236 THE NURSERY-BOOK. 



good stocks. They can be established in three-inch pots the 

 first season, and veneer-grafted the next winter. 



Orchids. Or chide ce. 



The method of propagating these plants must in each spe- 

 cies be adapted to the habit and mode of growth. The 

 easiest and safest plan for the vast majority is by division, 

 but seeds, cuttings, layers, offsets, and very rarely roots, are 

 also utilized. It is important that artificial means of increase 

 should only be adopted where the individual plants are in 

 robust health. Wirh many orchids the struggle of life under 

 the unnatural conditions we supply, is necessarily severe, and 

 any operation which transforms one weak plant into two or 

 more weaker ones, is to be deprecated. In cases where the 

 only method available necessitates disturbance at the roots, 

 consideration must be paid to the constitution of the species, 

 for some orchids, even when perfectly healthy, strongly re- 

 sent interference. 



Seeds. In no class of cultivated plants is propagation by 

 seeds more difficult and tedious than it is with orchids. In 

 all cases, fertilization must be performed by hand. In Eng- 

 land, the length of time required for the capsules to ripen 

 varies from three months to a year. Good seeds form a very 

 small proportion of the whole, and it occasionally happens 

 that the contents of a capsule will not produce a single plant. 

 This, however, as well as the difficulty experienced in Eng- 

 land in rearing plants to the flowering stage, is primarily 

 due to the deficiency of sunlight, and in such a bright cli- 

 mate as that of the United States, would not be likely to 

 occur. Various methods of sowing are in vogue, such as 

 sprinkling over pieces of wood and cork or tree-fern stem, 

 and on the top of moss and peat, in which established plants 

 of the same or a nearly related species are growing. The 

 last is probably the best, but it is always advisable to try 

 several methods. Of course, the material on which the seeds 

 are scattered must always be kept moist and shaded. The 

 period between germination and the development of the first 

 root is the most critical in the life of a seedling orchid. 

 After they are of sufficient size to handle they are potted off 

 into tiny pots, and as they gain strength, are given treatment 

 approximating that of adult plants. 



Division. Cypripediums may be taken as an example 

 where this is readily done. It is simply necessary to care- 

 fully shake off the soil from the roots, and by the aid of a 

 sharp knife, sever the plant into as many pieces as are re- 

 quired. It is always advisable to leave one or more leading 



