ORCHIDS AND HYBRIDIZING. 217 
Epidendrum ciliare, U.S. Colombia. In other 
genera there are several hybrids of Mexican and 
South American parentage ; as L. anceps X Epid. 
ciltare, Sophronitis grandifiora x Epid. radicans, 
Epid, xanthinum X Epid. radicans. 
But among Cypripediums, the easiest and 
safest of all orchids to hybridize, East Indian 
and American species are unfruitful. Messrs. 
Veitch obtained such a cross, as they had every 
reason to believe, in one instance. For sixteen 
years the plants grew and grew until it was thought 
they would prove the rule by declining to flower. 
I wrote to Messrs. Veitch to obtain the latest 
news. They inform me that one has bloomed 
at last. It shows no trace of the American strain, 
and they have satisfied themselves that there was 
an error in the operation or the record. Again, 
the capsules secured from very many by-generic 
crosses have proved, time after time, to contain 
not a single seed. In other cases the seed was 
excellent to all appearance, but it has resolutely 
refused to germinate. And further, certain by- 
generic seedlings have utterly ignored one parent. 
Zygopetalum Mackayt has been crossed by Mr. 
Veitch, ‘Mr. Cookson, and others doubtless, with 
various Odontoglossums, but the flower has always 
turned out Zygopetalum Mackayz pure and simple 
