128 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



is pleasing to note an increased desire among intelligent and re- 

 fined persons to know more about our native flowers and their names 

 and lial)its ; which ma}" be accepted as one of tlie best evidences of 

 growing civilization. It is only among the oldest as well as the 

 most progressive nations, that the highest type of horticultural 

 taste can be found. 



This growth of interest noted above has extended to the Orchid 

 family, and it is noticeable that crowds of persons are invariably 

 attracted to the brilliant displays of these plants in flower at the 

 various exhibitions of this Society ; to the neglect, it must be con- 

 fessed, of man}' more common i)lants which at least have the ad- 

 vantage of being more graceful in leaf and stem ; for, with a few 

 exceptions, such as the stately Angnccums, Vandas, Cymbidiums, 

 and some others, the Orchids are not attractive when out of flovver, 

 except to the connoisseur or expert. To these the Orchids are 

 objects of fascination and deep interest, whether in flower or not ; 

 and immense sums of moue}' are spent in forming collections of 

 the rarest varieties obtainable. It would be interesting to con- 

 sider some of the expenditures which have been made by collectors 

 from time to time for unique specimens of orchids. An example 

 of this may be noted in the alleged sum of §3,000 paid for a single 

 plant of Vauda Sanderiana by the late Mrs. INIorgan of New York. 

 There is some doubt expressed as to the truth of this, but, if true, 

 it was a notable case of what I might denominate extravagant 

 •expenditure ; and we know she never hesitated to pay the price 

 for any special orchid which she desired to possess. I knew of 

 one mass of Odontoglossum Londeshoroiighianum^ covering a space 

 about the size of a door, which cost her a thousand dollars, but a 

 year or two later it had entirely disappeared through faulty culture. 

 In her collection were magnificent specimens of such " miffy " 

 subjects as Batemannias and IJolleas, which cost several hundreds 

 of dollars each, and these too were lost. Mrs. Morgan undoubt- 

 edly paid higher prices for orchids than an}' other buyer in this 

 or any other country, but her purchases were not marked by the 

 wisest judgment, and so when her immense collection came to the 

 hammer it did not bring anything near the original cost. Some 

 years ago a single plant of Cypripedium Stonei platytcenium 

 brought aJbout Si, 200 at a sale in London, and prices approxima- 

 ting this figure have since been itaid for specimens of newly 

 discovered species at once rare and beautiful. 



