curious facts in the history of Orchids, but a short notice of the 

 principal prices that have been obtained will suffice to indicate 

 the enormous amount of money that has been expended upon 

 these plants within the past 40 years. Good prices were obtained 

 as early as 1830, such as 26 for Sobralia macrantha ; 10 for 

 Arpophyllum giganteum ; 15 for Laelia superbiens, and 17 for 

 Barkeria spectabilis. Sales of 48 to 168 lots realising from 118 

 to 600. In 1846 Mr. Barker's collection was sold to Mr. 

 Blandy, of Reading, for 900, and about the same time a plant 

 of Vanda Lowi was sold for 30, a large collection of Central 

 American orchids from Mr. Skinner producing 613. Some of 

 Mr. Bateman's plants were sold in 1850, when Angraecum 

 eburneum fetched 19 guineas, Vanda suavis, 17 guineas, and 

 others of proportionate amounts. At the sale of Warscewicz's 

 introduction in 1853, the chief amount was 16 guineas for Epi- 

 dendrum Frederici Gulielmi, and at another sale the same year 

 Phalaenopsis grandiflora realised 15 IDS. Prices began to in- 

 crease, and in 1855, at Mr. Schroder's sale, Aerides Schroederi 

 fetched 89, Vanda suavis 31, Aerides affine 26, and Oncidium 

 Lanceanum, said to be the finest plant then in cultivation, 16. 

 The Loddiges' collection was sold in 1856, and one portion of 280 

 lots realised the sum of 717, Vanda Batemanni, 43, Aerides 

 nobile, 21, A. Schrcederi, 19 guineas, and Saccolabium ampulla- 

 ceum, 15. 



In the same year, the London Horticultural Society's collection 

 was brought to the hammer, 300 lots realising 554, while in 

 1859 another portion was sold for 470. 



At the first sale the most remarkable plants sold were Phalae- 

 nopsis amabilis, which was bought by the Duke of Devonshire 

 for 68 55., and this was the fine specimen which Mr. Fortune 

 purchased in the Island of Luzon for a dollar, ten or twelve years 

 previously, and Laelia superbiens, the finest specimen in Europe, 

 with 220 pseudo-bulbs, and 17 feet in circumference, 36 155., 

 bought by Mr. Fairrie, of Liverpool ; at the latter sale, Aerides 

 Schroederi realised 31. Before this time it is said that the Duke of 

 Devonshire had given Messrs. Rollisson and Son 100 for Phalae- 

 nopsis amabilis. In 1861, Dr. Butler's orchids were sold, 300 

 lots producing 1,500, Saccolabium guttatum and S. giganteum 

 fetching 52 and 46 respectively. At a sale in Liverpool, in 1868, 

 Messrs. Veitch gave 67 guineas for the finest plant of Dendrobium 

 Falconeri in the country, which a few years before had been 

 bought for 4 guineas. The Meadow Bank collection of 600 lots 

 was sold for 2,000, Laelia anceps Dawsoni realising 46, and 

 Cattleya exoniensis 32. The Pendlebury orchids were also 

 dispersed for the sum of 2,824, some very high prices having 

 been obtained, as 55 for Odontoglossum naevium majus, Sacco- 

 labium giganteum 72, Aerides Schroederi 55, and Cattleya 



