March, 191 5.] 



ini': oRrini) world. 



139 



the requisite knowledge in raising Orchids 

 from seed I took the pod to a well-known 

 collection in those days, situated in Flodden 

 Road, Cambervvell. The grower told me the 

 seed was good and promiseil to raise some 

 plants, in which I hope he was successful, but 

 it is now some 25 years ago. The owner of 

 the collection was very kmd ni showing me 

 the Cypnpeduim house, of which a speciality 

 was made ; the plants were some of the finest 

 I had seen, the collection being particularly 

 rich in the tessellated foliage section, which 

 impressed me very much. 



Harking back, I remember being sent 

 occasionally to the principal establishments 

 then existing, viz., Messrs. Veitch's, Bull's, 

 Williams' and Rollisson's, where I usually 

 managed to obtain a sort of private view, more 

 or less. Wondrous plants they were to me at 

 that time. — H. A. Fanner, Tunbridge Wells. 



SEED RAISING FOR AMATEURS. 



NEARLY every amateur desires to raise 

 a few hybrid Orchids, and although 

 some measure of disappointment 

 may be received when the more difficult 

 genera are taken in hand, there is no apparent 

 reason why encouraging results should not be 

 procured with one or more of the easier kinds. 

 There is always a certain amount of interest 

 attached to home-raised plants, which does 

 not arise when they are purchased in a fully 

 grown condition. Moreover, there is the 

 charm of using favourite varieties as parents, 

 with the hope that some, at least, of their 

 fascinating characteristics may be perpetuated 

 in the offspring. If success is at first obtained 

 in a small manner further practice will 

 doubtless ensure better results, although it 

 must always be remembered that some genera 

 are much more difficult to manage than others, 

 so it is as well to commence with one that is 

 most likely to bring success to our efforts and 

 thereby encourage us to proceed further with 

 the work. The old saying that nothing- 

 succeeds like success is very true when 

 ajiplied to the art of seed raising. The 



following remarks may prove of value to those 

 about to start this interesting work: — 



Cypripedium Seeds 

 (considerably enlarged). 



Selenipedium Seeds 

 {considerably enlarged). 



Cypripediums have generally jDroved to be 

 the easiest to handle, and they form good 

 subjects upon which to make experiments, for 

 not only are they to be obtained at a 

 leasonable price, but they reach the flowering 

 stage at a period of about three years, which 

 is a short time when compared with many 

 other genera. There is no class of Orchid 

 that has Vjeen so fully worked upon by the 

 hybridist, which indicates that success is by 

 no means difficult to obtain, and that the 

 results are of a satisfactory nature. 



The oldest method, and, indeed, one by 

 which the great majority of plants has been 

 raised, consists of sowing the ripe seed on the 

 surface of the compost in which a healthy and 

 \igorous i^lant is growing. Now it is not 

 every pot that will vield successful results, 

 much depends on the condition of the 

 compost, for if it has been in use some time 

 and has a sour ajjpearance it is worthless for 

 our purpose. A good seed-raiser will select a 

 pot that contains compost of a clean and 

 reasonably moist condition ; nothing in the 



