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a strong one so injured that it will take several seasons to recover its 

 usual condition. Even producing flowers alone is weakening, and 

 young delicate plants should not be allowed to produce m^ny or 

 retain them long ; in fact it is better not to permit any plant in 

 doubtful health to flower at all. Then it is difficult t> insure the 

 proper maturation of the seed-pofo, and even when these develope 

 and ripen satisfactorily they ara occasionally found to contain no 

 seeds, or only imperfect rudimentary bodies that will not germinate. 

 Mr. Harry J. Veitch in his paper read at the Orchid Conference gave 

 some interesting particulars concerning the time the capsules take to 

 ripen, from which the following are selected as examples : Calanthe, 

 three to four months ; Masdevallia, four months ; Zygopr-talum 

 Mackayi crossed with maxillare, six months ; Phalsenops's Schil- 

 leriana, six months ; LaeHa purpurata, nine months ; Cypripedium 

 insigne, ten months ; C. Spicerianum, eleven to twelve months ; 

 Cattleya labiata and others, eleven to thirteen months ; Anguloa 

 Clowesi, Chysis bracfescens, Dendrobium aureum, Maxillaria Harriso- 

 niana, and Odontoglossum maculatum, twelve months. Considerably 

 longer periods are required to bring the plants from the germinating 

 to the flowering stage, as the undermentioned facts will show from 

 the same autho'ity as the preceding. Dendrobium aureum crossed 

 with D. nobile, three to four years ; Phaius and Calanthe about the 

 name time, the seed of the latter germinating in two to three months 

 fro.n the time of sowing ; Masdevallia and Cnysis, four to five years ; 

 Cypripediurn Schlimi crossed with longifolium, four years; the 

 reverse cross, six years ; Zygopetalum maxillare crossed with Mackayi, 

 live years ; the reverse cross, nine years ; Lycaste, seven to eight 

 years ; Lselias and Cattleyas, usually ten to twelve years, but some 

 navs taken much longer, as Lselia callistoglo.-sa, which was sown in 

 1858 and fl >w.'red In 1877, the quickest being Laelia triophthalma, 

 sown in 1875 and flowered in 1883. 



Stjed must be sown immediately it is ripe, but it should be done if 

 possible in the spring or early summer, as it is muc-h more likely to 

 germinate then than in autumn or winter. It is usually sown upon 

 living moss in pans where other Orchids are growing, or upon blocks 

 of w >od, Fern tree stems, the sides of pots, and various other ways ; 

 but ihe first named is the best, and the chief object is to keep the 

 tnoss constantly moist, disturbing it as little as possible, until the 

 diminutive plants have made some progress and are forming their 

 leaves. They may be then very cautiously removed and placed in 

 thimble-pots of moss plunged in a larger size, the sp-ice between the 

 tw> being filled with moss kept regularly moist. The utmst care 

 will be needed in this respect, and the seedlings must not be exposed 

 to the direct rays of the sun or draughts of cold air. After some 

 y ars of trouble the cultivator may possibly be rewarded \>y seeing a 

 novelty of great merit flower. Amateurs must not be discjuraged 



