122 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  9,  1900. 
Dendrobium  Fierardi. 
Despite  the  fact  that  thousands  of  plants  of  the  various  deciduous 
Dendrobiums  are  imported  annually,  and  that  at  present  there 
does  [not  seem  any  prospect  of  their  being  used  up  in  their  native 
habitat,  yet  there  will  come  a  time  when  some  at  least  of  the  kind 
must  become  scarce.  And  this  would  practically  mean  their  passing 
out  of  cultivation,  for  in  many  cases  they  cannot  be  successfully 
grown  in  this  country  over  a  number  of  years. 
Not  that  isolated  instances  may  not  be  given  of  plants  that  have 
lived  and  flowered  for  a  considerable  time,  but  what  I  have  never 
seen,  and  I  think  I  may  be  excused  for  saying  I  never  hope  to  see, 
is  a  plant  of,  say,  D.  Wardianum,  D.  Devonianum,  or  even  D.  crassi- 
node  increasing  in  size  annually  after,  say,  the  tenth  year  in  this 
country.  The  subject  of  this  note,  on  the  other  hand,  does,  w  ithout 
a  doubt,  improve  in  a  remarkable  manner,  and  this  makes  it  at  once 
one  of  the  most  useful,  as  it  certainly  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful,  of 
this  section  of  the  genus. 
Some  fifteen  years  ago  some  very  poor  bits  of  D.  Pierardi  were 
purchased  at  a  sale  for  a  West  of  England  collection,  and  these 
are  now  fine  plants  in  baskets  2  feet  across  ;  they  each  produced  some 
thousands  of  flowers  during  the  present  season,  and  the  young 
growths  are  already  nearly  a  yard  in  length.  Such  specimens  in  flower 
are  very  lovely  despite  the  lack  of  foliage,  and  they  should  where 
possible  be  arranged  so  that  there  is  a  background  of  green,  such  as 
Ferns  or  Palms.  Suspended  in  a  large  conservatory  where  these  plants 
are  present,  the  latter  defect  is  not  noticed. 
The  treatment  does  not  differ  in  any  essential  degree  from  that  of 
other  deciduous  sorts,  but  D.  Pierardi  likes  a  little  more  pot  or 
basket  room  than  the  other  types  mentioned  above.  Ample  heat  and 
moisture  while  growing,  and  a  distinct  ripening  and  resting  period, 
are  important  details.  It  is  necessary  that  the  compost  should 
be  renewed  in  part  at  least  every  year,  as  being  a  strong  grower  the 
roots  need  more  feeding  than  a  weaker  species.  Its  intrinsic  merit 
should  insure  it  a  place  in  every  collection. — H.  R.  R. 
Odontoglossum  ramosiEsimum. 
The  fact  that  “  R.  J.  W.”  has  not  seen  Odontoglossum  ramo- 
sissimum  in  flower  is  not  evidence,  as  he  supposes,  that  the  plant  is 
extremely  rare.  It  is  a  New  Grenadan  species,  and  is  thus  described 
in  Williams’  “  Orchid  Growers’  Manual  ” — “  This  is  a  very  old  and 
distinct  species,  with  oval  compressed  pseudo-bulbs,  very  longensiform 
leaves,  and  scapes  3  or  4  feet  high,  bearing  stiff  and  excessively 
divaricated  branched  panicles  of  innumerable  flowers:  the  sepals  and 
petals  are  narrow,  lanceolate,  undulate,  of  a  biiliiant  white,  the 
basilar  portions  of  the  petals  lilac-purple;  the  lip  is  cordate,  dilated, 
and  undulated  at  the  base,  the  front  part  lanceolate,  acutely  pointed, 
having  a  large  purple-lilac  disc.  It  flowers  during  the  winter  months.” 
The  character  of  the  flowers  is  well  portrayed  in  the  illustration 
(fig.  34). 
- ««♦♦♦ - 
Reminiscences  of  an  Oid  Fiorist. 
(^Continued  from  page  513.) 
I  HAVE  already  mentioned  the  principal  events  which  the  sixties 
brought  to  my  remembrance,  and  in  bringing  these  reminiscences  to 
a  conclusion  1  record  those  occurrences  in  the  seventies  in  which  I  was 
more  especially  interested,  and  which  were  certainly  the  principal 
events  in  my  horticultural  c  reer — I  mean  the  establishment  of  the 
Horticultural  Club  and  the  foundation  of  the  National  Rose  Society. 
Many  people  had  felt  for  some  years  that  it  would  be  a  good  thing  if 
some  bond  of  social  union  existed  amongst  those  who  were  engaged, 
whether  as  amateurs  or  professiona’s,  in  the  advancement  of  the  art 
in  which  so  many  people  were  interested. 
At  a  dinner  given  by  the  proprietors  of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture 
at  the  Star  and  Garter  at  Richmond,  in  1871,  the  subject  of  a  horticul¬ 
tural  club  was  mooted.  The  idea  was  thought  a  good  one,  and  I  was 
asked  whether  I  would  act  as  secretary  in  trying  to  establish  it.  I  hid 
had  some  experience  in  organisation,  and  I  knew  the  difficulties  which 
surrounded  the  subject.  The  times  were,  however,  fortunate;  the 
country  was  at  that  time,  to  use  Mr.  Gladstone’s  words,  “progressing 
to  wealth  in  leaps  and  bounds,”  and  so  the  announcement  was  made 
that  the  Horticultural  Club  was  in  process  of  formation.  Some  people 
were  ambitious  enough  to  imagine  that  we  would  start  a  club  house  of 
our  own,  but  this  we  knew  was  impossible,  as  it  involved  great 
expenditure  and  great  ri,-ks,  and  the  necessity  of  a  guarantee  fund. 
It  was  therefore  deterra  ned  either  to  attach  ourselves  to  some  other 
club  already  in  existence,  or  to  obtain  quarters  at  some  good  hotel,  to 
which  our  members  could  resort. 
We  began  by  taking  up  our  abode  at  the  Adelphi  Terrace  as  a 
charming  situation,  but  it  was  poor  accommodation.  We  afterwards 
attached  ourselves  to  the  Temple  Club,  which  had  very  good  quarter? 
in  Arundel  Street,  Strand,  and  we  remained  there  for  some  time,  and 
our  members  were  tolerably  well  satisfied.  Unfortunately,  however, 
there  was  no  bedroom  accommodation,  and  so  our  members  had  to 
seek  that  elsewhere.  Then  evil  days  came  upon  the  Temple  Club, 
which  was  a  proprietary  one,  and  we  had  notice  that  its  doors  would 
be  closed.  What  was  to  be  done  ?  It  was  suggested  that  we^  should 
find  accommodation  in  some  of  the  many  hotels  with  which ^  the 
central  district  of  London  is  crowded,  and  it  was  considered  especially 
desirable  that  we  should  get  near  to  Covent  Garden.  We  managed  to 
secure  a  place  at  one  of  the  hotels  there,  but  the  accommodation  was 
not  very  satisfactory,  and  it  seemed  as  if  we  should  not  be  able  to 
V'stablish  ourselves  anywhere.  One  day,  however,  as  I  was  driving  up 
from  Victoria  Station,  I  noticed  that  what  used  to  be  called  the 
Army  and  Navy  Hotel,  opposite  the  Stores,  had  changed  hands,  and 
as  I  linew  something  of  the  manager  from  his  having  been  connected 
with  a  hotel  at  Tunbridge  Wells,  it  struck  me  what  a  desirable  thing 
it  would  be  if  we  could  obtain  accommodation  there.  This  after  some 
preliminaries  we  were  able  to  do.  So  now  the  club  is  established  at  the 
Hotel  Windsor,  close  to  the  Drill  Hall,  where  the  meetings  for  the 
Royal  Horticultural  Society  are  held,  and  the  accommodation  is 
everything  that  can  be  desired.  Thus  a  success  on  every  point  has 
crowned  our  endeavours. 
The  year  1876  witnessed  the  great  horticultural  event  of  my  career, 
namely,  the  formation  and  establishment  of  the  National  Rose 
Society.  The  increasing  interest  which  had  been  shown  in  our 
national  flower  had  clearly  demonstrated  how  unsatisfactory  were  the 
arrangements  for  its  exhibitions,  especially  round  the  metropolis;  two- 
days  shows  were  the  rule,  and  although  there  were  some  good 
exhibitors  in  both  the  amateur  and  professional  classes,  it  was  felt  that 
the  flower  was  not  adequately  provided  for,  and  murmurs  of  discontent 
reached  me  from  many  quarters.  Canon  Hole  had  arranged  an 
exhibition  at  the  Hanover  Square  Rooms,  which  was  very  successful 
in  its  way,  but  it  did  not  lead  to  the  establishment  of  a  society,  or 
anything  of  a  permanent  character,  but  it  still  more  whetted  the 
appetite  of  Rose  growers,  and  I  was  besieged  m  ire  and  more  by  many  who 
said  “  Why  do  you  not  move  in  the  matter?  ”  I  took  heart  of  grace, 
and  sent  a  circular  to  all  the  principal  Rose  growers  in  the  kingdom  to 
ask  them  to  attend  a  meeting  at  the  Hort  cultural  Club,  which  had 
lately  been  established  at  the  Adelphi  Terrace  ;  it  was  a  bold  step,  and 
I  very  much  quaked  when  the  day  arrived.  It  was  a  cold,  raw,  wet 
day  in  December,  and  I  must  say  my  heart  misgave  me  when  I 
entered  the  room  where  we  were  to  meet ;  but  the  thermometer  rose 
when  one  after  another  of  our  most  distinguished  rosarians  entered  the 
room,  and  when  I  saw  the  portly  form  of  Dean  (then  Canon)  Hole 
filling  up  the  doorway  I  could  not  help  saying  to  mysf'lf  “  Now  we 
.^hall  do  well.”  A  subscription  list  was  formed,  and  it  was  determined 
to  hold  an  exhibition  at  St.  James’  Hall ;  we  did  not  know  how  it 
would  take  with  the  London  public  (as  a  matter  of  fact  it  did  not 
take  at  all).  The  only  tickets,  I  believe,  that  were  sold  were  those  to 
personal  friends  of  our  exhibitors,  and  the  takings  did  not  exceed  £80, 
so  that  bankruptcy  stared  us  in  the  face.  Our  exhibitors,  however, 
were  loyal,  and  consented  to  receive  only  a  portion  of  the  prize  money 
due  to  them. 
It  were  useless  to  detail  the  many  difficulties  through  which  we 
floundered.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  after  a  time  we  connected  ourselves 
with  the  Crystal  Palace  Company — that  best  of  all  places  for  a  flower 
show — and  that  we  hold  beside  our  metropolitan  show  there  two  pro¬ 
vincial  ones  each  year.  But  these  things  are  all  so  recent  they  cannot 
he  called  reminiscences,  I  must  therefore  bring  these  jottings  to  a  clo.^e. 
I  feel  that  at  my  age  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  do  as  I  have  done, 
and  I  may  probably  have  ere  long  to  resign  the  position  which  it  has 
been  my  pride  and  pleasure  to  maintain  so  manv  years,  and  to  entrust 
the  care  of  my  child  to  my  worthy  coadjutor,  Mr.  Mawley,  and  to  ask 
the  society  to  give  him  a  helper  in  n  y  place. 
These  reminiscences  have  brought  before  my  mind  many  who  were 
associated  with  me,  but  who  have  now  passed  away.  Many  kind  and 
valued  friends  who  were  bound  to  me,  not  only  by  a  common  interest 
in  the  flower  we  loved  so  well,  but  by  those  ties  of  mutual  regard 
and  affection  which  tend  so  to  sweeten  our  passage  through  life.  1 
contrast  the  Roses  of  the  present  day  with  those  of  the  earlier  period 
of  my  career,  and  I  feel  it  to  be  a  comfort  that  while  rejoicing  in  the 
additions  that  have  been  made  I  am  not  compelled  to  discard  the 
loves  of  my  earlier  days.  I  have  seen  horticulture  in  all  its  branches 
wonderfully  advanced,  the  world  is  more  closely  linked  together  than 
ever  it  was  bt  fore,  and  the  productions  of  the  most  remote  parts  of 
the  earth  are  now  brought  to  our  shores.  I  wonder  what  the  verdict 
of  fifty  years  hence  may  be,  whether  they  will  regard  us  of  this 
generation  as  puny  champions  in  a  cause  we  did  not  really  understand, 
or  as  pioneers  in  a  great  movement  which  tends  to  bring  into 
prominence  that  love  of  nature  and  delight  in  all  the  teachings  which 
is  so  well  calculated  to  elevate  the  mind  and  brighten  our  passage 
through  life. — D.,  Deal. 
