RISKS OF COLLECTING ORCHIDS. 21 



mishaps and unfavourable conditions. For example, the cool 

 Orchids have to come through hot countries before they are 

 shipped, and then long delays often occur to lengthen the time 

 taken by the voyage. Again, when coming from a hot climate 

 they often reach this country at the cold season. In fact, 

 none but those who are at the expense of importing Orchids 

 from these distant lands have any idea of the risks incurred. 



Another risk to which importers are subject relates to the 

 sale of the plants ; many have to be sold privately, others at 

 public auctions. If they are new and fine species they generally 

 sell well, and should there be buyers for that particular class 

 they frequently realise a fair sum, whilst many other good 

 kinds may be sold at prices which are not sufiicient to pay the 

 expenses of getting them home. New species may turn up in 

 these importations, and of these the buyers get the benefit, 

 instead of the collectors, who do not see them in bloom when 

 collecting so as to be able to pick out the grand varieties that 

 sometimes turn up, and are often worth more than the whole 

 collection has been sold for. This is where the purchaser reaps 

 the benefit. Of course, on the other hand, there is risk in 

 buying imported plants, since there are many that do not turn 

 out as represented, for which the collectors are often blamed ; 

 and no doubt they are wrong in some cases, being deceived by 

 the similarity in growth of different species, which can only be 

 correctly determined when in bloom. Or in other cases a 

 few plants only may be in flower, and the collector concludes 

 that all growing there are alike, the foliage being of the same 

 character, and the plants being sold as such, the unfortunate 

 collector gets blamed for selling the wrong plant, though 

 without his knowledge or intention. On the other hand there 

 have been cases where plants have been sold under wrong 

 names and accompanied by wrong descriptions, through the 

 ignorance of the collector, who does not know the species he is 



