48 THE ORCHID: REVIEW. [FeBRUARY, 1915. 
proper trees,.and simply watch them grow, with absolutely no care what- 
evet, except to look out for an occasional attack of insects. The majority 
were natives of Mexico, and he remarked, ‘I have many hundreds of 
Chysis bractescens, Oncidiums of different species, Stanhopeas, Lycastes, 
Brassias, Brassavolas, Epidendrums, and a lot of purely botanical interest.” 
He also gave some very interesting details of the conditions under which 
the plants grow naturally, and some of his experiences in collecting them 
It had long been Mr. Harvey’s desire to visit the Sierres of his district, but 
the cares of a large estate never seemed to admit of such a vacation, until 
the spring of 1903, when he had the good fortune to meet a Mexican 
engaged in collecting Orchids asa business, who acted as a guide. Their 
travels and discoveries form a most interesting chapter, and may be found 
by the references given last month. As to non-indigenous Orchids, we 
need only refer to Mr. Harvey’s recent article. 
CyPRIPEDIUM VENUS VAR. BoLTonit.— When the charming Cypripedium 
Boltonii originally appeared, in November, 1909, and received a First-class 
Certificate from the R.H.S., there was a doubt about its parentage, though 
it was then supposed to have been derived from C. insigne Sandere and C. 
bellatulum album (O.R., xviii. pp. 19, 41, fig. 3). The plant passed into 
the collection of J. H. Craven, Esq., Keighley, Yorks., and received a 
First-class Certificate and a Silver Medal from the Manchester Orchid 
Society, when its resemblance to C. Venus was pointed out (O.R., xviii. p- 
24). Subsequent opportunities for comparison strengthened the belief that 
C. niveum, not C. bellatulum album, was the other parent, and information 
from Mr. Bolton now confirms this. A cross was made between C. niveum 
and C. i. Sanderz, and the seeds were divided with Mr. J. Cowan. It was 
at first thought that nothing had come of the cross, but seedlings after- 
wards appeared which were evidently of this origin, and others were 
subsequently acquired from Mr. Cowan. The cross has since beer 
repeated, both ways, and seedlings obtained which confirm the record, 
and we believe it has also been raised elsewhere. C. Boltonii has also. 
been recrossed with both the original parents, and the seedlings recorded 
at page 27 of our last issue were from one or both of these crosses. They — 
show some variation in shape, but it is interesting to note that the white 
colour of C. niveum seems dominant, a fact which foreshadows a possible 
race of white Cypripediums with the excellent constitution of C. i. Sandere- 
Of course there are minute purple spots on the dorsal sepal of C. Boltonii, 
but they can scarcely be considered a disfigurement, and they might be 
eliminated by further breeding and selection. We shall await the flowering 
of the remaining seedlings of these batches with interest, and we believe 
that other crosses of C. Boltonii are in existence.—R.A.R. 
