854 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



November 9, 1912. 



were wortHj- ol the greatest care as breeders. 

 Seeing what splendid orchids were now pro- 

 duced in England, Major Hurst considered 

 that by the application of Mendelian laws, 

 and the production of fine plants, there was 

 no good reason why British raisers should 

 not provide all the finest stud orchids for. 

 the world, just as now Great Britain pro- 

 vides the finest stud animals in horses, 

 cattle, etc. Major Hurst tabulated a great 

 deal of his findings respecting hybridisation 

 and future possibilities, and the publication 

 of these tables will be eagerly looked forward 

 to. Major Hurst considered that the mating 

 of complex hybrids was scarcely likely to 

 prove economically useful, and he advised 

 sticking to the mating of primary hybrids. 



His final conclusion was that the applica- 

 tion of the principles of genetics to orchid 

 breeding leads one to conclude that from 

 the economic and eugenic point of view, 

 the only sound method to adopt in orchid 

 breeding is to make a fresh start, by select- 

 ing a choice stud of the best individuals of 

 the 'best varieties of the best species of the 

 best genera, due preference being given to 

 those stud individuals that have already bred 

 a winner of the F.C.C. at the Royal Horti- 

 cultural Society, and have also proved them- 

 selves to be homozygous in their good quali- 

 ties. These selected stud orchids should be 

 combined by crossing in every possible way 

 in order to make superior primary stud hy- 

 brids. Finally, these superior stud hybrids 

 can be combined in any way that the breeder 

 may think fit, in accordance with the par- 

 ticular subjects he may have in view. 



Mr. De Barri Crawshay very highly com- 

 plimented Major Hurst upon his paper, and 

 referred to the great value of a fine stud 

 parent in breeding orchids, and he said that 

 Odontoglossum crispum Luciani had never 

 produced a poor offspring. 



The morning's proceedings concluded with 

 thanks to Professor Keeble and Major Hurst 

 fotr their excellent contributions to the con- 

 ference. 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 



The afternoon session commenced at two 

 o'clock, Mr. J. Gurney Fowler again pre- 

 siding. The attendance was again moderate, 

 but rather larger than in the morning. The 

 proceedings opened with a paper on 



SOME EPIPHYTAL ORCHIDS. 



This was an essentially practical pape^ 

 and in it Mr. H. Alexander, orchid grow 

 to Sir George Holford, Westonbirt, gave 

 valuable hints upon the cultivation of such 

 orchids as cattleyas, laelias, dendrobiums, 

 and other epiphytes. Needless to say, this 

 paper was listened to with close attention 

 because of Mr. Alexander's splendid reputa- 

 tion a« a grower and also because of his 



a grower, 



popularity, for success has not rendered him 

 dogmatic. 



We may refer to just a few of the points 

 emphasised. He said that the soft, sappy, 

 and strong growth produced by the use of 

 soft rooting material, such as leaf-soil, was 

 by no means the best for orchids. Lighter 

 houses for the plants were needed, and the 

 admission of greater light than* usually 

 afforded was desirable. The value of fresh 

 air he very strongly emphasised, and he 

 pointed out that V 



quite as beneficial i 



tion by day; closing the ventilation at night 

 to keep up temperature was a fallacy, a rea- 

 sonable temperature and plenty of fresh air 

 being far more desirable. A suitable con- 

 dition of the atmosphere as regards moisture 

 was, Mr. Alexander stated, of far more 

 miJ>ort^nce than any special rooting compost. 

 Excessive watering at the roots was answer- 

 able for a vast number of failures. Rain- 



at night was 



water was to he preferred to tap water. Mr. 

 Alexander strongly objected to the use of 

 any manures, as experience had shown him 

 that these stimulants had a bad effect on 

 emphytu'. orchids. Excessive drying during 

 the resting season Mr. Alexander deprecated 

 and he stated emphatically that heat, airi 

 light and moisture, with close observation 

 and light houses, h^^ld the secret of success 

 >^ith cfpiphytic orchids. 



Mr. Alexander's paper was not ^ long one. 



O'Brien, who, long years ago, had charge 

 of the Westonbirt collection, referred to the 

 splendid cultivation of the collection under 

 the care of Mr. Alexander. He considered 

 that the retention of old back bulbs in sO 

 many epiphytic orchids was detrimental to 

 the fullest success, and he believed he was 

 one of the first to appreciate this fact. He 

 suggested that an under-supply of water to 

 cattleyas would prove far more successful 

 than an over-supply. Mr. J. Fraser spoke 

 of the great value of clear light and pure 

 air to orchids, and considered that the roots 

 of epiphytes should not be covered up in 

 the same way as those of terrestrial orchids. 

 In answer to a question, Mr. Alexander said 

 that the minimum temperature during the 

 winter for Vauda ca^rulea should be 50 de- 

 grees. Sir Harry Veitch asked what other 

 orchids were grown in the same house as the 

 Westonbirt vandas, but Mr. Alexander said 

 he had a house devoted to V. cserulea, but, 

 though abundance of air was always provided, 

 the best plants were invariably those nearest 

 the ventilators. Good light and plenty of 

 air were necessary to produce substantial 

 flowers and brilliant blue colouring. He 

 stated that all the vandas shown that day 

 had been under his care for from five to 

 thirteen years. The discussion on Mr. Alex- 

 ander's paper was very brisk, and he had 

 to answer a number of questions. 



ALBINISM IX ORCHIDS. 



The final paper, by Mr. H. G. Thwaites, 

 was on "Albinism in Orchids." This was a 

 very difficult subject and a. rather controver- 

 sial one. Mr. Thwaites stated how he had tried 

 to produce white seedling orchids, and had 

 secured many coloured ones in tbe progeny of 

 two white parents. Some whites seemed to 

 contain a coloir factor not discernible to the 

 eye, but rendered very obvious in the pro- 

 geny. He found it difficult, if not impos- 

 sible, to differentiate between the pure white 

 and the apparently pure white save by ex- 

 perience in the progeny of each' 



Mr. Thwaites put forward the theory that 

 as white was a combination of all the colours 

 in the spectrum, so white in orchids was in 

 some wonderful way, built up by colour. He 

 had produced white flowers by crossing pur- 

 ple with yellow flowers. Dendrobium nobile 

 virgmale, fertilised with its own pollen in- 

 variably produced white flowers, and ' the 

 same could be said of Cattleya labiate alba 

 crossed with another white, C. labiata. Other 



pies were also given, but 



- , given, but in other 



cases where the white forms were only appa 

 rently white, the progeny invariably <^me 

 with some amount of colouring. A plant 

 which flowere white one year and comes 

 slightly coloured the next, could be made 

 to give white flowers the third year if the 

 buds were opened in the dark. A plant that 

 gave pure white flowers year after year under 

 good cultivation was the only true albino 

 and only by mating true albinos could 

 true albino seedlings be produced. Mr 

 Ihwaites asserted that plants proved to be 

 true albinos after several years' cultivation 



would never, if mated, produce coloured 

 progeny. ^ 



Major Hurst suggested that "white'' in 

 orchids was not white in the sense of a 

 proper combination of the colours of the 

 spectrum but was rather due to the entire 



absence of colour. Mr. J. Fraser, Prof 

 Bateson, Mr. de Barri Crawshay and others 

 took part in the discussion but thev seeS 

 to miss the point Mr. Thwaites had in view 



i.e the production of true albino hybrids 

 with certainty j^xius 



e conclusion said 

 that orchids could only be grown to iht 

 highest perfection if the hous^es Zre wefl! 

 built and set in an open, ligM and airv 

 position, and failures w^re 'of tf n due to bad 

 hou.,ing and bad positions rather than to 

 the want «f care on the part of the grower 

 He moved, and Mr. de Barri Crfwshay 

 seconded, a vote of thank., that wa« helSy 



aceorded the chairman and tho«e who had 

 read papers. 



The proceedings were carried through with 

 bnsknes.s, and concluded promptly at 4 p^! 



to everyone. 



SPANISH AND ENGLISH 



IRISES. 



The bulbous irises known respectively a& 

 Spanish and English varieties are amone 

 the handsomest in a family replete witf 

 good garden plants, .while their decorative 

 qualities, whether disclosed among border 



ployed as cut flowers, appeal 

 One occasionally hears them 

 described as the ' ' Orchids of the Garden " 

 and certainly, having regard to their riok 

 land varied colours, the term is not inappro- 

 priate ; in one respect, however, they differ 

 in a marked degree, for whereas orchids are 

 relatively costly to purchase and maintain 

 these irises are among the least expensive 

 of garden plants. 



The Spanish Iris (Iris xiphium) is the 

 earliest of the two to flower, being in sea- 

 son toward the end of iMay and throughout 

 June. It is more slender in growth, more 

 graceful in flower, and produces a smaller 

 bulb than the Englisli iris, and, although 

 it does not exhibit the same divwsitv nf 

 colouring as the latter, jet a lai 

 of its varieties have flowers of a yellow 

 |hade, a colour singularly absent from the 

 English section. Spanish irises succeed best 

 m a light, loamy soil, in well-drained posi- 

 tions, either exposed to sun or with Mght 

 shade, the latter having distinct merit in 

 aflFording successional flowers. 



The English Iris (Iris xiphioides) is cha- 

 racterised by having large massive flowers 

 on stout stems that, in the self varieties, 

 produce a rich efiFect when grown in mass; 

 many of the varieties have mottled flowers, 

 while m not a few the standards are dis- 



coloured 



The varie- 



der ; when 



ties succeed best in medium, heavy loam, 

 being partial to a greater degree of mois- 

 ture than the Spanish type. When plant- 

 mg either kind, it is ad^ nsable to choose 

 ground that has been well manured for a 

 previous crop, rather than employ fresli 

 manure when planting the bulbs. The best 

 season for planting is from September 

 up to November, for although late planting 

 may prove successful, early planting is ad- 

 visable, as it gives a long growing season 

 that invariably results in a good floral dis- 

 play. Both Spanish and English irises lend 

 themselves to grouping in many informal 

 jays, such as in shrubbery beds and 'bor- 

 ders^ or in open positions in wild gardens, 

 while they afford a desirable change and 

 welcome addition to the choice flower bor- 



accommodated in perennial 

 borders, however, the bulbs should be inter- 

 planted with violas, campanulas of the 

 carpathica or even persicifolia types, or 

 pentstemons of the Newbury Gem class, so 

 that no blank o<-curs when the irises pass 

 out of flower, while the further claims of 

 indoor decoration should be specially pro- 

 vided for by planting a bed to cut from in 

 the reserve garden, as these are among the 

 most elegant and lasting of cut flowers in 

 their season. It is not necessary to lift and 

 replant the bulbs every year; as a rule, 

 Spanish irises require replanting every 

 second year, and the Englisli every third 

 year. Only the larger bulbs should he re- 

 planted to flower the following season. 



Numerous varieties of both Spanish and 

 English irises are offered in all good bulb 

 merchants' catalogues, so that it is com- 

 paratively easy to choose colours that appeal 

 to individual tastes. Where only a few bulbs 

 of .a kind are required, it is a good plan to 

 purchase a collection of named sorts, as by 

 thus meaas greater variety is obtained, 

 while it enables one to appreciate the wide 

 range of colouring these beautiful bulbs 

 ^x^*/bit. Thomas Smith. 



Coomhf> rmir+. 



