86 THE ORCHID REVIEW. [MARCH, 1903. 
Messrs. H. Low & Co., Bush Hill Park, secured a Silver Banksiam 
Medal for a good group, containing Lycaste =X Cappei, Dendrobium 
aggregatum, D. aureum, D. Boxallii, D. crassinode, D. Jamesianum, D. 
Wardianum, and other Dendrobiums, together with some fine forms of 
Cattleya Triane. 
Messrs. Stanley, Ashton & Co., Chase Side, Southgate, exhibited: 
Odontoglossum X Wilckeanum southgatense, and a dark form of O. X 
loochristiense. 
Messrs. D. Lowell & Son, Horticultural Sundriesmen, Ravenscourt 
Avenue, Hammersmith, showed a selection of Orchid pots in all sizes, 
potting material, &c. 
AT the meeting of the Scientific Committee held on February 24th the 
following communication from Captain C. C. Hurst was read :— 
MENDEL’s PRINCIPLES APPLIED TO CALANTHE HYBRIDS.—With refer- 
ence to the hybrids, C. x ‘“‘Oakwood Ruby” and C. x ‘“ Sibyl,’ sent to- 
the last meeting by Mr. Chapman, and to his expression of opinion that 
they “prove the inapplicability of Mendel’s Laws to Orchids.” If the 
pedigree of these two hybrids is correctly recorded in Mr. Chapman’s notes, 
it seems quite clear that we have in them a typical Mendelian case, and. 
that Mr. Chapman’s opinion to the contrary must be due to a misunder- 
standing of the Mendelian Principles. According to Mr. Chapman’s notes,. 
C. X “ Oakwood Ruby” with dark coloured flowers, and C. x “Sibyl” 
with pure white flowers, were raised from the same capsule with the 
following pedigree, which for the sake of simplicity I have reduced to 
Mendelian terms :— 
Ist gen. C. rosea X C. vestita = C. X Veitchii, vars. 
ae Rose X White = Light rose and deep rose-carmine. 
. Dominant x Recessive a D.R. 
and gen. tees Ok IR: oh 1 DR. xX: 7 RR. 
3rd-7th gen. DR, < DR. sit Pik 2 OR. RTE R. 
Hence we see that by continued selection of the darkest D.R’s. in each: 
generation, the 7th gen. produces the darkest variety C. x ‘‘ Oakwood 
Ruby ” (D.R.) and also the pure white C. x “ Sibyl” (R). which is in strict 
accordance with the Mendelian expectation. Further, according to the 
Mendelian Principles, C. x “‘ Oakwood Ruby ” being an impure Dominant 
(D.R.) should when self-fertilised continue to throw dark forms, rose forms, 
white forms, and all intermediate colours, while C. x “ Sibyl” if a pure 
Recessive, when self-fertilised, should throw only white forms. Here then. 
isa fine opportunity for Mr. Chapman, with his well-known cultural 
skill and Oakwood advantages, to test Mendel’s Principles by actuah 
experiment. 
