70 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING 
SEED SOWING 
A number of the seeds of all seed capsules should be 
sown as soon as they are ready, the remainder being care- 
fully stored for sowing later if required, the seeds sown 
and those retained being carefully marked with the number 
in the record book. 
The manner of sowing the seeds varies in different 
establishments, satisfactory results having been obtained 
under very dissimilar conditions. Failure at first is the 
usual record of the amateur taking up Orchid hybridisation, 
although some few get fairly good success from the com- 
mencement, while those who have had a run of bad luck 
usually conquer in the end if they persevere. A scientific 
reason for some failures has been given, namely, that an 
endophytic fungus said to be necessary to the development 
of the freshly germinated seeds is wanting in the early 
stages, but may be developed naturally after a time, and a 
better state of growth result. Be that as it may, it is a 
curious fact that the line of demarcation between failure 
and success in the matter of raising seedling Orchids is 
very narrow, and, when the operator succeeds in raising a 
fair proportion of the seeds sown, he is generally surprised 
at his former want of success, apparently under practi- 
cally similar conditions. Formerly the common practice 
was to sow the seeds on the surface of the material in 
which the parent plant was growing, or a plant of some 
kindred variety. This practice has been generally satis- 
factory and continues in most amateur collections to the 
present day. A plant in a basket, or suspended pan or 
