sli, HYBRIDISING AND RAISING ORCHID SEEDLINGS. 
seedlings have flowered very quickly. The genus contains several beautiful 
hybrids, and is worthy of more attention. 
Disas.—Hypbrids between Disa grandifolia and a few allied species are 
also very easily raised, and flower very quickly. D. x Veitchii, the first of 
the series, flowered when only twenty-one months old, and D. X kewensis, 
which came next, only eighteen months after the seed was sown. They are 
easily grown under suitable treatment, but sometimes do not succeed in the 
Orchid house, requiring rather a position in a cool frame. 
CyNnorcuis.—Only one Cynorchis is known, namely C. x kewensis, 
derived from C. Lowiana and C. purpurascens, but it almost holds the 
record for quickness of flowering, for the seedlings are said to have flowered 
within about two years from the date when the cross was made. Seedlings 
of this genus are of the easiest possible culture, and anyone having a warm 
house and requiring an easy subject to commence with, could not find a 
better one. It may be mentioned, as showing the ease with which seedlings 
of this genus are raised, that a plant of C. fastigiata in the Clare Lawn 
collection produced a capsule (possibly fertilised by some insect), which was 
allowed to mature, and afterwards the seedlings came up all over the place, 
and were pulled up like weeds. 
ZYGOPETALUM, LycasTEe, Cuysis and other soft-leaved Orchids are 
easily raised, but the capsules do not mature so quickly, nor the seedlings 
flower so early as the genera previously mentioned. The first-named has 
been crossed with several other genera, but the seedlings in many cases 
have resembled the mother almost entirely, so that the attempt to reverse 
the crosses might be made. With Colax, however, true hybrids have 
resulted. 
MASDEVALLIA capsules mature rather quickly, but the seedlings do not 
flower so early as some of the soft-leaved genera previously mentioned. 
Several beautiful hybrids have been raised, but the genus has been rather 
neglected of late. 
CYMBIDIUMS are very easily raised, but take longer to mature, and the 
seedlings are sometimes rather erratic in making their appearance. There 
is a case on record of a batch of seeds obtained by crossing C. Lowianum 
and C. eburneum, and sown on the compost of the parent plant, which 
continued to germinate for years, so that some of them had reached the 
flowering stage while others were still tiny seedlings. Hybrid Cymbidiums 
contain some highly decorative plants, and there is plenty of scope for 
further development. 
CaTTLEYA may be regarded as typical of a group of allied genera of 
epiphytic Orchids, which succeed best under the special treatment described 
on p. xxxvil., though the old system of sowing on the compost of the 
parent plants, or on that of young growing seedlings, may also be followed. 
