THE ORCHID REVIEW. 69 
Heavy syringing instead of watering I never do, as there is the uncertainty 
that plants which require the most water may have to go without, while 
others that require little or none may get an overdose. The process is too 
haphazard to be recommended, and often works much mischief. In 
Orchid growing every individual plant wants its own special attention. 
I may say that we use the same sprayer when we have any thrips 
about. We put some liquid insecticide of a safe strength, and spray right 
through the house, not giving it so heavy as to allow it to run off on to the 
roots, but only sufficient to moisten the leaves, and it is astonishing how 
soon thrips can be eradicated if this is done two or three times during the 
growing season. 
ee 
[This article has been written, at our request, by one of our most success- 
ful growers and exhibitors, who modestly withholds his name. An amateur 
grower wrote to us pointing out that the widely different views expressed 
by different people as to the use of the syringe were most perplexing. We 
tender our best thanks to our esteemed correspondent, who has certainly 
grasped the underlying principles in his practice. We shall be glad to 
have the experience of others on this question.—Ep. 
THE RAISING OF RARE ORCHIDS FROM SEED. 
THE question of raising rare species of Orchids from seed has been 
mentioned in these pages on several occasions, and the following notes 
of a discussion on the subject which took place in 1882, besides being 
interesting in themselves, will show that the question is not by any 
means a new one. 
Speaking of the rarity of certain species of Orchids and the high 
prices they commanded, Mr. James Douglas advised raising them from 
seed, and mentioned Cypripedium Spicerianum, C. Stonei platytenium 
and Cattleya labiata, as plants then worth fifty to one hundred guineas 
each.—Gard. Chron., 1882, xvii., p. 16. 
“H. C., Forest Farm, Windsor Forest,’ replied with respect to 
Cypripedium Stonei platytenium that the question had occupied Mr. 
Day’s special attention, but upon the advice of his skilful gardener, he had 
wisely left it alone, because producing seed was well known to bring 
distress and sometimes even death to very healthy plants. In Sir Trevor 
Lawrence’s collection, however, at Burford, he had seen this variety 
bearing a fine seed pod, as a result of crossing with its own pollen, and 
as Mr. Spyers believed it to be ‘‘a monstrosity produced by seed from 
