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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ April 21, 1863. 



seed-coat. The former may be distinguished under the micro- 

 scope by being much more plump, and by the central portion 

 being of a pale olive hue, but quite pellucid. This colour marks 

 the embryo, which is of an ovate form, filling the seed-coat as to 

 its transverse diameter, but coming short of it in length. Its 

 boundary lines in this direction are dimly visible, but may be 

 well enough seen by focusing. 



The dimensions of the fertile seeds, from an average of several 

 carefully measured with a micrometer, are .014 inch in length 

 by .0065 in width ; those of the embryo, .01 in length by .006 

 in width. The unfertile empty seed-coats are generally much 

 smaller, or about five-sixths the length of the fertile seeds, and 

 not more than half their width, with no swelling. They are 

 clear and colourless, except for the reticulation. 



The seed-coat forms a loose sack-like envelope, widely open 

 at both ends, considerably larger at one end than at the other, 

 but not spindle-shaped. It is composed of what seems an open 

 network, of which the meshes are five times as long as wide, 

 apparently formed by flattened cells. Each sack is twisted, so 

 as to make from one-quarter of a turn to a whole turn in its 

 length. The netted texture is most advantageously seen in the 

 empty ones. If I rightly understand the nature of this enve- 

 lope, its meshes are only in appearance — there are no real aper- 

 tures ; what seem to be such being in truth composed of two 

 laminae, the two surfaces of the flattened cells. 



Cattleya cbispa. — A far smaller proportion, not above 

 2 per cent. (3 in 160) of these seeds are fertile. Their general 

 appearance is as in Lselia, but their form is longer, more slender, 

 and more spindle-shaped, one end brought to a point, occasion- 

 ally drawn out, the other end open. Their dimensions are .0187 

 in length by .0042 in width ; those of the embryo .0084 in length 

 by .0038 in width. The empty ones agree with the fertile in 

 measurement. The network is much finer than in Lsclia, the 

 meshes closer and much longer, the length being nearly twenty 

 times the width. 



It may be interesting to compare with the above details the 

 results of similar observations made on seed from a fine apple- 

 like pod produced by a cross between Cattleya labiata and C. in- 

 termedia. The impregnation was in this case made by Mr. 

 Dominy, who stands in the van of the infant art of raising 

 Orchid seedlings, and to whose politeness I am indebted for the 

 opportunity of making this examination. 



About 80 per cent, of the seeds contain an embryo, which it 

 requires a little practice to disoern, since the well-filled seeds 

 are scarcely less translucent than the empty seed-coats. The 

 slight yellowish tint, however, betrays them; and then, by 

 focusing, the outline of the embryo can be traced. By means 

 of graduated pressure with the compressorium, while on the 

 stage of the microscope, the pulpy contents of the embryo 

 (which, according to Lindley, " Vegetable Kingdom," 2nd ed., 

 p. 174, is " solid, fleshy, without albumen") are pressed out. 



The form of these seeds agrees with that described above as 

 belonging to those of C. crispa, except in being a little plumper 

 in the centre, measuring about .01 80 by .0060 inch. 



An extremely curious and interesting phenomenon I observe 

 in connection with these seeds. In many there is seen project- 

 ing from the obtuse end of the seed-coat, which is the open end, 

 a short, wrinkled, opaque, blunt point, while in others this is 

 wanting. If a drop of water be introduced into the compresso- 

 rium, in which the seeds are, without touching them at first, 

 and then, by turning the screw of the compressorium, the drop 

 be gradually flattened so as to reach and embrace the seeds 

 under the observer's eye, the phenomenon I allude to takeB 

 place. At the very instant of contact the little opaque point 

 runs out into a long tail of brilliantly hyaline cells, arranged, 

 except near the end, in a double linear series, and each furnished 

 with a nucleus. If the observer's eye be upon one of the Beeds 

 in which no projection was visible, the effect is still more start- 

 ling ; for the tail of cells is then seen in a moment to start out 

 from the open end of the seed-coat to a distance of about one- 

 third of the entire length of the latter. By a little manoeuver- 

 ing I waB enabled to discern the origin of this singular filament. 

 On pressing with the nib of a pen on the upper glass of the 

 compressorium, the elasticity of the thin glass enabled me to aug- 

 ment or lighten the pressure by turns more delicately than could 

 be effected by screwing the instrument. As I did this the 

 embryo worked to and fro in the envelope ; and, as it did so, 

 projected and retracted the cellular filament, which was now 

 seen to be a process of the embryo itself, springing from its 

 extremity by an enlarged base. I suppose this filament to be 



the radicle. Its extreme affinity for water, and the sudden 

 vitality manifested by it in contact with that element, struck me 

 as curious ; and certainly to witness the phenomenon is highly 

 interesting. I ought to add that it needs Bome degree of Bkill 

 in the use of the microscope to exhibit it. 



This seed from Mr. Dominy's cross I sowed on the 19th of 

 March in a thumb-pot plunged in moss in a five-inch pot, the 

 surface thinly covered with living moss, and a plate of dimmed 

 glass set across the outer pot, which was then embedded in coal 

 ashes over a hot-water tank in a temperature of about 80°. In 

 ten days I examined a few of the seeds with the mioroscope, 

 comparing them with those remaining in the sample unsown. 

 The embryo had become opaque, of a bright green hue, and much 

 plumper, its transverse diameter having nearly doubled. I was 

 surprised that I could find no trace of the cellular filament, 

 which I had supposed, perhaps erroneously, to be the radicle. 



At the present time, about ten days later still, I find the 

 embryo still more Bwollen, so a3 to be in some cases quite 

 globular ; no other change perceptible ; no emission of fila- 

 ments. The earliest process, then, appears to be the absorption 

 of water by the embryo, and the diffusion of formless chlorophyll 

 through the parenchyma. 



The results, so far as the production of good seed extends, of 

 these three experiments will stand thus : — 



Cattleya, abortive 2 per cent. 



La;lia, self-impregnated 20 per cent. 



Cattleya, impregnated by hand, 80 per cent. 

 — P. H. Gosse, Torquay. 



THE EOYAL HOKTTCULTURAL SOCIETY'S 

 AZALEA AND ROSE SHOW. 



This took place on Wednesday last, which was one of those 

 bright Bunny days of which this year Spring has stolen bo many 

 from Summer. The flowers, too, were dazzling in their bright- 

 ness — so much so that the eye, after looking at the masses of 

 colour which the Azaleas presented, was glad to rest on the 

 foliage plants by way of a relief. The general features of the 

 Show, as well as some of its particular parts will, doubtless, be 

 fully described by our able coadjutor " D.," of Deal, who was 

 busily employed note-book in hand. 



Class 1, was for Azaleas of nine distinct kinds ; and here 

 Messrs. Veiteh took firBt with, it is almost, needless to say, 

 beautifully-grown plants of Comte de Hainault, rose ; Magnifi- 

 cent, white j Iveryana, white with carnation stripes, some of the 

 flowers deep rose ; Herzogin Adelheid Von Nassau, red, and 

 crimson purple upper petal ; Roi Leopold, pale salmon ; Rubens, 

 deep red ; and Souvenir de l'Exposition, lilac and white. 



In Class 2, which was for Amateurs, Mr. Todman, gardener 

 to R. Hudson, Esq., Clapham Common, had the first prize for 

 exceedingly well-grown plants of Concinna, Dr. Livingstone, 

 deep rose; Iveryana, not well out; The Bride, pure white; 

 Duchesse Adelaide de Nassau ; Roi Leopold ; Model, bright 

 rose with crimson spots ; and Rosea Alba, lilac edged with 

 white. Mr. Higgs, gardener to Mrs. Barchard, Putney Heath, 

 came in second, his plants being Beauty of Europe ; Trotteriana, 

 magenta ; The Bride ; Triumphans superba, rosy crimson ; 

 Louise Margottin, white ; Marie and Iveryana, neither of them 

 up to the mark ; "Wellington ; and Magnifica. 



The next Class, 3, was for Bix kinds, and open both to nursery- 

 men and amateurs ; and here again Messrs. Switch carried off 

 the first honours with Apollo ; Queen Victoria, white striped with 

 lilac purple, very fine ; Triumphans ; Splendens ; Iveryana, a 

 handsome specimen, and Petuniueflora, deep rose. 



Messrs. Ivery & Son, of Dorking, took second with Model, 

 very fine ; Crispiflora, rose ; Baron de Vriere, salmon pink ; 

 Louise Margottin ; Criterion, pale salmon, with white edges and 

 crimson-spotted upper petals ; and Grem, scarlet. 



The third prize was awarded to Mr. Todman, for Dr. Living- 

 stone, Optima, Prsestans, Coronata, Novelty, and Eulalie, blush 

 pink with crimBon spots. 



There were also several very fine exhibitions of Azaleas in the 

 Miscellaneous Class. Those from Mr. Turner, of Slough, were 

 magnificent specimens, forming dense masses of bloom. They 

 were in 13-inch pots, on which account they could not be 

 entered in the nurseryman's class, otherwise they must have 

 carried all before them. They were Bhown in two collections, 

 one of which occupied the end of the exhibition-room, forming 

 an object which at once arrested the eye on entering, and were 



