May, 1913.] 
THE ORCHID WORLD. 
173 
much benefited by having it renewed every 
season ; this should be done early in spring 
when the plants begin to grow." One of the 
finest varieties of this species is that known 
as decorum, which appears to have been first 
exhibited by Sir Trevor Lawrence, at the 
Royal Horticultural Society, February 14th, 
1877, when it received a First-class Certifi- 
cate. The flowers are much larger and have 
petals considerably broader than in the 
ordinary type. By some authorities this is 
regarded as a geographical form, and may, 
therefore, have been originally sent to this 
country by more than one plant. Other 
specialists believe that only one plant was 
discovered and that this has been distributed 
by means of propagated pieces. However, 
the variety is now exceedingly scarce, and has 
been almost forgotten until a jjlant flowered 
m Mr. Richard Ashworth's collection, at 
Newchurch, Manchester, and was exhibited at 
the Manchester Orchid Society, April 3rd, 
1913. This was labelled Od. Cervantesii 
decorum Ashland's variety. Mr. J. Howes 
remembers a plant of the variety decorum 
which was in the collection of Mr. Fred. 
Horsman, and there is just the chance that 
this may have appeared once again in 
flowering condition. 
^ri i^is ^Si 
Sander Cup. — The 25 guinea Silver Cup 
presented by Messrs. Sander and Sons to the 
Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society has 
now been won three times in succession i)y 
Mr. R. Broomaii White, of Arddarroch, and 
therefore becomes his property. At the 
Society's meeting, April gth, Mr. R. B. White 
(gr. Mr. James Smith) staged a fine exhibit of 
Odontoglossums arranged in a space 12 feet 
by 6 feet, and was awarded the first prize in 
addition to the Sander Cup. Other exhibitors 
included Sir A. B. Milne, Bart., Inx eresk Gate, 
Musselburgh ; Mr. R. Hindle, Edinburgh ; 
and Mr. C. W. Cowan, Dalhousie Castle, 
Bonnyrigg. 
Orchid Catalogue. — Messrs. Wm. J. 
Biggs and Co. have issued an attractive 
illustrated catalogue of Orchids in their estab- 
lishment at Canonbury Road, Enfield. 
ORCHID EXHIBITION AT 
CALCUTTA. 
L'* OVERS of flowers m Calcutta," 
remarks the Slalcsuian, " alw.iys 
look forward with anticijiations of 
pleasure to the annual show of Orchids held 
hy Mr. S. P. Chatterjee at the Victoria 
Nursery. For a quarter of a century this 
show has been one of the events of the cold- 
weather season, and has been visited annually 
by every Viceroy since Lord Duffenn's 
time. Lord Carmichael went on Tuesda)', 
March nth, to the show, which was opened 
to the public Wednesday afternoon, and will 
remain open until Sunday. 
" Mr. Chatterjee was the pioneer of the 
nursery business m Calcutta, he having 
started some forty years tigo. A few years 
later he went to England to undergo a 
thorough course of training m horticultural 
work, and worked for some time in Kew 
Gardens and other important gardens m 
England ; then returning to Calcutta, he 
started the work which has transformed what 
was then a jungle into park-like grounds, with 
splendidly-equipped conservatories, rockeries 
and greenhouses, in which are grown some 
of the rarest Orchids, ferns, and other plants 
known to the horticulturist to-day. 
" The Orchid house during the show was a 
perfect picture of floral beaut}*, the delicate 
perfume of the lovelv flowers giving an added 
pleasure to the senses. There were o\er 
forty varieties of these beautiful flowers on 
show, including" a number of quite rare 
blooms. One of the novelties of the exhi- 
bition was Vanda coerulescens. The natural 
colour of this type is light blue, but Mr. Chat- 
terjee's specimen is a delicate pink- -whicli 
makes the bloom the novelty that is so dear 
to the Orchid collector's heart. There were 
five varieties of Phakenopsis — the Queen of 
the Orchids — one of them being P. Stuartiana; 
while of the six types of Oncidiuin, one, O. 
Carthaginense, is very seldom met with in 
India. Amongst the other blooms to be seen 
here were fifteen varieties of Dendrobiums, 
and others too numerous to be specified. 
VOL. III. 
22 
