March  22,  1900. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
239 
Burford  Lodge. 
There  is  probably  no  collection  of  Orchids  in  the  whole  world  more 
celebrated  than  the  one  that  has  been  broup-ht  together  by  Sir  Trevor 
Lawrencej  Bart.,  the  well  known  President  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society.  As  one  of  the  keenest  of  amateur  enthusiasts,  Sir  Trevor 
has  spared^  n' ’thing  that  would  tend  to  make  the  stock  representative 
of  the  entire  Orchid  family.  His  powers  of  appreciation  are  obviously 
much  more  highly  developed  than  is  the  case  with  many  people, 
for  he  can  find  f^elight  in  examining  some  minute  member  of  the 
floral  kingdom  which  the  ordinary  observer  would  pass  without  a 
glance.  Thus  it  is  that  during  the  past  quarter  of  a  c?ntury,  or 
perhaps  more,  the  collection  has  been  growing  steadily  in  what  are 
generally  designated  botanical  curiosities,  until  at  (he  present  moment 
It  is  one  of  the  most  complete  that  is  known.  But  Sir  Trevor 
Lawrence  carries  his  interest  in  the  Orchids  further  than  in  expressing 
admiration  for  flowers,  small  and  large;  he  makes  himself  familiar 
with  their  names,  habitats,  parentage,  and  in  fact  becomes  thoroughly 
conversant  with  them  all.  This  must  all  of  course  tend  to  increase  his 
interest  in  his  stock,  and  the  Burford  Lodge  collection  as  a  natural 
consequence  continues  to  increase  in  variety  and  extent. 
It  is  unquestionably  very  fortunate  lor  the  ordinary  visitor  that 
this  gentleman  does  not  limit  his  admiration  to  the  dwarfs  amongst 
these  aristocrats  of  the  world  of  flowers,  but  includes  other  kinds  of 
more  decided  beauty.  As  a  matter  of  fact  it  is  apparently  the  aim  to 
have  examples  of  every  Orchid  that,  having  been  brought  into  the 
country,  can  be  got  to  Dorking  alive  and  be  made  there  to  grow  and 
flower.  House  after  house  is  completely  filled ;  the  central  and  side 
stages  positively  groan  beneath  their  burdens,  while  the  roof  rafters 
are  well  nigh  obscured  by  the  number  of  pots,  pans,  baskets,  rafts, 
sections  of  trees,  and  other  things  that  hang  frcwn  them,  and  every  one 
of  which  contains  an  Orchid.  In  one  place  you  see  a  basket  about 
4  feet  in  diameter  contain  ng  the  pure  white  form  of  Coelogyne  cristata, 
and  in  another  a  pot  of  the  size  of  a  thimble,  in  the  centre  of  which  is 
a  plant  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  high  that  some  day  may,  or  may 
not,  rouse  the  Ecglish  Orchid  world  to  ecstatic  enthusiasm. 
A  few  days  ago  I  had  the  pleasure  of  paying  ray  second  visit  to 
Burford  Lodge,  and  under  the  guidance  of  Mr.  W.  H.  White,  the 
Orchid  grower,  looked  through  the  several  structures.  Some  were 
full  of  beauty  in  the  form  of  flowers,  and  others  in  growth  and  leaves 
alone,  and  it  is  no  easy  matter  to  decide  where  to  make  a  start,  as 
the  latter,  if  we  take  excellence  of  health  as  a  starting  point,  were 
quite  equal  to  the  former.  However,  it  is  aot  to  be  supposed  that 
hundreds  will  be  named,  so  we  can  refer  to  them  as  they  were  found, 
irrespective  of  whether  they  were  carrying  flowers  or  not.  Before 
actually  naming  any  particular  plant  it  will  not  be  out  of  place  to 
pay  a  tribute  to  the  cleanliness  that  prevails  throughout  the  houses. 
Everything  that  can  be  washed  or  scrubbed  is  evidently  done,  with 
the  result  that  pots,  pans,  stages,  floors,  ^nd  other  surfaces  are 
scrupulously  clean.  This  must  exercise  a  beaeficial  influence  on  the 
health  of  the  plants,  and  certainly  the  appearance  of  the  plants  is 
improved  by  the  condition  of  their  receptacles.  The  leaves,  too,  are 
in  the  best  state,  and  this  close  attention  to,  a  very  elementary  detail 
accounts  to  a  certain  extent  for  the  results  that  are  achieved. 
Let  us  at  the  outset  glance  at  the  Deadrobiums.  The  major 
portion  of  these  are  accommodated  on  the :  side  stage  of  a  large 
span-roofed  structure,  and  the  effect  produce!  by  the  massed  plant  is 
beautiful.  There  is  an  imposing  stock,  but  fiie  results  are  gained  not 
so  much  by  numbers  as  by  individual  excellence  of  the  plants,  many 
of  which  are  perfect  examples  of  what  a  R^ell-grown  Dendrobium 
should  be.  The  plants  are  the  picture  of  health,  and  tae  number  of 
flowers  carried  by  some  of  them  is  little  short  of  remarkable. 
Charming  little  specimens  in  6-inch  pots  are  producing  about  a 
hundred  flowers,  and  those  of  dwarfer  habit  would  make  simply  ideal 
plants  for  use  on  the  table.  There  are,  cf  course,  maiy  Dendro- 
biums  in  other  houses,  but  these  are  of  different  type,  aid  call  for 
other  treatment  from  that  meted  out  to  Ihose  under  notice.  Mr. 
White  ascribes  his  success  in  a  large  degiee  to  judicious  watering, 
scarcely  any  being  given  to  the  plants  during  the  winter.  Occasionally 
a  supply  may  be  deemed  imperative,  and  it  is  then  given  jiut  within 
the  rim  of  the  pot,  and  never  in  the  centre,  fis  is  commonly  thi  case. 
In  passing  slowly  through  the  Dendr)bium  house  a  few  names 
were  jotted  down,  the  most  attractive,  from  some  particular  aspect, 
being  chosen.  One  so  distinguished  wa|  Burberryanum  (6g.  64), 
which  was  honoured  with  an  award  of  mbrit  from  the  Royal  Horti- 
miltural  Society  on  March  13th.  Seeing  it  at  the  Drill  Hall  and  at 
Burford  Lodge  are  two  very  different  things,  for  at  home  the  striking 
beauty  of  the  flowers  is  fully  appreciated.  The  red,  or  perhaps 
very  brilliant  rose,  describes  the  colour  better,  of  all  the  organs,  and 
the  excellent  form  of  the  flowers  were  sufficient  warrant  for  the  recog¬ 
nition  given  by  the  Orchid  Committee.  D.  Burberryanum  was  raised 
m  the  collection  of  the  Right  Hon.  Joseph  Chamberlain,  Highbury, 
from  a  cross  between  D.  Fiudleyanum  and  D.  Dominianum,  and  in 
1897  a  small  piece  was  presented  to  Sir  Trevor  Lawrence,  which  is 
flowering  for  the  first  time.  Amidst  a  collection  of  superb  forms 
this  hybrid  makes  its  presence  felt  by  the  intensity  of  the  colour  of 
its  flowers. 
There  are  many  forms  of  the  attractive  melanodiscus  at  Burford 
Lodge  some  superior  to  others  no  doubt,  but  every  one  quite  worthy 
of  its  place.  One  example  of  this  Dendrobe  in  a  32-pot  carried 
106  perfect  flowers,  and  this  knowledge  will  convey  to  readers  an 
excellent  idea  of  its  beauty.  Another  variable  plant  is  D.  splendid- 
issimum  grandiflorum,  of  which  the  type  stands  head  and  shoulders 
above  its  fellows  in  colour,  size,  and  substance  of  the  flowers.  The 
colour  in  the  throat  of  D.  nobile  Amesise  is  marvellously  deep,  and 
runs  quite  through  the  flower ;  while  in  the  Burford  Lodge  variety  of 
the  same  popular  Orchid  we  find  a  peculiar  streak  of  colour  down  the 
petals,  that  gives  the  flower  a  very  distinct  character.  Of  softer 
beauty  is  nobile  Ballianum,  and  in  nobile  Tollianum  miy  be  found  one 
of  the  curiosities  of  form.  The  plum-coloured  throat  of  The  Pearl, 
hybrid  of  which  the  parentage  is  unknown,  is  unique,  and  is 
Fig.  64. — Dendrobium  Burberryanum. 
beautifully  set  off  by  the  delicacy  of  the  prevailing  colour  of  the  flowers. 
Two  really  exquisite  Dendrobiums  are  Luna  and  pallens  (fig.  65), 
both  of  which  are  of  fine  form  and  very  floriferous.  In  each  case  the 
colours  are  very  soft,  as  the  varietal  names  imply.  A  few  m  ue 
included  in  either  this  or  other  structures,  tortile,  senile,  ;  Ililli, 
Treacherianum,  Rolfse,  xantholeucum,  Clio,  signatum,  Cassiope, 
aureum,  Jerdonianum,  and  Kingianum. 
^IIBurford  Lodge  has  a  great  reputation  for  its  Masdevallias,  of  which 
there  is  a  magnificent  collection.  On  the  occasion  of  a  previous  visit 
exceptionally  large  plants  were  fairly  numerous,  but  these  it  was 
learned  have  been  presented  by  Sir  Trevor  to  Kew.  Their  loss  does 
not  mar  the  excellence  of  the  collection  in  its  range  of  species,  hybrids, 
and  varieties,  and  its  interest  is  practically  perpetual,  as  there  is 
always  something  in  flower.  All  the  plants  are  in  excellent  health, 
and  prove  conclusively  how  they  appreciate  the  attention  accorded  to 
them.  Equally  satisfactory  in  their  way  are  the  Aerides  and  Sacco- 
labiums,  though  this  is  not  the  best  season  at  which  to  see  them.  In 
the  same  structure  as  these  the  curious  Angriecum  pertusum  was 
flowering  profusely,  as  was  Spathoglottis  Lobbi,  whose  flowers  are 
carried  on  such  slender  stems  that  one  is  surprised  they  will  bear  their 
delightful  burden.  Chysis  Chelsoni  with  its  handsome  flowers  was 
conspicuous,  while  a  smvll  plant  of  the  white  Dendrobium  nobile 
called  for  attention. 
One  half  of  the  large  span-roofed  house  in  which  the  Dendrobium s 
are  luxuriating  is  occupied  with  various  Orchids,  amongst  which  was 
a  grand  specimen  of  Vanda  Sanderiana  on  a  large  raft.  A  curious  fact 
relative  to  this  plant  was  mentioned  by  Mr.  White.  It  appears  that 
some  time  ago,  when  the  plant  occupied  a  different  and  less  accessible 
position  from  that  at  present  assigned  to  it,  a  quantity  of  green 
growth  was  observed  amongst  the  roots.  On  the  occasion  of  one 
