1877.] 
AMiERICAlSr AGHilOUJuTURIST. 
223 
the new wine of cross-fertilization, had somehow 
got into the old bottle intended for guano and the 
phosphates, and it worked badly. 
All the new interest in the subject that we have 
in hand, began over a dozen years ago, with the 
publication of Mr. Darwin's little book " On the 
Various Contrivances by which Orchids are Fer- 
tilized by Insects," which was published in 1862. 
This year the author has brought out a new and re- 
vised edition ; and this is re-published here in New 
York, along with the whole series of Mr. Darwin's 
works, by D. Appleton & Co., so that every one 
now can obtain it. The old edition had long been 
scarce, and was never printed in this country. 
Having illustrated, from other families of plants, 
many of tlie very various contrivances for ensuring 
cross-fertilization, and having shown what the use 
and good of cross-fertilization is, it is fitting togive 
some account of how this is done in orchids — a 
family in which these contrivances are the most 
elaborate and special. However it may be with 
other flowers, it is agreed on all hands that these 
can not get on without the aid of insects. That is, 
as a rale, for Nature seems to delight in exceptions, 
and a few orchid-flowers are adapted to self-fertili- 
zation, while as to most this is a shcerimpossibility. 
With Darwin's new book in our hands, and we 
trust in those of some of our readers, we may hope 
to show what a few of these orchid contrivances 
are. Considering that we are just in season for 
Lady Slippers, they will best serve for the present 
article. These form a peculiar tribe of orchids ; 
and the contrivance for fertilization is equally 
peculiar. 
Figure I shows a flower of the larger sort of yel- 
low Lady's Slipper, which usually blossoms in June. 
Figure 3 is a section of the slipper of the early 
spring species, C acauJe, the stemless Lady's Slipper. 
What we call a slipper — and which has better been 
likened to a buskin, or an Indian moccason, is in 
fact a trap, after the fashion of one kind of rat- 
trap, the edges of the opening being rolled in, so as 
to facilitate entrance but hinder return. This acts 
more effectually than one might suppose. For, on 
throwmg in flies, we find that they seldom get out 
Fig. 2. — SECTION or stemless lady's slipper. 
of this opening, large as it is in the yellow and 
while Lady's Slippers. In the stemless species, the 
opening, although long — occupying the whole front 
of the pendent sac — is nearly closed, the in-rolled 
edges of the long slit being brought loosely into 
contact. The central part of the blossom, which 
cun'es downward and covers the upper part of the 
mouth of the trap, consists of stamens, style, and 
stigma, covered by a spade-shaped body, which 
answers to a stamen, as the botanists say, but is a 
useless one, as it has no pollen. Underneath is the 
Fig. 3.— SECTION OP FIGUBE 1. 
broad stigma, which faces partly backwards. It is 
best seen in the sections, figures 3 and 3. Under- 
neath, a little further back, are the two aethers, one 
on each side, placed, as we shall see, " where they 
wiU do the most good." The bottom of the sac is 
lined M'ith long and soft bristles, which appear to 
contain something attractive to flies. There is no 
honey in the slipper, no poUen can of itself ever 
fall on the stigma, or be conveyed to it by the wind. 
In fact, the poUeu never falls from the anther of 
itself, for, although it appears like a damp powder, 
or like a soft pulp in some species, the surface is 
covered with a thin film of sticky varnish. This var- 
nished surface adhers to the finger when touched, 
and brings away with it a patch of the pollen, of the 
size of the adhering sui-face. 
Now, as to the fertilization, let us copy what we 
wrote about it in the American ArjrmdturJst a dozen 
years ago. " The flower left alone would be hope- 
lessly sterile. Although we have never seen an in- 
sect spontaneously enter the slipper and do the 
worlc, we are about as sure that the work is done in 
this way, as if we had seen it. Probably it is visit- 
ed by nocturnal insects. The slipper may be en- 
tered by the orifice in front, which, in most species, 
oflfcrs the readiest access ; or, from behind, by 
crawling under either anther, and thence under the 
stigma into the main sae. A large fly, or a coleop- 
terous insect of corresponding size, entering from 
behind, would probably hit the back of his head or 
eye against one of the anthers, and as he crept un- 
der the stigma, might lodge some of it there. Feed- 
ing upon the hairs as lie passed on, tlie front orifice 
would be before him for egress ; but its incurved 
border would interpose some obstacle. It otlers 
none to entrance ; and we presume that the insect 
enters at the front, and passing onwards, departs by 
the back door. In departing, whether he turns to 
the right or the left, he must rub his head against an 
overhanging anther, and carry oft a pla>.ter of pol- 
len. If he then passes to another flower of the 
same species, and enters it bj' the front orifice, as 
lie proceeds towards the most practicable exit, he 
must eroitd under the stigma, upon whicli he will 
hardly faU to deposit some of the pollen brought 
from the neighboring flower. Now, that this is 
really the way of it— that it is intended the insect 
shall enter at the instep and emerge at the heel of 
the slipper, and so bring the pollen of one flower to 
the stigma of another— is as good as demonstrated 
by the peculiar ehanieterof the stigma in this fiow- 
er. It is not glutinous as in the other orchids, lint 
only moist, and is rough to the touch. Under a 
microscope this roughness is seen to arise from tlic 
surface of tlie stigma being covered with projecting 
points, or what would be so if they were longer; 
and llifn' all liini foriranis, so that the app!ii-atu.s 
may be likened to a rasp, or to a hand wool-card of 
the olden time ; and one can not resist the conclu- 
sion that it is iiitnidcd to card o^'and to retain the 
pollen liniughl upon the head of an insect entering 
at the front, and on its way to get out at the back 
part of the flower. A more ingenious and eflfectual 
contrivance for crossing the flowers of a species by 
the help of insects, could hardly be devised." 
This is a different view from one which was taken 
by Mr. Darwin in the first edition of his book on 
orchid-fertilization. He had examined only some 
of the tropical species. But what we described as 
in all probabibity true, judging from the structure, 
is now a fact confirmed by observation. We have 
specimens in which a small insect perished on its 
way out, having got stuck fast to the glutinous 
mass of the pollen, which it was too feeble to cany 
away. Mr. Darwin, when this view of the case was 
pointed out to him, finding that the flics he tried 
upon yellow Lady's Slipper, were either " too large 
or too stupid," introduced "a very small bee, 
which seemed about the right size, viz., Aitdrena 
pm-mda." "The bee vainly endeavored to crawl _ 
out again the same way by which it had entered, 
but always fell backwards, owing to the margins 
being infieeted. The labellum [slipper] thus acts 
like one of those conical traps with the edges turned 
inwards, which are sold to catch beetles and cock- 
roaches in the London kitchens. * * * Ultimately 
it forced its way out through one of the small ori- 
fices close to one of the anthers, and was found 
when caught to be smeared with the glutinous pol- 
len. I then put the same bee back into the label- 
lum, and it again crawled out through one of the 
small orifices, always covered with pollen. I re- 
peated the operation five times, always with the 
same result. I afterwards cut away the labellum 
so as to examine the stigma, and found its whole 
surface covered with pollen.' — To complete the 
evidence. Dr. H. Miiller found that this very An- 
drena which Mr. Darwin happened to try, and other 
species like it, did the work of fertilization natur- 
ally for the European Cijpripedium in Germany. 
fME M(D)IIIiEe(D)LDo 
1^" For other Sousehold Items see " Basket " pages. 
Home Topics. 
BT FAITH ROCHESTER. 
Fitness in Dress. 
All acknowledge the propriety of putting on cloth- 
ing suitable for the woric in hand. Ha<! every 
woman some work to do in this world ? If not, 
why is she here ? What right has she to food, and 
clothes, and shelter, and education, it she renders 
no service in return? Many imagine that they do 
the world sufficient service simply by wearing and 
exhibiting fine costumes— walking pictures, as it 
were ; pretty oniamcuts for the landscape or the 
parlor. What do you think of the head and the 
heart of a woman who chooses that business as her 
work in the world? Did 3-ou read the article on 
"Daily Beauty," which appeared in the "'Atlantic 
Monthly " many years ago ? It was not written for 
" working women,'' but for those who could spend 
most of their time in carriages and in parlors. 
The idea was broached that the working women of 
America should be willing to wear a costume dis- 
tinguishing them as working women, a sort of 
peasant's dress. Our leaven of democracy renders 
that impossible, in the way that the author me.ant. 
And yet I hope that we shall soon have a genuine 
working woman's dress, or a costume really suita- 
ble for a woman to work in ; one that allows free- 
dom of motion, easily made, and easily kept clean; 
and I am sure that when the " working women " 
adopt such a costume, no one will long be willing 
to belong to the other class, and continue the use 
of a costume more suitable for an Eastern harem 
than for Christian wives, mothers, and sisters. 
How far shall wc follow the fashion? Rusk in 
has been speaking to giris on the subject, in his 
onienlar way, and he says they must make their 
new dresses in the prevailing style, and then wear 
tliem unaltered until they are worn out. But he 
says llioy must not use cloth to make great unne- 
cessary bows, and bunches, and loopings, nor scat- 
ter bows and buttons about where they have no 
