HYBRID ORCHIDS. 
181 
drawn upon by the production of capsules resulting from false 
fertilisation by the irritation of the stigma by foreign bodies such 
as grit or fine vegetable deposit, of which class the seemingly 
prolific colonies of plants in exposed situations mentioned by 
Mr. Lehmann doubtless are. 
Comparatively few as the good seed capsules are in a general 
way in the native habitats of Orchids, the supply of seeds, were 
even a small proportion of them to germinate and make mature 
plants, would be sufficient to stock the whole of the countries 
which they inhabit; and yet we are told that some of the species, 
apart from the raids of the plant collector and destruction by the 
land developer or plantation maker, have had work to maintai 
their places in creation. Lamentable as the fact is, the raiser 
of garden hybrids who is continually complaining that the 
proportion of plants he secures from the quantity of seeds sown 
is very small may console himself that his proportion of mature 
plants is in many cases far greater than in nature, and that the 
causes which militate against the more profuse supply of plants 
are about equal in effect, though different in detail. In their 
native habitats each species of Orchid is very partial as to the 
locality in which it will grow, and hence when the thousands of 
minute seeds are scattered those which fall near fall into quarters 
already well inhabited, and those which are carried beyond the 
zone find their surroundings unsuitable to them. In any case 
but very few lodge where they can germinate, and even after 
germination the climatic changes and other causes prevent all 
but a small proportion from attaining maturity. 
The garden hybridist may sum up his disappointments under 
various headings. 
First, he can only do his best to imitate nature, in the place 
he has to attempt to raise his seedlings in, and in the arrange¬ 
ment of the temperature, &c. Secondly, I am convinced that a 
large proportion of the seeds sown have never had the power of 
germinating. And thirdly, the long and dreary winter during 
which the sun is absent or obscured, and fogs often prevail. 
These and other unpreventable matters have to be dealt with as 
best one can. To the careless they bring absolute failure ; but 
the thoughtful and diligent succeed in the end. 
Crosses are effected between widely differing species and 
genera, and in some instances plants have been obtained from 
