APRIL, 1912.] THE ORCHID REVIEW. 99 
provided for, and there are classes for British Orchids ; hardy terrestrial 
Orchids, British excluded ; for Orchids of Botanical interest, not necessarily 
in flower; and, what should be specially interesting in view of recent 
developments, a class for Cochlioda hybrids. Some particulars were given 
at page 125 of our last volume, and we anticipate a very brilliant display, 
including some important continental exhibits. We hope that the Show 
may be favoured with fine weather, and that the event may prove a brilliant 
success. [Since the above was written we have received an important 
communication, which appears on another page}. 
GERORPY SS near ae 
PLANT HYBRIDS. 
Nores of a lecture given at a meeting of the Kew Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement 
Society held on February r9th, 1912, by Mr. R. Allen Rolfe, A.L.S. 
A HYBRID is the result of crossing one species by another, the offspring 
being more or less intermediate between the two parents, or at least 
combining their characters. The object of hybridisation is to raise new 
and improved races of garden plants by combining the characters of distinct 
species or transferring desirable qualities. The earliest artificial hybrid 
recorded was raised by Thomas Fairchild, by crossing a Carnation with the 
pollen of a Sweet William, as recorded by Bradley in 1717, some forty 
years before Kélreuter began his long series of experiments. The practice 
of hybridising became general during the latter half of the eighteenth 
century, and has now been carried into almost every branch of horticulture, 
having become a very important industry, and the number of hybrids 
now in gardens is estimated at several thousands. But hybridisation has 
probably been practiced, consciously or unconsciously, for ages, for it is 
said that in the time of the Roman Empire Rose growers used to dust their 
flowers with pollen from another kind, and a similar process was probably 
adopted by early breeders of Tulips, Auriculas, &c., who made great secret 
of their methods. We have also the fact that the Chinese and Japanese 
have been raising various races of garden plants for centuries, though we 
have very meagre accounts of their methods. 
Even before the sexuality of plants was known the advantage of planting 
different kinds together when new varieties were desired was recognised, and 
it was supposed that there was a subtle transfusion of qualities from one to 
the other. It is now, of course, understood that these varieties arose through 
interchange of pollen by insect agency, and one of the surprises of recent 
years has been the large number of spontaneous or natural hybrids in 
existence, sometimes quite unsuspected until some hybridist happens to 
raise the same thing artificially. 
The Jate Mr. C. Wolley Dod carried on a very interesting experiment 
at Edge Hall, Cheshire. Hybridisation was not practiced, but for years 
