226 THE ORCHID REVIEW. [AUGUST, 1907 
Anyone who has seen germinating Odontoglossums in their earliest stages 
will realise how a few hours’ neglect—nay less—might destroy a whole 
batch of such microscopic organisms, and they are microscopic when they 
first begin to swell and become green. On entering the houses one 
immediately notices the double shading, consisting of two lath roller blinds 
arranged at right angles to each other, and at several inches distance from 
the glass. The sunlight only reaches the glass in small squares. There is 
thus a free circulation of air between the blinds and the glass, and on 
placing one’s hand beneath the latter it is found to be quite cool. All risk 
of burning is thus eliminated. Abundance of moisture is secured by damp- 
ing all available surfaces as necessary, and by spraying. The stages on 
which the plants stand are open, and the solid stages are fixed at a con- 
siderable distance (over a foot) beneath, close to the pipes. Ample ven- 
tilation is provided, and the heating arrangements are adequate, and are 
utilised as necessary. 
Everything is under complete control, and all extremes are avoided. 
The atmosphere of the houses is cool and humid, without cold draughts and 
without stuffiness. One instinctively feels that the conditions are right. 
We remarked that it felt ‘‘like a house in which the very best Odonto- 
glossums were grown, but just a shade warmer and moister,” and to this 
Mr. Black assented, adding that he did not like to see the temperature 
much below 60°. Compost, good fibrous peat and sphagnum, with a few 
leaves, but Mr. Black would not recommend much of the latter, except to 
those who thoroughly understand the watering. But we must pass on, and 
would advise anyone who is not satisfied with his own success to note care- 
fully in what respect his treatment differs from that described above, always 
remembering that the result is the thing to aim at. And secure all the light 
possible in winter. 
We will now give particulars of a few interesting crosses noted, but 
these are only a small selection. of those seen. The first house visited 
contained a beautiful series of seedlings of various ages, and our first note 
refers to a batch of Odontoglossum x Adriane X Pescatorei, three years 
old. Next came a batch of Cochlioda vulcanica x O. Harryanum, about 
a year younger, a particularly interesting cross. We also noted the same 
Cochlioda (we place the seed parent first) crossed with O. crispum and with 
O. Uroskinneri. We saw quite a lot of seedlings from C. Neetzliana, the 
pollen parents including O.’ Hunnewellianum, O. x Adriane, O. Harry- 
anum, OQ. crispum, both white and blotched forms, O. Rossii rubescens, 
and, what was specially interesting, Oncidium Gardneri. The latter 
bigeneric cross is not the only one, for a batch of Oncidium crispum X 
Odontoglossum Pescatorei was pointed out, three years old, but very weak 
growers, also Oncidium tigrinum x O. crispum, another interesting com- 
