SepT.-Ocr., 1920.] THE ORCHID REVIEW. 139 
progressing towards maturity. Mr. Charlesworth took up the work with 
characteristic thoroughness, and we well remember the large number of seed 
capsules, and the arrangements of the seedling house, then novel and 
experimental, so that no details were given. We may now recall that the 
Seeds were sown upon rough sections of willow poles, these being 
placed in small pots on a layer of fine potsherds, and covered by a small 
square of glass, the whole being then placed ina series of propagating frames. 
We saw batch after batch of healthy seedlings, but the practice 
was afterwards superseded by that of sowing on canvas over a ball of 
sphagnum moss. Cypripediums, however, were still sown on the compost 
of established plants, for Mr. Charlesworth had already found that these 
were not amenable to the new method. 
The partnership just mentioned soon terminated, and the firm assumed 
the title of Messrs. Charlesworth & Co. The production of hybrids in 
quantity quickly necessitated an extension, and when seven years later we 
again visited the establishment we found-an additional block of six houses 
had been built, while the seedlings could be counted by thousands in every 
stage of development, including a few small seedling Odontoglossums (O.R., - 
ix. pp. 298-302). A few interesting hybrids were then in flower or bud. 
A recent development had been the culture of Orchids in leaf-mould, and 
Mr. Charlesworth had taken it up with characteristic energy, though he 
ultimately found disadvantages which led to its abandonment. 
We area little uncertain when Mr. Charlesworth’s first seedling lowered, 
because a few early ones were purchased, but at the Temple Show in 1898, 
a group was shown which included Epilelia Charlesworthii, Lelia cinna- 
brosa, Leliocattleya Admiral Dewey, Lc. radiata, and Le. Schilleriana, all 
we believe raised in the establishment. The last-named was a particularly 
interesting plant, long known in a wild state and of disputed origin, and we 
remarked (p. 168), ‘‘Six years ago Messrs. Charlesworth crossed Lalia 
purpurata with the pollen of Cattleya intermedia, and now a plant has 
flowered, and proves precisely identical with the wild plant.” This experi- 
ment cleared up an old confusion with the allied Lzeliocattleya elegans. 
From this time onwards progress was rapid, and after a visit to the 
establishment, in 1906, by Mr. and Mrs. Thwaites, the latter wrote : “‘ Here 
isa veritable seedling land ; thousands and thousands of them; and looking 
as healthy and happy as possible. Mr. Charlesworth is raising the Odonto- 
glossums as freely as the Cattleya and Lelia seedlings; and this wonder- 
ful success is no chance matter either, but is the outcome of years ofstudy 
and experiment—adding knowledge bit by bit, gaining new light, even from 
failure—till now the question is not how to raise but what to raise, to get the 
best possible results . . . Mr. Charlesworth is a real enthusiast, and seems 
to find great pleasure in his work, a pleasure easily understood, especially 
