JANUARY, 1917-] THE ORCHID REVIEW. 7 
of certain colours turning up, but nothing in the way of certainty. 
Hybridising is largely a matter of chance. One does his best, but the 
result is on the lap of the gods. The further one gets away from the 
species the more likely one is to raise a large proportion of rubbish. 
Although the combination of purple and yellow has a well-known 
tendency to make white, it would be very instructive to know why this 
result is postponed to the second generation. C. Dowiana aurea crossed 
with a purple species gives purple in the resulting hybrid, for example :— 
C. D. aurea X C. labiata gives the purple C. Fabia. 
- +9) C. Mendelii * ms C. Octave-Doin. 
oe ciate eercivaliana ,, sine, CE Oe ate 
», C. Warscewiczii (gigas) ,, C. Hardyana. 
Cites these resulting purple hybrids again with C. Dowiana aurea, and 
the “chances” are that some flowers with white sepals and petals will 
appear :— 
C. D. aurea X C. Fabia gives many with white sepals and petals. 
3 » C. Hardyana ,, ee a 
bs », C. Peetersii ,, 
(Note.—The above are a C. D. es 
C. Fabia. x C. Rubens gives many with white sepals and petals. 
C. Hardyana X C. Mantinii produced C. Corona alba. 
(Note.—The above are 4 C. D. aurea). 
If, however, the C. D. aurea is crossed with a yellow flower the 
“‘ chances ”’ are that the yellow of the sepals and petals will remain. 
C. D. aurea X Lelia xanthina makes the yellow Leliocattleya Ophir. 
» » tenebrosa Walton Grange var. ,, » Le. luminosa aurea. 
- Le. Ophir do. 7 7 Lc. Thyone. 
pee in the next generation— 
Brassocattleya Leemaniz xX Lc. Ophir gives Bc. Baroness Schréder. 
This postponement to the second generation of the combination of 
purple and yellow making towards white, may be due to the power which 
one colour has over another with which it is. blended. If one wishes to 
9) 33 
9? 
obtain green for a water-colour drawing, it would not be sufficient to mix 
equal quantities of blue and yellow, for blue is a much more powerful 
pigment, and more yellow must be used. 
This powerful influence of one colour over another is experienced in 
hybridising Orchids. Cochlioda Neetzliana and, in a lesser degree, 
Sophronitis grandiflora are good examples of this. It may, therefore, well 
be that a single dose of yellow is not sufficient in all cases to produce 
whites, whilst in the other cases a second generation must be passed 
through. Before one can approximately guess at the colour which will be 
borne by the flowers on a hybrid plant, large experience of this “ powerful 
