;o PRESENT-DAY GARDENING 



SEED SOWING 



A number of the seeds of all seed capsules should be 

 sown as soon as they are ready, the remainder being care- 

 fully stored for sowing later if required, the seeds sown 

 and those retained being carefully marked with the number 

 in the record book. 



The manner of sowing the seeds varies in different 

 establishments, satisfactory results having been obtained 

 under very dissimilar conditions. Failure at first is the 

 usual record of the amateur taking up Orchid hybridisation, 

 although some few get fairly good success from the com- 

 mencement, while those who have had a run of bad luck 

 usually conquer in the end if they persevere. A scientific 

 reason for some failures has been given, namely, that an 

 endophytic fungus said to be necessary to the development 

 of the freshly germinated seeds is wanting in the early 

 stages, but may be developed naturally after a time, and a 

 better state of growth result. Be that as it may, it is a 

 curious fact that the line of demarcation between failure 

 and success in the matter of raising seedling Orchids is 

 very narrow, and, when the operator succeeds in raising a 

 fair proportion of the seeds sown, he is generally surprised 

 at his former want of success, apparently under practi- 

 cally similar conditions. Formerly the common practice 

 was to sow the seeds on the surface of the material in 

 which the parent plant was growing, or a plant of some 

 kindred variety. This practice has been generally satis- 

 factory and continues in most amateur collections to the 

 present day. A plant in a basket, or suspended pan or 



