Till': OKinii) woRiJ). 



I September, 1912 



THE ORCHID AS A RESERVE FUND. 



From (he "Financial News." 

 The Possibilities of Huge Profits in the Raising of Rare Specimens. 



EVERYONE knows that diamonds, il 

 judiciously bought, may constitute an 

 excellent investment ; but, so far, 

 Orchids, as " improving properties," have 

 been quite overlooked. The magnificent 

 flower show in the gardens of the Temple 

 and the record of the prices paid for some 

 particularly choice examples of Cypripediums 

 and Odontoglossums have directed attention 

 to the enormous value set by connoisseurs on 

 unique plants. The payment of 400 guineas 

 for a single specimen in a 3-inch pot may 

 make the uninitiated gasp ; but such prices 

 are of common — one might say everyday — 

 occurrence in the trade. The first individual 

 fortunate enough to raise or obtain a pure 

 white Cypripedium will certainly not part 

 with his treasure under 1,000 guineas if he is 

 wise. 



Is IT A Craze? — It will probably occur to 

 many that Orchid-growmg has become a 

 craze, and that, like all other crazes, it will 

 some day pass out of fashion. Those who 

 understand the business pooh-pooh the idea, 

 however. Some years ago fabulous prices 

 were paid for tulips — a single bulb of a black 

 bloom, raised by a Dutch grov.er, fetched at 

 auction ^,400 — and large prices have been 

 paid for single specimens of plants of other 

 families. The day of the tulip is, however, 

 gone. Not long ago continental florists 

 issued lists wherein scores of bulbs — tulips, 

 hyacinths, and daffodils chiefly — were priced 

 at upwards of 10 guineas apiece. Roses and 

 dahlias, of new forms and colourings, have 

 also brought substantial sums to their raisers; 

 but it has never been possible to keep prices 

 of easily-propagated species high for long. 

 Immediately the raiser loses possession of a 

 single bud of a choice rose, for example, the 

 value of his property is gone absolutely. The 

 variety will soon be propagated by hundreds, 

 and will then be put on the market by every 

 nurser\-man. The reason of this is obvious. 



If there were only one bush of Marechal Niel 

 or La France or Her Majesty in the world, 

 and no ingenuity could increase the stock, the 

 price of that bush would run into several 

 figures. The connoisseur wants something no 

 one else has got, and very frequently cares 

 very little for beauty of form or mtrinsic 

 merit. 



The Specimen Remains Solitary. — 

 The great value of an Orchid with a unique 

 bloom lies in the fact that the chances are a 

 liundred to one against its being propagated 

 or reproduced. Orchids in cultivation, for 

 the most part, do not seed, and few families 

 besides the Dendrobiums can be successfully 

 reproduced by cuttings. During recent years 

 the hybridisers — of whom the pioneer was 

 Mr. Dominy — have achieved great successes 

 in cross-fertilisation ; but of the several 

 thousand species known, a mere handful have 

 yielded to the hybridiser's art. Many families 

 sternly refuse to be crossed at all, and in 

 some cases attempts have been abandoned as 

 hopeless. This question of the fertilisation 

 of the Orchid is one of the most interesting" 

 and difficult which confronts the botanist 

 or naturalist. It fascinated Darwin, who 

 devoted much attention to the subject, and it 

 has fascinated hundreds of botanists and 

 gardeners since. 



The Millionaire's Flower. — The 

 Orchid is always spoken of and regarded as 

 " the millionaire's flower " ; and to some 

 extent it justifies the title. The poor man 

 who has ambitions in Orchid-growing will 

 very likely find himself in Carey .Street one 

 day. Anthony Trollope held that the most 

 miserable of creatures was the man with a 

 taste for Burgundy and an income of ;^500 a 

 year. The man with a taste for rare Orchids 

 and anything under £•,,000 per annum will at 

 least find it difficult to achieve happiness in 

 this world. Some amateurs' collections have 

 been valued at i^ jO.ooo or ^,40,000 outright ; 



