22 REPOfiT ON THE 



The Presiden^on concluding the second head of Professor 

 Keichenbach's paper, said : That is the end of the learned 

 Professor's second communication, and I am reminded by it 

 that in referring to the collectors of Orchids, I omitted to give 

 sufficient credit to Mr. Sander, whose energy in this direction has 

 been very remarkable. I believe Mr. Sander now employs 

 thirteen collectors. He has given me very interesting details 

 of the work they have done. Many of these gentlemen, who 

 have very considerable botanical knowledge, are Germans, and 

 in several instances such was their zeal that they lost their 

 lives in the prosecution of their duties. From that it will be 

 seen that the dangers and difficulties attaching to Orchid 

 collecting are very considerable ; it being well known, of course, 

 that the climates in which researches have to be made are often 

 very dangerous to European constitutions. Altogether the 

 energy and enterprise displayed by Mr. Sander has been very 

 remarkable. 



At the conclusion of the third communication from the 

 Professor, the President said that if any gentleman wished to 

 make any remarks on the subject of these communications, this 

 was the time to make them. No response, however, being made 

 to his invitation, he continued : It is obviously very difficult 

 to discuss the exceedingly intricate subjects dealt with in the 

 paper which I have just read on the spur of the moment, and 

 therefore I think the most appropriate course will be to ask 

 Mr. Veitch to read his communication. 



Mr. H. J. VEITCH, F.L.S., then read a Paper on 

 " THE HYBRIDISATION OF ORCHIDS." 



He said : In a communication " On Hybridisation among 

 Vegetables," by Dean Herbert, of Manchester, published in 1847, 

 in the second volume of the Journal of the Horticultural Society of 

 London, I find the following remarkable passage : 



" Cross-breeding amongst Orchidaceous plants would perhaps 

 lead to very startling results ; but, unfortunately, they are not 

 easily raised from seed. I have, however, raised bletia, cattleya, 

 Herminium monorchis, and Oplirys aranifera from seed ; and if I 

 were not, during the greater part of the year, absent from the 

 place where my plants are deposited, I think I could succeed in 



