14 ORCHIDS FOR EVERYONE 



favour with the up-to-date hybridist. In this case four-inch pots 

 are selected, cleaned, and crocked one-third of their depth. Pieces 

 of calico or fine canvas, about four inches square, are then cut, and 

 one is laid in the palm of the left hand. With the right hand a 

 good handful of finely chopped sphagnum is placed in the centre 

 of the material and the corners are then dravsrn together so that the 

 w^hole forms a firm ball. A few stitches or a piece of fine raffia 

 will serve to keep the ends of the canvas together, and the ball is 

 then placed in the pot, with the smooth surface upward, and some 

 finely chopped sphagnum is pressed between it and the pot. Finely 

 chopped sphagnum is very necessary, because if not finely chopped 

 the moss will soon grow vigorously and prove a source of danger 

 to the tiny seedlings. Soak the whole in rain water, and when 

 surplus water has drained away, and the seed bed is as warm as 

 the atmosphere of the propagating case, sow the seeds thinly on 

 the moist canvas surface, and subsequently treat as advised in the 

 case of the wood-block seed bed. If the seeds are sown in spring 

 or early summer, and all goes well, those raisers who have keen 

 eyesight will be able to see a development in the seeds three or 

 four days after sowing, while with the aid of a pocket lens the 

 promise of successful germination will be even more apparent. 



As more Orchid seeds are lost through carelessness in watering 

 than from all other causes, the need for close attention and the 

 utmost care will be obvious. At the risk of some repetition it 

 seems advisable to point out that success in raising Orchids from 

 seeds depends a great deal more upon the treatment followed after 

 the seeds have been sown, than upon any special method of pre- 

 paring the seed bed. Orchid seeds are extremely light in most 

 cases, so much so that when dry they will float away upon the air 

 if exposed to the slightest breath. This being so, it follows that 

 when they are sown the seeds may be washed from the seed bed if 



