January 30, 1886. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
339 
SE ASON 18 86. 
DICKS o n7b r o w n p & tait 
Offer the following New and Select Vegetable Seeds :— 
DICKSON, BROWN, & TAIT’S 
NEW MELON, “PENRHYN SEEDLING," 
First Class Certificate, Botanical Gardens, Manchester, 
May, 18S5. 
This new Melon was raised by Mr. W. Speed, The Gardens, 
Penrhyn Castle—“ A grand early Melon, of strong constitution, 
and most prolific.” 
Per 'packet, 2s. 
DICKSON, BROWN, & TAIT’S 
NEW TOMATO, “MOORE’S GEM.” 
One of the best varieties ever offered. 
Per packet, Is. 6 d. 
DICKSON, BROWnT&TtAIT’S 
NEW CUCUMBER. "GLUMBER SEEDLING." 
Agreat acquisition specially for winter and spring work. 
Per packet, 2s. 
DICKSON, BROWN, & TAIT’S 
“ECLIPSE” CAULIFLOWER. 
Per ounce, 2s. 6 d. ; per pcecket. Is. 6 cl. 
DICKSON, BROWN, & TAIT’S 
“ KING OF TOMATOS ” 
Per packet. Is. 
DICKSON, BROWN, & TAIT’S 
“BEST OF ALL” MELON. 
Per packet, Is. 
DICKSON, BROWN, & TAIT’S 
“ALL THE YEAR ROUND” 
CABBAGE LETTUCE. 
Per packet, Is. 
DICKSON, BROWN, & TAIT’S 
“GIANT CABBAGE" LETTUCE. 
Per packet, Is. 
DICKSON, BROWN, & TAIT’S 
“RIPLEY CASTLE” CABBAGE. 
Per packet, Is. 
DICKSON, BROWN, & TAIT’S 
"SUPERLATIVE PINK” CELERY. 
Per packet, Is. 
For full descriptions of the above New and Select 
Vegetables, see our Illustrated Catalogue of Vegetable and 
Flower Seeds and Cultural Guide, now Published, and Free 
on application. 
NOTICE.—A Copy of our Illustrated Vegetable and Flower 
CATALOGUE has been Posted to all our Customers. Should 
any not have received it, please inform us and another Copy will 
be sent. __ 
DICKSON, BROWN,&TAIT S 
Seed Merchants, Manchester. 
LILIES FROM JAPAN” 
LILIUM LONGIFLORUM (grand variety) 
„ EASTER LILY (from Bermuda) 
„ KRAMERII 
„ AURATUM 
„ HUMBOLDTII (from California) 
,, LEICHTLINII 
,, ELEGANS, rich apricot 
,, THUNBERGIANUM 
„ „ ATROSANGUINEUM 
„ ,, light orange 
„ SPECIOSUM RUBRUM, deep red, white margin. 
Our L. LONGIFLORUM, from same source, last year con¬ 
tained a large percentage of Eximium and Wilsonii. 
The above fine varieties have just arrived from Japan. For 
price see our Wholesale Seed CATALOGUE, to be had on appli¬ 
cation. Special quotations for quantities. 
WATKINS & SIMPSON, 
Seed & Bull) Merchants, Exeter Street, Strand, W. C. 
Pedigree Seedling Tea Roses. 
(( “Ye Primrose Dame,” 
Viscountess Folkestone,” 
ARE NOW BEING OFFERED FOR THE FIRST TIME. 
These beautiful varieties, raised by H. Bennett, will be dis¬ 
tributed in May. Price, os. each. 
Printed descriptions will be ready in February. 
B. BENNETT, Pedigree Rose Nursery, Shepperton, 
MIDDLESEX. 
Royal Horticultural Society. 
T HE President, Council, and Eellows of 
the'Royal Horticultural Society will hold their First 
ANNUAL DINNER on TUESDAY, February 9th, the day of 
the Annual General Meeting, the President, Sir TREVOR 
LAWRENCE, Bart.., M.P., in the chair. The Dinner will be 
held at the Criterion, at 6.30 p.m. precisely. 
Tickets. 30s. each (including wine) must be applied for on or 
before Saturday, February 6th. Further information, and 
tickets, can be obtained from WM. LEE, Esq., Downside, 
Leatherhead, or at the office of the Royal Horticultural Society, 
South Kensington. 
N B.—Each Fellow can purchase one extra ticket for a friend. 
R oyal horticultural society, 
SOUTH KENSINGTON, S.W. 
The ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of the ROYAL HOR¬ 
TICULTURAL SOCIETY will be held in the Conservatory at 
SOUTH KENSINGTON, on Tuesday, February 9tli. to receive 
the Report of the Council and of the Auditors, and for the 
election of Council and Auditors, and for the removal from the 
Society of certain Fellows under the provisions of Bye Law 22. 
Chair to be taken at 3 o’clock p.m. 
N.B.—At this Meeting Candidates for Fellowship will be elected. 
The President, Council, and Fellows will dine together at the 
Criterion at 6.30 p.m. the same evening. 
CONTENTS. 
PAGE 
Acacia platyptera . 347 
Aralias for table decoration 344 
Asparagus forcing. 344 
Begonias, starting tuberous 340 
Celery Culture, profits of.. 347 
Fruit Trade, Foreign. 342 
Gardeners' Calendar. 34S 
Grapes, English Seedling.. 346 
Hedychium coronarium .. 347 
Jasminum grandiflorum .. 34S 
Jasminum nudiflorum .... 340 
Manchester Botanical and 
Horticultural Society .. 349 
Melons, the new. 347 
National Chrysanthemum 
Society . 350 
Nursery and Seed Trade 
Association . 349 
Odontoglossum crispum .. 349 
PAGE 
Orchids, Cool, on Potting.. 34S 
Orchid Society, an. 339 
Orchids, Syringing. 349 
Peas, early crops of . 347 
Pelargoniums, Ivy-leaved.. 341 
Phormium tenax variega- 
tum. 34S 
Poinsettias . 347 
Potatos, new varieties of.. 345 
Prizes, Special. 340 
Propagating House, the_ 344 
Rainfall at Kingston Hall 340 
Rhus cotinus . 347 
“ R.H.S.” The. 340 
Rose, Marechal Niel. 344 
Shrubs, management of .. 342 
Snow, treasures of the .... 340 
Vegetables, cultivation of.. 345 
Vegetables, starting early.. 340 
“ Gardening is the purest of human pleasures, and the greatest 
refreshment to the spirit of man.”— Bacon. 
SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 1886. 
An Orchid Society.— The demand that has 
been formulated in our columns for the establish¬ 
ment of an Orchid society must be accepted as 
indication of the progress in Orchid knowledge, 
interest, and cultivation found in this country. 
The formation of special societies for the 
encouragement of special subjects in horticulture 
is nothing new, they seem to he the natural 
outcome of earnest anxiety on the part of 
fanciers of this or that subject for some stronger 
bond of unity, and more active working force 
in the direction they wish to go, than can be 
found in any general body such as is the Royal 
Horticultural - Society. And yet, some potential 
arguments have been urged from time to'time 
as to the injurious effects calculated to result 
from disjointed action on the part of specialists,, 
so far as the “ Royal ’’ Society is concerned; 
but as regards the Orchid Society there is no 
reason, so far as we can see, why it should not 
he under its wing. The specialist, perhaps, 
feels that for him other horticultural products 
or subjects have little interest compared with 
that particular one which he cares for and 
cultivates; hence, to him., a special society, 
devoted to the encouragement and probable 
exhibition of this specialistic subject, becomes 
of paramount importance. 
Without doubt, by the establishment of an 
Orchid society, Orchids will materially benefit, 
and Orchidists be specially interested. The 
Rose, the Dahlia, the Carnation and Picotee, the 
Auricula, and some other specialities have their 
special societies, and why not Orchids % The 
reasoning is good enough for the purpose 
although it takes little heed of the fact that the 
marvellous strides made in Orchid expansion, 
cultivation, and interest, so far, have all grown 
up without the aid of any special society. 
Perhaps, some will ask whether even with the 
aid of a special society for Orchids more could 
have been done; hut that is a very hypothetical 
question. What is certain, first, is that Orchid- 
ology has become a marvellous element in our 
horticultural life; and, second, that whether a 
society specially devoted to that “ology” he 
formed or not, Orchid culture will continue 
rapidly to spread. 
This expansion of culture of the most quaint 
yet beautiful of all flowers is the natural product 
of increased wealth amongst us, and of improved 
floral tastes; perhaps, we should say of more 
cultivated tastes, because there are few flowers 
which give to ns more points of natural beauty 
in form and coloration than Orchids do. If, 
therefore, no special society be formed, we shall 
look to the future of Orchid culture in this 
country with complete equanimity, and if one 
should be created, we shall still feel that whilst 
its success must tend to do good, its failure will 
still leave Orchidology permanently and durably 
established among us. Indeed, there seems to 
he only two dangers to the continued expansion 
of Orchid culture. One is the possible ex¬ 
haustion, by and bye, of those natural fields in 
the native habitats which seem still to furnish 
such a mine of wealth to collectors and dealers ; 
the other, such a natural decadence as shall ren¬ 
der Orchid culture no longer possible. Both these 
eventualities may he very remote, and not 
worth a moments consideration. There is one, 
however, that may at some time have to he 
faced, and that is the possibility of the ruling- 
powers of those climes from whence our present 
abundant supplies of tropical epiphytes are 
received, putting a bar upon any further ex¬ 
portation, fearing that many beautiful native 
varieties may in time he absolutely destroyed. 
Were such an unlooked for course to he taken, 
we should still have in Europe a magnificent 
collection, perhaps, the best nature has yet pro¬ 
duced ; but the shutting up of the sources of 
our supplies would naturally increase the value 
of Orchids greatly, because propagation is com¬ 
paratively slow. 
There is one thing, however, we have been 
too much in the habit of overlooking in rela- 
tion to the rapidly progressive culture of exotics 
in this country, and that is the happy fiscal 
reforms by which some few years since glass, and 
other important elements in the construction of 
hothouses, were cheapened. The numerous im¬ 
provements made in the heating of houses have 
also greatly helped, and we may not well forget 
that these non-romantic things have done very 
much to make a great deal in horticulture 
possible that our forefathers dared only to 
imagine. It is very natural, having regard to 
the emphatic encouragement given to orchidists 
of late by the Royal Horticultural Society, that 
some consideration should be shown to the 
probable effects on the parent society, that the 
formation of a special Orchid society would 
have. With a president, an enthusiastic and 
devoted Orchidist, with several hardly less 
enthusiastic Orchidists as members of the 
council, and with quite one-half of the floral 
committee Orchidists, it would seem as if 
South Kensington was itself the very focus 
and centre of Orchidology. 
Assuming that this special body be formed, 
we shall almost certainly see Sir Trevor 
Lawrance, Bart, M.P. elected as its President, 
and many who are already Eellows of the Royal 
Horticultural Society also allying themselves to 
it. Yet, it may he asked, as these are already 
members of the “ Royal ” why cannot that body 
accomplish for us, especially with its prestige 
and experiences, all that a special society can, 
without inflicting upon us the additional cost 
