JANUARY, Ig09.] THE ORCHID REVIEW. 39 
STORING POLLEN. 
ABOUT a year ago several most interesting articles upon the subject of 
stored pollen appeared in the Orchid Review (xvi. pp. 35, 65,111). I have 
been experimenting upon the subject for two years, more especially upon 
the pollen of Cypripediums (Paphiopedilum). My experiments are now 
more or less complete, and the results may be of interest. I enclose an old 
tube (the design is old also) containing pollen of C. insigne Youngianum, 
which has been undisturbed since December 6th, 1907. I also enclose a 
new tube which I think is as perfect as it can be made. It is equally suit- 
able for soft or hard pollen (for the hard varieties the tube is simply used as 
a bottle). 
My own results have been most encouraging from the first, and I have 
tried pollen up to twelve months’ old with unvarying success. I have not 
yet tried older pollen, but there seems to be no reason why it should not 
keep for twelve years as easily as for twelve months! It is a curious fact 
the flowers, fertilised with old pollen, go off more rapidly after pollination. 
In two cases nine days have sufficed to prove success. This I believe to be 
due to some slight change in the condition of the greasy covering which 
envelopes the pollen proper. The pollen tends to become if anything more 
liquid with age, and shows no sign of dryness. The principle is to keep 
the pollen dry by means of calcium chloride. The dry air then prevents 
absolutely any germination of mould spores, &c. I have now several very 
large capsules on my plants which have resulted from stored pollen. 
There seems to be no difference in the time taken to ripen the capsules. 
In one case (Exul X Lathamianum) in which the pollen had been stored 
for four months, the capsules ripened only after sixteen months. It con- 
tained what was apparently (when examined microscopically) perfect seed 
in abundance, there being scarcely any “ chaff.’”’ The seed of this cross 
was sowed on August 8th last, and should appear in the coming spring 
My collection is only a small one of about 200 plants, and I find the tubes 
most useful. They enable me to make crosses which would otherwise be 
out of the question, owing to the difference in the time of flowering. 
I recently sent a tube of pollen, eleven months old, to a well-known 
Orchid firm, with the request that they would be kind enough to verify my 
results. I was advised a short time ago that the cross tried had been quite 
satisfactory (it was Fairrieanum X Leeanum giganteum). So pleased were 
they with the results that I have agreed to allow the tube to be put upon 
the market, and it has consequently been registered. F. H. Smita. 
“Chez Nous,” Sherwood, Nottingham. 
(The pollen sent appears quite healthy, but experiment can alone 
decide what the dessicating effect of calcium chloride may be.—Ep.] 
