RISKS OF COLLECTING ORCHIDS. 17 



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 sending 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 describing. There are not very 

 many collectors of the present day who have a thorough knowledge of 

 Orchids ; and those who have not should get some one well acquainted 

 with the species they have brought home to name them for them if 

 possible ; or if not known they should be sold without a name, by which 

 means the buyer takes his chance, and the collector gets no blame. 



Those who have carefully studied the Orchids, and are acquainted 

 with their peculiarities, can usually tell the species, unless it be some- 

 thing new, that has not come under their notice before ; even then it is 

 often possible to give a very good guess, especially if the genus that it 

 belongs to, the country it comes from, and such other points as become 

 familiar to an observant eye, are known. The old adage, " Knowledge 

 overcometh difficulties," justifies itself in this case. There are persons 

 who have grown Orchids but a few years, and who think they know more 

 than those who have had large collections always under their charge, and 

 who are acknowledged to be close observers of the different species and 

 varieties, and who besides have had the opportunity to become acquainted 

 with all the old Orchids as well as the new ones. There is, if Orchidists 

 would only admit it, a great deal to be learned from cultivators of these 

 plants, as almost every person has some ideas of his own upon the 

 subject, and these ideas can often be adopted by others with good results. 



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