184 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



think a skeleton frame, like a propagating case, is best, in which 

 the covering is supplied by narrow sheets of glass resting on the 

 front of the frame and on the central bar of the ridge (or back 

 portion if not a span), as the ventilation of such a contrivance 

 is much better than where a sashed frame is used, and in such 

 a one it is possible to secure a healthy atmosphere without 

 drips even when closed. The risk of using a frame is that, 

 although advantage may be secured at the commencement, if 

 the young plants are left in too long, or kept too close, the 

 whole of them may perish in a very short time ; and this fact 

 seems to bear out Mr. Seden's experience, that the old plan 

 of sowing the seeds on already existing plants is the safest in 

 the end. 



But with the germinating seeds, or with the first budding 

 young plant secured, the hybridist's troubles are not over, for 

 if left too long in the position they were sown in, they drop 

 off one after another. Hence, as soon as they can be pricked 

 off into pans or shallow suspending Orchid pots filled with 

 sterilised material the better, and as soon after the next trouble 

 of making the first root has been passed, each should occupy 

 its own tiny pot, which should be fixed or plunged, several 

 together, into suspending pans, or placed on the staging in a 

 suitable house, each at all stages bearing its record ticket of 

 celluloid. 



When once well-rooted single plants are obtained, it is only 

 a question of time, care and convenience until the plants 

 gladden the eyes of their originator with their flowers, but 

 during all this time they have to run the same risks as the 

 established Orchids do, and consequently it is no wonder that 

 some of them, like some of the imported species, fail. 



One fruitful cause of loss among hybrid Orchids (or indeed 

 among Orchids generally) is the too free use of the ventilators 

 in spring and early summer, and especially the top ventilators, 

 to nail down which I am sure in some collections w T ould work 

 an amazing improvement in the plants contained in the houses. 

 I commonly see when visiting Orchid collections in spring, 

 and often during the prevalence of cutting east winds, the top 

 ventilators thrown open in the most unreasonable manner, and 

 at the same time the boilers are being driven to keep up the 

 heat. If the artificial heat is kept down and the top venti- 



