﻿Januarv, 1904.] THE ORCHID REVIEW. 7 



Crawshay had exhibited an Odontoglossum grown in a similar pot, I 

 decided to see what Cattleyas, Cypripediums, and Odontoglossums would 

 do in glass. The Cypripedium, which has been in the pot about six 

 months, has made good leaves, but has not flowered since potting. One 

 Odontoglossum has grown an exceptionally fine bulb with very long leaves, 

 which grow erect and very stiff and strong. We have quite given up tree 

 leaves for Cypripediums, as we found that the flowers were so much inferior 

 when leaves were used to those potted in the old way. The material in the 

 glass pot is composed of peat, sphagnum moss, and fibrous loam. We 

 flowered two plants of Cypripedium nitens, Ball's variety, one potted in 

 leaves and the other in loam, &c, and found that the flowers of the one in 

 the latter were altogether superior to those of that in leaves. We seldom 

 find any root action in the plants we get from the Continent potted in leaf 

 mould, so for the Cypripediums we have used the old material for a year 

 back, and with very great advantage." 



REVERSION IN ODONTOGLOSSUMS, 



Mr. Gurney Wilson, Glenthorne, Hayward's Heath, contributes the 

 following note to the discussion on " Reversion in Odontoglossums " 

 {Gard. Chron., 1903, ii., p. 356) : — "Assuming that a spotted or blotched 

 crispum is the result of hybridity between a crispum and another species 

 of Odontoglossum, and that when this plant is fertilised by the pollen 

 of another such hybrid its progeny shows reversion, how is it that it 

 does not revert to the other parent as well as to the O. crispum ? We 

 know that when certain species are hybridised together, their progeny 

 shows the form and markings of both parents, proof of which we have 

 in O. X excellens (triumphans X Pescatorei), loochristiense (crispum 

 X triumphans), etc. ; and supposing that these hybrids were crossed 

 with others having the same parents, and that this process was continued 

 with their offspring, we should, after passing through the laws of rever- 

 sion, be able to produce plants which would prove to be pure species, and 

 show no signs of hybridity at all. Assuming then, that we could do 

 the same with blotched crispums we ought to produce not only pure 

 crispums, but pure forms of the other species, which is supposed to be 

 the other parent of the blotched crispum. Also that as reversion is a 

 natural state of things, and continually going on, we ought by this time 

 to have discovered another species, which would show some signs of 

 being the other parent, but it is difficult to imagine a flower having such 

 characteristics as would, when hybridised with an O. crispum, produce 

 progeny whose only difference is in the blotching of the segments, and. 

 without in any way altering the crest or shape of the petals." 



