October, 1913-] 



THE ORCHID WORLD. 



7 



In large importations of crispum one or 

 more blotched varieties have appeared. The 

 demand for these special forms rapidly 

 increased until fabulous sums were paid for 

 handsomely blotched specimens. For many 

 years their origin was a complete mystery, 

 and baffled even the most experienced 

 collectors. 



About eleven years ago, however, Mr. 

 Crawshay became certain, and stated his 

 opinion, that blotched crispums were hybrids, 

 and if we attempted to raise them from seed 

 by the usual method of crossing one blotched 

 variety with another we 

 should not reproduce them 

 as in the case of true 

 species, for according to the 

 laws of Nature reversion 

 must take place, and we 

 should also obtain ordinar}- 

 white crispums, and, as has 

 been recently shown, almost 

 pure forms of triumphans 

 and luteopurpureum. Of 

 course, some blotched cris- 

 pums did appear when large 

 numbers of these seedlings 

 were flowered, but their 

 small number did not justifv' 

 us in believing that any great 

 numbers would always be 

 cb*^ained. 



It will at ones occur to 

 everyone that the chance of 

 any two blotched crispums 

 being united in their native 

 land must be extremely remote. Their great 

 rarity seems to prove that this is almost an 

 impossibility. Yet, as blotched crisiuims were 

 being discovered which, by the small size of 

 their bulbs, could not be more than a few years 

 old, it was apparent that they were still being 

 created. But how and by what means remained 

 an unsolved mystery for many years. 



To Mr. Crawshay is due some of the credit 

 of attempting to prove the origin of these 

 mysterious and beautiful flowers. Careful 

 investigation on his part convinced him that 

 the only way to produce blotched crispums 

 was by similar methods to that of Nature 



He accordingly set to work and raised 

 numerous seedlings from the various crosses 

 which perchance might take place naturally. 

 The results clearly show that his theory was 

 correct, and that time alone was necessary 

 to give Nature an opportunity of producing 

 in this country exactly what she had done in 

 Colombia. 



Our illustration shows a flower that is 

 precisely what Orchidists years ago would 

 describe as a blotched crispum of extra- 

 ordinary merit, and one that would then have 

 received the hiijhest honours at an exhibition, 



Odonloglossum Vulcan, T^osefield variety. 



and created a record price if sold. But, 

 to-day, we know this plant as Odontog^lossuni 

 Vulcan, with the parentage as given above, 

 and proving that it is one of the ways in 

 which Nature made, and is making, the 

 handsome, yet mysterious flowers which not 

 so long ago created the biggest sensation 

 the Orchid world has ever experienced. 



Mr. Crawshay has bloomed Vulcan from 

 more than one pod, having crossed various 

 varieties of crispum with Vuylstekei in order 

 to see the breaking up of the component 

 parents. The Rosefiekl variety is the finest 

 of all the seedhngs from these pods, up to 



