1899 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
37 
On the Wing. 
THE ARISTOCRACY OF PLANTS. 
ODDITIES IN ORCHIDS AT HOME 
AND ABROAD. 
“Air Plants” and What They Are. 
—Members of the great Orchid family, 
the aristocracy of plants, are very com¬ 
monly described as “ air plants,” without 
reference to the conditions under which 
they grow. It is an inaccurate term, for 
many of them are as much at home on 
the bosom of Mother Earth as the humble 
cabbage. Some there are which find 
their congenial home upon the branches 
of trees, and it is this habit which credits 
them with subsisting upon air. They 
are not tropical plants only, for mem¬ 
bers of this family extend all the way 
through the tropical and temperate zones 
to the verge of the Arctic regions—from 
the dripping swamps of the unquiet 
Philippines to the heights of the Cordil¬ 
leras, 8,000 feet above sea level. 
Earth Growing and Tree-Growing 
Orchids. —We divide this family, rough¬ 
ly, into two great classes—terrestrial or¬ 
chids, which grow in the earth, like any 
other well-conducted plant, and epi¬ 
phytes, which grow upon trees, these 
latter being the air plants of popular 
imagination. There are many terrestrial 
orchids native to the United States, two 
familiar examples being the Moccasin 
flower and the waxen Ladies’ Traces, but 
tree-growing orchids are entirely un¬ 
known in the northern States, though 
sparingly represented in Florida. When 
we cross the border, however, going 
through Mexico to Central and South 
America, we find many magnificent tree¬ 
growing orchids, which rival humming 
birds and butterflies in gorgeous color¬ 
ing and extraordinary shapes. Some of 
the costliest and most extraordinary or¬ 
chids ever introduced, however, come 
from Burmah, Borneo, Sumatra, the 
Philippines and other portions of that 
far-off island world. 
Imitative Orchids. —One of the oddest 
features of this odd family is the manner 
in which the blossoms im'tate living 
creatures. An example of this is the 
tree-growing Butterfly orchid, a native 
of Trinidad The flowers, barred with 
yellow and purplish brown, present an 
extraordinary likeness to a butterfly 
with extended wings ; even the quiver¬ 
ing antennae are present, and the flower, 
swaying about on its slender stalk, 
bears the appearance of real life. 
The Dove orchid of Central America, 
also known as the Espiritu Santo, or 
Flower of the Holy Ghost, shows, with¬ 
in its waxen shell, the figure of a tiny 
dove with outstretched wings. There 
are several varieties which resemble 
moths, bees and small flies, and no other 
family of plants includes so many oddi¬ 
ties in form and coloring, while, as a 
rule, orchids whose flowers are not strik¬ 
ing by reason of their brilliancy or 
mimicry possess a powerful fragrance. 
There is a reason for this, treated very 
fully by the great naturalist Darwin in 
his book upon the fertilization of or¬ 
chids, and I know no other branch of 
botany which shows more clearly the 
harmonious design of this great uni¬ 
verse. 
Why Orchids Must Attract Insects. 
—Orchids are ternary or threefold flow¬ 
ers, possessing three sepals and three 
petals, but the petals are not all alike, 
one of them being quite distinct in shape 
and color and, usually, twisted apart 
from the others, most commonly at the 
lower side of the flower. This is known 
as the lip ; very often the other petals 
are arched above it, in the center of the 
flower. There are no visible stamens. 
The interior of the flower is, very often, 
so strangely and intricately formed that 
no one but a botanist could describe it, 
and the pollen is within these convolu¬ 
tions. Pollenization can only be effected 
through the agency of some insect, so, 
if the flower failed to attract such a vis¬ 
itor, it must wither unfertilized. Or¬ 
chid flowers usually retain their fresh¬ 
ness for a surprising length of time in 
the conservatory, and no doubt, this is, 
in part, due to the fact that the absence 
of flying insects prevents their fertiliza¬ 
tion, for a pollenized flower, having ful¬ 
filled its life work, soon begins to wither. 
A Mutual Benefit Association. —The 
insect pollenizes the flower, while the 
flower feeds the insect, thus exhibiting 
the mutual dependence of the animal 
and vegetable kingdoms. The vanilla 
flavoring which the good housekeeper 
puts in her cake (supposing it is true 
vanilla, and not a combination of Tonka 
beans and chemicals) owes its existence 
to a Central American moth, for without 
the intervention of the moth, the vanilla, 
which is a climbing orchid, would be 
unable to form its slender pod, unless 
hand-fertilized. Odder still is the fact 
that some orchids depend upon one special 
insect for their pollenization and, failing 
the visit of this one friend, fertilization 
is impossible, though this is no stranger 
than the case of a West Indian plant 
whose flowers are fertilized by honey- 
loving bats ! In many cases, the orchid 
flower shows an inviting entrance by 
which the bee may reach the nectary 
but, once within, the insect cannot turn 
back, and must carry pollen masses with 
him before he makes his exit. 
Where the Orchids Come From.— 
Large quantities of orchids are imported 
into this country every year, some direct¬ 
ly from their native homes, others by 
way of Europe. Orchid collecting is a 
business in itself and, often, a very haz¬ 
ardous one. The orchid hunter must 
brave perils of hunger, thirst and fever, 
wild beasts, reptiles and savages and, 
in most cases, he is a salaried employee 
whose money reward is hardly so great 
as that obtainable in many another occu¬ 
pation. Usually these collectors are ad¬ 
venturous nun who first become ac¬ 
quainted with orchids under cultivation. 
Most of them go from England or the 
Continent; our country sends a few to 
Tropical America, but our Malaysian and 
East Indian orchids usually come by way 
of Europe. 
One of the most distinguished of these 
collectors was the late Ignatius Forster- 
man, who died at nis home on Long 
Island a few years ago. Mr. Forsterman 
was a quiet-mannered, studious-looking 
man, who gave one the impression of a 
scientific teacher or investigator rather 
than a man of action, yet, while travel¬ 
ing for a great English orchid firm, he 
b id passed through some of the most stir¬ 
ring adventures imaginable. One of his 
achievements was the discovery of a new 
Lady’s-slipper orchid. A dried specimen 
was received by an Englishwoman from 
some relative in the East Indies, and Mr. 
Forsterman was sent abroad to find it, 
with the slenderest of clues, and no ac¬ 
curate knowledge of the locality whence 
the plant came. By working out his de¬ 
ductions with the skill of a detective, 
Mr. Forsterman secured the plants, after 
an adventurous trip through fever- 
stricken jungles, and some of the first 
specimens he sent back to London sold 
for 81,200 each. 
Costly Orchids. —Perhaps the costliest 
orchid ever brought to America was the 
gorgeous Vanda Sanderiana, for which 
Mrs. Mary Morgan, of New York, paid 
500 guineas in England, and 100 guineas 
duty on entering the United States, 
bringing the total cost up to 83,000 for 
the one plant. The same plant was sold 
at auction, when Mrs. Morgan’s collec¬ 
tion was dispersed, for a trifle under 
81,000. This Vanda is a native of the 
Philippines, and though a specimen of it 
may now be bought for 825 and upwards, 
it is difficult to grow, and its flowers are 
not often seen. It is one of the showiest 
orchids in existence, producing a spike 
of large flowers strangely marked in 
pink, buff, and purplish red. 
The price of an orchid is settled by its 
rarity ; a species new and unique, or an 
unusual variety of a familiar species, is 
fairly certain of an unusual price. Some¬ 
times a white form of a flower ordinarily 
colored will unexpectedly appear, and 
this “sport” is of varying value, accord 
ing to the rarity with which this pecu 
liarity appears. For example, Cattleya 
gigas, one of the showiest orchids of 
Tropical America, is, ordinarily, rosy 
mauve and purple, with a large yellow 
splash on either side the lip ; the ordi¬ 
nary price varies from 83.50 to 850 for a 
plant. A few years ago, a lucky florist 
discovered in a consignment he had im¬ 
ported from South America, a plant of 
Gigas having pure white flowers of sur¬ 
passing beauty, and he sold this one 
plant to a great orchid fancier for some¬ 
thing over 81,000! One would think 
from this that orchid importing was 
rather a lottery, but the lynx-eyed col¬ 
lectors rarely pass a rarity unawares, 
and even the illiterate native guides 
soon learn to distinguish anything out 
of the usual line. A great many beauti¬ 
ful orchids have been introduced to cul¬ 
tivation from the East Indies and 
Malaysia by English officials, both mili¬ 
tary and civil, many distinguished 
soldiers finding their chief recreation in 
botany during years of hard service 
among turbulent savages. The Philip¬ 
pines and the Sulu Islands are magnifi¬ 
cent fields for such study, and, perhaps, 
some of our boys in blue will find con¬ 
solation for their homesickness in simi¬ 
lar lines. e. t. r. 
B 
erry Boxes 
Best White wood, 
@ $2.50 $ 1000. 
Send for New Catalogue, FREE. 
Peach and Grape Baskets. 
Melon Baskets. 
aSGRAPE VINES 
10O Varieties. Also Small Fruits, Trees, Ac. Bestroot- 
ect 8tock.0renuine, cheap. 2 sample vines mailed for lOr. 
Descriptive price-list free. 1.KU Is KOI St II, Frudtmia, N. Y. 
McPIKE 
Wonderful New 
Has taken all premiums. Send for catalogue and 
price-list. SILAS WILSON CO., Atlantic, la. 
Potash. 
| p NOUGH of it must be 
contained in fertilizers, 
otherwise failure will surely 
result. See that it is there. 
Our books tell all about 
fertilizers. * They are sent 
free to all farmers applying 
for them. 
GERMAN KALI WORKS, 
93 Nassau St., New York. 
WE’LL BUY OR SELL 
TIMOTHY, CLOVER, ALSIKE ULLlIv 
8ENO SAMPLES FOR OUR BIDS. 
►Yew methods of cleaning enable us to save all the good 
(oeds and remove all the weed seeds. We can therefor, 
#ay fair prices for seeds—every quality— and can sell 
.lean seeds at close prices. Booklot Skkd Suns* free. 
THE WH 1 TNEY-N 0 YES SEED CO., BUFFALO, N. Y. 
PJ50 barrels Choice second- 
I U IdlUvb crop, grown from selected 
stock; have grown them 10 years, and they seem 
better than when wc first planted them. 
K. T. HOGG, Hampton, Va. 
NORTH CAROLINA SEED. 
COW I’EAS, all varieties. $1.25 per bush. 2 nd CROP 
POTATOES, $2 per barrel. Bliss Triumph and othe r 
varieties. Z. M. L JEFFREYS, Goldsboro, N. C. 
The Earliest, Largest, Best Strawberry. 
For description send for our Gladstone new berry 
catalogue, or see The R. N.-Y.. of July 30, 1898. 
SLAYMAKKK & SON, Dover, Del. 
PI ANT<i -Rasi,berry and Strawberry Plants at a 
iLnll I 0 very low price. Our catalogue tells all. 
WM. CARSON & SONS, Rutland, Ohio. 
IAPAN 5c. All kinds of stock CHEAP. 
JMlrt 11 Rklianc* NtJBSBRY, Box 10, Geneva.N.Y 
M il 1DICTICC Strawberry Plants, $1.50 
V Allll. I ICO per 1,000. Send for catalogue 
now. H. W. HENRY, La Porte, Ind. 
and choicest stock in the world <50,000,000. 100 
varieties.) Lowest prices. Safely and cheaply 
delivered anywhere on continent. Catalogue free. 
CONTINENTAL PLANT COMPANY, Strawberry 
Specialist's, 34 South Street, Kittrell, N. C. 
if you give our wonderful new straw¬ 
berry a suitable name. Catalogue free. 
1,000 var. T. C. Kevitt, Athenia, N. J. 
rj I I your Strawberry and Raspberry Plants 
Cf T from the IUdge Plant Farm. All grown 
on new ground. Send for price-list. 
G. W. WINCHEL, Proprietor, Tobinsport, Ind. 
Gladstone Strawberry Plants! 
this variety in every State in the Union, I will on re¬ 
ceipt of $1. send one dozen plants, prepaid, to any ad¬ 
dress. send for cir. F. F. MEUCEUON, Catawlssa. Pa 
ORCHARD IMPROVEMENT 
-Our new book of 64 pages (Free) contains 
Interesting Information on improve¬ 
ment and care of the orchard from 
the leading horticulturists of America, 
H. E. Van Deman, George T. Powell, and others, also approved new ideas. Tells about our specialty, 
••business trees”—the BEST trees. Illustrates our superior system of packing; we guarantee sa,fe 
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you. Special terms to club raisers. No better trees anywhere ; no cheaper trees at any price. 
The Business Farmer. THE ROGERS NURSERIES, DANSVILLE, HEW YORK. 
and especially Fruit Trees, should he grown with a 
view to Long Life and Fruitfulness, such are made 
Constitutionally Strong by guarding the Parentage 
in Propagation. Men of thought know this to he 
FACT, not theory. If you want proof, write us. Many 
of our customers after trial increase their orders. A trial order will make a lifetime customer of 
you. We promise only best values. Among the Dew but well-tested FRUITS we are offering the 
HJI CDCCDCAII Dl APIf DCDDY We also offer a whole Peach Orchard 
l*lSii»OLI»CHU D Ln v IV D t s \ I ■ for $5, and many other things that will 
interest you. Free catalogue if this paper is named. Cash Premiums with Choice Seed Potatoes 
established m ?. WILEY & CO., Cayuga, N.Y. 
WE SAVE FARMERS 40 PER CENT, fertilizers. 
We sell you direct—actually pay you saleman’s expenses and agent’s profit. Write for 
free samples and book. The Scientific Fertiliser Co., Pittsburg, Pa. 
JADOO FIBRE 
JADOO LIQUID 
ARE INVALUABLE TO THE GROWERS OF 
Vegetables, Fruit, Plants »r Flowers 
SEND FOJ? CATALOGUE AND ERICES, 
For Sale by all prominent Seedsmen, and by 
THE AMERICAN JADOO COMPANY, 
815 Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia? Pa. 
