36 THE ORCHID REVIEW. [Feprvary, 1906, 
forms being highly valued. After that came the day of high priced Odonto- : 
glossums, commencing with the purchase of O. x excellens Knox’s var. by 
Baron Schréder, for 165 guineas, the plant then being called a yellow 
Pescatorei. Later on came the “spotted crispums,” the demand for which 
is still growing, the plants of to-day being pre-eminently the blotched 
crispums. 
Now the garden hybrids are coming to the front, and those who observe 
carefully the signs of the times can see that they will form the great future 
of the genus. The hybrids will in a great measure displace the species, 
always excepting the fine varieties of the species, which will be in demand 
as parents. In the front rank are placed O. x Vuylstekei, O. X 
Vuylstekez, O. x Rolfez, and O. x Smithii. 
“We all know,” observes the author, “ that in Orchid-raising there is 
no finality for the hybridist, his cry being always ‘ Better things are coming,” 
and up to the present he has not been far wrong, though, of course, the art 
is only yet in its infancy ; but if it goes on for, say, twenty years, with the 
relative improving ratio of the last ten, well, what will be there then for 
the hybridist of that day tocry? I hope I may be there to hear him and — 
help him, as now, cry out ‘ Better things will come.’ That the future has 
some marvellously fine things in store goes without saying. The crosses — 
made and young plants resulting contain a wonderful harvest of fine things 
for us all, and as each year goes by more care is taken to cross only what 
will give a good result, profiting by the experience of past failures, of _ 
which I am sorry to say some raisers do not peak ; if they did so, it would 
be to the general benefit of all others.” 
Mr. Crawshay discusses the possibility of obtaining a scarlet, and even 
a blue crispum, and remarks that no one will dispute the fact that we should 
all go more or less mad if we obtained either the one or the other. 
Respecting the garden-raised blotched crispum, Mr. Crawshay remarks — 
“all of us are doing our best to raise this much-sought-for plant in quantity. 
I say in quantity advisedly, for it has been done, but if only one now and 
then appears we shall still be where we are at present. It is amusing to see 
these who hold quantities of very valuable plants attempting to destroy 
their value by producing them artifically. The reason is, I think, that 
none of us believe we shall succeed so as to damage the value of our pre- 
sent blotched crispums.” 
“Contemplating the work done already, and considering the many 
intelligent workers there are both here and upon the Continent, who will 
say that the future does not contain a vision of hybrids that will possibly, 
nay probably, make some of our present-day wonders look quite ordinary 
things? I have no doubt we are upon the threshold of a great advance in 
Odontoglossum raising.” 
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