January, 1911 
sions, including the orchids, and left him alone in the forest. 
In his weakened state it took Barrault a week to work his 
way out of the dense gloom of the forest, guided to some 
extent by the almost overgrown path his expedition had 
hacked through the undergrowth. But at last he reached a 
cluster of huts and rested for a week. Then, with the deter- 
mination of a man who never knows when he is beaten, he 
set to work organizing another expedition. “It was during 
this trip,’ wrote Barrault, “that with two guides I stumbled 
into an army of big, black ants. Before we could escape 
they swarmed all over us from head to foot. It was half a 
mile to the nearest forest stream—a half mile covered with 
dense undergrowth. Frantically we clawed our way to the 
water, suffering agonies from the bites of the infuriated 
ants, and when, after what seemed years, we reached the 
stream’s brink, we barely had strength left to fling ourselves 
into the water.” 
Barrault’s heart was still set on the possession of that 
beautiful snow-white flower. He had the remnant of Mrs. 
Wilson’s gold in belts strapped to his body, and the party 
had not proceeded far when half a dozen of his redskin 
followers conspired to kill him in order to secure this money, 
which he had been forced to show them in order to obtain 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
37 
the Erastus Corning collections, the latter of which was 
gathered through a period of forty years and at an expense 
of $500,000. Mrs. Wilson engaged for her head gardener 
Alphonse Pericat, who had been head gardener at the orchid 
farm of Baron Alphonse de Rothschild in Paris. Her col- 
lection therefore represents about fifty years’ work, and 
includes two thousand unique specimens with duplicates 
nowhere in the world. The best of her South American 
orchids, the white cattleyas, are worth from $200 to 
$1,000 a plant. 
Some idea of the prices obtained for rare orchids may be 
gathered from the fact that at a London auction a few 
months ago $4,500 was paid for a garden hybrid, the 
Odontoglossum crispum (Roger Sander). Last year the 
garden hybrid Cypripedium went for the equivalent of 
$1,500; and a Brussels buyer paid $4,360 for a wild O. 
crispum Cookroniw. Count Apponyi of Budapest paid $5,000 
to a Venezuelan for a species so gigantic that oxen were 
required to convey it and the section of the tree to which it 
was attached. H. T. Pitt paid $6,000 for a small plant 
which he christened Pittianum, and also $6,500 for the cele- 
brated imported O. crispum “Persimmon.” A remarkable 
fact in connection with this plant is that it had been bought 
Fig. 1—Orchid, vanda lowii from Java. 
spots. 
Fig. 4—Cypripedium fairieanum the lost orchid found in Thibet after a world-wide search when the British expedition opened the forbidden land. 
their services. Just before sunrise on the following morn- 
ing, he, who was always on the alert for trouble, heard a 
slight noise outside his tent. Peeping out he saw six of his 
guides, armed with the long knives they used in hewing 
their way through the undergrowth, stealthily advancing on 
the tent. Without waiting a moment Barrault seized the 
sword he had used to such good purpose in his fight with 
the rebels, and sprang out. The Indians, although sur- 
prised, relied on their superior numbers and returned the 
orchid hunter’s sword-thrusts with murderous lunges of 
their long knives. Barrault skillfully parried their blows 
until he had backed up against a huge tree, and then the real 
fight began. With the dexterity he had acquired in the 
French army he beat down the guards of the Indians, 
severely wounded three of them, and put the others to flight. 
There was no more trouble after this incident, and Bar- 
rault and his remaining natives—now thoroughly subdued— 
returned safely with one thousand choice orchids, which 
were soon dispatched by raft on the Magdalena for Bar- 
rinquilla, whence they were forwarded without delay to the 
hothouses surrounding Mrs. Wilson’s palatial home in West 
Walnut Street, Philadelphia. 
About how much money Mrs. Wilson’s love for orchids 
has cost, we have already estimated. She has more than 
twenty thousand of them, and is continually increasing her 
possessions. She began by purchasing the A. R. Smith and 
The two top blossoms, one on each side, are a deep yellow, and those below are white with brick red 
Fig. 2—Orchid, vanda sanderiana from the-Island of Mindanao, Philippines. 
Fig. 3—Orchid, Cypripedium insigne sandere trom Burma. 
in open market, before flowering, for thirty-six cents. The 
good fortune of orchid buyers is sometimes extraordinary. 
Bulbs which have not flowered and give no signs of peculli- 
arity are often treasures in disguise. An amateur once gave 
three francs for an odontoglossum. It proved to be an un- 
known variety and was re-sold for a sum exceeding $1,000. 
Among a lot of the commonest orchids some years ago was 
found a plant similar to the rest in other characteristics 
except the color of its stem. When it flowered the bloom 
should have been green, but it was golden, and the value 
of the plant became in consequence difficult to estimate. It 
was divided into two parts and one was sold for $4,000, 
and the other for $5,000. The latter piece was several 
times divided, selling for $500 each time, but the first piece 
was never mutilated and is now worth $6,000. 
Probably the most famous orchid in existence is the 
Cypripedium Fairieanum, which was for many years known 
as the Lost Orchid, from the fact that its place of origin 
was unknown. A few specimens had found their way into 
the London market many years ago and whetted the curi- 
osity of the collectors. It was known to be a native of some 
part of northern India, and immense sums were spent in 
fitting out special expeditions to re-discover it. Wealthy 
orchidists offered $10,000 reward to anyone who would find 
a healthy wild specimen of this beautiful plant. 
Owing to tribal wars, many districts had of necessity 
