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JANUARY, 1909.] THE ORCHID REVIEW. 31 
the little plants throve apace, with the present result. The plant exhibited 
had an inflorescence of 58 flowers and buds, and this on the first bulb from 
the seed-bulb. I believe Uroskinneri hybrids have a bad name, but these 
are tremendous growers. I have one that made up the seed bulb as big as 
a fair-sized hen’segg. It is like the seed parent in its character of opening 
a few blooms at a time, but each individual flower lasts for weeks in 
perfection. Another plant is now flowering. : 
‘‘ T have since then fertilised dozens of Uroskinneri flowers but failed to 
get a pod, and the only other plants that I have succeeded in getting seed 
pods on by Edwardii have been Cochlioda Neetzliana, and I have a nice lot 
of seedlings of these. I don’t know that it would have made much 
difference to the flower had the cross been the other way round, but it 
certainly would have been easier to have got it, as O. Edwardii seems to 
set seed pods and produce good seed with nearly anything. I wonder 
whether anybody has tried putting Zygopetalum Mackayi on it? It would 
be an interesting experiment. I have not got any.of the latter Orchid 
myself, but if I can - some good flowers when my Edwardii’s are out I 
will try it this season.’ 
[We should like to see this cross tied, —ED:] 
ROOT-STRUCTURE. 
AT the fortnightly meeting of the Sevenoaks Gardeners’ Society, held on 
December 15th last, the first of a series of three lectures on ‘‘ The General 
Structure of Plant Roots” was given by Mr. Lionel Crawshay, F.R.H.S. 
The structure and functions‘of plant-roots was dealt with very fully, and 
the difference between them and subterranean forms of stem was pointed out, 
as well as the importance of the root-hairs and the root-cap. In considering 
different forms of roots the lecturer mentioned the special absorbent 
apparatus of many tropical Orchids. Asall who have seen them must have 
noticed, the rhizomes of many Cattleyas and Lelias usually extend some 
distance beyond the matrix upon which the plant grows. The roots then 
hang down in the air, and it is evident that they cannot come into contact 
with any nutrient medium. Much the same sort of thing takes place in 
their native home, and they are consequently clothed with a jacket of 
absorbent cells, which extends throughout their whole length except the 
apex, giving them a white and swollen appearance. This is called the 
velamen, and the cells being highly absorbent they are able to extract the 
moisture from the air in the same way as the root-hairs draw it from the 
soil. The question of root-bacteria and the nodules found on the roots of 
Leguminosze were also mentioned, and it was remarked that the Nitro- 
Bacterine treatment of crops was of little use where there is es a normal 
development of bacteria in the soil. 
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