August, i 9 2i.J THE ORCHID REVJEW. 4* 
throughout the world is not known. The minute seeds within their light 
coats are well fitted for wide dissemination, and he had several times observed 
seedlings springing up in his orchard and in a newly-planted wood which- 
must have come from a considerable distance. This was especially the case 
with Epipactis latifolia ; and an instance has been recorded of seedlings¬ 
appearing at the distance of between eight and ten miles from any place- 
where it grew. The number of individuals which come to maturity does 
not seem to be at all closely determined by the number of seeds which each 
species produces. Mr. Scott found that the capsule of an Acropera 
contained 371,250 seeds, and judging from the number of flowers, a single 
plant would sometimes yield about seventy-four millions of seeds. Fritz 
Muller found 1,756,440 seeds in a single capsule of a Maxillaria, and the 
same plant sometimes bore half-a-dozen such capsules. 
TREATMENT OF EXPORTED ESTABLISHED ORCHIDS. 
€ VERY exporter of established Orchids has had the experience of 
receiving a bad account of the condition of the plants on their arrival 
at the end of a long or delayed journey, or of losses during, the days that 
immediately follow unpacking; there is little doubt, that much of this loss 
is the result of the wrong kind of treatment in the anxiety of the importer to 
get the plants back at once to plumpness. The exporting of the established 
Orchids from this country is an important part of the Orchid nurseryman’s 
trade, and all care is taken in the preparation of the plants before shipment. 
The beginning of spring and the autumn are the natural seasons for 
exporting, for then most plants are without new growths; new growths 
run grave risks if the journey is likely to run to six weeks, but they survive 
much longer periods in a case that is well ventilated, and when they have 
been fortunate enough to escape from extremes of heat and cold. If they 
have been unfortunate in the latter respect, the young growths are likely to 
arrive black and rotten. 
Before packing, the plants are allowed to dry out, and if the journey is 
along one^he more carefully this is done the- better, so that the jflants 
start off on a long journey with no immediate strain on their vitality. For 
the two or three weeks’ journey moderate drying only is necessary, and in a 
freely ventilated box, and no frost, the plants should arrive little the worse 
for the journey—even when in full growth—if reasonable care be taken when 
they are unpacked. During dry, sunny, warm weather, a good plan when 
drying plants for export is to stand them out in the sunshine, when all 
unwanted moisture will quickly be drawn from the compost and plant. 
The plant will then be saved much of the energy lost in the slower 
drying out process by simply withholding water in the glasshouses. 
