February 18, 1883. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
125 
18 
10 
Th 
Royal Society at 4.30 p ja. 
20 
S 
21 
SUN 
Septtjagesima. 
22 
S3 
M 
Royal Geographical Society at 8.30 p.h. 
21 
w 
Society of Arts at 8 p.M. 
THE EOYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY’S 
PROVINCIAL SHOW AT LIVERPOOL. 
ORTICULTURISTS will welcome the announce¬ 
ment that the necessary preliminary arrange¬ 
ments have been made and the date fixed for 
a provincial Show at Liverpool in the present 
year. It was stated in the annual report that 
an invitation had been received from the Mayor 
and Corporation of that city, and that sub¬ 
stantial guarantees were offered to induce the 
Society to hold an exhibition there. The pro¬ 
position was so favourably received that the Council appointed 
a deputation to consult with the Mayor of Liverpool, inspect 
the proposed site, and make such other arrangements as they 
might think needful. On Saturday last the deputation was 
most cordially received by the Mayor and other officers, the 
matter was fully discussed, and in the result the Botanic 
Gardens and Wavertree Park were placed at the disposal of 
the Royal Horticultural Society for the purpose of the exhi¬ 
bition the entire management being left in their hands and 
those of Mr. Richardson, the excellent Curator of the Gardens. 
The Council was further assured of the hearty co-operation 
of the Liverpool officials and horticulturists, and the forma¬ 
tion of an ample guarantee fund was undertaken. 
The date received careful consideration, but it was finally 
determined that the exhibition should open on Tuesday, 
June 29th, and remain open six days, closing on the following 
Monday. This is somewhat earlier than had been originally 
intended, but it was found to be more convenient in many 
respects, and will only necessitate great promptitude in the 
preparation and issue of the schedules. The success of the 
Show from a horticultural point of view will no doubt depend 
to a great extent upon this, and no time should be lost in 
placing these before intending exhibitors. The prizes also 
must not be stinted, and if the arrangements throughout are 
made in a liberal spirit it is confidently anticipated that the 
Society will score one of its greatest successes, provided only 
that ail-important-factor the weather be favourable. 
The site chosen is a very convenient one, easily accessible 
by tramcars and other conveyances, and it adjoins the great 
Shipping Exhibition, which will attract so many thousands 
of visitors to our great northern seaport this year. There is 
also a strong horticultural enthusiasm in the neighbourhood 
of Liverpool, as is proved by the excellent annual shows 
there held, which are rivalled only by those at Manchester. 
M ith strong local support and the friendly aid of horticul¬ 
turists in other parts of the Kingdom an exhibition of 
remarkable beauty may be easily provided, such as will con¬ 
clusively indicate that the revival of the Royal Horticultural 
Society’s provincial shows is in every respect desirable. 
With the experience of the past to guide them, and having 
regard to the continuous influx of visitors to the “ Ship" 
peries,” also weather contingencies, the Council did not feel 
justified in making the requisite provisions which must 
necessarily be of great magnitude for a shorter term than 
No. 295. -Yol. XII. Third Series. 
six days; and this being so, the dates of opening and 
closing were rendered necessary in consequence of the 
National Rose Society’s Show at South Kensington, that 
has been fixed for the day after the closing of the “ Pro¬ 
vincial,” from which the staff of the Royal Horticultural 
Society must be liberated. 
IMPORTED ORCHIDS—MADE-UP SPECIMENS. 
Made-up specimen Orchids have caused much dissatis¬ 
faction for purposes of exhibition, and have occasionally 
been strongly commented upon. There is every reason 
to hope, however, that the practice of packing a number of 
small plants together in a large pot or pan will in a few 
years become obsolete. In these days of quick travelling 
large masses are imported in perfectly fresh condition, and 
in about two years with good cultivation they will pro¬ 
duce strong-flowering pseudo-bulbs. The time required to 
thoroughly establish the plants entirely depends upon the 
treatment they receive, and the freshness of the plants when 
they arrive ; but these large masses are now landed almost 
as perfect as when torn from the trees in their native 
habitat. It will be remembered that a sensation was 
created when an enormous Cattleya was conveyed safely 
to St. Albans, but since then large specimens have 
been the rule rather than the exception. Recently I had the 
pleasure of inspecting some plants of Lielia anceps and 
L. albida fully 3 feet in diameter and nearly as much in 
height, with plump pseudo-bulbs and with green fresh foliage. 
"With good treatment such plants would make flowering 
pseudo-bulbs in one season and as strong as the original 
ones the second. When such plants as these can be imported 
in good condition there will be no need for making up 
specimens. 
When these large plants are established in pots or pans, 
on rafts or blocks, those who have not seen such specimens 
at the time they were removed from the travelling cases may 
still be inclined to think that they have been made up, the 
more so because it is almost impossible to secure them in 
position in the exact manner in which they arrive. This 
cannot be done, neither is it advisable to try to do so, for in 
many instances if the plants are to be rendered really pre¬ 
sentable they must be partly separated. This is not neces¬ 
sary in all cases, but where the leading growths are not 
regularly and evenly disposed they must be arranged at 
suitable distances over the pan or raft, so that when they 
flower there will be a regular head of bloom. Of course, it 
will always be very difficult to prove that they have not been 
made up, but this in every case cannot be helped, while in 
others leading growths may be bent and pegged into the 
position they are wanted without severing them from the 
remainder of the plant. It is often wise to remove a large 
number of old pseudo-bulbs as soon as the plants are 
received and before any attempt is made to start them into 
growth. It must not be inferred from this that I advise the 
removal of any that are perfectly fresh and plump, or any 
that will become so when heat and moisture are applied. 
This must not be done, for strong breaks often start away 
from these fresh plump leafless pseudo-bulbs. This is especi¬ 
ally noticeable in the case of Lafiias, Cattleyas, and many 
others; in fact, we have often had as strong growths from 
these as the leading ones. 
Those who have only seen or purchased moderately small 
plants, after they have been cleaned, have no idea of the 
number of pseudo-bulbs in various stages of decay that exist 
about large masses. In a state of nature the decaying 
pseudo-bulbs cannot be removed, but decay or are dried, 
until they have the appearance of a quantity of peat amongst 
the stems and roots. These should be removed before the 
plants are subjected to heat and moisture. Those experi¬ 
enced in cleaning and trimming imported Orchids know 
exactly what to remove and what to leave. Those whos6 
No. 1951.— Yol. LXXIV., Old Series, 
