﻿20 



The Florists^ Review 



April 1, 1920 



importation of any stocks necessary for 

 the introduction of new varieties and 

 for the supplying of propagating ma- 

 terial not now available in the United 

 States. 



"After a full consideration of all the 

 representations made at the conference, 

 the board has decided that no new or 

 valid reasons had been brought forward 

 to warrant any modification at this time 

 of Quarantine No. 37 with respect to 

 orchid importations." 



AMERICAN ORCHID SOCIETY. 



New Society Formed. 



On the evening of the second day of 

 the Boston exhibition, March 25, a num- 

 ber of orchid specialists, both private 

 and commercial, met to consider the 

 formation of an American orchid so- 

 ciety, it being felt that orchids should 

 have an equal standing with other 

 flowers which had special societies. 

 Thomas Roland, who had been mainly 

 instrumental in getting the meeting 

 called, was appointed chairman and 

 Gustave Thommen secretary. After 

 some discussion, participated in by 

 Joseph Manda, John E. Lager, Edward 

 Eoehrs, W. N. Craig, George W. But- 

 terworth, A. E. Miles, A. J. Loveless, 

 W. A. Manda, Clement Moore, Douglas 

 Eccleston, Duncan Finlayson, Oliver 

 Lines, David Lumsden and others, it 

 was unanimously voted to form an 

 American orchid society and to elect 

 temporary ofl&cers. The election re- 

 sulted as follows: 



President — Thomas Roland, Nahant, 

 Mass. 



Secretary — W. N. Craig, Brookline, 

 Mass. 



Treasurer — Alfred J. Loveless, Lenox, 

 Mass. • 



Plans For Organization. 



After some discussion, W. N. Crai^ 

 moved that the chairman appoint a com- 

 mittee of three who should retire and 

 bring in a list of fifteen names for the 

 executive committee, representative of 

 various sections of the country. He 

 appointed Joseph Manda, W. N. Craig 

 and A. J. Loveless and they submitted 

 a list which was unanimously accepted. 

 It was voted to call an executive com- 

 mittee meeting at an early date, when 

 by-laws, constitution and permanent 

 officers could be presented for accept- 

 ance. A good number of charter mem- 

 bers were secured and Thomas Roland 

 generously offered $100 as his share to- 

 ward giving the movement a proper 

 start. The prevalent opinion expressed 

 was that the amateur element should 

 largely control the new society and its 

 affairs and a membership of over 200 in 

 a short time was predicted. 



A congratulatory telegram was for- 

 warded to A. C. Burrage, at Pasadena, 

 Cal., in the name of the American Or- 

 chid Society, complimenting him on his 

 wonderful orchid display, and he replied 

 as follows: 



Thanks for telegram received. Coming from 

 Bucli experts as constitute American Orcliid 

 Society surely is ample reward for labor and 

 time required for sucli an exhibit as we have 

 put Into this week's horticultural show. I am 

 delighted exhibit was successful and that so 

 many people are interested. My only regret is 

 that I am unable to be present and enjoy It. 



W. N. C. 



HOW TO HYBRIDIZE 



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HYBRIDIZATION OF ORCHIDS. 



Comparatively Recent. 



The growing of hybrid orchids is of 

 comparatively recent date. It was only 

 in 1852 that the late Mr. Dominy, of 

 the Veitchian establishment, acting on 

 a suggestion of John Harris, a surgeon 

 of Exeter, began to make experiments. 

 He is said to have begun with the genus 

 cattleya, but the first hybrid to reach 

 flowering stage was Calanthe Dominii. 

 This flowered in 1855 and it was justly 

 considered a remarkable event. About 

 three years later a second hybrid was 

 flowered by him, this time a cattleya, 

 and it is said to have Ijeen a cross be- 

 tween Cattleya guttat^ aWd Cattleya 

 Loddigesii and was named Cattleya 

 hybrida. From year to year he con- 

 tinued to flower new hybrid orchids 

 and for about fifteen years held 

 the record of being the only one flower- 

 ing hybrids. His success attracted 

 others and the most wonderful progress 

 has been made in the intervening years 

 in all parts of the world, but notably 

 in England. 



Specialize on One Variety. 



My entry into the culture of orchids 

 resulted from an attendance at an auc- 



The address of Clement Moore, of Hackensack, 

 N. J., at the conference of orchid growers at 

 Boston, March 27, on "Hybridization of Orchids." 



tion sale of orchids held in 1894. Upon 

 inquiring if they were difficult to grow, 

 I was told the culture was much easier 

 than most people imagined and the sug- 

 gestion was made that I try a few. 

 "Whereupon, without the slightest knowl- 

 edge of orchids or their culture, I made 

 a small purchase and began growing 

 orchids. 



Orchids, like human beings, can at 

 times stand a great deal of rough usage 

 and my first plants had a hard time 

 while I was learning how to grow them. 

 Naturally, I started out with a large 

 variety, but I soon discovered the ad- 

 visability of growing only such plants 

 as would do well in an intermediate 

 house. Since the cattleya is such a 

 glorious flower, I was partial to it from 

 the beginning. On account of the great 

 individuality among the plants of this 

 species, I gradually came to specialize 

 in its cultivation and, as I flowered my 

 plants, I observed a great variation in 

 beauty of color and form between plants 

 of the same variety. When examined 

 closely no two plants appear to be ex- 

 actly alike. I might compare them to 

 a family of people; each member having 

 his own individuality, but all having 

 the same family resemblance. 



My next step was to eliminate in- 

 ferior varieties and to acquire plants of 

 exceptional color and shape. . Fortunate- 

 ly, during this period there were large 

 importations and but few buyers who 



were looking for rare varieties and I 

 had the opportunity of gathering some 

 fine forms, which later were of great 

 value in my hybridizing. While col- 

 lecting rare varieties I began to picture 

 in my mind what would be the probable 

 result of a combination of two extra 

 fine flowers of different varieties and, 

 reading of the wonderful work in hy- 

 bridizing in progress in England, I de- 

 termined to make some trials. I began 

 to fertilize flowers likely to produce the 

 combinations I had in mind. In a ma- 

 jority of cases I succeeded in ripening 

 seed pods, but in many instances, par- 

 ticularly in the fine varieties, the flow- 

 ers would not fertilize, or if they ap- 

 parently did, the seed pods failed to 

 mature, although in some instances the 

 same plant would later produce a seed 

 pod fertilized with a different variety 

 of flower. I have not yet been able to 

 satisfactorily determine the reasons. 



Seed Almost Invisible. 



The cattleya hybrid seed pods are 

 quite dissimilar in shape, size and color 

 and likewise as to the quantity of seed; 

 some of the more ordinary forms will 

 have tens of thousands of seeds, while 

 many of the rarer varieties will have 

 but a small quantity of fertile seed. 

 Cattleya seeds are so minute that it is. 

 necessary to use a strong magnifying 

 glass to examine them in order to dis- 

 cern the seed from the chaff. 



For a long time I was unable to germi- 

 nate any of the seed. The failure, as I 

 later discovered, was on account of a. 

 too cool and dry temperature and im- 

 proper methods of sowing. The essen- 

 tials for success are patience and close 

 attention and to have your orchid; 

 grower a man who combines these quali- 

 ties with a love for flowers. 



From germination to flowering stage 

 will average five years or more. The 

 seed should be sown preferably in a 

 small house capable of holding the 

 7)roper atmosphere, which must be 

 humid. The night temperature should 

 be 70 to 72 degrees and the sun heat in , 

 the daytime 75 to 85 or 90. This tem- 

 perature should cause the seed to germi- 

 nate and develop the fungi, without 

 which it is stated the seedlings will not 

 grow. The germination of the seed is^- 

 most variable; some will come up strOag 

 and make good progress, while others 

 will germinate but make no further 

 progress. I have lost many wonderful • 

 crosses at this stage and ascribe the 

 failure to an insufficient amount of the • 

 fungi to carry the seedlings over the - 

 germinating stage. 



Overcoming Difficulties. 



Frequently the bearing and maturing ' 

 of a seed pod causes the plant bearing 

 it to shrivel and die. I have lost many 

 plants on this account. It would seem . 

 as if the life of the mother plant passed 

 into the seed, for this seed germinates . 

 and grows more vigorously. Lselias and '\ 

 Iseliocattleyas are prolific and easy to 

 raise and, of cattleyas and brassocat- 

 tleyas, the finer and rarer the variety, 

 the more difficult it is to raise. Not- - 

 withstanding the meagerness of seed 

 from some of the finer and rarer varie- 

 ties, considerable success has been 

 achieved in overcoming the difficulties 

 of germinating the seed of these choice 

 forms, from which I am expecting won- 

 derful things. 



In England, in recent years, the hy- 

 bridization of orchids has made wonder 



