July, 1913.] 
THE ORCHID WORLD. 
239 
the plants are put in an out of the way place 
where they soon perish entirely. Very much 
of the young amateur's early disappointment 
is caused by his attempt to cultivate plants 
only suitable for the man of long practical 
experience. 
The long bulbed section of Laelias prove of 
considerable use for hybridisation purposes, 
both for colour and quantity of flower, 
although it must be admitted that they are 
sometimes of rather a starry nature. Still, 
there is one great advantage which they 
possess — the comparative ease with which 
ihey can be raised from seed. Almost every- 
one is familiar with Laslia cinnabarina, a 
species which has been much used on account 
of its brilliantly coloured flowers. Seed pro- 
duced by this species, either as a mother or 
pollen parent, is the easiest of any to 
germinate, and it is very suitable material for 
the amateur when commencing his work of 
seed-raising. By carefully noting upon which 
compost and under what atmospheric con- 
ditions the best germinative results are 
procured, so will experience and future 
success be obtained. It is no use stating 
certain temperatures and times of watering as 
being absolutely necessary, for in every house 
where Orchids are grown the structure and 
position are so varied that such details may 
often lead to further difficulties. Every culti- 
vator must carefully discern for himself the 
daily, or even hourly, condition of the com- 
post and atmosphere. A few hours' neglect, 
such as may happen with a sudden outburst 
of sunshine, is quite sufficient to severely 
damage a tender seedling, and the smaller 
this seedling is, so much more risk is there 
attached to its cultivation. 
Those amateurs who cannot afford sufficient 
time for the proper care of young seedlings 
will obtain far more satisfactory results by 
purchasing comparatively large plants from 
one of the many firms now engaged in the 
seed-raising industry. Plants with about five 
good bulbs may reasonably be expected to 
flower on the completion of the next new 
growth, and quick results are easily obtained. 
A strongly established plant will withstand a 
large amount of ill-treatment before it reaches 
such a low state of vitality as to cease 
flowering. So that even if the amateur is 
unable to give his plants the treatment 
essential for their increase of size, he, at least, 
has somethuig that will give him pleasure 
by producing elegant flowers for several 
successive seasons. 
Now while some amateurs prefer to pur- 
chase their plants when in flower, and thus 
select only the finest forms, or those suitable 
to their taste, there are others who always 
acquire large quantities of unflowered 
seedlings, and obtain pleasure by watching 
the growing flower buds and wondering what 
their special charms will be. Many plants 
will be worthless from a commercial aspect, 
as those who have raised and flowered large 
(juantities know only too well. The diffi- 
culties experienced in obtaining a really first- 
rate hybrid fully justify the high price asked 
by those who raise seedlings on a commercial 
basis. 
Those amateurs who have visited some of 
the large establishments in which seedlings 
occupy much attention remember full well 
how astonished they were when they saw 
for the first time a whole house devoted to 
thousands of tiny seedlings, each in a little 
pot to itself. What will become of such an 
immense number of plants and how much 
room will they occupy before attaining 
flowering size are thoughts that immediately 
come to one's mind. Yet this cultivation has 
been going on for many years and shows 
every likelihood of being increased in the 
near future, for as the high standard of an 
exhibition flower increases, so must the 
number of seedlings be increased in order 
to secure the good varieties. 
One may safely say that no amateur has 
attempted to count the seeds in an Orchid 
seed-pod ; they are, in fact, countless and 
defy even our imaginative skill to form 
anything like a correct opinion. But, in all 
this vast number there may be ten or twenty 
which will ultimately produce very superior 
flowers, although there are no means whatever 
by which these special seeds can be detected. 
Every seed in the pod requires careful 
attention to bring it safely through the 
