REVIEW AND INFERENCES. 19 



held, if for no other reason, for the convenience with 

 which their kind may be picked out and classified. 



The clearness of our system will be materially inter- 

 fered with as soon as we engage secondary crosses for 

 our operation. How our speculations on the possibili- 

 ties illustrated in the case of Cpd. insigne X barbatum 

 can become fallible, that is obvious to all those in daily 

 contact with the products of cross-fertilization. Such 

 cases are not rare now, and will become more trouble- 

 some frequent the more complete the ranks of our army 

 of hybrids get to be. 



As soon as secondary hybrids are employed, their off- 

 springs will lose so many of the original characteristics 

 that they never should be allowed to go forward as 

 christened individuals, but should be sunk in names 

 already established, though the fact of their creation 

 and the reasons for their subordination should be 

 chronicled. We have not yet entered the time when we 

 will be bothered with tertiary and quartery hybrids. 

 But when we are, it is then that an orchid committee 

 will be of service, a conditio sine qua non. The most 

 glaring instances, so far as I know, are the crosses of 

 Selenipedium caudatum X longifolium. The first cross 

 of that kind received the name Spd. grande, the variety 

 Roezlii of longifolium having served as one parent. We 

 are made acquainted later on with the Spd. macro- 

 chilum, the result of crossing caudatum Lindenii with 

 longifolium. Of course, we are forced to reduce this 

 cross to varietal rank, the two species having been em- 

 ployed previously. Now comes Mr. Holmes, the culti- 

 vator of the orchid treasures of the late Mr. Geo. Hardy, 

 and introduces to us his Selenipedium Hardyanum. 

 Spd. caudatum and Ainsworthii x were the producers 

 of his plant. The report of the orchid committee of 



