Mar.-APRIL, 1920.] THE ORCHID REVIEW. 37 
ees ORCHID HYBRIDISING. ee 
N enthusiastic amateur reader, who has been successful with Cool 
| Orchids, is desirous of making experiments in hybridisation, and 
requests a few notes upon the subject, especially with regard to Odonto- 
glossums and Odontiodas. We have pleasure in complying, but as other 
readers are interested in Warm and Intermediate Orchids, we prefer to 
treat the subject more generally, especially as the latter groups are more 
suitable for the beginner. Of course, the possessor of only a Cool Orchid 
house is limited in choice of subjects, and it is an unfortunate fact that the 
beautiful Odontoglossum group has proved one of the most intractable in 
the hands of the hybridist. It is easy enough to get capsules of good seed ; 
the difficulty is to germinate it, and to get the seedlings safely through their 
infantile stages. Still, Odontoglossums are ‘now being raised in enormous 
numbers, and we do not wonder that amateurs should desire to engage in 
such a fascinating hobby, and as success is largely a matter of perseverance 
and securing the right cultural conditions there is every hope of ultimate 
success. It is interesting to recall in this connection that the seedling of 
Odontoglossum Humeanum recorded at page 4 of our last volume was the 
result of an only cross, which was made to prove the parentage of a wild 
hybrid, a notable result considering that it was not sata in a special 
Odontoglossum house. 
At the outset, and by way of gaining experience, one might cross any 
two parents of good constitution, where the shape and colour was sufficiently 
promising, but, apart from this, everything depends upon careful selection 
of parents, and. every cross should be made with some definite object in 
view. Improved shape and colour, and increased floriferousness should be 
the aim, and care should be taken not to unite colours and shapes that are 
likely to give discordant results. A strong plant of good constitution 
should be selected as the seed bearer, and when such a plant is in bloom 
the next thing is to obtain the pollen of some suitable variety. This is 
not always easy in a small collection, and we have known of several crosses 
that could not be made because the desired parents were not in bloom 
together: Suitable pollen however, may sometimes be obtained from a 
friend, who might also be induced to attempt the germination of a few of 
the resulting seeds, for we have in mind cases of success which would have 
otherwise ended in failure. Seedlings are difficult to obtain in certain houses. 
Having selected the seed bearer, the next thing to be done is to carefully 
remove the pollen masses from the flower to be fertilised, and then apply to 
the stigma that of the selected pollen parent, which will at once adhere to 
