﻿February, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  75 
  

  

  each 
  year 
  to 
  the 
  different 
  centers 
  in 
  America 
  and 
  Europe 
  dozen 
  or 
  so 
  of 
  these, 
  and 
  after 
  tending 
  them 
  for 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  

   enormous 
  quantities 
  of 
  plants. 
  It 
  is 
  at 
  times 
  a 
  most 
  difficult 
  years 
  they 
  all 
  bloomed. 
  What 
  was 
  the 
  owner's 
  surprise 
  and 
  

   matter 
  to 
  get 
  the 
  newly 
  collected 
  orchids 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  coast 
  delight 
  when 
  he 
  observed 
  that 
  one 
  of 
  his 
  treasures 
  was 
  a 
  

   after 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  wired 
  into 
  boxes 
  by 
  a 
  skilful 
  packer, 
  unique 
  variety 
  — 
  quite 
  a 
  gem 
  in 
  fact! 
  Most 
  strange 
  of 
  all, 
  he 
  

   Once 
  aboard 
  the 
  steamer 
  the 
  risks 
  are 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  at 
  an 
  hies 
  him 
  to 
  the 
  firm 
  which 
  had 
  originally 
  spurned 
  the 
  plant, 
  

  

  and 
  which 
  had 
  gladly 
  accepted 
  a 
  modest 
  sum 
  minus 
  the 
  auc- 
  

   tioneer's 
  commission. 
  They 
  in 
  turn 
  are 
  so 
  struck 
  with 
  the 
  

   novelty 
  that 
  they 
  at 
  once 
  offer 
  to 
  buy 
  the 
  specimen 
  back 
  again, 
  

   and 
  after 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  of 
  bargaining 
  the 
  price 
  is 
  fixed 
  at 
  a 
  

   sum 
  equalling 
  two 
  thousand 
  five 
  hundred 
  dollars. 
  The 
  .record 
  

   price 
  for 
  an 
  orchid 
  plant, 
  however, 
  was 
  considerably 
  more 
  

   than 
  this, 
  and 
  was 
  attained 
  in 
  March, 
  1906. 
  In 
  this 
  month 
  

   a 
  variety 
  of 
  Odontoglossum 
  crispum 
  changed 
  hands 
  at 
  the 
  

   enormous 
  sum 
  of 
  one 
  thousand 
  one 
  hundred 
  and 
  fifty 
  English 
  

   guineas, 
  about 
  $5,750. 
  By 
  courtesy 
  of 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  Seel, 
  we 
  are 
  

   enabled 
  to 
  reproduce 
  a 
  photograph 
  of 
  this 
  flower, 
  which 
  

   stands 
  alone 
  as 
  the 
  most 
  costly 
  plant 
  on 
  earth. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  just 
  here 
  in 
  this 
  buying 
  of 
  plants 
  freshly 
  imported 
  

   that 
  the 
  amateur 
  cultivator 
  would 
  be 
  likely 
  to 
  turn 
  an 
  inter- 
  

   esting 
  hobby 
  to 
  good 
  account. 
  The 
  orchids 
  as 
  they 
  appear 
  

   when 
  just 
  to 
  hand 
  from 
  their 
  country 
  of 
  origin 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  

   little 
  interest 
  or 
  value 
  to 
  any 
  one. 
  In 
  its 
  dormant 
  state 
  an 
  

   orchid 
  is 
  principally 
  a 
  mass 
  of 
  brown 
  and 
  withered 
  pseudo- 
  

   bulbs, 
  as 
  the 
  storage 
  chambers 
  of 
  the 
  plant 
  are 
  called. 
  It 
  is 
  

  

  A 
  Recently 
  Imported 
  but 
  Undeveloped 
  Example 
  

  

  end. 
  Even 
  in 
  the 
  well 
  regulated 
  temperature 
  of 
  a 
  special 
  

   cabin, 
  a 
  great 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  plants 
  will 
  perish 
  on 
  the 
  way, 
  and 
  

   pass 
  from 
  their 
  dormant 
  condition 
  into 
  the 
  sleep 
  that 
  knows 
  

   no 
  waking. 
  Many 
  thousands 
  of 
  dollars 
  will 
  be 
  lost 
  in 
  this 
  

   fashion 
  on 
  every 
  consignment 
  of 
  orchids. 
  But 
  supposing 
  

   that 
  the 
  shipment 
  in 
  its 
  entirety 
  comes 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  safely 
  to 
  

   hand, 
  the 
  importer 
  goes 
  carefully 
  through 
  the 
  uninteresting 
  

   looking 
  roots. 
  Of 
  course 
  any 
  that 
  he 
  suspects 
  may 
  be 
  some- 
  

   thing 
  special 
  he 
  places 
  aside, 
  but 
  the 
  majority, 
  which 
  will 
  be 
  

   examples 
  of 
  common 
  species, 
  he 
  will 
  place 
  aside 
  for 
  entry 
  in 
  

   the 
  next 
  possible 
  auction 
  sale. 
  Now 
  these 
  may 
  be 
  simple 
  

   types, 
  or 
  they 
  may 
  not. 
  Illustrative 
  of 
  this, 
  let 
  us 
  consider 
  

   an 
  actual 
  instance, 
  which 
  occurred 
  not 
  so 
  very 
  long 
  ago 
  in 
  

   London. 
  A 
  big 
  firm 
  placed 
  some 
  of 
  their 
  outcast 
  orchids 
  on 
  

   sale, 
  and 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  these 
  lots 
  averaged 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  half 
  

   a 
  dollar 
  apiece. 
  One 
  amateur 
  grower 
  went 
  in 
  for 
  half 
  a 
  

  

  A 
  Fine 
  Type 
  of 
  Natural 
  Hybrid 
  Odontoglossum 
  Crispum 
  

  

  Odontoglossum 
  Crispum 
  Pittianum, 
  the 
  Most 
  Valuable 
  

   Orchid 
  in 
  the 
  World, 
  Sold 
  for 
  $5,750 
  

  

  only 
  by 
  skilful 
  treatment 
  that 
  the 
  plant 
  can 
  be 
  induced 
  to 
  

   grow, 
  when 
  after 
  a 
  lapse 
  of 
  some 
  time 
  the 
  specimen 
  will 
  

   blossom. 
  If 
  one 
  were 
  asked 
  to 
  point 
  a 
  finger 
  to 
  the 
  particular 
  

   kind 
  of 
  orchids 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  grower 
  would 
  be 
  most 
  likely 
  to 
  

   meet 
  with 
  salable 
  varieties, 
  one 
  might 
  mention 
  the 
  Odonto- 
  

   glossums, 
  and 
  specially 
  the 
  marvelously 
  variable 
  species 
  

   known 
  as 
  crispum. 
  New 
  and 
  striking 
  forms 
  of 
  this 
  orchid 
  

   are 
  in 
  great 
  demand 
  at 
  the 
  moment, 
  and 
  if 
  the 
  variety 
  be 
  a 
  

   "blotchy" 
  one, 
  provided 
  the 
  markings 
  are 
  fairly 
  regular, 
  the 
  

   owner 
  may 
  consider 
  that 
  he 
  is 
  lucky. 
  For 
  the 
  enlightenment 
  

   of 
  the 
  uninitiated 
  in 
  the 
  mysteries 
  of 
  orchid 
  culture, 
  it 
  may 
  

   be 
  mentioned 
  that 
  the 
  sole 
  reason 
  why 
  the 
  O. 
  crispum 
  pittia- 
  

   num 
  referred 
  to 
  above 
  fetched 
  such 
  a 
  large 
  sum 
  was 
  due 
  to 
  

   the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  flower 
  was 
  more 
  freely 
  marked 
  than 
  any 
  

   other 
  that 
  had 
  come 
  to 
  light 
  previously. 
  

  

  The 
  artificial 
  cross-fertilization 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  insects 
  is 
  a 
  

   matter 
  which, 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time, 
  is 
  receiving 
  a 
  great 
  deal 
  

   of 
  attention. 
  The 
  process 
  is 
  well 
  known, 
  and 
  all 
  must 
  be 
  

   familiar 
  with 
  the 
  manner 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  pollen 
  from 
  one 
  flower 
  

   is 
  transferred 
  to 
  the 
  feminine 
  organs 
  of 
  another 
  bloom, 
  in 
  

   the 
  hope 
  of 
  affecting 
  the 
  resulting 
  seed. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  slow 
  business, 
  

   the 
  raising 
  of 
  orchids 
  from 
  seed, 
  and 
  one 
  requiring 
  an 
  im- 
  

   mense 
  amount 
  of 
  patience. 
  As 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  all 
  kinds 
  of 
  

   plants 
  the 
  outcome 
  is 
  exceedingly 
  uncertain, 
  and 
  more 
  often 
  

   than 
  not 
  wofully 
  disappoints 
  the 
  experimenter. 
  Still, 
  good 
  

  

  