84 THE ORCHID REVIEW. 
If any good seeds are found, they should be sown upon the compost of 
some growing plant which requires the same treatment, always selecting 
one in which the materials are in healthy condition, and can be left for 
months undisturbed. It is now that the difficulty arises. Such minute 
seeds are very easily washed away, and to obviate this it is customary to 
keep the compost moist by partial dipping, and by very lightly spraying 
with the syringe, where possible. The atmosphere must also be kept ina 
healthy condition, both with regard to warmth, humidity, and proper venti- 
lation. The embryos now begin to swell very gradually, and pass into what 
is termed the thalloid stage, in which they remain for a considerable period, 
frequently several months, before roots are produced. This is the critical 
period. A little neglect in watering or keeping the compost too wet may be 
fatal. A few hours of London fog, or a succession of dull sunless days will 
cause considerable mortality, though these conditions are not under the 
control of the cultivator, as are the others. Undue stimulation must also 
be avoided. Indeed the cultivator must exercise discretion and patience, 
remembering that during their early stages these plants are liable to be 
injured by little irregularities which would have no susceptible effect on 
older plants. Seedlings of Phalaenopsis, Calanthe, and Cypripedium are 
said to be especially liable to injury during this thalloid stage. 
With proper care, however, the young seedlings will gradually progress, 
and in due time roots and young leaves will begin to push. When these 
have made a fair start the young plants may be pricked off, or potted singly 
into small pots, care being exercised to avoid bruising the delicate tissues in 
any way. This operation safely performed they will gradually progress 
towards maturity, and must be treated in all respects like older plants. 
Throughout the whole operation a few cardinal points should not be lost 
sight of. In a wild state when the capsules burst the seeds fall, or are 
scattered near the parent plant, and are subject to like conditions. The 
cultivator who can grow any Orchid successfully need not despair of raising 
it from seed, provided only that healthy seed can be obtained. The same 
course of treatment must be followed, for Nature is much the safest guide 
to follow, and her behests cannot lightly be set aside. The conditions 
under which Orchids are grown in our houses at home are very different 
from those which obtain in their natural habits, especially with regard to 
light during the winter months, but this affects both seedlings and older 
plants, though perhaps not in the same degree, so that if one can be grown 
successfully there is at least a good chance for the other. 
Slugs are especial enemies to the hybridist, and must be kept under at 
all costs. Many a time have they ruthlessly dispelled the fondest hopes of 
the cultivator. Mr. Veitch records an instance of Dendrobium nobile 
‘nobilius crossed with D. aureum, from which a single seedling only was 
raised. This was naturally highly prized and tenderly cared for, and it had 
