THE ORCHID WORLD. 
Vol. I. APRIL. 1911. No. 7. 
NOTES. 
King Manuel visited the Ro\al Horti- 
cultural Society on March 1 5th, and greatl}- 
admired the display of Orchids. 
SjE 5;^ 
C)'ml)idium insigne. — In the recent h}hrids 
so far obtained by the use of this species it 
is apparent that it will prove of dominating 
influence, and hybridists may probably not 
obtain all that at one time was expected from 
its use. 
O U U 
Mr. F. W. Ashton. — In our advertisement 
pages will be found an announcement to tlie 
effect that Mr. Ashton, having relinquished 
his connection with Messrs. Stuart Low and 
Co., has established himself as a Horticultural 
Commission Agent, specializing in Orchids 
and Carnations. We wish him e\ery success 
in his new venture. 
Laflybirds and Aphis. — The value of the 
ladyloird in gardens is recognised in America, 
and the Gardeners' Chronicle has obtained the 
information that no fewer than 100,000,000 
will be " trapped " within the next few weeks 
and sent to Orchidists and Melon growers to 
wage war on the aphis. The ladybirds which 
are to be so employed have been hibernating 
in the snowdrifts about Towle, Placer 
Country, U.S.A. ; the trappers, who include 
the Superintendent of the State Insectary, 
hope to fill 500 cases with the insects 
VOL. I , 
Orchid Fungus. — By the death last month 
of Mr. Noel Bernard, science has lost a man 
who spent considerable time and patience in 
investigating the usefulness or necessity of 
this fungus to the germination of Orchid seeds. 
On the roots of Orchids, whether wild or 
cultivated, are found fungi which, living inside 
the cells of the roots, form lumps like balls of 
thread. These fungi can live apart from the 
roots of Orchids by transplanting them on to 
a suitable nourishing medium and on which 
they can be kept growing and even propagated 
Mr. Bernard's method of research was to 
place Orchid seeds on a suitable nutritive jelly 
contained in test tubes, some of which were 
inoculated with the fungus he had obtained 
from the roots of Orchids, the others remaining 
uninoculated. 
His experiments showed that the seeds 
sown on the fungus treated jelly quickly 
germinated while those on the plain jelly 
remained in an almost dormant condition. 
He, therefore, came to the conclusion that the 
germination of Orchid seeds was practically 
dependent on the presence of this fungus. 
U % ^ 
DendrobiUM .EMULUM. — .One of our 
correspondents in New Zealand speaks of this 
plant as the prettiest native Orchid ; it can 
also be found in the costal scrubs of New 
South Wales. The flowers are pure-white, 
19 
