20 orchid-grower's manual. 



ever for them beyond the hope of selling them to the best 

 advantage, and which care little or nothing for the bruises 

 they sustain, and for the bulbs that get broken. After all this 

 they thrive well in many cases. This shows us that when 

 the plants are in a dormant state rough treatment is not so 

 injurious, but in this case the eyes must be plump, and then, 

 when placed in a warm house where there is some moisture, 

 they will soon make plants with fine bulbs, and they may also 

 flower. If the plants are allowed to make growth on their 

 journey they will generally be found to damp or rot ofi"; and 

 although some Orchids which have strong bulbs produce 

 plump eyes from the back bulbs, and will break away freely, 

 yet in the case of the delicate kinds their offshoots will break 

 weakly and pine away. Such as these require close watching, 

 which those who delight in their pets will not fail to bestow 

 on them, and there is then a chance of saving them. 



Our ways and means of imitating nature are very limited, 

 but we do succeed in very many cases, although so large a 

 number — hundreds of them — are lost through the rough treat- 

 ment of which we have spoken, and for which there is really 

 no help ; for in the plants' native countries our collectors have 

 to undergo much hardship and privation in order to secure for 

 us these floral gems, and many brave lives have been lost in 

 the endeavour to do so. Some of our most clever botanists 

 have sacrificed their lives in endeavouring to procure for us 

 these treasures ; hence to those who have survived and still 

 persevere to send us new consignments, we owe many thanks. 

 No one knows the trouble and expense of collecting Orchids 

 but those who have gone or sent out men in search of these 

 precious plants ; they deserve all they get and more for the 

 risk they rim, since their attempts are frequently fruitless, for 

 it often happens that after collecting for months the plants 

 are all lost, not through their neglect, but from unavoidable 



