THE LADIES’ FLORAL CABINET. 
305 
flora, with pure, white flowers. Loudon, in the Garden¬ 
er’s Magazine, 1838, said : “ The genus Cosmos abounds 
in beautiful species. C. tenuifolins has large, bright, rose- 
colored flowers, and others, with bright yellow, pink or 
rich purple blossoms, still unknown in gardens, may be 
expected to appear from among the many valuable collec¬ 
tions of Mexican seeds now in course of importation to 
this country. They are more particularly deserving at¬ 
tention, because they will probably become double, like 
the dahlia.” The idea that this flower will become 
double is probably an error of judgment, as it does not 
in the least show any indication of a double form. We 
should like very much to see the rose-colored and yellow 
sorts, which, if as beautiful as the two species noticed, 
and which may now be seen in their glory on the 
grounds of Mr. Childs, Floral, N. Y., must be truly de¬ 
sirable. 
* * 
The Morgan Sale of Orchids.— Last month we gave 
particulars of the opening day of the auction sale of the 
late Mrs. Mary J. Morgan’s collection. The succeeding 
days were repetitions of the first day in the attendance, 
the interested watchfulness for bargains in rare speci¬ 
mens and the wide range of destinations to which the 
treasures went. From the detailed reports published we 
summarize as follows: 
The highest price ever paid for an orchid in this coun¬ 
try was for a Vanda Sanderiana in bloom. Florist 
Siebrecht bought it for $900, for, it is understood, Broker 
Charles J. Osborn, of Wall street and Mamaroneck. It 
cost Mrs. Morgan about $2,000. One of the orchid hun¬ 
ter’s agents for Sander & Co., St. Albans, England, found 
it. The plant was sold by Sander & Co., whose name 
was given to it, to a Mr. Backhouse, a collector in York, 
for $500, and from him Veitch & Son purchased it for 
$1,500, as agents for Mrs. Morgan. The expense of im¬ 
porting the plant made it cost Mrs. Morgan about $2,000. 
Auctioneer Elliott made a speech when the orchid was 
lifted on a box to be sold. It was in moss, in a square 
wooden crate, 1 'fl feet square, and was about a foot high. 
The weight of the plant itself was not half the weight of 
$900 in gold. The bidders delayed, and then Louis 
Menand, of Albany, said $100. Isaac Buchanan, an old 
collector, added $150 more, and Florist Siebrecht bid 
$350. In five seconds William Court, for Veitch & Son, 
had bid $500, John Bergman, for Sander & Co., $600, 
and Mr. Court sent it up to $750. Mr. Bergman tacked 
on $50 more, and there was a lull in the bidding. . 
Mr. Siebrecht bid $900, and took the flower out of the 
building in his arms. 
The odontoglossums found in cool climates, and hardy 
for Orchids, were sold first. The first sold was an Odon- 
toglossum Roezlii album, very fine specimen, for $26, to 
Henry Graves, Orange. Sander & Co., of St. Albans, 
bought its duplicate for $12. A phalaenopsis went to Mr. 
Graves for $14. 
Of the Odontoglossum crispum Alexandres variety 
there were seventy plants. They went to Henry Graves, 
of Orange; John S. Bush, of Tremont, and Gen. William 
H. Barnum, of Live Rock, for $2 or $3 apiece. A dozen 
specimens of Odontoglossum Pescatorei were taken by 
Mr. Graves for $19.50 for the lot. The remainder of the 
principal odontoglossums were sold at prices ranging 
from $1 to $50 each. 
Specimens of oncidium, with their delicate blooms, 
from the Philippine Islands and from South America, 
brought from $2 to $37. 
The genus Phalaenopsis, which often remains in bloom 
for six months at a time, was next reached. Java, Bor¬ 
neo, Sumatra and Manilla are its homes. The most im¬ 
portant prices obtained were as follows: 
Phalcenopsis intermedia Portei, very rare, $5 5 ; W. S. 
Kimball. 
Phalcenopsis intermedia Portei, $25 ; Erastus Corning. 
Phalcenopsis grandiflora Borneo, $21 ; W. Siebrecht. 
Phalcenopsis grandiflora Borneo, $20 ; Jay Gould. 
Phalcenopsis casta, $20; De Witt S. Smith. 
Phalcenopsis leucorrhoda alba, $50; Erastus Corning. 
Next came the saccolabium, found only in the hottest 
districts of India, where they grow on the branches of 
trees. The best prices were as follows : 
Saccolabium giganteum, $27 ; George Such. 
Saccolabium guttatum Holfordianum, $26; W. S. 
Kimball. 
In the sales of the “ Vandas ” we found the following 
of most importance: 
Vanda Sanderiana, eight plants, largest specimen in 
cultivation, $900; W. Siebrecht, as noted above. 
Vanda Lowii, four feet high, largest specimen in culti¬ 
vation, $400 ; W. S. Kimball. 
Vanda Batemanii, four feet high, very fine specimen, 
$100; W. S. Kimball. 
Vanda Batemanii, six feet high, $40; George Such. 
Vatida suavis, nine plants, five feet high, fine speci¬ 
men, $70; George Such. 
Vanda tricolor superba, $50; John V. Cockroft. 
Vanda suavis Holfordii, $25 ; John S. Bush. 
Vanda tricolor aurea, two plants, $50; C. J. Osborn. 
Vanda insignis, two plants, $25 ; W. Siebrecht. 
Vanda insignis, two plants, $30; W. S. Kimball. 
Vanda Denisoniana, $35 ; same buyer. 
Vanda tricolor, fine specimen, $25 . W. Siebrecht. 
Vanda tricolor, variety planilabris, $22; W. S. Kim¬ 
ball. 
Thirty-one plants of the Vanda suavis order went to 
H. G. Marquand, William Falconer, W. Siebrecht, W. 
S. Kimball, C. J. Osborn, Frederick Scholes, Robert Gar¬ 
rett, William Matthews, W. C. Wilson, and John Slocum 
from prices varying from $5 to $40 each. 
Other Vandas bought were : 
Vanda Sanderiana, $36 ; W. S. Kimball. 
Vanda insignis, $16; Mr. Cockroft. 
Vanda tricolor, $33 ; D. W. S. Smith. 
Vanda Boxalii, fine specimen, $14; William Falconer. 
Vatida gigantea, $9; William Matthews. 
Vanda Parishii variegata, $14; Sander & Co. 
Vanda ccerulea, $39; C. J. Osborn. 
The aggregate of the sales was very small compared 
with the cost to Mrs. Morgan of the collection ; but she 
paid extravagant prices, and such as few, if any, collec¬ 
tors have ever equalled. 
