THE ORCMIU WORLD. 



|.\pril, 1914. 



ORCHID BREEDING. 



A RECENT issue of T lie field con- 

 tained an article on Mendelism and 

 the Plant Breeder, from which we 

 extract the foliowing interesting and useful 

 particulars : — 



" Every plant in an individual. It reveals 

 only some of its characters ; others, which it 

 conceals, may become manifest in its offspring". 

 Therefore, if you have a number of plants 

 which look all alike with respect to a certain 

 character — say that of a spotless white flower 

 — and if this character be one which you have 

 striven to produce and wish to perpetuate, do 

 not treat the plants as a mob ; treat them as 

 individuals. Save seeds from plants which 

 have been self fertilised ; keep and sow the 

 seed from each plant separately ; raise a 

 dozen or more from each of four or five of 

 these families. If they all come true to 

 whiteness your additional labour has been 

 wasted ; but if only some come true you have 

 the satisfaction of knowing" that you have 

 spared yourself several tedious years' work in 

 ' selection.' Not a little of the ' selection ' 

 which goes on m nurseries is nothing" but an 

 endeavour to get chance to do more slowly 

 what the breeder iiiay be able to do swiftly 

 for himself. 



" Next remember that when you interbreed 

 two things possessed of opposite characters, 

 both of those characters may not show in the 

 offspring. One dominates the other 

 completely or partially. Yet, despite the 

 apparent complete or [lartial loss of one of 

 the characters in the individual, the basis fur 

 that character is present in the germ cell ol 

 that individual, and will come out in some of 

 its descendants. Hence the Mendelian 

 paradox ; if you seek to combine two different 

 characters possessed by two individuals, and 

 if both characters fail to appear in the first 

 generation, you have good reason to hojje to 

 get them back in the second generation. 

 More than this, since these characters, as 

 the first generation shows, are apt to be 

 overlied by others, when you have obtained 

 them in the second generation thev are pure, 

 and the strain will breed true to them." 



ORCHIDS AT TWYFORD, BERKS. 



TO Mr. \i. H. Davidson is due the credit 

 of bringing" together a number of very 

 choice Orchids for the purpose of 

 producing seedlings of more than ordinary 

 merit. The range of glasshouses which he 

 has built at Twyford, Berks, is situated 111 

 open country where plenty of light and fresh 

 air are available. It is only recently that 

 the business has been turned into a company 

 under the style of Messrs. E. H. Davidson 

 and Co., with Mr. J. B. Lakm as managing 

 partner. A visit to the establishment will 

 readily prove that every advantage has 

 been taken of up-to-date methods in the 

 construction of the houses. 



Mr. Davidson has a keen eye for the 

 attractive Orchid, of which size, as well as 

 brightness and richness of coloration, are the 

 chief essentials. For some considerable time 

 many of the finest Orchids have been 

 purchased and used for hybridisation 

 purposes, and, as may be seen by the seed- 

 pods, the work is still being carried out with 

 enthusiasm. In these days of rapid advance 

 it is almost useless to expect successful 

 progress unless something of genuine first- 

 class material is used m the attempt. At 

 Orchid Dene, Twyford, there is much of real 

 value to the hybridist, and the next few years 

 will undouljledly allow a fair share, perhaps 

 more, of the good things to emanate from this 

 establishment. 



Much of the initial work has already been 

 accomplished, the seedling houses containing 

 ;in interesting lot of seedlings in various 

 stages of growth, not only Cattleyas and their 

 allied genera, but Odontoglossums and 

 Odontiodas. 7\.part from the process of 

 l)roducing good Orchids by means of 

 seedlings, there is the propagation of choice 

 varieties to be considered, and although this 

 may be a slower means the owner neverthe- 

 less has the satisfaction of being able to 

 fully guarantee the projiagated pieces as soon 

 as they are separated from the original stock ; 

 whereas, in the case of seedlings, a period of 

 from 3-6 years must elapse before their merit 

 is proved by the production of flowers. 



