FEBRUARY, 1907. | THE ORCHID REVIEW. 47 
suitable, choosing the coolest end. The black spotting on the foliage so 
frequently seen is, I believe, bred by keeping the plants in. too wet a state 
during the winter months, or by growing them in a stagnant atmosphere 
away from light. It is important that a light position be given them 
during the dark dull days, and they always enjoy a fair amount of light. 
Flowering with these during December and January was Zygocolax 
Veitchii, a charming hybrid which may be treated in precisely the same 
way. 
HYBRIDISING ODONTOGLOSSUM CITROSMUM. 
In the last issue of the Orchid Review (p. 16) I said a few words about the 
hybrids of Odontoglossum Rossii. Now I shall pass some remarks on the 
hybridisation of O. citrosmum, another very interesting and striking species 
on account of the pendulous habit of its flowers, which are nicely scented 
in the morning. Their texture and period of flowering makes them very 
valuable for cutting. 
Some growers say that this lovely species is not free blooming, but I 
can answer that this reproach is altogether erroneous if the plants are 
grown int a proper house, with the treatment recommended in the Review. 
I have miyself always flowered 80 per cent. of my plants every year. On 
looking through, some time ago, Sander’s List of Orchid Hybrids I was 
surprised to find no record of any crosses from O. citrosmum, but I think 
some very pretty things might be raised from it. 
I tried many times to hybridise it, and I observed that after a short 
time the very thin and slender spikes became rotten, and the promising 
seed-pods turned yellow, when the seeds, of course, were not good. I then 
thought that perhaps I should be more successful without wiring the spikes, 
and I also used to spray round more frequently than before, after which I 
had a few good seed-pods on it. It is much easier to hybridise another 
Odontoglossum with the pollen of this species, and some nice plants of 
Cochlioda Neetzliana crossed with pollen’ from O. citrosmum roseum are 
very promising. I should be glad to know if any other readers of the 
Review have been so successful. P. BopreE. 
(We have up to the present no record of either a natural or artificial 
hybrid from O. citrosmum, and it isso distinct from every other species in 
its pendulous spikes that it is difficult to imagine what a hybrid from 
it would be like. But there seems no particular reason why it should 
not be successfully crossed, as several very distinct. combinaticns have 
already been made, and the difficulty of raising seedling Odontoglossums has 
now been overcome. We should like to hear the result of any other experi- 
ments that may have been made.—Eb.} 
