io6 
THK ORCHID WORLD. 
[February, 1913. 
Two future methods of hybridising usually 
present themselves to the raiser. One is to 
mate the primary hybrid with the Cochlioda, 
and the other to mate it with the Odonto- 
glossum parent. It is at once ob\ lous that 
the former would lead us away from our 
object of producing a large scarlet flower, for 
the increased percentage of the Cochlioda in 
the resulting hybrid would give a result m.ore 
closely approaching the small ard richly 
coloured parent. The second method will 
bring us nearer to our desired object, for in 
this case the Odontoglossum will give the 
requisite percentage of size, and we m.ay 
reasonably expect a considerable impicve- 
ment in this important factor. 
Major Hurst has explained (p. 84) that " the 
common practice of mating the primar\' 
h\'brid back to one of its parents cannot be 
expected to succeed, because such a mating 
implies the presence of a single dose only of 
one of the two characters concerned. By 
such a mating one of the characLers is secured 
by a double dose at the expense of the other 
which can only have a single dose." This 
may be scientifically true in every respect, but 
up to the present time sufficient success has 
generally been achieved by this single dose of 
the Cochlioda parent, the reason being that 
its specific strength is so remarkable that 
more is not required. 
Here we may again refer to our pre\ious 
remark concerning the fashion of Orchids, for 
that which proves equal to present-day 
requirements will not be efficient for those in 
the near future. Progress must take place, 
and we are constrained to use every available 
method towards its encouragement. 
It is more than probaljle that we shall often 
require to use a certain highly coloured 
species to its fullest extent, not only in its 
specific form, but also in the \ arious propor- 
tions in which it is frequently encountered. 
No doubt this can best be accomplished in 
the manner suggested by Major Hurst, who 
recommends the process of mating two of the 
primary hybrids together. This is an inter- 
esting subject, and, strange to say, there 
appears to be but little evidence that this 
simple method has been attempted. It would 
not be a difficult matter for an\'one to cross 
together two varieties of Odontoglossum 
amabile, or two plants of Odontioda Brad- 
shawiae, or even two Narieties of Cattleya 
Hardyana. This would certainly prove a 
welcome change from the invariable method 
of mating the primar)- hybrid back to one of 
its parents. 
It is not to be supposed from the above 
that good results cannot be obtained by 
mating a hybrid with one of its parents. As 
a matter of fact, considerable success has been 
achieved, although largely due to careful fore- 
thought, and not to haphazard work. Cattleya 
Iris (aurea x bicolor) is a ver)- beautiful hybrid 
and created considerable excitement when 
it first aj^peared. Not content with such 
elegance. Orchid fanciers longed for further 
success, and the hybridist satisfied their wishes 
by producing Cattleya Venus (aurta x Iris). 
.Success, m this case, was obtained b)- mating 
the primary hybrid with one of its parents. 
If C. Iris were mated with its parent bicolor 
we should obtain a large number of hybrids 
(C. Farquharsoniana) varying m shape and 
colour between bicolor and Ins ; but if C. Ins 
were mated with C. aurea we should get 
numerous flowers (C. Venus) var\ ing between 
these two latter parents. Now both these 
crosses might give us hybrids of equal raritv, 
and, from Nature's probable point of view, 
equal beaut)', but from our fashionat?le aspect 
of an Orchid no one will deny the premier 
position occupied b}' C. Venus. 
We ha\e now considered the making of 
two important hybrids. The first, an Odon- 
tioda, in which it was found necessar\' to per- 
petuate the scarlet colour of one parent and 
the large size of the other to their fullest 
extent by crossing together two primar\' 
hybrids, generally of similar parentage, 
although this is not absolutely necessary, for 
by this method of mating a double dose of 
each of the two characters, size and colour, 
that the hxbridist wishes ma)- best be 
obtained. 
The second example was one in which one 
jjarent, Cattleya aurea, should be carried for- 
ward in larger proportion than the other, C. 
bicolor. In this case only a small dose of the 
