FERTILIZATION OF ORCHIDS, ETC. 51 



of the latter, while the flower is also intermediate in character. 

 This was the first seedling orchid ever raised, the organs having 

 been imperfectly understood, and it not being known that they 

 could onl}^ be fertilized by violence. With ninety-nine orchids 

 out of a hundred self-fertilization is impossible. 



Mr. Hove}' remarked that Mr. Dominy had raised other h3'brid 

 orchids, some of which were very curious, and also a hybi'id 

 between Lapageria and Philesia. The difficulty in hybridizing 

 orchids is that the pollen is in waxy masses, instead of fine grains as 

 in most flowers. Some orchids, such as our native Cyjjripediums, 

 fertilize themselves easily. At Marion, Mr. Hovey found many 

 seed pods, which he gathered. There are other plants which, when 

 wild, are fertilized with difficulty, but when under cultivation are 

 very easily impregnated, of which Lilium Pennsylvanicum is an ex- 

 ample. A species of lily was very scarce, but one cultivator in Ger- 

 many always had plenty of bulbs raised from seed. His secret was 

 cutting off the flower stems the moment the flowers appeared, and 

 hanging them up in the house. Lilium lancifoKum makes plenty 

 of seed. Mr. Hovey thought he could sometimes have gathered a 

 quart of pods from a bed, while the tiger lily never seeds, though 

 there is no apparent defect in the organs of fructification ; the 

 bulblets, which form in the axils of the leaves, appear to take the 

 strength of the plant. Mr. Hovey had also found Cobcea scandens 

 to seed abundantly by artificial hybridizing, but it required a high 

 temperature and dry air. 



Mr. Rand expressed very grave doubts of the self-fertilization 

 of our native Cypripediums, and still stronger doubts of the possi- 

 bility of a lily's perfecting its seed when the flower stalk is cut off" 

 and hung up in the house, as soon as the flower appeared. 



Marshall P. Wilder said, that in view of the occasion about to 

 transpire at Faneuil Hall, in half an hour, — the meeting in honor 

 of Charles Sumner, — with the city in a state of mourning, this was 

 not the time to continue our discussions. He moved, therefore, 

 that out of respect to the memory of Charles Sumner, and also of 

 Millard Fillmore, both of whom were honorary members of the 

 society, the meeting adjourn, which it accordingly did. 



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