The purport of this book is shown in the letter following
which I addressed to the editor of the Daily News
some months ago:—
“I thank you for reminding your readers, by
reference to my humble work, that the delight of growing
orchids can be enjoyed by persons of very modest fortune.
To spread that knowledge is my contribution to philanthropy,
and I make bold to say that it ranks as high as some
which are commended from pulpits and platforms.
For your leader-writer is inexact, though complimentary,
in assuming that any ‘special genius’
enables me to cultivate orchids without more expense
than other greenhouse plants entail, or even without
a gardener. I am happy to know that scores of
worthy gentlemen—ladies too—not
more gifted than their neighbours in any sense, find
no greater difficulty. If the pleasure of one
of these be due to any writings of mine, I have wrought
some good in my generation.”
With the same hope I have collected those writings,
dispersed and buried more or less in periodicals.
The articles in this volume are collected—with
permission which I gratefully acknowledge—from
The Standard, Saturday Review, St.
James’s Gazette, National Review,
and Longman’s Magazine. With some
pride I discover, on reading them again, that hardly
a statement needs correction, for they contain many
statements, and some were published years ago.
But in this, as in other lore, a student still gathers
facts. The essays have been brought up to date
by additions—in especial that upon “Hybridizing,”
a theme which has not interested the great public
hitherto, simply because the great public knows nothing
about it. There is not, in fact, so far as I am
aware, any general record of the amazing and delightful
achievements which have been made therein of late
years. It does not fall within my province to
frame such a record. But at least any person who
reads this unscientific account, not daunted by the
title, will understand the fascination of the study.
These essays profess to be no more than chat of a
literary man about orchids. They contain a multitude
of facts, told in some detail where such attention
seems necessary, which can only be found elsewhere
in baldest outline if found at all. Everything
that relates to orchids has a charm for me, and I
have learned to hold it as an article of faith that
pursuits which interest one member of the cultured
public will interest all, if displayed clearly and
pleasantly, in a form to catch attention at the outset.
Savants and professionals have kept the delights of
orchidology to themselves as yet. They smother
them in scientific treatises, or commit them to dry
earth burial in gardening books. Very few outsiders
suspect that any amusement could be found therein.
Orchids are environed by mystery, pierced now and again
by a brief announcement that something with an incredible
name has been sold for a fabulous number of guineas;
which passing glimpse into an unknown world makes
it more legendary than before. It is high time
such noxious superstitions were dispersed. Surely,
I think, this volume will do the good work—if
the public will read it.
