January, 1914 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR A 
FLOWER 
T EN thousand dollars is an extraordin- 
ary price for a single plant; yet it was 
recently paid, says the Youth's Compan- 
ion, by English horticulturists for an 
orchid raised in America, the Cattleya 
gigas alba. More singular still, the great 
value of this orchid is due to the simple 
fact that it is pure white, instead of a 
beautiful variegated purple, like the other 
members of the family to which it be- 
longs. In an interesting letter to The 
Guide to Nature, Mr. Lager, who raised 
the flower, writes: 
‘‘We flowered this Cattleya in 1910, and 
exhibited it at the orchid-show in Boston, 
where we were rewarded by a gold medal. 
The plant was found by chance, and came 
to us late in 1909 in a lot of other speci- 
mens of Cattleya gigas. It was only 
by accident that the plant was not sold 
for a dollar or two. The only reason was 
that, after most of its companions had 
been disposed of, this one, with some 
others that were not in very good con- 
dition, was set aside for treatment, and 
laid out on a wire netting. Finally we 
potted them all. 
“Imagine our surprise when the next 
Spring this plant came up with pure 
white flowers — the only white flower ever 
found in Cattleya gigas. The plant was 
sold in 1911 in London, at the highest 
figure that an orchid ever brought. And 
one of the English papers proudly re- 
marked that it was refreshing to know 
that while so many masterpieces of paint- 
ing and so many rare works of art were 
finding their way across to America, a 
plant of such rarity and beauty was ac- 
quired for Great Britain.” 
HOW THE INDIANS HARVEST 
WILD RICE 
A REPORT from the American consul 
at Kingston, Ontario, gives a graphic 
account of the wild rice harvest, which was 
in progress at the time of writing along the 
shores of Rice Lake, lying a few miles north 
of Cobourg. Here, as in other parts of 
southern Canada, and in Minnesota and 
Wisconsin, the gathering of wild rice is the 
peculiar prerogative of the Indians, who 
from time immemorial have used this grain 
as one of their principal foods, besides sell- 
ing it to the whites. In pioneer days, it 
was a common food of the European set- 
tlers, especially those engaged in the fur 
trade. In more recent times it has come to 
be regarded as a luxury by white people, as 
it sells for two or three times as much as 
ordinary white rice. In this country Chi- 
cago is still an important market for wild 
rice. 
This plant ( Zizania aguatica ) is, of 
course, quite different botanically from true 
rice; it has a long black grain, and hence 
is sometimes called black rice, but it has 
scores of other names in English, French 
and the Indian tongues. According to Dr. 
Jenks, the principal authority on this plant, 
“more geographic names have been derived 
from wild rice than from any other natural 
vegetable product throughout the whole 
continent.” The Menominee Indians derive 
their name from it. It is the most nutritious 
cereal in America, and many attempts have 
been made to extend its cultivation, but 
without much success. To the average 
American it is probably best known as a 
favorite food of wild ducks and other 
waterfowl. 
In harvesting the grain the Indians use 
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