414 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND C01IAGE GARDENER. 
[ May 21,1685. 
and sown with seeds for lawns, for which prizes will be awarded 
in due time. A few large trees have been introduced, notably a 
Purple Beech, 30 to 40 feet high, with a stem 3 to 4 feet in cir¬ 
cumference —a very successful example of transplanting. There 
are also several groups of young trees, large beds of Conifers, 
evergreens, and Roses, for which medals either have been or will 
be granted according to the merits of the groups. The Roses 
number 10,000, but they do not look very promising. There is 
not the vigour of growth usually seen in this country, and the 
Belgians do not prune so closely as English rosarians do, and 
thereby, possibly, err. Prizes are also offered for masses of 
flowering plants of various kinds, the whole arrangement con¬ 
stituting what is termed a permanent exhibition continuing till 
October. Some prizes have already been awarded, including the 
chief medal for not less than fifty Conifers to M. Charles Van 
Geert of Antwerp, who had no less than 125 varieties planted in 
a large bed, the selection including the finest sorts in cultivation, 
represented by specimens as healthy and well furnished as it is 
possible to imagine Conifers ranging from 3 feet to 8 feet high 
to be. A corresponding award was made to M. Auguste Yan 
Geert of Ghent for a very excellent group of twenty-five varieties, 
M. D’Haene receiving a silver medal in the same class M. 
De Beucker of Antwerp was honoured for Euonymuses, Ivie 3 , 
and Aucubas, M. Pynaert also receiving a silver medal for these 
last-named shrubs. M. Wouters, however, had the chief medal 
for Ivies, and fine they were, M. Jurissen being the most suc¬ 
cessful exhibitor of Hollies and Laurels. M. Pynaert had a 
medal of the first value for a bed of Rhododendron Prince 
Camille de Rohan, an effective early-flowering variety in great 
demand for forcing, M. Yuylsteke for a group of Azalea mollis, 
and M. Yan Geert for the effective Golden Box that will be 
referred to again. The awards are recorded as showing the 
principle on which the grounds are furnished, which promises to 
be very satisfactory. And now to the 
EXHIBITION OF PLANTS. 
This was not regarded as a large show. There were thirty- 
four classes and sixty-three exhibitors, yet the collections 
occupied with great effect a building perhaps about 250 feet by 
180 feet. Large Palms and foliage plants were elevated round 
the sides of the structure, Oi’chids on tables, Roses, Azaleas, 
Cinerarias, and various other p'ants being disposed on the floor 
in gardenesque style, each bed being protected by a light lattice- 
work border; the general effect was most agreeable, much more 
so than the formal method that cannot well be avoided in the 
narrow marquees in which the majority of English shows are 
held. Belgian horticulturists and floral decorators know how to 
make the most of the materials at their command. On this 
occasion there was plenty of good plants and sufficient space for 
their effective disposal, with room also for inspecting them con¬ 
veniently, and the large pavilion was formed into a beautiful 
garden of foliage and flowers. 
ORCHIDS. 
As intimated last week, there has been a great advance in 
Orchid culture in Belgium. Rich groups of well-grown plants 
were staged that are only equalled at the leading English shows. 
M. Peeters of Brussels was the premier exhibitor, securing the 
500 franc gold medal of the Federation of Belgian Horticultural 
Societies in the class for thirty species and varieties, with plants 
admirably grown, well flowered, and tastefully arranged. Cym- 
bidium Lowianum, with five spikes and about 150 flowers, was the 
central plant, flanked on each side by excellent Yandas, Lselia pur- 
purata, with forty flowers, but in three varieties, and Cattleya 
Mendelli, with about the same number of flowers beautifully 
fresh. Another notable example was Oypripedium Lawrencianum, 
with seventeen splendid flowers and luxuriant marbled foliage, 
decidedly excelling in richness and vigour any plants at the 
London Conference. This bids fair to prove one of the most 
free and effective of the great family to which it belongs, and 
Mr. Burbidge deserves a medal for introducing it. The engraving 
in the Journal last week is a very sober representation of this 
beautiful “ Slipper ” as judged by M. Peeters superior example 
of culture. Cypripedium superbiens, Oncidium Marshallianum, 
Odontoglossum Pescatorei, and Cattleya amethystoglossa also 
contributed to the attractiveness of this group, which occupied 
about 100 square feet of space, a few Maidenhair Ferns being 
agreeably interspersed. M. Jacob Mackoy was placed second, 
securing the gold medal of 300 francs, Dr. Boddaert having 
to be content, or not content, with the medal of 100 francs less in 
value It is not often that three gold medals are awarded in one 
class, but in this case they were well merited. The second-prize 
plants were wonderfully well flowered and skilfully arranged, 
but not particularly vigorous. The centre plant was Vanda 
suavis Yeitchi flanked with Cattleyas Mendelli and Mossige 
splendens, each with thirty to forty flowers, very fresh and 
beautiful, while Dendrobium thyrsiHorum, with twelve racemes, 
had a commanding effect. This group contained many other 
good plants, but a few were rather weak. Dr. Boddaerts’ group 
was heavier, but being nearly a hundred yards distant from the 
others it must have been no easy task to determine their relative 
merits. It is a pity it was not placed with the others instead 
of the space being occupied with the Amaryllises. A truly 
magnificent bank of Orchids would then have been produced. 
The collection under notice contained Yanda tricolor formosa, a 
splendid variety, with three or four other Vandas, all good. A 
magnificent example of Cattleya Mossise with ninety-five flowers ; 
C. Mendelli, twenty to thirty blooms; a Cypripedium villosum, 
extra fine, twenty to thirty flowers, and C. Boxalli, good; Tri- 
copilias, Odontoglossums Rossi majus and Masdevallias finish¬ 
ing the group, a few Fern9 being interspersed. It was a massive 
collection, the plants being fully too large and numerous for the 
space they occupied. The gold medal was awarded par acclama¬ 
tion to the same exhibitor for fifteen Masdevallias. The plants 
were not large, but remarkably healthy, with wonderfully fine 
flowers. M. ignea Massangeana was dwarf, massive, and rich ; 
M. Yeitchi Prince of WaLs variety, very large flowers; M. coeru- 
lescens, excellent; M. Shut tie worthi, with twenty to thirty 
flowers; and various others in first-rate condition. Dr. Bod¬ 
daerts was further awarded a second-prize medal for Odonto¬ 
glossums, the first going to M. Yuylsteke for a smaller but ex¬ 
tremely attractive group It is reported as not unlikely that 
Dr. Boddaerts will discontinue the cultivation of Orchids before 
very long, and that his collection will be sold. In the class for 
fifteen species and varie'ies the gold medal was awarded par 
acclamation to M de Cannart d’Hamale, whose plants bore the 
undeniable stamp of splendid culture Yandas tricolor plani- 
lubra suavis Yeitchi and s. Rollisoni were remarkable 
for the glossy richness of their foliage and fine spikes of hand¬ 
some flowers. Cypripedium caudatum splendens was effective, 
a small yet strong plant with three spikes and seven very large 
flowers. Cypripedium villosum was in superb condition with 
100 flowers, and C. Boxalli with twenty to thirty blooms. Mas¬ 
devallias were sturdy and vigorous, Lycastes and Cattleyas 
fresh, and Calanthe veratrifolia with a dozen spikes was seen 
to advantage in the centre of this small but most meritorious 
collection. A medal was awarded to M. Moens for a small 
collection of Cypripediums, C. Argus Moensis being distinct 
and conspicuous, with others, such as C. Warneri, C. Sallieri 
(Maulei type), and C. superbiens well represented. A gold 
medal, value 200 francs, was granted to M. Massange de 
Louvrex, with the special felicitations of the Jury for a collec¬ 
tion of seventy-five Cattleyas, remarkable for excellence of 
culture and great numbers of handsome blooms in superior 
varieties. A gold medal was also awarded to M.M. Yervaet et 
Cie. for an attractive collection of Orchids with Ferns. It will 
be perceived that Orchids formed a striking feature of the 
Show, such an assemblage of them never having been seen in 
Antwerp. 
AZALEA INDICA. 
Varieties of these can nowhere else be seen so fine as in 
Belgium. The newest are there, because it is the land of their 
birth, and the grandest specimens are there also. There used to 
be noble pyramids in England exhibited by those great horti¬ 
culturists Messrs. Jame3 Yeitch and Charles Turner, but both 
the plants and their owners are “ gone,” and there are no speci¬ 
mens in Britain approaching the miniature mountains of beauty 
of M. Ghellinck de Walle. They are trees with stems ranging 
from 2 to 4 or 5 feet high as straight, firm, and smooth as spade 
shafts, with umbrella-shaped heads, as true in contour as if set 
out with compasses, densely packed with large stout-petalled 
flowers, resting on thick leathered foliage, but it has to be 
groped for to be seen. Fancy the central plant, white, and 
appropriately named magnifies,ns, 18 feet round the edge and 
8 feet or 9 feet across the rounded head, without a fault; then 
imagine others round it a little less, of such rich colours as the 
glowing red of Auguste Delfosse, Roi d’Hollande, and the 
Marquis of Lorne, the rich rosy pinks deepening to crimson of 
Modele, Eugene Mazel, &c., relieved by the warm salmons of 
Madame Ghellinck de Walle and M. Verschaffelt, with the still 
lighter and beautiful Marie Yan Houtte and Bijou de Paris, and 
so on to the number of thirty gigantic bouquets, and an idea will 
be formed of the imposing assemblage, and it will be conceded 
that the award of the 20U franc gold medal was abundantly 
merited. So was the smaller “ gold ” to M. Peeters, who com¬ 
peted splendidly in this class. The central plant or tree in the 
first-named group is thirty-five years old, and several of the 
others must have attained their majority, yet they possess all the 
vigour of youth. 
