THE ELOEAL MAGAZINE 
NEW SERIES.] 
FLOWER SHOWS. 
The great show of Chrysanthemums and Fruit, held at 
South Kensington, on Wednesday, Nov. 11, will long 
be remembered as one of the most successful exhibitions 
ever held by the Royal Horticultural Society. Any 
review of the magnificent display of fruit would be be- 
yond the limits of the Floral Magazine ; we will, there- 
fore, content ourselves by saying that never was such an 
unrivalled collection seen before in London. The same 
remark holds good with regard to the Chrysanthemums, 
both as to quality and quantity ; for few frequenters 
of our flower-shows can remember any former exhibition 
to equal the display of Nov. 11. Actual new varieties 
were certainly few ; nevertheless, Messrs. Veitch and 
Sons, of Chelsea, sent four new plants of great merit, 
and for each they were most deservedly awarded a first- 
class certificate. 1. Duchess of Edinburgh, an anemone- 
flowered Japanese variety, with white recurved ray-florets, 
like strips of white paper, and a rosy disk, with a brim- 
stone eye; altogether a most interesting plant, and a 
great novelty. 2. Purple King, a Japanese variety, 
with regular-recurved florets of a deep luminous purple 
colour : an invaluable plant, and an entire novelty 
as to purity and brilliancy of colour. 3. Cossack, a 
large crimson-maroon flower, the florets tinted with 
yellow, and bronze underneath ; the bloom of this plant 
exactly resembles in shape a Cossack’s cap, hence the 
appropriate name of the flower. 4. Gold Thread, a 
lovely plant, with narrowish florets tinted with yellow 
and vermilion, giving the bloom the appearance of a 
mass of line flames, or gold threads. 
Mr. B. S. Williams, of Upper Holloway, was awarded 
a first-class certificate for Anthevicum Williamsii, a 
handsome Liliaceous plant from the Cape, with beauti- 
fully drooping foliage, variegated with bands of white. 
Mr. Williams also exhibited plants of Anthurium 
Patinii, and his lovely Adiantum gracillimum, to which 
we have before referred, with new species of Mauritia 
and Niphobolus. Mr. Bull exhibited a pure white 
variety of Odontoglossum Roezlii; and we may say, in 
parenthesis, that Lord Londesborough had the same 
variety in flower at the same time in one of his houses 
at Norbiton. Messrs. Veitch sent Odontoglossum Rossii 
major, Masdevallia amabilis, Barkeria Lindleyana var. 
Centerse, and a new broad emerald-green leaved Dracama 
from Natal. Messrs. Henderson sent specimens of an 
elegant grass, Gymnothrix latifolia, and two lovely 
varieties of Sonerila. 
[No. 30. 
LORD LONDESBOROUGII’S ORCHIDS. 
We this month give illustrations of two fine plants re- 
cently selected for figuring, from Lord Londesborough’s 
rich collection at Norbiton, which, under the direction 
of Mr. William Denning, is confessedly one of the finest 
collections of Orchids in Europe. At the time of our last 
visit Angrsecum Ellisii was in flower, and Lord Londes- 
borough’s plant (as well as one we have seen at Messrs. 
Veitch and Sons) is certainly a very different variety 
from the fine plant we have sketched from Mr. Day’s 
collection at Tottenham. The large pans of Pleiones 
growing in one of the houses has recently been a sight 
never to be forgotten, from the brilliancy, beauty, and 
number of flowers, all open at one and the same time. 
Well worthy of note, too, are the fine specimens of the 
blue- lipped Zygopetalum maxillare, and Z. Mackayi. 
We shall take an early opportunity of referring to this 
fine collection of Orchids in detail. 
THE CULTURE OF CATTLEYA GIGAS. 
Cattleya gigas, supposed by some competent autho- 
rities to be no other than a form of the rare C. labiata, 
like most other Cattleyas, requires a considerable amount 
of heat to grow it satisfactorily, especially during the 
summer months — say about 70° by night to 85° by day. 
When the short days come on, about the end of October, 
a night temperature of about 58° will suffice, with a 
rise, by fire heat, to 65° by day, allowing an additional 
rise of 10° by sunshine. The Cattleya in question will 
grow well on blocks of rough-barked thorn or pear; if 
the above are not procurable, then very fibrous peat may 
be used to pot it with, taking care that the pot is 
always rather too small for the plant, for if over-potted 
(and it should get too wet), every root would quickly 
perish. — William Denning, Norliton. 
THE NEW LINDLEY MEDAL. 
We have had an opportunity of inspecting this new work 
of art, which is at last about to be issued by the Royal 
Horticultural Society. On the obverse of the medal is 
a portrait of Dr. Lindley (spectacles on nose), encircled 
with a laurel wreath, and the inscription, “ Dr. John 
Lindley, F.R.S., born February 5th, 1799, died No- 
vember 1st, 1865 ;” on the reverse is a full-length figure 
of Flora, wreath in hand, and the inscription, “ Royal 
DECEMBER, 1874. 
