February  8,  1!  00. 
JLfVixJSAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
Ill 
Odontoglossum  crispum  Franz  Mazareel. 
‘IYoung  Orchid  Grower”  asks  if  we  can  say  when  and’by  whom 
Odontoglossum  crispum  Franz  Mazareel  was  shown  hefore'the  Eoyal 
Horticultural  Society.  The  date  of  exhibition  was  November  13th, 
1894,  and  the  exhibitors  were  Messrs.  Vervaet  &  Co.,  Mont  St.  Amand, 
Ghent.  The  variety  was  described  in  the  Journal  of  Hm'timlture  at 
the  time  as  “  having  flowers  of  the  ordinary  size,  but  noteworthy  for 
the  wonderful  colouring.  The  sepals  and  petals  are  white  covered 
with  red  blotches,  the  lip  being  lemon  yellow.  It  is  one  of  the  best 
varieties  of  this  popular  Orchid  we  have  seen,  and  worthy  of  the 
first  class  certificate  awarded  for  it.”  The  illustration  (fig.  26)  will 
also  be  of  interest  to  our  correspondent. 
Arranging  Orchids. 
Persons  interested  in  Orchid  culture,  and  who  have  frequent 
opportunities  for  inspecting  some  of  the  finest  collections  in  the 
country,  must  often  have  been  struck  by  the  fact  that  little  or  no 
effort  is  made  to  utilise  the  abundant  material  so  as  to  create 
beautiful  displays.  One  finds  in  the  majority  of  places  that  the 
Odontoglossums,  the  Cattleyas,  and  so  on  are  almost  invariably  kept 
in  their  respective  structures,  and  beautiful  as  some  of  these  un¬ 
doubtedly  are,  a  combination  would  be  infinitely  more  so.  The 
reason  for  this  practice  is  not  far  to  seek.  Those  who  cultivate 
Orchids  are  largely  specialists,  and  many  of  them  have  a  rooted 
objection  to  heterogeneous  mixtures,  preferring  to  retain  the  several 
kinds  en  masse.  If  the  matter  be  probed  still  further  it  will  probably 
be  to  learn  that  the  temperature  that  suits  one  kind  does  not  suit 
another,  and  that  the  plan  of  making  a  real  show  house  is  not  feasible, 
as  the  plants  would  inevitably  suffer. 
To  a  degree  this  may  be  so,  but  that  it  is  an  insurmountable 
objection  is  by  no  means  so  obvious.  I  have  in  my  travels  found  one 
or  two  Orchid  establishments  where  the  system  of  maintaining,  as  far 
as  possible,  at  least  one  structure  in  a  constant  state  of  I  eauty  with 
miscellaneous  kinds,  and  I  have  never  learnt  that  the  plants  have 
suffered  trom  the  practice.  That  there  is  danger  will  be  admitted  by 
everyone,  but  the  sa.me  may  be  said  of  our  conservatories,  which  have, 
whether  suitable  or  not,  to  accommodate  all  kinds  of  plants.  As  in 
the  latter  case  so  in  the  former.  It  merely  resolves  itself  into  a 
question  of  attention,  and  certainly  no  one  would  suppose  that  the 
enthusiastic  Orchid  grower  would  neglect  his  plants  simply  because 
their  peerless  beauties  had  been  concentra'ed  in  one  structure;  rather 
the  reverse,  most  people  would  say. 
If  the  plants  had  to  continue  constantly  in  one  house  disaster  to 
many  and  probably  the  whole  of  the  occupants  would  soon  follow. 
Such,  however,  is  not  the  case.  I  would  plead  now  for  what  might 
he  termed  an  Orchid  show-house,  where  each  plant  as  it  approached 
its  most  perfect  beauty  might  find  position,  and  whence  it  would 
be  removed  directly  its  charms  began  to  wane.  This  would  not 
necessitate  a  very  iong  sojourn  in  an  uncongenial  temperature,  and 
visitors  who  were  not  orchidists  would  have  the  pleasure  of  their 
inspection  much  increased  by  the  practice.  The  enthusiast,  as  every¬ 
one  knows,  finds  equal  interest  in  the  plants  whether  they  are  in 
flower  or  not,  but  the  outsider,  who  has  not  been  educated  up  to  such 
a  state,  finds  the  steady  progress  through  a  dozen  houses,  each  con¬ 
taining  about  a  dozen  flowers,  the  reverse  of  exhilarating.  He  sees 
little  beauty  in  the  pseudo-bulbs  and  leaves,  though  these  may  he  in 
the  best  irossible  health. 
To  my  mind  it  is  rot  possible  to  make  an  equally  beautiful  display 
with  any  other  plants  as  can  be  effected  with  Orchids,  Ferns,  and 
some  small  Palms.  There  are  to  be  found  in  the  Cypripediums, 
Dendrobiums,  Phatenopsis,  Cymbidiums,  Odontoglossums,  Lycastes, 
Cattleyas,  Laelias,  Oncidiums,  and  the  several  others,  types  of  such 
exquisitely  delicate  beauty  as  to  entrance  everyone  who  inspects  them. 
And  when  a  number  of  these  is  concentrated  in  one  suitable  place, 
and  the  soft  greenery  of  Ferns  and  Palms  skilfully  utilised,  the 
observer  has  such  a  feast  as  to  send  him  away  with  a  mind  lull  of 
what  has  been  seen,  and  wh'ch  has  made  such  an  impression  as  is 
little  likely  to  be  effaced.  I  wish  some  of  the  Orchid  loving  readers 
of  our  Journal  would  give  us  the  benefit  of  their  ideas  on  this  subject. 
— Traveller. 
[As  illustrative  of  a  portion  of  our  correspondent’s  text  we  give 
.(fig.  30,  page  119),  a  photographic  illustration  of  a  show  house  of 
Orchids,  the  beauty  of  which  is  certainly  an  argument  in  favour  of 
the  extension  to  the  system  “  Traveller”  advecutes.] 
The  WANDERINQS  of  Mr.  PETER  BARR,  V.M.R. 
New  York  being  left  behind,  I  made  for  Wyoming  State  to  visit 
the  wonderful  Yellowstone  Park.  The  tour  of  this  is  made  by  carriage, 
which  takes  travellers  to  all  the  interesting  geysers.  This  park  has 
been  put  aside  as  a  reservation  to  preserve  its  natural  beauty,  the 
wonderful  geysers,  and  the  fauna.  The  buffalo  which  used  to  be  so 
numerous  all  around  that  a  drove  of  them  took  days  to  pass  a  certain 
point,  have  all  been  killed  off,  and  a  small  herd  in  the  park  of  some  100 
yearly  keep  dwindling,  as  they  are  shot  immediately  they  get  out  of  the 
park.  The  hide  and  head  now  realise  a  considerable  sum  of  money.  A 
large  body  of  soldiers  are  kept  on  police  duty  in  the  park  summer  and 
winter  to  guard  the  geysers  and  the  wild  animals.  In  an  evening 
visitors  who  have  a  little  nerve  go  out  and  watch  the  bears  looking 
after  the  refuse  from  the  hotels  where  the  visitors  put  up  in  making  the 
round  of  the  park. 
After  the  park,  I  made  for  Salt  Lake  City,  and  called  on  Bishop 
Romney,  who  has  four  wives.  He  got  out  his  carriage  with  one  of  his 
wives,  and  drove  me  all  about  the  town.  I  spent  one  day  with  Mrs. 
Emmeline  Blanche  Wells,  who  had  been  the  sixth  wife  of  Mr.  Wells, 
one  of  Brigham  Young’s  principal  advisers. 
After  Salt  Lake  City  I  went  through  Leadville,  Glenwood  Springs, 
Colorado  Spring,  and  other  places,  to  Kansas  City.  I  visited  St.  Louis, 
and  at  Shaw’s  Botanic  Garden  (Missouri  Botanic  Garden)  I  found  Mr. 
James  Gurney,  the  head  gardener,  who  claims  to  have  first  flowered  the 
Fig.  26. — Odontoglossu.m  crispum  Franz  Mazareel. 
Victoria  Regia  at  Regent’s  Paik  Botanic  Gardens.  Mr.  Trelease,  a 
Cornishman,  I  think,  is  the  Botanical  Professor.  Here  is  the  finest 
pre-Linnean  library  in  America  (Boston,  Mass.,  has  the  finest  horti¬ 
cultural  library  in  America,  perhaps  the  world),  and  it  is  not  unlikely 
So.  Louis  has  the  finest  pre-Linnean  library  outside  the  British  Museum. 
At  Indianapolis,  when  sauntering  up  North  Meridian  Street  admiring 
the  fine  homes  and  the  well-grown  trees,  wondering  what  their  age  was 
(fifty  years  old  I  found  afterwards),  and  wondering  how  long  it  would 
take  them  to  die,  as  the  City  Board  of  Works  had  laid  a  fine  cement 
street  and  cement  footpath,  and  left  no  provision  for  water  getting  at 
the  roots,  I  was  startled  by  a  girl’s  voice  at  my  side.  “Are  you  Mr, 
Peter  Barr  of  London  ?  ”  Mechanically  I  answered,  “  Yes.”  Then 
she  said,  “My  mother  wants  to  see  you.”  So  I  turned  into  one  of 
the  finest  homes  in  the  fine  avenue,  and  the  lady  was  waiting  to  give 
me  a  welcome.  I  had  never  seen  her  and  she  had  never  seen  me  ; 
but  two  years  before  I  had  met  her  husband  in  Copenhagen.  She 
said,  “  He  has  gone  to  see  the  young  Queen  of  Holland  crowned, 
and  I  want  to  do  in  his  absence  what  would  have  been  done  had  he 
been  here.  You  will  dine  with  us  to-night  ?  ”  I  had  to  pause  and  ask, 
“  But  how  came  you  to  recognise  me  ?  ”  This  was  answered  by, 
“  Oh,  we  have  your  photo,  and  knowing  you  would  visit  America  and 
seeing  you  coming  up  the  street  as  I  was  sitting  in  the  verandah,  I 
said,  ‘  There  is  Peter  Barr  !  ’  and  I  sent  Elizabeth  after  you.”  I  accepted 
t  he  invitation.  After  dinner  the  horses  were  put  in  the  carriage,  and 
drove  to  the  railway  station,  and  then  Mrs.  Pierce  asked  me  what 
baggage  I  had,  and  a  porter  was  called,  the  traps  were  collected  and 
put  in  the  carriage,  then  to  the  hotel,  got  my  hand-bag,  after  this  to 
the  newspaper  offices,  and  I  was  duly  heralded  as  a  visitor  at  the  house 
of  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Pierce.  Here  I  was  detained  some  eight  days.  First 
the  parkman  was  sent  for,  and  he  drove  me  two  days  about  the  parks 
in  process  of  making  and  the  finished  parks.  After  this  came  the  news¬ 
paper  men  to  know  what  I  thought  of  Indianapolis,  its  streets  and 
parks.  I  condemned  the  felling  of  the  trees  in  the  streets,  told  them 
of  (he  fine  possibilities  of  their  parks,  and  advised  that  the  park  mail 
