 
Of the several houses devoted to the culti- 
vation of hybrids one is of sp'^cial interest, 
for it contains speciniens which, if not unique, 
are certainly amongst the rarest of the rare. 
As examples, one may mention La?lio-Cattleya 
Firminii, of which a coloured illustration was 
given in the ORCHID WORLD, June, igii; 
Brasso-Cattle) a Dietrichiana, the most richly 
coloured of all the Digbyana hybrids ; 
Cattleya Hardyana alba, with pure white 
sepals and petals ; and Cattleya Warscewiczii 
alba, the latter a small propagated piece from 
the wonderful specimen owned by Mons. 
Firmin Lambeau, and which received the 
extremely rare award of a Gold Medal when 
exhibited at the Royal Horticultural Society, 
July, 1912. The beautiful Cattleya Mendelii 
alba var. Stuart Low received a First-class 
Certificate at the Holland Park Show, igio, 
The Phalasnopsis house is eminently suited 
to the cultivation of the)ie handsome plants, 
the silver-mottled leaves of P. Schilleriana are 
constant features of attraction, and always 
impart a bright appearance to the house. 
These plants do not appear to suffer to an 
appreciable extent from the detrimental influ- 
ence of late autumn fogs, although not 
unfrequently the flower spikes are damaged. 
Some experiments made on P. Schilleriana 
prove that this damage may to some extent be 
overcome by lemoving the upper or bud por- 
tion of the spike and allowing the lower part 
to form side branches, the buds on which are 
so retarded that the flowers open several 
months later, or at a time when fogs are non- 
exis'cen':. 
Of recent importations a very interesting 
type of Sophronitis grandiflora is represented 
by numerous specimens. The bulbs are all of 
dwarf growing habit and remind one of the 
militaris type, now rarely seen, but which 
produces large, round-shaped flowers of 
intense scarlet colour. Cattleya gigas has 
also been lately received in excellent con- 
dition, the plants are well supplied with 
healthy leaves, and all the buds are in a 
dormant condition. 
In the early days of Orchid collecting 
many wonderful specimens were discovered 
by Messrs. Low's collectors, proof of which 
may still be seen in several interesting photo- 
graphs. One of these depicts a marvellous 
specimen of the Siamese Rhyncostylis coelestis, 
the erect flower scapes forming a perfect 
mass of bloom, which to this day has never 
been equalled. 
