Ixxii 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



exhibits. The following summary will, however, indicate the 

 salient features of the collections : — 



Orchids. — Of these it may be said that probably never before has 

 such a large and varied gathering of these beautiful plants been made, 

 except possibly at the Great Orchid Conference of the Royal Horti- 

 cultural Society in 188-5. At the Temple Show the whole of the 

 exhibits throughout were characterised by a freshness and excellence 

 hardly to be expected in plants which had to be conveyed long dis- 

 tances, while the number of large specimens gave an importance to the 

 whole not to be attained by no matter how great a number of small 

 plants. The manner of arranging them with Ferns and Palms made 

 the most of the undoubted beauty the specimens possesed. 



The grand group from Baron Schroder's gardens at The Dell. 

 Egham, was. by common consent, adjudged to be the best feature 

 of the show — indeed, it would be impossible to conceive, as it is difficult 

 to describe, the magnificent group of large and rare specimens brought 

 together in it. The centre plant was a grand specimen of Cymbidium 

 Lowianum, and along the group the eye lighted on specimens of 

 Cattleya Skinneri, four feet across; C. Skinneri alba; many C. Law- 

 renceana, with large heads of dark crimson flowers ; the white C. 

 Mossite "Wagneri, with five flowers : C. M. alba, and C. Mendelii in every 

 variety, the handsomest and most distinct being the richly coloured 

 variety Bothschildianum. Large specimens of Cattleya Mossue and 

 Lnelia purpurata, too, were in this magnificent group, and a profusion 

 of very fine varieties of Odontoglossum crispum. The Dendrobes 

 were also prominent by the presence of some large specimens of 

 D. thyrsifloruin : D. Lowianum, with a fine spray of bloom; D. 

 •Jamesianum, a single plant with twenty-five blooms, and many others. 



Beside Baron Schroder's collection was an equally extensive display 

 from the gardens of Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart., M.P., the President 

 of the Society, which contained a large number of very fine specimens, 

 and also a goodly number of rare and curious plants of great botanical 

 interest. Some fine specimens of Scarlet Anthurium aided greatly in 

 showing up the Orchids, and a large plant of the spotted A. Scherze- 

 rianumwell displayed its beauties. Some very fine Cattleyas, La-lias, 

 and large masses of rare Cvpripediums (one of C. Swanianum had 

 thirteen flowers) characterised the group, and among the more 

 rare or beautiful were Maxillaria Sanderiana, with large white and 

 crimson flowers ; Cattleya Eeineckiana. a very delicately tinted C. 

 Mossia? var. ; a grand mass of scarlet Masdevallia Harryana, with over 

 forty flowers, M. Gelengiana x ; the brilliant M. H. regalis ; the very 

 handsome Disa racemosa, with four spikes of clear rose flowers ; Spatho- 

 glottis aurea; a grand mass of Cattleya gigas Sanderiana, with two spikes 

 of four large flowers each; the neat and fragrant Epidendrum r a n i f e rum ; 

 large pans of Cypripedium Godefroyie and C. niveum : the pale blue 



