﻿74 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  February, 
  1907 
  

  

  limited 
  means 
  to 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  the 
  cult 
  of 
  the 
  orchid 
  is 
  

   only 
  the 
  pastime 
  of 
  the 
  rich. 
  Any 
  one 
  may 
  grow 
  orchids 
  if 
  

   he 
  is 
  careful 
  to 
  select 
  those 
  which 
  he 
  can 
  manage, 
  and 
  to 
  this 
  

   end 
  it 
  is 
  well 
  to 
  start 
  the 
  collection 
  with 
  the 
  most 
  ordinary 
  

  

  Catasetum 
  Christyanum, 
  the 
  Bat 
  Orchid 
  

  

  into 
  the 
  interior 
  of 
  Madagascar, 
  he 
  says: 
  "Not 
  counting 
  the 
  

   constant 
  exposure 
  of 
  my 
  life, 
  and 
  the 
  lives 
  of 
  those 
  accom- 
  

   panying 
  me, 
  not 
  only 
  was 
  our 
  party 
  exposed 
  to 
  the 
  risk 
  of 
  

   being 
  strangled 
  by 
  hostile 
  and 
  ferocious 
  tribesmen 
  — 
  a 
  fate 
  

   that 
  befell 
  many 
  a 
  poor 
  fellow 
  belonging 
  to 
  our 
  expedition 
  

   whose 
  unwary 
  footsteps 
  led 
  him 
  astray 
  — 
  but 
  we 
  had 
  to 
  

   struggle 
  almost 
  night 
  and 
  day 
  against 
  the 
  wild 
  animals 
  which 
  

   haunt 
  these 
  primeval 
  forests." 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  probable 
  that 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  romantic 
  stories 
  of 
  all 
  is 
  

   that 
  told 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  Ladies' 
  Slipper 
  Orchid, 
  Cypri- 
  

   pedium 
  fairieanum. 
  About 
  fifty 
  years 
  ago 
  this 
  plant, 
  a 
  native 
  

   of 
  the 
  Eastern 
  Himalayas, 
  was 
  quite 
  a 
  common 
  and 
  

   well-known 
  species, 
  selling 
  at 
  a 
  dollar 
  or 
  less 
  a 
  plant. 
  

   Strangely 
  enough, 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  time 
  the 
  exact 
  locality 
  of 
  

   the 
  species 
  was 
  quite 
  lost 
  sight 
  of, 
  and 
  as 
  its 
  area 
  was 
  very 
  

   restricted, 
  the 
  plant 
  became 
  practically 
  extinct 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  

   cultivation 
  of 
  it 
  was 
  concerned. 
  It 
  was 
  known 
  to 
  exist 
  some- 
  

   where 
  in 
  the 
  northward 
  of 
  India, 
  and 
  several 
  expeditions 
  

   were 
  got 
  together, 
  at 
  considerable 
  expense, 
  to 
  search 
  for 
  this 
  

   Cypripedium. 
  Owing 
  to 
  the 
  extremely 
  hostile 
  nature 
  of 
  some 
  

   of 
  the 
  tribes, 
  several 
  districts 
  had 
  to 
  remain 
  quite 
  unvisited, 
  

   and 
  it 
  was 
  with 
  a 
  feeling 
  akin 
  to 
  despair 
  that 
  the 
  various 
  

   firms 
  at 
  last 
  came 
  to 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  useless 
  to 
  

   spend 
  any 
  more 
  money 
  on 
  the 
  quest. 
  A 
  few 
  years 
  ago, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  the 
  British 
  Government 
  decided 
  to 
  open 
  up 
  once 
  more 
  

   some 
  of 
  the 
  districts 
  in 
  the 
  Eastern 
  Himalayas, 
  and 
  to 
  this 
  

   end 
  a 
  strong 
  expeditionary 
  force 
  was 
  despatched, 
  which 
  speed- 
  

   ily 
  brought 
  home 
  to 
  the 
  natives 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  no 
  more 
  re- 
  

   bellions 
  would 
  be 
  tolerated. 
  An 
  enterprising 
  collector, 
  who 
  

   was 
  working 
  Northern 
  India, 
  followed 
  closely 
  on 
  the 
  heels 
  of 
  

   the 
  soldiers, 
  with 
  the 
  result 
  that 
  one 
  day 
  he 
  came 
  upon 
  the 
  

   long 
  lost 
  orchid, 
  growing 
  in 
  such 
  profusion 
  that 
  it 
  will 
  scarcely 
  

   be 
  likely 
  to 
  become 
  a 
  rare 
  species 
  again. 
  

  

  Often 
  and 
  often 
  the 
  collector 
  does 
  not 
  see 
  the 
  orchids 
  

  

  species, 
  and 
  thus 
  gain 
  experience. 
  Apart 
  from 
  the 
  pleasure 
  

   of 
  orchid-growing, 
  there 
  may 
  be 
  a 
  very 
  substantial 
  profit 
  at- 
  

   tached 
  to 
  the 
  cultivation 
  of 
  these 
  plants. 
  

  

  The 
  principal 
  romance 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  cult 
  of 
  the 
  

   orchid 
  surrounds 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  the 
  plants 
  in 
  localities 
  where 
  

   they 
  abound. 
  The 
  chief 
  firms 
  whose 
  specialty 
  is 
  the 
  supply- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  orchids 
  retain 
  men 
  at 
  high 
  salaries 
  whose 
  sole 
  object 
  

   is 
  to 
  obtain 
  new 
  and 
  rare 
  species 
  for 
  their 
  employers. 
  The 
  

   life, 
  although 
  an 
  attractive 
  one 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  an 
  adventurous 
  

   turn 
  of 
  mind, 
  is 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  without 
  risk. 
  Naturally, 
  civ- 
  

   ilized 
  and 
  therefore 
  fairly 
  safe 
  countries 
  have 
  been 
  pretty 
  

   well 
  worked 
  by 
  orchid 
  collectors, 
  and 
  there 
  can 
  be 
  little 
  hope 
  

   of 
  finding 
  a 
  great 
  novelty 
  except 
  in 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  way 
  parts. 
  

   Here, 
  surrounded 
  by 
  all 
  the 
  dangers 
  of 
  unexplored 
  tropical 
  

   lands, 
  the 
  orchid 
  collector 
  labors 
  at 
  his 
  task. 
  At 
  every 
  foot- 
  

   step 
  some 
  foul 
  disease 
  may 
  dog 
  his 
  way; 
  the 
  human 
  inhab- 
  

   itants 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  in 
  which 
  he 
  is 
  working 
  may 
  have 
  strong 
  

   cannibalistic 
  tendencies, 
  while 
  all 
  kinds 
  of 
  wild 
  beasts 
  and 
  

   venomous 
  snakes 
  may 
  at 
  any 
  time 
  cause 
  his 
  death. 
  Still 
  this 
  

   strange 
  worker 
  thinks 
  that 
  he 
  is 
  amply 
  rewarded 
  should 
  he 
  

   bring 
  to 
  light 
  some 
  new 
  variety. 
  As 
  plants 
  orchids 
  are 
  vari- 
  

   able 
  beyond 
  all 
  imaginings, 
  and 
  more 
  often 
  than 
  not 
  a 
  fine 
  

   natural 
  "sport" 
  or 
  hybrid 
  of 
  some 
  fairly 
  well 
  known 
  kind 
  

   will 
  prove 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  more 
  value 
  than 
  a 
  new 
  species. 
  

  

  As 
  instancing 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  difficulties 
  which 
  are 
  experienced 
  

   by 
  orchid 
  collectors, 
  the 
  following 
  extract 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  

   letter 
  of 
  a 
  French 
  adventurer, 
  who 
  went 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  a 
  par- 
  

   ticular 
  species 
  of 
  orchid 
  named 
  Eulophiella 
  elisabethae. 
  He 
  

   says: 
  "It 
  was 
  nearly 
  a 
  year 
  before 
  I 
  discovered 
  the 
  gorgeous 
  

   orchid. 
  This 
  plant 
  grows 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  limited 
  region 
  only 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  

   and 
  flourishes 
  on 
  the 
  tops 
  of 
  the 
  tallest 
  trees. 
  To 
  secure 
  the 
  

   orchids 
  I 
  was 
  obliged 
  to 
  have 
  the 
  trees 
  cut 
  down, 
  and 
  then 
  I 
  

   most 
  carefully 
  gathered 
  all 
  the 
  plants 
  myself." 
  Later 
  on, 
  

   when 
  speaking 
  of 
  the 
  perils 
  of 
  the 
  journey, 
  which 
  led 
  right 
  

  

  A 
  Giant 
  Orchid 
  

  

  which 
  he 
  is 
  collecting 
  in 
  bloom, 
  and 
  can 
  therefore 
  have 
  but 
  

   little 
  idea 
  as 
  to 
  their 
  real 
  value. 
  Nevertheless, 
  he 
  is 
  careful 
  

   to 
  take 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  even 
  the 
  common 
  kinds, 
  or 
  those 
  

   which 
  are 
  apparently 
  so 
  at 
  any 
  rate. 
  One 
  man 
  will 
  forward 
  

  

  