28 THE ORCHID REVIEW. [JANUARY, 1907. 
lip. As the varietal Lansbergeanum is suggested it may bear the name of — 
O. X mirum var. Lansbergeanum. 
It is certainly a very interesting and beautiful series. 
WHEN TO SOW CYPRIPEDIUM SEED. 
I aM desirous of obtaining the opinions of Orchid experts, as to the proper — 
time to sow Cypripedium seed, after the seed pod is ripe and has been cut. — 
Personally, I held the opinion that the seed should be sown at once when 
gathered, but my gardener holds contrary ideas on the subject, and recom- 
mends the seed to be kept until March, April or even May, when spring-like H 
weather begins and the sun gets much more power. During the last few i 
days, I have been going through our register of seed sowing and its results, — 
and certainly find that the shortest time of seed germination is to be found — 
with seed sown in early spring. Our record time for seed germination is — 
about 2} months, and there are many instances of seed having germinated i 
in three months or a few weeks over that time. It would appear that my 
ideas don’t work out in practice, for our registrations show many more — 
failures and bad germination with early sown seed than when the seed has 
been kept fer a month or two, before being sown on the pots. One evil — 
against sowing the seed as soon as ripe is that while the seed is lying on the 
compost and is not germinating, there is much more chance of the seed 
being washed away and lost, when the pots are watered. I have been@ 
raiser of Cypripedium seedlings for many years, and have had fair success — 
in numbers, but the quality has been very poor indeed, and most of the @ 
plants which have flowered have been complete wastrels and of no use 
whatever. {should be very pleased if some of your correspondents would — 
give their ideas in your valuable paper, as I think we have much to learn ~ 
about this interesting subject. O. O. WRIGLEY. 
Bridge Hall, Bury. 
ODONTOGLOSSUMS AND ONCIDIUMS. 
ORCHIDS at Elmwood Park, Hill Road, Croydon, are well known in the 
horticultural world, for Mr. J. W. Potter specialises in this pleasing class of 
plant, and his gardener, Mr. W. H. Young, read a paper before the Croydom — 
Society recently. Preceding his method of culture, he explained the best — 
FS Tk aN ee RU Leo 
type of house for growing them in, advising a span roof running east tO — 
west, and with top and bottom ventilation. Much detail on ventilating 
was given, for this plays an important factor in successful treatment. 4 
double stage was also advised, the lower one being covered with coke 
Earth floors with pathway made of battens he strongly recommended, 4§ 
by this method a prolonged moist atmosphere can be maintained. He als 
§ave instructions for size and position of piping for heating. Mr. Young is 
eo eS al 
ER PR Se Roel ee ae ee ae Pee emt Oi akee 
