[Illustration: VANDA SANDERIANAReduced to One Sixth. ]

 ABOUT ORCHIDS

 _A CHAT_

 BY

 FREDERICK BOYLE

 _WITH COLOURED ILLUSTRATIONS_

 LONDON: CHAPMAN AND HALL, LTD. 1893

 [_All rights reserved_]

 LONDON: PRINTED BY GILBERT AND RIVINGTON, LIMITED, ST. JOHN'S HOUSE, CLERKENWELL, E. C. 

 I INSCRIBE THIS BOOK TO MY GUIDE, COMFORTER AND FRIEND, JOSEPH GODSEFF. 

 CONTENTS. 

 PAGE MY GARDENING 1

 AN ORCHID SALE 24

 ORCHIDS 42

 COOL ORCHIDS 60

 WARM ORCHIDS 103

 HOT ORCHIDS 138

 THE LOST ORCHID 173

 AN ORCHID FARM 183

 ORCHIDS AND HYBRIDIZING 210

 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 

 PAGE VANDA SANDERIANA _Frontispiece_

 ODONTOGLOSSUM CRISPUM ALEXANDRÆ 67

 ONCIDIUM MACRANTHUM 88

 DENDROBIUM BRYMERIANUM 127

 COELOGENE PANDURATA 160

 CATTLEYA LABIATA 173

 LOELIA ANCEPS SCHROEDERIANA 197

 CYPRIPEDIUM (HYBRIDUM) POLLETTIANUM 210

PREFACE. 

The purport of this book is shown in the letter following which Iaddressed to the editor of the _Daily News_ some months ago:--

"I thank you for reminding your readers, by reference to my humble work, that the delight of growing orchids can be enjoyed by persons of verymodest fortune. To spread that knowledge is my contribution tophilanthropy, and I make bold to say that it ranks as high as some whichare commended from pulpits and platforms. For your leader-writer isinexact, though complimentary, in assuming that any 'special genius'enables me to cultivate orchids without more expense than othergreenhouse plants entail, or even without a gardener. I am happy to knowthat scores of worthy gentlemen--ladies too--not more gifted than theirneighbours in any sense, find no greater difficulty. If the pleasure ofone of these be due to any writings of mine, I have wrought some good inmy generation. "

With the same hope I have collected those writings, dispersed and buriedmore or less in periodicals. The articles in this volume arecollected--with permission which I gratefully acknowledge--from _TheStandard_, _Saturday Review_, _St. James's Gazette_, _National Review_, and _Longman's Magazine_. With some pride I discover, on reading themagain, that hardly a statement needs correction, for they contain manystatements, and some were published years ago. But in this, as in otherlore, a student still gathers facts. The essays have been brought up todate by additions--in especial that upon "Hybridizing, " a theme whichhas not interested the great public hitherto, simply because the greatpublic knows nothing about it. There is not, in fact, so far as I amaware, any general record of the amazing and delightful achievementswhich have been made therein of late years. It does not fall within myprovince to frame such a record. But at least any person who reads thisunscientific account, not daunted by the title, will understand thefascination of the study. 

These essays profess to be no more than chat of a literary man aboutorchids. They contain a multitude of facts, told in some detail wheresuch attention seems necessary, which can only be found elsewhere inbaldest outline if found at all. Everything that relates to orchids hasa charm for me, and I have learned to hold it as an article of faiththat pursuits which interest one member of the cultured public willinterest all, if displayed clearly and pleasantly, in a form to catchattention at the outset. Savants and professionals have kept thedelights of orchidology to themselves as yet. They smother them inscientific treatises, or commit them to dry earth burial in gardeningbooks. Very few outsiders suspect that any amusement could be foundtherein. Orchids are environed by mystery, pierced now and again by abrief announcement that something with an incredible name has been soldfor a fabulous number of guineas; which passing glimpse into an unknownworld makes it more legendary than before. It is high time such noxioussuperstitions were dispersed. Surely, I think, this volume will do thegood work--if the public will read it. 

The illustrations are reduced from those delightful drawings by Mr. Moonadmired throughout the world in the pages of "Reichenbachia. " Thelicence to use them is one of many favours for which I am indebted tothe proprietors of that stately work. 

I do not give detailed instructions for culture. No one could be morefirmly convinced that a treatise on that subject is needed, for no oneassuredly has learned, by more varied and disastrous experience, to seethe omissions of the text-books. They are written for the initiated, though designed for the amateur. Naturally it is so. A man who has beenbrought up to business can hardly resume the utter ignorance of theneophyte. Unconsciously he will take a certain degree of knowledge forgranted, and he will neglect to enforce those elementary principleswhich are most important of all. Nor is the writer of a gardening bookaccustomed, as a rule, to marshal his facts in due order, to keepproportion, to assure himself that his directions will be exactlyunderstood by those who know nothing. 

The brief hints in "Reichenbachia" are admirable, but one does notcheerfully refer to an authority in folio. Messrs. Veitch's "Manual ofOrchidaceous Plants" is a model of lucidity and a mine of information. Repeated editions of Messrs. B. S. Williams' "Orchid Growers' Manual"have proved its merit, and, upon the whole, I have no hesitation indeclaring that this is the most useful work which has come under mynotice. But they are all adapted for those who have passed theelementary stage. 

Thus, if I have introduced few remarks on culture, it is not because Ithink them needless. The reason may be frankly confessed. I am not surethat my time would be duly paid. If this little book should reach asecond edition, I will resume once more the ignorance that was mineeight years ago, and as a fellow-novice tell the unskilled amateur howto grow orchids. 

FREDERICK BOYLE. 

North Lodge, Addiscombe, 1893. 

ABOUT ORCHIDS. 

MY GARDENING. 

I. 

The contents of my Bungalow gave material for some "Legends" whichperhaps are not yet universally forgotten. I have added few curiositiesto the list since that work was published. My days of travel seem to beover; but in quitting that happiest way of life--not willingly--I havehad the luck to find another occupation not less interesting, and bettersuited to grey hairs and stiffened limbs. This volume deals with theappurtenances of my Bungalow, as one may say--the orchid-houses. But aman who has almost forgotten what little knowledge he gathered in youthabout English plants does not readily turn to that higher branch ofhorticulture. More ignorant even than others, he will cherish all thesuperstitions and illusions which environ the orchid family. Enlightenment is a slow process, and he will make many experiencesbefore perceiving his true bent. How I came to grow orchids will be toldin this first article. 

The ground at my disposal is a quarter of an acre. From that tiny areadeduct the space occupied by my house, and it will be seen that myriadsof good people dwelling in the suburbs, whose garden, to put itcourteously, is not sung by poets, have as much land as I. The aspect isdue north--a grave disadvantage. Upon that side, from the house-wall tothe fence, I have forty-five feet, on the east fifty feet, on the southsixty feet, on the west a mere _ruelle_. Almost every one who works outthese figures will laugh, and the remainder sneer. Here's a garden towrite about! That area might do for a tennis-court or for a generalmeeting of Mr. Frederic Harrison's persuasion. You might kennel a packof hounds there, or beat a carpet, or assemble those members of thecultured class who admire Mr. Gladstone. But grow flowers--roses--to cutby the basketful, fruit to make jam for a jam-eating household the yearround, mushrooms, tomatoes, water-lilies, orchids; those Indian jugglerswho bring a mango-tree to perfection on your verandah in twenty minutesmight be able to do it, but not a consistent Christian. Nevertheless Iaffirm that I have done all these things, and I shall even venture tomake other demands upon the public credulity. 

When I first surveyed my garden sixteen years ago, a big Cupressus stoodbefore the front door, in a vast round bed one half of which would yieldno flowers at all, and the other half only spindlings. This wasencircled by a carriage-drive! A close row of limes, supported by moreCupressus, overhung the palings all round; a dense little shrubbery hidthe back door; a weeping-ash, already tall and handsome, stood toeastward. Curiously green and snug was the scene under these conditions, rather like a forest glade; but if the space available be considered andallowance be made for the shadow of all those trees, any tiro cancalculate the room left for grass and flowers--and the miserableappearance of both. Beyond that dense little shrubbery the soil wasoccupied with potatoes mostly, and a big enclosure for hens. 

First I dug up the fine Cupressus. They told me such a big tree couldnot possibly "move;" but it did, and it now fills an out-of-the-wayplace as usefully as ornamentally. I suppressed the carriage-drive, making a straight path broad enough for pedestrians only, and cut down anumber of the trees. The blessed sunlight recognized my garden oncemore. Then I rooted out the shrubbery; did away with the fowl-house, using its materials to build two little sheds against the back fence;dug up the potato-garden--made _tabula rasa_, in fact; dismissed mylabourers, and considered. I meant to be my own gardener. But already, sixteen years ago, I had a dislike of stooping. To kneel was almost aswearisome. Therefore I adopted the system of raised beds--common enough. Returning home, however, after a year's absence, I found my oak postsdecaying--unseasoned, doubtless, when put in. To prevent trouble of thissort in future, I substituted drain-pipes set on end; the first of thoseideas which have won commendation from great authorities. Drain-pipes donot encourage insects. Filled with earth, each bears a showyplant--lobelia, pyrethrum, saxifrage, or what not, with the utmostneatness, making a border; and they last eternally. But there was stillmuch stooping, of course, whilst I became more impatient of it. One daya remedy flashed through my mind: that happy thought which became theessence or principle of my gardening, and makes this account thereofworth attention perhaps. Why not raise to a comfortable level all partsof the area over which I had need to bend? Though no horticulturist, perhaps, ever had such a thought before, expense was the sole objectionvisible. Called away just then for another long absence, I gave ordersthat no "dust" should leave the house; and found a monstrous heap on myreturn. The road-contractors supplied "sweepings" at a shilling a load. Beginning at the outskirts of my property, I raised a mound three feethigh and three feet broad, replanted the shrubs on the back edge, andleft a handsome border for flowers. So well this succeeded, so admirablyevery plant throve in that compost, naturally drained and lifted to thesunlight, that I enlarged my views. 

The soil is gravel, peculiarly bad for roses; and at no distant day mygarden was a swamp, not unchronicled had we room to dwell on suchmatters. The bit of lawn looked decent only at midsummer. I firsttackled the rose question. The bushes and standards, such as they were, faced south, of course--that is, behind the house. A line of fruit-treesthere began to shade them grievously. Experts assured me that if Iraised a bank against these, of such a height as I proposed, they wouldsurely die; I paid no attention to the experts, nor did my fruit-trees. The mound raised is, in fact, a crescent on the inner edge, thirty feetbroad, seventy feet between the horns, square at the back behind thefruit-trees; a walk runs there, between it and the fence, and in thenarrow space on either hand I grow such herbs as one cannot easilybuy--chervil, chives, tarragon. Also I have beds of celeriac, and coldframes which yield a few cucumbers in the summer when emptied of plants. Not one inch of ground is lost in my garden. 

The roses occupy this crescent. After sinking to its utmost now, thebank stands two feet six inches above the gravel path. At that elevationthey defied the shadow for years, and for the most part they willcontinue to do so as long as I feel any interest in their well-being. But there is a space, the least important fortunately, where the shade, growing year by year, has got the mastery. That space I have surrenderedfrankly, covering it over with the charming saxifrage, _S. Hypnoides_, through which in spring push bluebells, primroses, and miscellaneousbulbs, while the exquisite green carpet frames pots of scarlet geraniumand such bright flowers, movable at will. That saxifrage, indeed, is oneof my happiest devices. Finding that grass would not thrive upon thesteep bank of my mounds, I dotted them over with tufts of it, which havespread, until at this time they are clothed in vivid green the yearround, and white as an untouched snowdrift in spring. Thus also thefoot-wide paths of my rose-beds are edged; and a neater or a lovelierborder could not be imagined. 

With such a tiny space of ground the choice of roses is very important. Hybrids take up too much room for general service. One must have a fewfor colour; but the mass should be Teas, Noisettes, and, above all, Bengals. This day, the second week in October, I can pick fifty roses;and I expect to do so every morning till the end of the month in a sunnyautumn. They will be mostly Bengals; but there are two exquisitevarieties sold by Messrs. Paul--I forget which of them--nearly as freeflowering. These are Camoens and Mad. J. Messimy. They have a tintunlike any other rose; they grow strongly for their class, and the bloomis singularly graceful. 

The tiny but vexatious lawn was next attacked. I stripped off the turf, planted drain-pipes along the gravel walk, filled in with road-sweepingsto the level of their tops, and relaid the turf. It is now a littlepicture of a lawn. Each drain-pipe was planted with a cutting of ivy, which now form a beautiful evergreen roll beside the path. Thus as youwalk in my garden, everywhere the ground is more or less above itsnatural level; raised so high here and there that you cannot look overthe plants which crown the summit. Any gardener at least will understandhow luxuriantly everything grows and flowers under such conditions. Enthusiastic visitors declare that I have "scenery, " and picturesqueeffects, and delightful surprises, in my quarter-acre of ground!Certainly I have flowers almost enough, and fruit, and perfect seclusionalso. Though there are houses all round within a few yards, you catchbut a glimpse of them at certain points while the trees are stillclothed. Those mounds are all the secret. 

II. 

I was my own gardener, and sixteen years ago I knew nothing whatever ofthe business. The process of education was almost as amusing asexpensive; but that fashion of humour is threadbare. In those early daysI would have none of your geraniums, hardy perennials, and such commonthings. Diligently studying the "growers'" catalogues, I looked out, not novelties alone, but curious novelties. Not one of them "did anygood" to the best of my recollection. Impatient and disgusted, I formedseveral extraordinary projects to evade my ignorance of horticulture. Among others which I recollect was an idea of growing bulbs the yearround! No trouble with bulbs! you just plant them and they do theirduty. A patient friend at Kew made me a list of genera and specieswhich, if all went well, should flower in succession. But there was awoeful gap about midsummer--just the time when gardens ought to bebrightest. Still, I resolved to carry out the scheme, so far as it went, and forwarded my list to Covent Garden for an estimate of the expense. It amounted to some hundreds of pounds. So that notion fell through. 

But the patient friend suggested something for which I still cherish hismemory. He pointed out that bulbs look very formal mostly, unlessplanted in great quantities, as may be done with the cheap sorts--tulipsand such. An undergrowth of low brightly-coloured annuals would correctthis disadvantage. I caught the hint, and I profit by it to this moreenlightened day. Spring bulbs are still a _spécialité_ of my gardening. I buy them fresh every autumn--but of Messrs. Protheroe and Morris, inCheapside; not at the dealers'. Thus they are comparatively inexpensive. After planting my tulips, narcissus, and such tall things, however, Iclothe the beds with forget-me-not or _Silene pendula_, or both, whichkeep them green through the winter and form a dense carpet in spring. Through it the bulbs push, and both flower at the same time. Thus mybrilliant tulips, snowy narcissus poeticus, golden daffodils, rise aboveand among a sheet of blue or pink--one or the other to match theirhue--and look infinitely more beautiful on that ground colour. I ventureto say, indeed, that no garden on earth can be more lovely than minewhile the forget-me-not and the bulbs are flowering together. This maybe a familiar practice, but I never met with it elsewhere. 

Another wild scheme I recollect. Water-plants need no attention. Themost skilful horticulturist cannot improve, the most ignorant cannotharm them. I seriously proposed to convert my lawn into a tank two feetdeep lined with Roman cement and warmed by a furnace, there to growtropical nymphæa, with a vague "et cetera. " The idea was not soabsolutely mad as the unlearned may think, for two of my relatives werefirst and second to flower _Victoria Regia_ in the open-air--but theyhad more than a few feet of garden. The chances go, in fact, that itwould have been carried through had I been certain of remaining inEngland for the time necessary. Meanwhile I constructed two big tanks ofwood lined with sheet-zinc, and a small one to stand on legs. Theexperts were much amused. Neither fish nor plant, they said, could livein a zinc vessel. They proved to be right in the former case, bututterly wrong in the latter--which, you will observe, is their specialdomain. I grew all manner of hardy nymphæa and aquatics for years, untilmy big tanks sprung a leak. Having learned by that time the ABC, atleast, of _terra-firma_ gardening, I did not trouble to have themmended. On the contrary, making more holes, I filled the centre withPampas grass and variegated Eulalias, set lady-grass and others round, and bordered the whole with lobelia--renewing, in fact, somewhat of thespring effect. Next year, however, I shall plant them with _Anomathecacruenta_--quaintest of flowering grasses, if a grass it must be called. This charming species from South Africa is very little known; readerswho take the hint will be grateful to me. They will find it decidedlyexpensive bought by the plant, as growers prefer to sell. But, with alittle pressing seed may be obtained, and it multiplies fast. I find_Anomatheca cruenta_ hardy in my sheltered garden. 

The small tank on legs still remains, and I cut a few _Nymphæa odorata_every year. But it is mostly given up to _Aponogeton distachyon_--the"Cape lily. " They seed very freely in the open; and if this tank lay inthe ground, long since their exquisite white flowers, so strange inshape and so powerful of scent, would have stood as thick as blades ofgrass upon it--such a lovely sight as was beheld in the garden of thelate Mr. Harrison, at Shortlands. But being raised two feet or so, witha current of air beneath, its contents are frozen to a solid block, soiland all, again and again, each winter. That a Cape plant should survivesuch treatment seems incredible--contrary to all the books. But myestablished Aponogeton do somehow; only the seedlings perish. Here againis a useful hint, I trust. But evidently it would be better, ifconvenient, to take the bulbs indoors before frost sets in. 

Having water thus at hand, it very soon occurred to me to make war uponthe slugs by propagating their natural enemies. Those banks and bordersof _Saxifraga hypnoides_, to which I referred formerly, exact someprecaution of the kind. Much as every one who sees admires them, theslugs, no doubt, are more enthusiastic still. Therefore I do notrecommend that idea, unless it be supplemented by some effective methodof combating a grave disadvantage. My own may not commend itself toevery one. Each spring I entrust some casual little boy with a pail; hebrings it back full of frog-spawn and receives sixpence. I speculatesometimes with complacency how many thousand of healthy and industriousbatrachians I have reared and turned out for the benefit of myneighbours. Enough perhaps, but certainly no more, remain to serveme--that I know because the slugs give very little trouble in spite ofthe most favourable circumstances. You can always find frogs in mygarden by looking for them, but of the thousands hatched every year, ninety-nine per cent. Must vanish. Do blackbirds and thrushes eat youngfrogs? They are strangely abundant with me. But those who cultivatetadpoles must look over the breeding-pond from time to time. My wholebatch was devoured one year by "devils"--the larvæ of _Dytiscusmarginalis_, the Plunger beetle. I have benefited, or at least havepuzzled my neighbours also by introducing to them another sort of frog. Three years ago I bought twenty-five Hyloe, the pretty green treespecies, to dwell in my Odontoglossum house and exterminate theinsects. Every ventilator there is covered with perforated zinc--toprevent insects getting in; but, by some means approaching themiraculous, all my Hyloe contrived to escape. Several were caught inthe garden and put back, but again they found their way to the open-air;and presently my fruit-trees became vocal. So far, this is theexperience of every one, probably, who has tried to keep green frogs. But in my case they survived two winters--one which everybodyrecollects, the most severe of this generation. My frogs sang merrilythrough the summer; but all in a neighbour's garden. I am not acquaintedwith that family; but it is cheering to think how much innocentdiversion I have provided for its members. 

Pleasant also it is, by the way, to vindicate the character of greenfrogs. I never heard them spoken of by gardeners but with contempt. Notonly do they persist in escaping; more than that, they decline to catchinsects, sitting motionless all day long--pretty, if you like, butuseless. The fact is, that all these creatures are nocturnal of habit. Very few men visit their orchid-houses at night, as I do constantly. They would see the frogs active enough then, creeping with wondrousdexterity among the leaves, and springing like a green flash upon theirprey. Naturally, therefore, they do not catch thrips or mealy-bug oraphis; these are too small game for the midnight sports-man. Wood-lice, centipedes, above all, cockroaches, those hideous and deadly foes of theorchid, are their victims. All who can keep them safe should have greenfrogs by the score in every house which they do not fumigate. 

I have come to the orchids at last. It follows, indeed, almost ofnecessity that a man who has travelled much, an enthusiast inhorticulture, should drift into that branch as years advance. Modestywould be out of place here. I have had successes, and if it pleaseHeaven, I shall win more. But orchid culture is not to be dealt with atthe end of an article. 

III. 

In the days of my apprenticeship I put up a big greenhouse: unable tomanage plants in the open-air, I expected to succeed with them underunnatural conditions! These memories are strung together with the hopeof encouraging a forlorn and desperate amateur here or there; and surelythat confession will cheer him. However deep his ignorance, it couldnot possibly be more finished than mine some dozen years ago; and yet Imay say, _Je suis arrivé_! What that greenhouse cost, "chilledremembrance shudders" to recall; briefly, six times the amount, atleast, which I should find ample now. And it was all wrong when done;not a trace of the original arrangement remains at this time, but thereare inherent defects. Nothing throve, of course--except the insects. Mildew seized my roses as fast as I put them in; camellias dropped theirbuds with rigid punctuality; azaleas were devoured by thrips; "bugs, "mealy and scaly, gathered to the feast; geraniums and pelargoniums grewlike giants, but declined to flower. I consulted the local authority whowas responsible for the well-being of a dozen gardens in theneighbourhood--an expert with a character to lose, from whom I boughtlargely. Said he, after a thorough inspection: "This concrete floorholds the water; you must have it swept carefully night and morning. "That worthy man had a large business. His advice was sought by scores ofneighbours like myself. And I tell the story as a warning; for herepresents no small section of his class. My plants wanted not less buta great deal more water on that villainous concrete floor. 

Despairing of horticulture indoors as out, I sometimes thought oforchids. I had seen much of them in their native homes, both East andWest--enough to understand that their growth is governed by strict law. Other plants--roses and so forth--are always playing tricks. They musthave this and that treatment at certain times, the nature of which couldnot be precisely described, even if gardening books were written by menused to carry all the points of a subject in their minds, and to expressexactly what they mean. Experience alone, of rather a dirty anduninteresting class, will give the skill necessary for success. And thenthey commit villanies of ingratitude beyond explanation. I knew thatorchids must be quite different. Each class demands certain conditionsas a preliminary: if none of them can be provided, it is a waste ofmoney to buy plants. But when the needful conditions are present, andthe poor things, thus relieved of a ceaseless preoccupation, can attendto business, it follows like a mathematical demonstration that if youtreat them in such and such a way, such and such results will assuredlyensue. I was not aware then that many defy the most patient analysis ofcause and effect. That knowledge is familiar now; but it does not touchthe argument. Those cases also are governed by rigid laws, which we donot yet understand. 

Therefore I perceived or suspected, at an early date, that orchidculture is, as one may say, the natural province of an intelligent andenthusiastic amateur who has not the technical skill required forgrowing common plants. For it is brain-work--the other mechanical. But Ishared the popular notion--which seems so very absurd now--that they arecostly both to purchase and to keep: shared it so ingenuously that Inever thought to ask myself how or why they could be more expensive, after the first outlay, than azaleas or gardenias. And meanwhile I waslaboriously and impatiently gathering some comprehension of the ordinaryplants. It was accident which broke the spell of ignorance. VisitingStevens' Auction Rooms one day to buy bulbs, I saw a _Cattleya Mossiæ_, in bloom, which had not found a purchaser at the last orchid sale. Alucky impulse tempted me to ask the price. "Four shillings, " said theinvaluable Charles. I could not believe it--there must be a mistake: asif Charles ever made a mistake in his life! When he repeated the price, however, I seized that precious Cattleya, slapped down the money, andfled with it along King Street, fearing pursuit. Since no one followed, and Messrs. Stevens did not write within the next few days reclaimingmy treasure, I pondered the incident calmly. Perhaps they had beenselling bankrupt stock, and perhaps they often do so. Presently Ireturned. 

"Charles!" I said, "you sold me a _Cattleya Mossiæ_ the other day. "

Charles, in shirt-sleeves of course, was analyzing and summing up half ahundred loose sheets of figures, as calm and sure as a calculatingmachine. "I know I did, sir, " he replied, cheerfully. 

"It was rather dear, wasn't it?" I said. 

"That's your business, sir, " he laughed. 

"Could I often get an established plant of _Cattleya Mossiæ_ in flowerfor 4s. ?" I asked. 

"Give me the order, and I'll supply as many as you are likely to wantwithin a month. "

That was a revelation; and I tell the little story because I know itwill be a revelation to many others. People hear of great sums paid fororchids, and they fancy that such represent only the extreme limits ofan average. In fact, they have no relation whatsoever to the ordinaryprice. One of our largest general growers, who has but lately beguncultivating those plants, tells me that half-a-crown is the utmost hehas paid for Cattleyas and Dendrobes, one shilling for Odontoglots andOncidiums. At these rates he has now a fine collection, many turning upamong the lot for which he asks, and gets, as many pounds as the pencehe gave. For such are imported, of course, and sold at auction as theyarrive. This is not an article on orchids, but on "My Gardening, " or Icould tell some extraordinary tales. Briefly, I myself once bought acase two feet long, a foot wide, half-full of Odontoglossums for 8s. 6d. They were small bits, but perfect in condition. Of the fifty-threepots they made, not one, I think, has been lost. I sold the lessvaluable some years ago, when established and tested, at a fabulousprofit. Another time I bought three "strings" of _O. Alexandræ_, thePacho variety, which is finest, for 15s. They filled thirty-six pots, some three to a pot, for I could not make room for them all singly. Again--but this is enough. I only wish to demonstrate, for the serviceof very small amateurs like myself, that costliness at least is noobstacle if they have a fancy for this culture: unless, of course, theydemand wonders and "specimens. "

That _Cattleya Mossiæ_, was my first orchid, bought in 1884. It dwindledaway, and many another followed it to limbo; but I knew enough, as hasbeen said, to feel neither surprised nor angry. First of all, it isnecessary to understand the general conditions, and to secure them. Books give little help in this stage of education; they all lack detailin the preliminaries. I had not the good fortune to come across a friendor a gardener who grasped what was wrong until I found out for myself. For instance, no one told me that the concrete flooring of my house wasa fatal error. When, a little disheartened, I made a new one, by glazingthat _ruelle_ mentioned in the preliminary survey of my garden, theyallowed me to repeat it. Ingenious were my contrivances to keep the airmoist, but none answered. It is not easy to find a material trim andclean which can be laid over concrete, but unless one can discover such, it is useless to grow orchids. I have no doubt that ninety-nine cases offailure in a hundred among amateurs are due to an unsuitable flooring. Glazed tiles, so common, are infinitely worst of all. May my experienceprofit others in like case!

Looking over the trade list of a man who manufactures orchid-pots oneday, I observed, "Sea-sand for Garden Walks, " and the preoccupation ofyears was dissipated. Sea-sand will hold water, yet will keep a firm, clean surface; it needs no rolling, does not show footprints nor muddy avisitor's boots. By next evening the floors were covered therewith sixinches deep, and forthwith my orchids began to flourish--not only tolive. Long since, of course, I had provided a supply of water from themain to each house for "damping down. " All round them now a leaden pipewas fixed, with pin-holes twelve inches apart, and a length ofindiarubber hose at the end to fix upon the "stand-pipe. " Attachingthis, I turn the cock, and from each tiny hole spurts forth a jet, whichin ten minutes will lay the whole floor under water, and convert thehouse into a shallow pond; but five minutes afterwards not a sign of thedeluge is visible. Then I felt the joys of orchid culture. Much remainedto learn--much still remains. We have some five thousand species incultivation, of which an alarming number demand some difference oftreatment if one would grow them to perfection. The amateur does noteasily collect nor remember all this, and he is apt to be daunted if heinquire too deeply before "letting himself go. " Such in especial I wouldencourage. Perfection is always a noble aim; but orchids do not exactit--far from that! The dear creatures will struggle to fulfil yourhopes, to correct your errors, with pathetic patience. Give them but achance, and they will await the progress of your education. That chancelies, as has been said, in the general conditions--the degree ofmoisture you can keep in the air, the ventilation, and the light. Thesesecured, you may turn up the books, consult the authorities, andgradually accumulate the knowledge which will enable you to satisfy thepreferences of each class. So, in good time, you may enjoy such a thrillof pleasure as I felt the other day when a great pundit was good enoughto pay me a call. He entered my tiny Odontoglossum house, looked round, looked round again, and turned to me. "Sir, " he said, "we don't callthis an amateur's collection!"

I have jotted down such hints of my experience as may be valuable toothers, who, as Juvenal put it, own but a single lizard's run of earth. That space is enough to yield endless pleasure, amusement, and indeedprofit, if a man cultivate it himself. Enthusiast as I am, I would notaccept another foot of garden. [1]

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 1: It is not inappropriate to record that when these articleswere published in the _St. James' Gazette_, the editor received severalcommunications warning him that his contributor was abusing his goodfaith--to put it in the mild French phrase. Happily, my friend was ableto reply that he could personally vouch for the statements. ]

AN ORCHID SALE. 

Shortly after noon on a sale day, the habitual customers of Messrs. Protheroe and Morris begin to assemble in Cheapside. On tables ofroughest plank round the auction-rooms there, are neatly ranged thevarious lots; bulbs and sticks of every shape, big and little, witheredor green, dull or shining, with a brown leaf here and there, or a massof roots dry as last year's bracken. No promise do they suggest of thebrilliant colours and strange forms buried in embryo within theiruncouth bulk. On a cross table stand some dozens of "established" plantsin pots and baskets, which the owners would like to part with. Theirgrowths of this year are verdant, but the old bulbs look almost assapless as those new arrivals. Very few are in flower just now--Julyand August are a time of pause betwixt the glories of the Springand the milder effulgence of Autumn. Some great Dendrobes--_D. Dalhousianum_--are bursting into untimely bloom, betraying to theinitiated that their "establishment" is little more than a phrase. Thosegarlands of bud were conceived, so to speak, in Indian forests, havelain dormant through the long voyage, and began to show a few days sincewhen restored to a congenial atmosphere. All our interest concentratesin the unlovely things along the wall. 

The habitual attendants at an auction-room are always somewhat of afamily party, but, as a rule, an ugly one. It is quite different withthe regular group of orchid-buyers. No black sheep there. A dispute isthe rarest of events, and when it happens everybody takes for grantedthat the cause is a misunderstanding. The professional growers are menof wealth, the amateurs men of standing at least. All know each other, and a cheerful familiarity rules. We have a duke in person frequently, who compares notes and asks a hint from the authorities around; someclergymen; gentry of every rank; the recognized agents of greatcultivators, and, of course, the representatives of the large tradingfirms. So narrow even yet is the circle of orchidaceans that almost allthe faces at a sale are recognized, and if one wish to learn the names, somebody present can nearly always supply them. There is reason to hopethat this will not be the case much longer. As the mysteries andsuperstitions environing the orchid are dispersed, our small and selectthrong of buyers will be swamped, no doubt; and if a certain pleasingfeature of the business be lost, all who love the flower and theirfellow-men alike will cheerfully submit. 

The talk is of orchids mostly, as these gentlemen stroll along thetables, lifting a root and scrutinizing it with practised glance thatmeasures its vital strength in a second. But nurserymen take advantageof the gathering to show any curious or striking flower they chance tohave at the moment. Mr. Bull's representative goes round, showing to oneand another the contents of a little box--a lovely bloom of_Aristolochia elegans_, figured in dark red on white ground like asublime cretonne--and a new variety of Impatiens; he distributes thelatter presently, and gentlemen adorn their coats with the pale crimsonflower. 

Excitement does not often run so high as in the times, which most ofthose present can recall, when orchids common now were treasured bymillionaires. Steam, and the commercial enterprise it fosters, have somultiplied our stocks, that shillings--or pence, often enough--representthe guineas of twenty years back. There are many here, scarcely yetgrey, who could describe the scene when _Masdevallia Tovarensis_ firstcovered the stages of an auction-room. Its dainty white flowers had beenknown for several years. A resident in the German colony at Tovar, NewGranada, sent one plant to a friend at Manchester, by whom it wasdivided. Each fragment brought a great sum, and the purchasers repeatedthis operation as fast as their morsels grew. Thus a conventional pricewas established--one guinea per leaf. Importers were few in those days, and the number of Tovars in South America bewildered them. At lengthMessrs. Sander got on the track, and commissioned Mr. Arnold to solvethe problem. Arnold was a man of great energy and warm temper. Legendreports that he threw up the undertaking once because a gun offered himwas second-hand; his prudence was vindicated afterwards by themisfortune of a _confrère_, poor Berggren, whose second-hand gun, presented by a Belgian employer, burst at a critical moment and crippledhim for life. At the very moment of starting, Arnold had trouble withthe railway officials. He was taking a quantity of Sphagnum moss inwhich to wrap the precious things, and they refused to let him carry itby passenger train. The station-master at Waterloo had never felt theatmosphere so warm, they say. In brief, this was a man who stood nononsense. 

A young fellow-passenger showed much sympathy while the row went on, andArnold learned with pleasure that he also was bound for Caraccas. Thisyoung man, whose name it is not worth while to cite, presented himselfas agent for a manufacturer of Birmingham goods. There was no need forsecrecy with a person of that sort. He questioned Arnold about orchidswith a blank but engaging ignorance of the subject, and before thevoyage was over he had learned all his friend's hopes and projects. Butthe deception could not be maintained at Caraccas. There Arnolddiscovered that the hardware agent was a collector and grower of orchidssufficiently well known. He said nothing, suffered his rival to start, overtook him at a village where the man was taking supper, marched in, barred the door, sat down opposite, put a revolver on the table, andinvited him to draw. It should be a fair fight, said Arnold, but one ofthe pair must die. So convinced was the traitor of his earnestness--withgood reason, too, as Arnold's acquaintances declare--that he slippedunder the table, and discussed terms of abject surrender from thatretreat. So, in due time, Messrs. Sander received more than fortythousand plants of _Masdevallia Tovarensis_--sent them direct to theauction-room--and drove down the price in one month from a guinea a leafto the fraction of a shilling. 

Other great sales might be recalled, as that of _Phaloenopsis Sanderiana_and _Vanda Sanderiana_, when a sum as yet unparalleled was taken in theroom; _Cypripedium Spicerianum_, _Cyp. Curtisii_, _Loelia anceps alba_. Rarely now are we thrilled by sensations like these. But 1891 broughttwo of the old-fashioned sort, the reappearance of _Cattleya labiataautumnalis_ and the public sale of _Dendrobium phaloenopsisSchroderianum_. The former event deserves a special article, "The LostOrchid;" but the latter also was most interesting. Messrs. Sander arethe heroes of both. _Dendrobium ph. Schroederianum_ was not quite anovelty. The authorities of Kew obtained two plants from an island inAustralasia a good many years ago. They presented a piece to Mr. Lee ofLeatherhead, and another to Baron Schroeder; when Mr. Lee's grandcollection was dispersed, the Baron bought his plant also, for £35, andthus possessed the only specimens in private hands. His name was givento the species. 

Under these conditions, the man lucky and enterprising enough to securea few cases of the Dendrobium might look for a grand return. It seemedlikely that New Guinea would prove to be its chief habitat, and thitherMr. Micholitz was despatched. He found it without difficulty, andcollected a great number of plants. But then troubles began. The vesselwhich took them aboard caught fire in port, and poor Micholitz escapedwith bare life. He telegraphed the disastrous news, "Ship burnt! Whatdo?" "Go back, " replied his employer. "Too late. Rainy season, " was theanswer. "Go back!" Mr. Sander repeated. Back he went. 

This was in Dutch territory. "Well, " writes Mr. Micholitz, "there is nodoubt these are the meanest people on earth. On my telling them that itwas very mean to demand anything from a shipwrecked man, they gave methirty per cent. Deduction on my passage"--201 dollars instead of 280dollars. However, he reached New Guinea once more and tried freshground, having exhausted the former field. Again he found theDendrobiums, of better quality and in greater number than before. Butthey were growing among bones and skeletons, in the graveyard of thenatives. Those people lay their dead in a slight coffin, which theyplace upon the rocks just above high tide, a situation which theDendrobes love. Mr. Micholitz required all his tact and all his mostattractive presents before he could persuade the Papuans to let him evenapproach. But brass wire proved irresistible. They not only suffered himto disturb the bones of their ancestors, but even helped him to stow theplunder. One condition they made: that a favourite idol should be packedtherewith; this admitted, they performed a war dance round the cases, and assisted in transporting them. All went well this time, and in duecourse the tables were loaded with thousands of a plant which, beforethe consignment was announced, had been the special glory of acollection which is among the richest of the universe. 

There were two memorable items in this sale: the idol aforesaid and askull to which one of the Dendrobes had attached itself. Both wereexhibited as trophies and curiosities, not to be disposed of; but bymistake, the idol was put up. It fetched only a trifle--quite as much asit was worth, however. But Hon. Walter de Rothschild fancied it for hismuseum, and on learning what had happened Mr. Sander begged thepurchaser to name his own price. That individual refused. 

It was a great day indeed. Very many of the leading orchid-growers ofthe world were present, and almost all had their gardeners or agentsthere. Such success called rivals into the field, but New Guinea is aperilous land to explore. Only last week we heard that Mr. White, ofWinchmore Hill, has perished in the search for _Dendrobium ph. Schroederianum_. 

I mentioned the great sale of _Cyp. Curtisi_ just now. An odd littlestory attaches to it. Mr. Curtis, now Director of the Botanic Gardens, Penang, sent this plant home from Sumatra when travelling for Messrs. Veitch, in 1882. The consignment was small, no more followed, and _Cyp. Curtisi_ became a prize. Its habitat was unknown. Mr. Sander instructedhis collector to look for it. Five years the search lasted--with manyintermissions, of course, and many a success in discovering other finethings. But Mr. Ericksson despaired at last. In one of his expeditionsto Sumatra he climbed a mountain--it has been observed before that onemust not ask details of locality when collecting orchid legends. So wellknown is this mountain, however, that the Government, Dutch I presume, has built a shelter for travellers upon it. There Mr. Ericksson put upfor the night. Several Europeans had inscribed their names upon thewall, with reflections and sentiments, as is the wont of people whoclimb mountains. Among these, by the morning light, Mr. Erickssonperceived the sketch of a Cypripedium, as he lay upon his rugs. Itrepresented a green flower, white tipped, veined and spotted withpurple, purple of lip. "_Curtisi_, by Jove!" he cried, in his nativeSwedish, and jumped up. No doubt of it! Beneath the drawing ran: "C. C. 'scontribution to the adornment of this house. " Whipping out his pencil, Mr. Ericksson wrote: "Contribution accepted. Cypripediumcollected!--C. E. " But day by day he sought the plant in vain. His casesfilled with other treasures. But for the hope that sketch conveyed, longsince he would have left the spot. After all, Mr. Curtis might havechosen the flower by mere chance to decorate the wall. The natives didnot know it. So orders were given to pack, and next day Mr. Erickssonwould have withdrawn. On the very evening, however, one of his menbrought in the flower. A curious story, if one think, but I am in aposition to guarantee its truth. 

Of another class, but not less renowned in its way, was the sale ofMarch 11th last year. It had been heavily advertised. A leadingcontinental importer announced the discovery of a new Odontoglossum. Noless than six varieties of type were employed to call public attentionto its merits, and this was really no extravagant allowance under thecircumstances alleged. It was a "grand new species, " destined to be a"gem in the finest collections, " a "favourite, " the "most attractive ofplants. " Its flowers were wholly "tinged with a most delicate mauve, thebase of the segment and the lip of a most charming violet"--in short, itwas "the blue Odontoglossum" and well deserved the title _coeleste_. And the whole stock of two hundred plants would be offered to Britishenthusiasm. No wonder the crowd was thick at Messrs. Protheroe's room onthat March morning. Few leading amateurs or growers who could not attendin person were unrepresented. At the psychological moment, wheneagerness had reached the highest pitch, an orchid was brought in andset before them. Those experienced persons glanced at it and said, "Verynice, but haven't you an _Odontoglossum coeleste_ to show?" Theunhappy agent protested that this was the divine thing. No one wouldbelieve at first; the joke was too good--to put it in that mild form. When at length it became evident that this grand new species, heavenlygem, &c. , was the charming but familiar _Odontoglossum ramossissimum_, such a tumult of laughter and indignation arose, that Messrs. Protheroequashed the sale. A few other instances of the kind might be given butnone so grand. 

The special interest of the sale to us lies in some novelties collectedby Mr. Edward Wallace in parts unknown, and he is probably among us. Mr. Wallace has no adventures in particular to relate this time, but hetells, with due caution, where and how his treasures were gathered inSouth America. There is a land which those who have geographicalknowledge sufficient may identify, surrounded by the territories ofPeru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil. It is traversed by somefew Indian tribes, and no collector hitherto had penetrated it. Mr. Wallace followed the central line of mountains from Colombia for ahundred and fifty miles, passing a succession of rich valleys describedas the loveliest ever seen by this veteran young traveller, such aswould support myriads of cattle. League beyond league stretches the"Pajadena grass, " pasturage unequalled; but "the wild herds that neverknew a fold" are its only denizens. Here, on the mountain slopes, Mr. Wallace found _Bletia Sherrattiana_, the white form, very rare; anotherterrestrial orchid, unnamed and, as is thought, unknown, which sends upa branching spike two feet to three feet high, bearing ten to twelveflowers, of rich purple hue, in shape like a Sobralia, three and fourinches across; and yet another of the same family, growing on the rocks, and "looking like masses of snow on the hill-side. " Such descriptionsare thrilling, but these gentlemen receive them placidly; they wouldlike to know, perhaps, what is the reserve price on such fine things, and what the chance of growing them to a satisfactory result. Dealershave a profound distrust of novelties, especially those of terrestrialgenus; and their feeling is shared, for a like reason, by most who havelarge collections. Mr. Burbidge estimates roughly that we have fifteenhundred to two thousand species and varieties of orchid in cultivation;a startling figure, which almost justifies the belief of those who holdthat no others worth growing will be found in countries alreadyexplored. But beyond question there are six times this number inexistence, which collectors have not taken the trouble to gather. Thechances, therefore, are against any new thing. Many species well knownshow slight differences of growth in different localities. Upon thewhole, regular orchidaceans prefer that some one else should tryexperiments, and would rather pay a good price, when assured that it isworth their while, than a few shillings when the only certainty istrouble and the strong probability is failure. Mr. Wallace has nothingmore to tell of the undiscovered country. The Indians received him withcomposure, after he had struck up friendship with an old woman, and forthe four days of his stay made themselves both useful and agreeable intheir fashion. 

The auctioneer has been chatting among his customers. He feels aninterest in his wares, as who would not that dealt in objects of theextremest beauty and fascination? To him are consigned occasionallyplants of unusual class, which the owner regards as unique, and expectsto sell at the fanciest of prices. Unique indeed they must be which canpass unchallenged the ordeal of those keen and learned eyes. _Plumeriaalba_, for instance, may be laid before them, and by no inexperiencedhorticulturist, with such a "reserve" as befits one of the mostexquisite flowers known, and the only specimen in England. But a quietsmile goes round, and a gentleman present offers, in an audible whisper, to send in a dozen of that next week at a fraction of the price. Sopleasant chat goes on, until, at the stroke of half-past twelve, theauctioneer mounts his rostrum. First to come before him are a hundredlots of _Odontoglossum crispum Alexandræ_, described as of "the verybest type, and in splendid condition. " For the latter point everyonepresent is able to judge, and for the former all are willing to acceptthe statements of vendors. The glossy bulbs are clean as new pins, withthe small "eye" just bursting among their roots; but nobody seems towant _Odontoglossum Alexandræ_ in particular. One neat little bunch issold for 11s. , which will surely bear a wreath of white flowers, splashed with red brown, in the spring--perhaps two. And then biddingceases. The auctioneer exclaims, "Does anybody want any _crispums_?" andinstantly passes by the ninety-nine lots remaining. 

It would mislead the unlearned public, and would not greatly interestthem, to go through the catalogue of an orchid sale and quote theselling price of every lot. From week to week the value of these thingsfluctuates--that is, of course, of bulbs imported and unestablished. Various circumstances effect it, but especially the time of year. Theysell best in spring, when they have months of light and sun before them, in which to recover from the effects of a long voyage and uncomfortablequarters. The buyer must make them grow strong before the dark days ofan English winter are upon him; and every month that passes weakens hischance. In August it is already late; in September, the periodicalauctions ceased until lately. Some few consignments will be received, detained by accident, or forwarded by persons who do not understand thebusiness. 

That instance of _Odontoglossum Alexandræ_ shows well enough the priceof orchids this month, and the omission of all that followed illustratesit. The same lots would have been eagerly contested at twice the sum inApril. But those who want that queenliest of flowers may get it forshillings at any time. The reputation of the importer, and his assurancethat the plants belong to the very best type, give these more value thanusual. He will try his luck once more perhaps this season; and then hewill pot the bulbs unsold to offer them as "established" next year. 

_Oncidium luridum_ follows the Odontoglots, a broad-leaved, handsomeorchid, which the untrained eye might think to have no pseudo-bulb atall. This species always commands a sale, if cheap, and ten shillings isa reasonable figure for a piece of common size. If all go well, it maythrow out a branching spike six or seven feet long next summer, with--such a sight has been offered--several hundred blooms, yellow, brown and orange, _Oncidium juncifolium_, which comes next, is unknownto us, and probably to others; no offer is made for its reed-likegrowths described as "very free blooming all the year round, with smallyellow flowers. " _Epidendrum bicornutum_, on the other hand, is verywell known and deeply admired, when seen; but this is an event too rare. The description of its exquisite white blossoms, crimson spotted on thelip, is still rather a legend than a matter of eye-witness. Somebody isreported to have grown it for some years "like a cabbage;" but hissuccess was a mystery to himself. At Kew they find no trouble in certainparts of a certain house. Most of these, however, are fine growths, andthe average price should be 12s. 6d. To 15s. Compare such figures withthose that ruled when the popular impression of the cost of orchids wasforming. I have none at hand which refer to the examples mentioned, butin the cases following, one may safely reckon shillings at the presentday for pounds in 1846. That year, I perceive, such common species as_Barkeria spectabilis_ fetched 5l. To 17l. Each; _EpidendrumStamfordianum_, five guineas; _Dendrobium formosum_, fifteen guineas;_Aerides maculosum_, _crispum_ and _odoratum_ 20l. , 21l. , and16l. , respectively. No one who understands orchids will believe thatthe specimens which brought such monstrous prices were superior in anyrespect to those we now receive, and he will be absolutely sure thatthey were landed in much worse condition. But the average cost of themost expensive at the present day might be 30s. , and only a largepiece would fetch that sum. It is astonishing to me that so few peoplegrow orchids. Every modern book on gardening tells how five hundredvarieties at least, the freest to flower and assuredly as beautiful asany, may be cultivated without heat for seven or eight months of theyear. It is those "legends, " I have spoken of which deter the publicfrom entertaining the notion. An afternoon at an orchid sale woulddispel them. 

ORCHIDS. 

There is no room to deal with this great subject historically, scientifically, or even practically, in the space of a chapter. I am anenthusiast, and I hold some strong views, but this is not the place tourge them. It is my purpose to ramble on, following thoughts as theyarise, yet with a definite aim. The skilled reader will find nothing tocriticize, I hope, and the indifferent, something to amuse. 

Those amiable theorists who believe that the resources of Nature, ifthey be rightly searched, are able to supply every wholesome want thefancy of man conceives, have a striking instance in the case of orchids. At the beginning of this century, the science of floriculture, so far asit went, was at least as advanced as now. Under many disadvantages whichwe escape--the hot-air flue especially, and imperfect means ofventilation--our fore-fathers grew the plants known to them quite aswell as we do. Many tricks have been discovered since, but for lastingsuccess assuredly our systems are no improvement. Men interested in suchmatters began to long for fresh fields, and they knew where to look. Linnæus had told them something of exotic orchids in 1763, though hisknowledge was gained through dried specimens and drawings. One bulb, indeed--we spare the name--showed life on arrival, had been planted, andhad flowered thirty years before, as Mr. Castle shows. Thushorticulturists became aware, just when the information was mostwelcome, that a large family of plants unknown awaited their attention;plants quite new, of strangest form, of mysterious habits, and beautyincomparable. Their notions were vague as yet, but the fascination ofthe subject grew from year to year. Whilst several hundred species weredescribed in books, the number in cultivation, including all thosegathered by Sir Joseph Banks, and our native kinds, was only fifty. Kewboasted no more than one hundred and eighteen in 1813; amateurs stillwatched in timid and breathless hope. 

Gradually they came to see that the new field was open, and they enteredwith a rush. In 1830 a number of collections still famous in the legendsof the mystery are found complete. At the Orchid Conference, Mr. O'Brienexpressed a "fear that we could not now match some of the specimensmentioned at the exhibitions of the Horticultural Society in ChiswickGardens between 1835 and 1850;" and extracts which he gave from reportsconfirm this suspicion. The number of species cultivated at that timewas comparatively small. People grew magnificent "specimens" in place ofmany handsome pots. We read of things amazing to the experience of fortyyears later. Among the contributions of Mrs. Lawrence, mother to our"chief, " Sir Trevor, was an Aerides with thirty to forty flower spikes;a Cattleya with twenty spikes; an _Epidendrum bicornutum_, difficult tokeep alive, much more to bloom, until the last few years, with "manyspikes;" an Oncidium, "bearing a head of golden flowers four feetacross. " Giants dwelt in our greenhouses then. 

So the want of enthusiasts was satisfied. In 1852 Mr. B. S. Williamscould venture to publish "Orchids for the Million, " a hand-book ofworld-wide fame under the title it presently assumed, "The OrchidGrower's Manual. " An occupation or amusement the interest of which growsyear by year had been discovered. All who took trouble to examine foundproof visible that these masterworks of Nature could be transplanted andcould be made to flourish in our dull climate with a regularity and acertainty unknown to them at home. The difficulties of their culturewere found to be a myth--we speak generally, and this point must bementioned again. The "Million" did not yet heed Mr. Williams'invitation, but the Ten Thousand did, heartily. 

I take it that orchids meet a craving of the cultured soul which beganto be felt at the moment when kindly powers provided means to satisfyit. People of taste, unless I err, are tiring of those conventionalforms in which beauty has been presented in all past generations. It maybe an unhealthy sentiment, it may be absurd, but my experience is thatit exists and must be taken into account. A picture, a statue, a pieceof china, any work of art, is eternally the same, however charming. Themost one can do is to set it in different positions, different lights. Théophile Gautier declared in a moment of frank impatience that if theTransfiguration hung in his study, he would assuredly find blemishestherein after awhile--quite fanciful and baseless, as he knew, but such, nevertheless, as would drive him to distraction presently. I entertain anotion, which may appear very odd to some, that Gautier's influence onthe æsthetic class of men has been more vigorous than that of any otherteacher; thousands who never read a line of his writing areunconsciously inspired by him. The feeling that gave birth to hisprotest nearly two generations since is in the air now. Those who own acollection of art, those who have paid a great sum for pictures, willnot allow it, naturally. As a rule, indeed, a man looks at his finethings no more than at his chairs and tables. But he who is best able toappreciate good work, and loves it best when he sees it, is the one whogrows restless when it stands constantly before him. 

"Oh, that those lips had language!" cried Cowper. "Oh, that those lovelyfigures would combine anew--change their light--do anything, anything!"cries the æsthete after awhile. "Oh, that the wind would rise upon thatglorious sea; the summer green would fade to autumn yellow; that nightwould turn to day, clouds to sunshine, or sunshine to clouds. " But the_littera scripta manet_--the stroke of the brush is everlasting. Apolloalways bends the bow in marble. One may read a poem till it is known byheart, and in another second the familiar words strike fresh upon theear. Painters lay a canvas aside, and presently come to it, as they say, with a new eye; but a purchaser once seized with this desperate maladyhas no such refuge. After putting his treasure away for years, at thefirst glance all his satiety returns. I myself have diagnosed a casewhere a fine drawing by Gerôme grew to be a veritable incubus. It isunderstood that the market for pictures is falling yearly. I believethat the growth of this dislike to the eternal stillness of a paintedscene is a chief cause of the disaster. It operates among the best classof patrons. 

For such men orchids are a blessed relief. Fancy has not conceived suchloveliness, complete all round, as theirs--form, colour, grace, distribution, detail, and broad effect. Somewhere, years ago--in Italyperhaps, but I think at the Taylor Institution, Oxford--I saw thedrawings made by Rafaelle for Leo X. Of furniture and decoration in hisnew palace; be it observed in parenthesis, that one who has not beheldthe master's work in this utilitarian style of art has but a limitedunderstanding of his supremacy. Among them were idealizations offlowers, beautiful and marvellous as fairyland, but compared with theglory divine that dwells in a garland of _Odontoglossum Alexandræ_, artificial, earthy. Illustrations of my meaning are needless to experts, and to others words convey no idea. But on the table before me nowstands a wreath of _Oncidium crispum_ which I cannot pass by. Whatcolourist would dare to mingle these lustrous browns with pale gold, what master of form could shape the bold yet dainty waves and crisps andcurls in its broad petals, what human imagination could bend thegraceful curve, arrange the clustering masses of its bloom? All beautythat the mind can hold is there--the quintessence of all charm andfancy. Were I acquainted with an atheist who, by possibility, had brainand feeling, I would set that spray before him and await reply. IfSolomon in all his glory was not arrayed like a lily of the field, theangels of heaven have no vesture more ethereal than the flower of theorchid. Let us take breath. 

Many persons indifferent to gardening--who are repelled, indeed, by itsprosaic accompaniments, the dirt, the manure, the formality, the spade, the rake, and all that--love flowers nevertheless. For such these plantsare more than a relief. Observe my Oncidium. It stands in a pot, butthis is only for convenience--a receptacle filled with moss. The longstem feathered with great blossoms springs from a bare slab of wood. Nomould nor peat surrounds it; there is absolutely nothing save the rootsthat twine round their support, and the wire that sustains it in theair. It asks no attention beyond its daily bath. From the day I tied iton that block last year--reft from home and all its pleasures, boughtwith paltry silver at Stevens' Auction Rooms--I have not touched it saveto dip and to replace it on its hook. When the flowers fade, thither itwill return, and grow and grow, please Heaven, until next summer itrejoices me again; and so, year by year, till the wood rots. Thencarefully I shall transfer it to a larger perch and resume. Probably Ishall sever the bulbs without disturbing them, and in seasons followingtwo spikes will push--then three, then a number, multiplying andmultiplying when my remotest posterity is extinct. That is, so Natureorders it; whether my descendants will be careful to allow her fair playdepends on circumstances over which I have not the least control. 

For among their innumerable claims to a place apart among all thingscreated, orchids may boast immortality. Said Sir Trevor Lawrence, in thespeech which opened our famous Congress, 1885: "I do not see, in thecase of most of them, the least reason why they should ever die. Theparts of the orchideæ are annually reproduced in a great many instances, and there is really no reason they should not live for ever unless, asis generally the case with them in captivity, they be killed by errorsin cultivation. " Sir Trevor was addressing an assemblage ofauthorities--a parterre of kings in the empire of botany--or he mighthave enlarged upon this text. 

The epiphytal orchid, to speak generally, and to take the simple form, is one body with several limbs, crowned by one head. Its circulationpulsates through the whole, less and less vigorously, of course, in theparts that have flowered, as the growing head leaves them behind. Atsome age, no doubt, circulation fails altogether in those old limbs, butexperience does not tell me distinctly as yet in how long time theworn-out bulbs of an Oncidium or a Cattleya, for example, would perishby natural death. One may cut them off when apparently lifeless, evenbeginning to rot, and under proper conditions--it may be a twelvemonthafter--a tiny green shoot will push from some "eye, " withered andinvisible, that has slept for years, and begin existence on its ownaccount. Thus, I am not old enough as an orchidacean to judge throughhow many seasons these plants will maintain a limb apparentlysuperfluous. Their charming disposition is characterized above allthings by caution and foresight. They keep as many strings to their bow, as many shots in their locker, as may be, and they keep them as long aspossible. The tender young head may be nipped off by a thousand chances, but such mishaps only rouse the indomitable thing to replace it withtwo, or even more. Beings designed for immortality are hard to kill. 

Among the gentle forms of intellectual excitement I know not one tocompare with the joy of restoring a neglected orchid to health. One maybuy such for coppers--rare species, too--of a size and a "potentiality"of display which the dealers would estimate at as many pounds were theyin good condition on their shelves. I am avoiding names and details, butit will be allowed me to say, in brief, that I myself have bought morethan twenty pots for five shillings at the auction-rooms, not twice northrice either. One half of them were sick beyond recovery, some few hadbeen injured by accident, but by far the greater part were victims ofignorance and ill-treatment which might still be redressed. Orchids telltheir own tale, whether of happiness or misery, in characters beyonddispute. Mr. O'Brien alleged, indeed, before the grave and experiencedsignors gathered in conference, that "like the domestic animals, theysoon find out when they are in hands that love them. With such aguardian they seem to be happy, and to thrive, and to establish anunderstanding, indicating to him their wants in many important mattersas plainly as though they could speak. " And the laugh that followed thisstatement was not derisive. He who glances at the endless tricks, methods, and contrivances devised by one or other species to serve itsturn may well come to fancy that orchids are reasoning things. 

At least, many keep the record of their history in form unmistakable. Here is a Cattleya which I purchased last autumn, suspecting it to berare and valuable, though nameless; I paid rather less than oneshilling. The poor thing tells me that some cruel person bought it fiveyears ago--an imported piece, with two pseudo-bulbs. They still remain, towering like columns of old-world glory above an area of shapelessruin. To speak in mere prose--though really the conceit is notextravagant--these fine bulbs, grown in their native land, of course, measure eight inches high by three-quarters of an inch diameter. In thefirst season, that _malheureux_ reduced their progeny to a stature ofthree and a half inches by the foot-rule; next season, to two inches;the third, to an inch and a half. By this time the patient creature hadconvinced itself that there was something radically wrong in thecircumstances attending its normal head, and tried a fresh departurefrom the stock--a "back growth, " as we call it, after the fashion I havedescribed. In the third year then, there were two heads. In the fourthyear, the chief of them had dwindled to less than one inch and thethickness of a straw, while the second struggled into growth with painand difficulty, reached the size of a grain of wheat, and gave it up. Needless to say that the wicked and unfortunate proprietor had not seentrace of a bloom. Then at length, after five years' torment, he set itfree, and I took charge of the wretched sufferer. Forthwith he began toshow his gratitude, and at this moment--the summer but half through--hisleading head has regained all the strength lost in three years, whilethe back growth, which seemed dead, outtops the best bulb my predecessorcould produce. 

And I have perhaps a hundred in like case, cripples regaining activity, victims rescued on their death-bed. If there be a placid joy in lifesuperior to mine, as I stroll through my houses of a morning, muchexperience of the world in many lands and many circumstances has notrevealed it to me. And any of my readers can attain it, for--in noconventional sense--I am my own gardener; that is to say, no male beingever touches an orchid of mine. 

One could hardly cite a stronger argument to demolish the superstitionsthat still hang around this culture. If a busy man, journalist, essayist, novelist, and miscellaneous _littérateur_, who lives by hispen, can keep many hundreds of orchids in such health that he is proudto show them to experts--with no help whatsoever beyond, in emergency, that which ladies of his household, or a woman-servant give--if he cando this, assuredly the pursuit demands little trouble and littleexpense. I am not to lay down principles of cultivation here, but thismust be said: orchids are indifferent to detail. There lies a secret. Secure the general conditions necessary for their well-doing, and theywill gratefully relieve you of further anxiety; neglect those generalconditions, and no care will reconcile them. The gentleman who reducedmy Cattleya to such straits gave himself vast pains, it is likely, consulted no end of books, did all they recommend; and now declares thatorchids are unaccountable. It is just the reverse. No living thingsfollow with such obstinate obedience a few most simple laws; no machineproduces its result more certainly, if one comply with the rules of itsbeing. 

This is shown emphatically by those cases which we do not clearlyunderstand; I take for example the strangest, as is fitting. Someirreverent zealots have hailed the Phaloenopsis as Queen of Flowers, dethroning our venerable rose. I have not to consider the question ofallegiance, but decidedly this is, upon the whole, the most interestingof all orchids in the cultivator's point of view. For there are somegenera and many species that refuse his attentions more or lessstubbornly--in fact, we do not yet know how to woo them. But thePhaloenopsis is not among them. It gives no trouble in the great majorityof cases. For myself, I find it grow with the calm complacency of thecabbage. Yet we are all aware that our success is accidental, in ameasure. The general conditions which it demands are fulfilled, commonly, in any stove where East Indian plants flourish; but from timeto time we receive a vigorous hint that particular conditions, notalways forthcoming, are exacted by Phaloenopsis. Many legends on thistheme are current; I may cite two, notorious and easily verified. Theauthorities at Kew determined to build a special house for the genus, provided with every comfort which experience or scientific knowledgecould suggest. But when it was opened, six or eight years ago, not aPhaloenopsis of all the many varieties would grow in it; after vainefforts, Mr. Thiselton Dyer was obliged to seek another use for thebuilding, which is now employed to show plants in flower. Sir TrevorLawrence tells how he laid out six hundred pounds for the same objectwith the same result. And yet one may safely reckon that this orchiddoes admirably in nine well-managed stoves out of ten, and fairly innineteen out of twenty. Nevertheless, it is a maxim with growers thatPhaloenopsis should never be transferred from a situation where they aredoing well. Their hooks are sacred as that on which Horace suspended hislyre. Nor could a reasonable man think this fancy extravagant, seeingthe evidence beyond dispute which warns us that their health is governedby circumstances more delicate than we can analyze at present. 

It would be wrong to leave the impression that orchid culture isactually as facile as market gardening, but we may say that theeccentricities of Phaloenopsis and the rest have no more practicalimportance for the class I would persuade than have the terrors of thedeep for a Thames water-man. How many thousand householders about thiscity have a "bit of glass" devoted to geraniums and fuchsias and thelike! They started with more ambitious views, but successivedisappointments have taught modesty, if not despair. The poor man nowcontents himself with anything that will keep tolerably green and showsome spindling flower. The fact is, that hardy plants under glassdemand skilful treatment--all their surroundings are unnatural, and withinsect pest on one hand, mildew on the other, an amateur stands betwixtthe devil and the deep sea. Under those circumstances common plantsbecome really capricious--that is, being ruled by no principles easy tograsp and immutable in operation, their discomfort shows itself inperplexing forms. But such species of orchids as a poor man would thinkof growing are incapable of pranks. For one shilling he can buy a manualwhich will teach him what these species are, and most of the thingsnecessary for him to understand besides. An expenditure of five poundswill set him up for life and beyond--since orchids are immortal. Nothingelse is needed save intelligence. 

Not even heat, since his collection will be "cool" naturally; if frostbe excluded, that is enough. I should not have ventured to say this somefew years ago--before, in fact, I had visited St. Albans. But in thecool house of that palace of enchantment with which Mr. Sander hasadorned the antique borough, before the heating arrangements were quitecomplete though the shelves were occupied, often the glass would fallvery low into the thirties. I could never learn distinctly that mischieffollowed, though Mr. Godseff did not like it at all. One who beheld thesight when those fields of Odontoglossum burst into bloom might wellentertain a doubt whether improvement was possible. There is nothing toapproach it in this lower world. I cannot forbear to indicate onepicture in the grand gallery. Fancy a corridor four hundred feet long, six wide, roofed with square baskets hanging from the glass as close asthey will fit. Suspend to each of these--how many hundreds or thousandshas never been computed--one or more garlands of snowy flowers, athicket overhead such as one might behold in a tropic forest, withmyriads of white butterflies clustering amongst the vines. Butimagination cannot bear mortal man thus far. "Upon the banks ofParadise" those "twa clerks" may have seen the like; yet, had they doneso their hats would have been adorned not with "the birk, " but withplumes of _Odontoglossum citrosmum_. 

I have but another word to say. If any of the class to whom I appealincline to let "I dare not wait upon I would, " hear the experience of abold enthusiast, as recounted by Mr. Castle in his small brochure, "Orchids. " This gentleman had a fern-case outside his sitting-roomwindow, six feet long by three wide. He ran pipes through it, warmedpresumably by gas. More ambitious than I venture to recommend, "in thisminiature structure, " says Mr. Castle, "with liberal supplies of water, the owner succeeded in growing, in a smoky district of London"--I willnot quote the amazing list of fine things, but it numbers twenty-fivespecies, all the most delicate and beautiful of the stove kinds. If somuch could be done under such circumstances, what may rightly be calleddifficult in the cultivation of orchids?

COOL ORCHIDS. 

This is a subject which would interest every cultured reader, I believe, every householder at least, if he could be brought to understand that itlies well within the range of his practical concerns. But the public hasstill to be persuaded. It seems strange to the expert that delusionsshould prevail when orchids are so common and so much talked of; but Iknow by experience that the majority of people, even among those wholove their garden, regard them as fantastic and mysterious creations, designed, to all seeming, for the greater glory of pedants andmillionaires. I try to do my little part, as occasion serves, incorrecting this popular error, and spreading a knowledge of the facts. It is no less than a duty. If every human being should do what he can topromote the general happiness, it would be downright wicked to leaveone's fellow-men under the influence of hallucinations that debar themfrom the most charming of quiet pleasures. I suspect also that themisapprehension of the public is largely due to the conduct of expertsin the past. It was a rule with growers formerly, avowed amongthemselves, to keep their little secrets. When Mr. B. S. Williamspublished the first edition of his excellent book forty years ago, hefluttered his colleagues sadly. The plain truth is that no class ofplant can be cultivated so easily, as none are so certain to repay thetrouble, as the Cool Orchids. 

Nearly all the genera of this enormous family have species which grow ina temperate climate, if not in the temperate zone. At this moment, infact, I recall but two exceptions, Vanda and Phaloenopsis. Many morethere are, of course--half a dozen have occurred to me while I wrote thelast six words--but in the small space at command I must cling togeneralities. We have at least a hundred genera which will flourishanywhere if the frost be excluded; and as for species, a list of twothousand would not exhaust them probably. But a reasonable man maycontent himself with the great classes of Odontoglossum, Oncidium, Cypripedium, and Lycaste; among the varieties of these, which no one hasventured to calculate perhaps, he may spend a happy existence. They haveevery charm--foliage always green, a graceful habit, flowers that rankamong the master works of Nature. The poor man who succeeds with themin his modest "bit of glass" has no cause to envy Dives his flauntingCattleyas and "fox-brush" Aerides. I should like to publish it incapitals--that nine in ten of those suburban householders who read thisbook may grow the loveliest of orchids if they can find courage to try. 

Odontoglossums stand first, of course--I know not where to begin thelist of their supreme merits. It will seem perhaps a striking advantageto many that they burst into flower at any time, as they chance toripen. I think that the very perfection of culture is discountedsomewhat in this instance. The gardener who keeps his plants at the _neplus ultra_ stage brings them all into bloom within the space of a fewweeks. Thus in the great collections there is such a show during April, May, and June as the Gardens of Paradise could not excel, and hardly aspike in the cool houses for the rest of the year. At a largeestablishment this signifies nothing; when the Odontoglossums go offother things "come on" with equal regularity. But the amateur, with hislimited assortment, misses every bloom. He has no need for anxiety withthis genus. It is their instinct to flower in spring, of course, butthey are not pedantic about it in the least. Some tiny detail overlookedhere and there, absolutely unimportant to health, will retardflorescence. It might very well happen that the owner of a dozen potshad one blooming every month successively. And that would mean twospikes open, for, with care, most Odontoglossums last above four weeks. 

Another virtue, shared by others of the cool class in some degree, istheir habit of growing in winter. They take no "rest;" all the yearround their young bulbs are swelling, graceful foliage lengthening, roots pushing, until the spike demands a concentration of all theirenergy. But winter is the most important time. I think any man will seethe peculiar blessing of this arrangement. It gives interest to the longdull days, when other plant life is at a standstill. It furnishesmaterial for cheering meditations on a Sunday morning--is that a trifle?And at this season the pursuit is joy unmixed. We feel no anxiousquestionings, as we go about our daily business, whether the _placensuxor_ forgot to remind Mary, when she went out, to pull the blinds down;whether Mary followed the instructions if given; whether thoseconfounded patent ventilators have snapped to again. Green fly does notharass us. One syringing a day, and one watering per week suffice. Trulythese are not grave things, but the issue at stake is precious: weenjoy the boon of relief proportionately. 

Very few of those who grow Odontoglossums know much about the "Trade, "or care, seemingly. It is a curious subject, however. The genus isAmerican exclusively. It ranges over the continent from the northernfrontier of Mexico to the southern frontier of Peru, excepting, to speakroughly, the empire of Brazil. This limitation is odd. It cannot be dueto temperature simply, for, upon the one hand, we receive Sophronitis, avery cool genus, from Brazil, and several of the coolest Cattleyas; uponthe other, _Odontoglossum Roezlii_, a very hot species, and _O. Vexillarium_, most decidedly warm, flourish up to the boundary. Whythese should not step across, even if their mountain sisters refusecompanionship with the Sophronitis, is a puzzle. Elsewhere, however, they abound. Collectors distinctly foresee the time when all thedistricts they have "worked" up to this will be exhausted. But SouthAmerica contains a prodigious number of square miles, and a day's marchfrom the track carries one into _terra incognita_. Still, the end willcome. The English demand has stripped whole provinces, and now all thecivilized world is entering into competition. We are sadly assured thatOdontoglossums carried off will not be replaced for centuries. Mostother genera of orchid propagate so freely that wholesale depredationsare made good in very few years. For reasons beyond our comprehension asyet, the Odontoglossum stands in different case. No one in England hasraised a plant from seed--that we may venture to say definitely. Mr. Cookson and Mr. Veitch, perhaps others also, have obtained living germs, but they died incontinently. Frenchmen, aided by the climate, have beenrather more successful. MM. Bleu and Moreau have both flowered seedlingOdontoglots. M. Jacob, who takes charge of M. Edmund de Rothschild'sorchids at Armainvilliers, has a considerable number of young plants. The reluctance of Odontoglots to propagate is regarded as strange; itsupplies a constant theme for discussion among orchidologists. But Ithink that if we look more closely it appears consistent with otherfacts known. For among importations of every genus but this--andCypripedium--a plant bearing its seed-capsules is frequently discovered;but I cannot hear of such an incident in the case of Odontoglossums. They have been arriving in scores of thousands, year by year, for half acentury almost, and scarcely anyone recollects observing a seed-capsule. This shows how rarely they fertilize in their native home. When thatevent happens, the Odontoglossum is yet more prolific than most, and thegerms, of course, are not so delicate under their natural conditions. But the moral to be drawn is that a country once stripped will not bereclothed. 

I interpolate here a profound observation of Mr. Roezl. That wonderfulman remarked that Odontoglossums grow upon branches thirty feet abovethe ground. It is rare to find them at thirty-five feet, rarer attwenty-five; at greater and less heights they do not exist. Here, doubtless, we have the secret of their reluctance to fertilize; but Iwill offer no comments, because the more one reflects the more puzzlingit becomes. Evidently the seed must be carried above and must fall belowthat limit, under circumstances which, to our apprehension, seem just asfavourable as those at the altitude of thirty feet. But they do notgerminate. Upon the other hand, Odontoglossums show no such daintinessof growth in our houses. They flourish at any height, if the generalconditions be suitable. Mr. Roezl discovered a secret nevertheless, andin good time we shall learn further. 

To the Royal Horticultural Society of England belongs the honour offirst importing orchids methodically and scientifically. Messrs. Weirand Fortune, I believe, were their earliest employés. Another wasTheodor Hartweg, who discovered _Odontoglossum crispum Alexandræ_ in1842; but he sent home only dried specimens. From these Lindleydescribed and classed the plant, aided by the sketch of a Spanish orPeruvian artist, Tagala. A very curious mistake Lindley fell into oneither point. The scientific error does not concern us, but herepresented the colouring of the flower as yellow with a purple centre. So Tagala painted it, and his drawing survives. It is an odd littlestory. He certainly had Hartweg's bloom before him, and that certainlywas white. But then again yellow Alexandræs have been found since thatday. To the Horticultural Society we are indebted, not alone for thediscovery of this wonder, but also for its introduction. John Weir wastravelling for them when he sent living specimens in 1862. It is notsurprising that botanists thought it new after what has been said. Assuch Mr. Bateman named it after the young Princess of Wales--a choicemost appropriate in every way. 

[Illustration: ODONTOGLOSSUM CRISPUM ALEXANDRAEFlower reduced to One FourthFlower Stem to One Sixth]

Then a few wealthy amateurs took up the business of importation, such asthe Duke of Devonshire. But "the Trade" came to see presently that therewas money in this new fashion, and imported so vigorously that theSociety found its exertions needless. Messrs. Rollisson of Tooting, Messrs. Veitch of Chelsea, and Messrs. Low of Clapton distinguishedthemselves from the outset. Of these three firms one is extinct; thesecond has taken up, and made its own, the fascinating study ofhybridization among orchids; the third still perseveres. Twenty yearsago, nearly all the great nurserymen in London used to send out theirtravellers; but they have mostly dropped the practice. Correspondentsforward a shipment from time to time. The expenses of the collector areheavy, even if he draw no more than his due--and the temptation to makeup a fancy bill cannot be resisted by some weak mortals. Then, gravelosses are always probable--in the case of South American importations, certain. It has happened not once but a hundred times that the toil ofmonths, the dangers, the sufferings, and the hard money expended go toabsolute waste. Twenty or thirty thousand plants or more an honest mancollects, brings down from the mountains or the forests, packscarefully, and ships. The freight alone may reach from three to eighthundred pounds--I have personally known instances when it exceeded fivehundred. The cases arrive in England--and not a living thing therein! Asteamship company may reduce its charge under such circumstances, butagain and again it will happen that the speculator stands out of athousand pounds clean when his boxes are opened. He may hope to recoverit on the next cargo, but that is still a question of luck. No wonderthat men whose business is not confined to orchids withdrew from therisks of importation, returning to roses and lilies and daffodowndillieswith a new enthusiasm. 

There is another point also, which has varying force with differentcharacters. The loss of life among those men who "go out collecting" hasbeen greater proportionately, than in any class of which I have heard. In former times, at least, they were chosen haphazard, among intelligentand trustworthy employés of the firm. Trustworthiness was a grand point, for reasons hinted. The honest youth, not very strong perhaps in anEnglish climate, went bravely forth into the unhealthiest parts ofunhealthy lands, where food is very scarce, and very, very rough; wherehe was wet through day after day, for weeks at a time; where "thefever, " of varied sort, comes as regularly as Sunday; where from monthto month he found no one with whom to exchange a word. I could make outa startling list of the martyrs of orchidology. Among Mr. Sander'scollectors alone, Falkenberg perished at Panama, Klaboch in Mexico, Endres at Rio Hacha, Wallis in Ecuador, Schroeder in Sierra Leone, Arnold on the Orinoco, Digance in Brazil, Brown in Madagascar. SirTrevor Lawrence mentions a case where the zealous explorer "waded for afortnight up to his middle in mud, " searching for a plant he had heardof. I have not identified this instance of devotion, but we know ofrarities which would demand perseverance and sufferings almost equal tosecure them. If employers could find the heart to tempt afellow-creature into such risks, the chances are that it would prove badbusiness. For to discover a new or valuable orchid is only the firststep in a commercial enterprise. It remains to secure the "article, " tobring it safely into a realm that may be called civilized, to pack itand superintend its transport through the sweltering lowland to ashipping place. If the collector sicken after finding his prize, thesecares are neglected more or less; if he die, all comes to a full stop. Thus it happens that the importing business has been given up by onefirm after another. 

Odontoglossums, as I said, belong to America--to the mountainous partsof the continent in general. Though it would be wildly rash to pronouncewhich is the loveliest of orchids, no man with eyes would dispute that_O. Crispum Alexandræ_ is the queen of this genus. She has her home inthe States of Colombia, and those who seek her make Bogota theirheadquarters. If the collector wants the broad-petalled variety, he goesabout ten days to the southward before commencing operations; if thenarrow-petalled, about two days to the north--on mule-back of course. His first care on arrival in the neighbourhood--which is unexploredground, if such he can discover--is to hire a wood; that is, a track ofmountain clothed more or less with timber. I have tried to procure oneof these "leases, " which must be odd documents; but orchid-farming is aclose and secret business. The arrangement concluded in legal form, hehires natives, twenty or fifty or a hundred, as circumstances advise, and sends them to cut down trees, building meantime a wooden stage ofsufficient length to bear the plunder expected. This is used forcleaning and drying the plants brought in. Afterwards, if he be prudent, he follows his lumber-men, to see that their indolence does not shirkthe big trunks--which give extra trouble naturally, though they yieldthe best and largest return. It is a terribly wasteful process. If weestimate that a good tree has been felled for every three scraps ofOdontoglossum which are now established in Europe, that will be noexaggeration. And for many years past they have been arriving byhundreds of thousands annually! But there is no alternative. An Europeancannot explore that green wilderness overhead; if he could, hisaccumulations would be so slow and costly as to raise the proceeds to animpossible figure. The natives will not climb, and they would tear theplants to bits. Timber has no value in those parts as yet, but the dayapproaches when Government must interfere. The average yield of_Odontoglossum crispum_ per tree is certainly not more than five largeand small together. Once upon a time Mr. Kerbach recovered fifty-threeat one felling, and the incident has grown into a legend; two or threeis the usual number. Upon the other hand, fifty or sixty of _O. Gloriosum_, comparatively worthless, are often secured. The cuttersreceive a fixed price of sixpence for each orchid, without reference tospecies or quality. 

When his concession is exhausted, the traveller overhauls the producecarefully, throwing away those damaged pieces which would ferment in thelong, hot journey home, and spoil the others. When all are clean anddry, he fixes them with copper wire on sticks, which are nailed acrossboxes for transport. Long experience has laid down rules for eachdetail of this process. The sticks, for example, are one inch indiameter, fitting into boxes two feet three inches wide, two feet deep, neither more nor less. Then the long file of mules sets out for Bogota, perhaps ten days' march, each animal carrying two boxes--a burdenridiculously light, but on such tracks it is dimension which has to beconsidered. On arrival at Bogota, the cases are unpacked and examinedfor the last time, restowed, and consigned to the muleteers again. Insix days they reach Honda, on the Magdalena River, where, until lately, they were embarked on rafts for a voyage of fourteen days to Savanilla. At the present time, an American company has established a service offlat-bottomed steamers which cover the distance in seven days, thusreducing the risks of the journey by one-half. But they are stillterrible. Not a breath of wind stirs the air at that season, for thecollector cannot choose his time. The boxes are piled on deck; even thepitiless sunshine is not so deadly as the stewing heat below. He has astore of blankets to cover them, on which he lays a thatch ofpalm-leaves, and all day long he souses the pile with water; but toowell the poor fellow knows that mischief is busy down below. Anotheranxiety possesses him too. It may very well be that on arrival atSavanilla he has to wait days in that sweltering atmosphere for theRoyal Mail steamer. And when it comes in, his troubles do not cease, forthe stowage of the precious cargo is vastly important. On deck it willalmost certainly be injured by salt water. In the hold it will ferment. Amidships it is apt to be baked by the engine fire. Whilst writing Ilearn that Mr. Sander has lost two hundred and sixty-seven cases by thislatter mishap, as is supposed. So utterly hopeless is their condition, that he will not go to the expense of overhauling them; they lie atSouthampton, and to anybody who will take them away all partiesconcerned will be grateful. The expense of making this shipment a readermay judge from the hints given. The Royal Mail Company's charge forfreight from Manzanilla is 750l. I could give an incident of the sameclass yet more startling with reference to Phaloenopsis. It is proper toadd that the most enterprising of Assurance Companies do not yet seetheir way to accept any kind of risks in the orchid trade; importersmust bear all the burden. To me it seems surprising that the plants canbe sold so cheap, all things considered. Many persons think and hopethat prices will fall, and that may probably happen with regard to somegenera. But the shrewdest of those very shrewd men who conduct thebusiness all look for a rise. 

_Od. Harryanum_ always reminds me--in such an odd association of ideasas everyone has experienced--of a thunderstorm. The contrast of itsintense brown blotches with the azure throat and the broad, snowy lip, affect me somehow with admiring oppression. Very absurd; but _on estfait comme ça_, as Nana excused herself. To call this most strikingflower "Harryanum" is grotesque. The public is not interested in thosecircumstances which give the name significance for a few, and if therebe any flower which demands an expressive title, it is this, in myjudgment. Possibly it was some Indian report which had slipped hisrecollection that led Roezl to predict the discovery of a newOdontoglot, unlike any other, in the very district where _Od. Harryanum_was found after his death, though the story is quoted as an example ofthat instinct which guides the heaven-born collector. The first plantscame unannounced in a small box sent by Señor Pantocha, of Colombia, toMessrs. Horsman in 1885, and they were flowered next year by Messrs. Veitch. The dullest who sees it can now imagine the excitement when thismarvel was displayed, coming from an unknown habitat. Roezl'sprediction occurred to many of his acquaintance, I have heard; but Mr. Sander had a living faith in his old friend's sagacity. Forthwith hedespatched a collector to the spot which Roezl had named--but notvisited--and found the treasure. The legends of orchidology will begathered one day, perhaps; and if the editor be competent, his volumeshould be almost as interesting to the public as to the cognoscenti. 

I have been speaking hitherto of Colombian Odontoglossums, which arereckoned among the hardiest of their class. Along with them, in the sametemperature, grow the cool Masdevallias, which probably are the mostdifficult of all to transport. There was once a grand consignment of_Masdevallia Schlimii_, which Mr. Roezl despatched on his own account. It contained twenty-seven thousand plants of this species, representingat that time a fortune. Mr. Roezl was the luckiest and most experiencedof collectors, and he took special pains with this unique shipment. Among twenty-seven thousand two bits survived when the cases wereopened; the agent hurried them off to Stevens's auction-rooms, and soldthem forthwith at forty guineas each. But I must stick toOdontoglossums. Speculative as is the business of importing the northernspecies, to gather those of Peru and Ecuador is almost desperate. Theroads of Colombia are good, the population civilized, conveniencesabound, if we compare that region with the orchid-bearing territories ofthe south. There is a fortune to be secured by anyone who will bring tomarket a lot of _O. Noeveum_ in fair condition. Its habitat isperfectly well known. I am not aware that it has a delicateconstitution; but no collector is so rash or so enthusiastic as to trythat adventure again, now that its perils are understood; and noemployer is so reckless as to urge him. The true variety of _O. Hallii_stands in much the same case. To obtain it the explorer must march inthe bed of a torrent and on the face of a precipice alternately for anuncertain period of time, with a river to cross about every day. And hehas to bring back his loaded mules, or Indians, over the same pathlesswaste. The Roraima Mountain begins to be regarded as quite easy travelfor the orchid-hunter nowadays. If I mention that the canoe-work on thisroute demands thirty-two portages, thirty-two loadings and unloadings ofthe cargo, the reader can judge what a "difficult road" must be. Ascending the Roraima, Mr. Dressel, collecting for Mr. Sander, lost hisherbarium in the Essequibo River. Savants alone are able to estimate theawful nature of the crisis when a comrade looses his grip of thattreasure. For them it is needless to add that everything else went tothe bottom. [2]

One is tempted to linger among the Odontoglots, though time is pressing. In no class of orchids are natural hybrids so mysterious and frequent. Sometimes one can detect the parentage; in such cases, doubtless, thecrossing occurred but a few generations back: as a rule, however, suchplants are the result of breeding in and in from age to age, causing allmanner of delightful complications. How many can trace the lineage ofMr. Bull's _Od. Delectabile_--ivory white, tinged with rose, strikinglyblotched with red and showing a golden labellum? or Mr. Sander's _Od. Alberti-Edwardi_, which has a broad soft margin of gold about itsstately petals? Another is rosy white, closely splashed with palepurple, and dotted round the edge with spots of the same tint so thicklyplaced that they resemble a fringe. Such marvels turn up in animportation without the slightest warning--no peculiarity betrays themuntil the flowers open; when the lucky purchaser discovers that a plantfor which he gave perhaps a shilling is worth an indefinite number ofguineas. 

Lycaste also is a genus peculiar to America, such a favourite amongthose who know its merits that the species _L. Skinneri_ is called the"Drawing-Room Flower. " Professor Reichenbach observes in his superbvolume that many people utterly ignorant of orchids grow this plant intheir miscellaneous collection. I speak of it without prejudice, for tomy mind the bloom is stiff, heavy, and poor in colour. But there aretremendous exceptions. In the first place, _Lycaste Skinneri alba_, thepure white variety, beggars all description. Its great flower seems tobe sculptured in the snowiest of transparent marble. That stolidpretentious air which offends one--offends me, at least--in the colouredexamples, becomes virginal dignity in this case. Then, of the normaltype there are more than a hundred variations recognized, some with lipsas deep in tone, and as smooth in texture, as velvet, of all shades frommaroon to brightest crimson. It will be understood that I allude to thecommon forms in depreciating this species. How vast is the differencebetween them, their commercial value shows. Plants of the same size andthe same species range from 3s. 6d. To 35 guineas, or moreindefinitely. 

Lycastes are found in the woods, of Guatemala especially, and I haveheard no such adventures in the gathering of them as attendOdontoglossums. Easily obtained, easily transported, and remarkably easyto grow, of course they are cheap. A man must really "give his mind toit" to kill a Lycaste. This counts for much, no doubt, in the popularityof the genus, but it has plenty of other virtues. _L. Skinneri_ opens inthe depth of winter, and all the rest, I think, in the dull months. Then, they are profuse of bloom, throwing up half a dozen spikes, or, insome species, a dozen, from a single bulb, and the flowers last aprodigious time. Their extraordinary thickness in every part enablesthem to withstand bad air and changes of temperature, so that ladieskeep them on a drawing-room table, night and day, for months, withoutchange perceptible. Mr. Williams names an instance where a _L. Skinneri_, bought in full bloom on February 2, was kept in asitting-room till May 18, when the purchaser took it back, stillhandsome. I have heard cases more surprising. Of species somewhat lesscommon there is _L. Aromatica_, a little gem, which throws up anindefinite number of short spikes, each crowned with a greenish yellowtriangular sort of cup, deliciously scented. I am acquainted with noflower that excites such enthusiasm among ladies who fancy Messrs. Liberty's style of toilette; sad experience tells me that tencommandments or twenty will not restrain them from appropriating it. _L. Cruenta_ is almost as tempting. As for _L. Leucanthe_, an exquisitecombination of pale green and snow white, it ranks with _L. Skinnerialba_ as a thing too beautiful for words. This species has not been longintroduced, and at the moment it is dear proportionately. There is yetanother virtue of the Lycaste which appeals to the expert. It lendsitself readily to hybridization. This most fascinating pursuit attractsfew amateurs as yet, and the professionals have little time orinclination for experiments. They naturally prefer to make such crossesas are almost certain to pay. Thus it comes about that the hybridizationof Lycastes has been attempted but recently, and none of the seedlings, so far as I can learn, have flowered. They have been obtained, however, in abundance, not only from direct crossing, but also from alliance withZygopetalum, Anguloa, and Maxillaria. 

The genus Cypripedium, Lady's Slipper, is perhaps more widely scatteredover the globe than any other class of plant; I, at least, am acquaintedwith none that approaches it. From China to Peru--nay, beyond, fromArchangel to Torres Straits, --but it is wise to avoid these semi-poeticdescriptions. In brief, if we except Africa and the temperate parts ofAustralia, there is no large tract of country in the world that does notproduce Cypripediums; and few authorities doubt that a largeracquaintance with those realms will bring them under the rule. We have aspecies in England, _C. Calceolus_, by no means insignificant; it can bepurchased from the dealers, but it is almost extinct in this countrynow. America furnishes a variety of species; which ought to be hardy. They will bear a frost below zero, but our winter damp is intolerable. Mr. Godseff tells me that he has seen _C. Spectabile_ growing like anywater-weed in the bogs of New Jersey, where it is frozen hard, roots andall, for several months of the year; but very few survive the season inthis country, even if protected. Those fine specimens so common at ourspring shows are imported in the dry state. From the United States alsowe get the charming _C. Candidum_, _C. Parviflorum_, _C. Pubescens_, andmany more less important. Canada and Siberia furnish _C. Guttatum_, _C. Macranthum_, and others. I saw in Russia, and brought home, amagnificent species, tall and stately, bearing a great golden flower, which is not known "in the trade;" but they all rotted gradually. Therefore I do not recommend these fine outdoor varieties, which theinexperienced are apt to think so easy. At the same cost others may bebought, which, coming from the highlands of hot countries, are used to amoderate damp in winter. 

Foremost of these, perhaps the oldest of cool orchids in cultivation, is_C. Insigne_, from Nepal. Everyone knows its original type, which hasgrown so common that I remarked a healthy pot at a window-gardenexhibition some years ago in Westminster. One may say that this, theearly and familiar form, has no value at present, so many fine varietieshave been introduced. A reader may form a notion of the difference whenI state that a small plant of exceptional merit sold for thirty guineasa short time ago--it was _C. Insigne_, but glorified. This ranks amongthe fascinations of orchid culture. You may buy a lot of some commonkind, imported, at a price representing coppers for each individual, andamong them may appear, when they come to bloom, an eccentricity whichsells for a hundred pounds or more. The experienced collector has avolume of such legends. There is another side to the question, truly, but it does not personally interest the class which I address. To make achoice among numberless stories of this sort, we may take the instanceof _C. Spicerianum_. 

It turned up among a quantity of _Cypripedium insigne_ in thegreenhouse of Mrs. Spicer, a lady residing at Twickenham. Astonished atthe appearance of this swan among her ducks, she asked Mr. Veitch tolook at it. He was delighted to pay seventy guineas down for such aprize. Cypripediums propagate easily, no more examples came into themarket, and for some years this lovely species was a treasure for dukesand millionaires. It was no secret that the precious novelty came fromMrs. Spicer's greenhouse; but to call on a strange lady and demand howshe became possessed of a certain plant is not a course of action thatcommends itself to respectable business men. The circumstances gave noclue. Messrs. Spicer were and are large manufacturers of paper; there isno visible connection betwixt paper and Indian orchids. By discreetinquiries, however, it was ascertained that one of the lady's sons had atea-plantation in Assam. No more was needed. By the next mail Mr. Forstermann started for that vague destination, and in process of timereached Mr. Spicer's bungalow. There he asked for "a job. " None could befound for him; but tea-planters are hospitable, and the stranger wasinvited to stop a day or two. But he could not lead the conversationtowards orchids--perhaps because his efforts were too clever, perhapsbecause his host took no interest in the subject. One day, however, Mr. Spicer's manager invited him to go shooting, and casually remarked "weshall pass the spot where I found those orchids they're making such afuss about at home. " Be sure Mr. Forstermann was alert that morning!Thus put upon the track, he discovered quantities of it, bade thetea-planter adieu, and went to work; but in the very moment of triumph atiger barred the way, his coolies bolted, and nothing would persuadethem to go further. Mr. Forstermann was no shikari, but he felt himselfcalled upon to uphold the cause of science and the honour of England atthis juncture. In great agitation he went for that feline, and, inshort, its skin still adorns Mrs. Sander's drawing-room. Thus ithappened that on a certain Thursday a small pot of _C. Spicerianum_ wassold, as usual, for sixty guineas at Stevens's; on the Thursdayfollowing all the world could buy fine plants at a guinea. 

Cypripedium is the favourite orchid of the day. It has every advantage, except, to my perverse mind--brilliancy of colour. None show a wholetone; even the lovely _C. Niveum_ is not pure white. My views, however, find no backing. At all other points the genus deserves to be afavourite. In the first place, it is the most interesting of all orchidsto science. [3] Then its endless variations of form, its astonishingoddities, its wide range of hues, its easy culture, its readiness tohybridize and to ripen seed, the certainty, by comparison, of rearingthe proceeds, each of these merits appeals to one or other oforchid-growers. Many of the species which come from torrid lands, indeed, are troublesome, but with such we are not concerned. The coolvarieties will do well anywhere, provided they receive water enough insummer, and not too little in winter. I do not speak of the American andSiberian classes, which are nearly hopeless for the amateur, nor of theHong-Kong _Cypripedium purpuratum_, a very puzzling example. 

On the roll of martyrs to orchidology, Mr. Pearce stands high. To him weowe, among many fine things, the hybrid Begonias which are becoming suchfavourites for bedding and other purposes. He discovered the threeoriginal types, parents of the innumerable "garden flowers" now onsale--_Begonia Pearcii_, _B. Veitchii_, and _B. Boliviensis_. It was hisgreat luck, and great honour, to find _Masdevallia Veitchii_--so long, so often, so laboriously searched for from that day to this, but nevereven heard of. To collect another shipment of that glorious orchid, Mr. Pearce sailed for Peru, in the service, I think, of Mr. Bull. Unhappily--for us all as well as for himself--he was detained at Panama. Somewhere in those parts there is a magnificent Cypripedium with whichwe are acquainted only by the dried inflorescence, named _planifolium_. The poor fellow could not resist this temptation. They told him atPanama that no white man had returned from the spot, but he went on. TheIndians brought him back, some days or weeks later, without the prize;and he died on arrival. 

Oncidiums also are a product of the New World exclusively; in fact, ofthe four classes most useful to amateurs, three belong wholly toAmerica, and the fourth in great part. I resist the temptation toinclude Masdevallia, because that genus is not so perfectly easy as therest; but if it be added, nine-tenths, assuredly, of the plants in ourcool house come from the West. Among the special merits of the Oncidiumis its colour. I have heard thoughtless persons complain that they are"all yellow;" which, as a statement of fact, is near enough to thetruth, for about three-fourths may be so described roughly. But thisdispensation is another proof of Nature's kindly regard for theinterests of our science. A clear, strong, golden yellow is the colourthat would have been wanting in our cool houses had not the Oncidiumsupplied it. Shades of lemon and buff are frequent among Odontoglossums, but, in a rough, general way of speaking, they have a white ground. Masdevallias give us scarlet and orange and purple; Lycastes, green anddull yellow; Sophronitis, crimson; Mesospinidium, rose, and so forth. Blue must not be looked for. Even counting the new Utricularia for anorchid, as most people do, there are, I think, but five species thatwill live among us at present, in all the prodigious family, showingthis colour; and every one of them is very "hot. " Thus it appears thatthe Oncidium fills a gap--and how gloriously! There is no such pure goldin the scheme of the universe as it displays under fifty shapeswondrously varied. Thus--_Oncidium macranthum!_ one is continuallytempted to exclaim, as one or other glory of the orchid world recurs tomind, that it is the supreme triumph of floral beauty. I have sinnedthus, and I know it. Therefore, let the reader seek an opportunity tobehold _O. Macranthum_, and judge for himself. But it seems to me thatNature gives us a hint. As though proudly conscious what a marvel itwill unfold, this superb flower often demands nine months to perfectitself. Dr. Wallace told me of an instance in his collection whereeighteen months elapsed from the appearance of the spike until theopening of the first bloom. But it lasts a time proportionate. 

[Illustration: ONCIDIUM MACRANTHUMReduced to One Sixth]

Nature forestalled the dreams of æsthetic colourists when she designed_Oncidium macranthum_. Thus, and not otherwise, would the thoughtful ofthem arrange a "harmony" in gold and bronze; but Nature, withcharacteristic indifference to the fancies of mankind, hid her_chef-d'oeuvre_ in the wilds of Ecuador. Hardly less striking, however, though perhaps less beautiful, are its sisters of the"small-lipped" species--_Onc. Serratum_, _O. Superbiens_, and _O. Sculptum_. This last is rarely seen. As with others of its class, thespike grows very long, twelve feet perhaps, if it were allowed tostretch. The flowers are small comparatively, clear bronze-brown, highlypolished, so closely and daintily frilled round the edges that a fairygoffering-iron could not give more regular effects, and outlined by anarrow band of gold. _Onc. Serratum_ has a much larger bloom, but lesscompact, rather fly-away indeed, its sepals widening gracefully from anarrow neck. Excessively curious is the disposition of the petals, whichclose their tips to form a circle of brown and gold around the column. The purpose of this extraordinary arrangement--unique among orchids, Ibelieve--will be discovered one day, for purpose there is, no doubt; tojudge by analogy, it may be supposed that the insect upon which _Onc. Serratum_ depends for fertilization likes to stand upon this ring whilethrusting its proboscis into the nectary. The fourth of these finespecies, _Onc. Superbiens_, ranks among the grandest of flowers--knowingits own value, it rarely consents to "oblige;" the dusky green sepalsare margined with yellow, petals white, clouded with pale purple, lipvery small, of course, purple, surmounted by a great golden crest. 

Most strange and curious is _Onc. Fuscatum_, of which the shape defiesdescription. Seen from the back, it shows a floriated cross of equallimbs; but in front the nethermost is hidden by a spreading lip, verylarge proportionately. The prevailing tint is a dun-purple, but each armhas a broad white tip. Dun-purple, also, is the centre of the labellum, edged with a distinct band of lighter hue, which again, towards themargin, becomes white. These changes of tone are not gradual, but asclear as a brush could make them. Botanists must long to dissect thisextraordinary flower, but the opportunity seldom occurs. It isdesperately puzzling to understand how nature has packed away thecomponent parts of its inflorescence, so as to resolve them into fournarrow arms and a labellum. But the colouring of this plant is notalways dull. In the small Botanic Garden at Florence, by Santa MariaMaggiore, I remarked with astonishment an _Onc. Fuscatum_, of which thelip was scarlet-crimson and the other tints bright to match. Thatcollection is admirably grown, but orchids are still scarce in Italy. The Society did not know what a prize it had secured by chance. 

The genus Oncidium has, perhaps, more examples of a startlingcombination in hues than any other--but one must speak thoughtfully andcautiously upon such points. 

I have not to deal with culture, but one hint may be given. Gardenerswho have a miscellaneous collection to look after, often set themselvesagainst an experiment in orchid-growing because these plants sufferterribly from green-fly and other pests, and will not bear "smoking. " Tokeep them clean and healthy by washing demands labour for which theyhave no time. This is a very reasonable objection. But though the smokeof tobacco is actual ruination, no plant whatever suffers from the steamthereof. An ingenious Frenchman has invented and patented in Englandlately a machine called the Thanatophore, which I confidentlyrecommend. It can be obtained from Messrs. B. S. Williams, of UpperHolloway. The Thanatophore destroys every insect within reach of itsvapour, excepting, curiously enough, scaly-bug, which, however, does notpersecute cool orchids much. The machine may be obtained in differentsizes through any good ironmonger. 

To sum up: these plants ask nothing in return for the measurelessenjoyment they give but light, shade from the summer sun, protectionfrom the winter frost, moisture--and brains. 

 * * * * *

I am allowed to print a letter which bears upon several points to whichI have alluded. It is not cheerful reading for the enthusiast. He willbe apt to cry, "Would that the difficulties and perils were infinitelygraver--so grave that the collecting grounds might have a rest fortwenty years!"

_January 19th, 1893. _

DEAR SIR, I have received your two letters asking for _Cattleya Lawrenceana_, _Pancratium Guianense_, and _Catasetum pileatum_. Kindly excuse myanswering your letters only to-day. But I have been away in theinterior, and on my return was sick, besides other business taking up mytime; I was unable to write until to-day. Now let me give you someinformation concerning orchid-collecting in this colony. Six or sevenyears ago, just when the gold industry was starting, very few peopleever ventured in the far interior. Boats, river-hands, and Indians couldbe hired at ridiculously low prices, and travelling and bartering paid;wages for Indians being about a shilling per day, and all found; thesame for river-hands. Captains and boatswains to pilot the boat throughthe rapids up and down for sixty-four cents a day. To-day you have gotto pay sixty-four to eighty cents per day for Indians and river-hands. Captains and boatswains, $2 the former, and $1:50 the latter per day, and then you often cannot get them. Boat-hire used to be $8 to $10 for abig boat for three to four months; to-day $5, $6, and $7 per day, andall through the rapid development of the gold industry. As you cancalculate twenty-five days' river travel to get within reach of theSavannah lands, you can reckon what the expenses must be, and then againabout five to seven days coming down the river, and a couple of days tolay over. Then you must count two trips like this, one to bring you up, and one to bring you down three months after, when you return with yourcollection. Besides this, you run the risk of losing your boat in therapids either way, which happens not very unfrequently either going orcoming; and we have not only to record the loss of several boats withgoods, etc. , every month, but generally to record the loss of life; onlytwo cases happening last month, in one case seven, in the other twelvemen losing their lives. Besides, river-hands and blacks will not gofurther than the boats can travel, and nothing will induce them to goamong the Indians, being afraid of getting poisoned by Inds. (Kaiserimas) or strangled. So you have to rely utterly on Indians, whichyou often cannot get, as the district of Roraima is very poorlyinhabited, and most of the Indians died by smallpox and measles breakingout among them four years ago, and those that survived left thedistrict, and you will find whole districts nearly uninhabited. Aboutfive years ago I went up with Mr. Osmers to Roraima, but he broke downbefore we reached the Savannah. He lay there for a week, and I gave himup; he recovered, however, and dragged himself into the Savannah nearRoraima, about three days distant from it, where I left him. Here wefound and made a splendid collection of about 3000 first-class plants ofdifferent kinds. 

While I was going up to Roraima, he stayed in the Savannah, still toosick to go further. At Roraima I collected everything except _Catt. Lawrenceana_, which was utterly rooted out already by former collectors. On my return to Osmers' camp, I found him more dead than alive, throwndown by a new attack of sickness; but not alone that, I also found himabandoned by most of our Indians, who had fled on account of the Kanaimahaving killed three of their number. So Mr. Osmers--who got soonbetter--and I, made up our baskets with plants, and made everythingready. Our Indians returning partly, I sent him ahead with as many loadsas we could carry, I staying behind with the rest of baskets of plants. Had all our Indians come back, we would have been all right, but thisnot being the case I had to stay until the Indians returned and fetchedme off. After this we got back all right. This was before the sicknessbroke out among the Indians. 

Last year I went up with Mr. Kromer, who met me going up-river while Iwas coming down. So I joined him. We got up all right to the river'shead, but here our troubles began, as we got only about eight Indians togo on with us who had worked in the gold-diggings, and no others couldbe had, the district being abandoned. We had to pay them half a dollara day to carry loads. So we pushed on, carrying part of our loads, leaving the rest of our cargo behind, until we reached the Savannah, when we had to send them back several times to get the balance of ourgoods. From the time we reached the Savannah we were starving, more orless, as we could procure only very little provisions. We hunted allabout for _Catt. Lawrenceana_, and got only about 1500 or so, it growingonly here and there. At Roraima we did not hunt at all, as the districtis utterly rubbed out by the Indians. We were about fourteen days atRoraima and got plenty of _Utricularia Campbelliana_, _U. Humboldtii_, and _U. Montana_. Also _Zygopetalum_, _Cyp. Lindleyanum_, _Oncidiumnigratum_ (only fifty--very rare now), _Cypripedium Schomburgkianum_, _Zygopetalum Burkeii_, and in fact, all that is to be found on and aboutRoraima, except the _Cattleya Lawrenceana_. Also plenty others, asSobralia, Liliastrum, etc. So our collection was not a very great one;we had the hardest trouble now through the want of Indians to carry theloads. Besides this, the rainy weather set in and our loads sufferedbadly for all the care we took of them. Besides, the Indians gotdisagreeable, having to go back several times to bring the remainingbaskets. Nevertheless, we got down as far as the Curubing mountains. Upto this time we were more or less always starving. Arrived at theCurubing mountains, procured a scant supply of provisions, but lostnearly all of them in a small creek, and what was saved was spoilingunder our eyes, it being then that the rainy season had fully started, drenching us from morning to night. It took us nine days to get ourloads over the mountain, where our boat was to reach us to take us downriver. And we were for two and a half days entirely without food. Besides the plants being damaged by stress of weather, the Indians hadopened the baskets and thrown partly the loads away, not being able tocarry the heavy soaked-through baskets over the mountains, so making uslose the best of our plants. 

Arrived at our landing we had to wait for our boat, which arrived a weeklater in consequence of the river being high, and, of course, short ofprovisions. Still, we got away with what we had of our loads until wereached the first gold places kept by a friend of mine, who supplied uswith food. Thereafter we started for town. Halfway, at Kapuri falls (oneof the most dangerous), we swamped down over a rock, and so we lost someof our things; still saved all our plants, though they lay for a fewhours under water with the boat. After this we reached town in safety. So after coming home we found, on packing up, that we had only about 900plants, that is, _Cattleya Lawrenceana_, of which about one-third good, one-third medium, and one-third poor quality. This trip took us aboutthree and a half months, and cost over 2500 dollars. Besides, I havingpoisoned my leg on a rotten stump which I run up in my foot, lay forfour months suffering terrible pain. 

You will, of course, see from this that orchid-hunting is no pleasure, as you of course know, but what I want to point out to you is that_Cattleya Lawrenceana_ is very rare in the interior now. 

The river expenses fearfully high, in fact, unreasonably high, onaccount of the gold-digging. Labourers getting 64 c. To $1. 00 per day, and all found. No Indians to be got, and those that you can get atridiculous prices, and getting them, too, by working on places wherethey build and thatch houses and clear the ground from underbush, and ashuntsmen for gold-diggers. Even if Mr. Kromer had succeeded to get 3000or 4000 fine _Cattleya Lawrenceana_, it would have been of no value tous, as we could not have got anybody to carry them to the river where aboat could reach. Besides this, I also must tell you that there is alicense to be paid out here if you want to collect orchids, amountingto $100, which Mr. Kromer had to pay, and also an export tax duty of 2cents per piece. So that orchid collecting is made a very expensiveaffair. Besides its success being very doubtful, even if a man is verywell acquainted with Indian life and has visited the Savannah reachesyear after year. We spent something over $2500 to $2900, including Mr. Kromer's and Steigfer's passage out, on our last expedition. 

If you want to get any _Lawrenceana_, you will have to send yourself, and as I said before, the results will be very doubtful. As far as Imyself am concerned, I am interested besides my baking business, in thegold-diggings, and shall go up to the Savannah in a few months. I cangive you first-class references if you should be willing to send anexpedition, and we could come to some arrangement; at least, you wouldsave the expenses of the passage of one of your collectors. I may saythat I am quite conversant with the way of packing orchids and handlingthem as well for travel as shipment. 

Kindly excuse, therefore, my lengthy letter and its bad writing. And ifyou should be inclined to go in for an expedition, just send me a listof what you require, and I will tell you whether the plants are foundalong the route of travel and in the Savannah visited; as, forinstance, _Catt. Superba_ does not grow at all in the district where_Catt. Lawrenceana_ is to be found, but far further south. 

Before closing, I beg you to let me know the prices of about twenty-fiveof the best of and prettiest South American orchids, which I want for myown collection, as _Catt. Medellii_, _Catt. Trianæ_, _Odontoglossumcrispum_, _Miltonia vexillaria_, _Catt. Labiata_, &c. 

I shall await your answer as soon as possible, and send you a list bylast mail of what is to be got in this colony. 

We also found on our last visit something new--a very large bulbedOncidium, or may be Catasetum, on the top of Roraima, where we spent anight, but got only two specimens, one of which got lost, and the otherone I left in the hands of Mr. Rodway, but so we tried our best. Itdecayed, having been too seriously damaged to revive and flower, and soenable us to see what it was, it not being in flower when found. 

 Awaiting your kind reply, Yours truly, SEYLER. 

P. S. --If you should send out one of your collectors, or require anyinformation, I shall be glad to give it. 

One of the most experienced collectors, M. Oversluys, writes from theRio de Yanayacca, January, 1893:--

"Here it is absolutely necessary that one goes himself into the woodsahead of the peons, who are quite cowards to enter the woods; and notaltogether without reason, for the larger part of them get sick here, and it is very hard to enter--nearly impenetrable and full of insects, which make fresh-coming people to get cracked and mad. I have from thewrist down not a place to put in a shilling piece which is not a wound, through the very small red spider and other insects. Also my people arethe same. Of the five men I took out, two have got fever already, andone ran back. To-morrow I expect other peons, but not a single one fromMengobamba. It is a trouble to get men who will come into the woods, andI cannot have more than eight or ten to work with, because when I shouldnot be continually behind them or ahead they do nothing. It is not aquestion of money to do good here, but merely luck and the way onetreats people. The peons come out less for their salaries than for goodand plenty of food, which is very difficult to find in these scarcetimes. .. . 

"The plants are here one by one, and we have got but one tree with threeplants. They are on the highest and biggest trees, and these must becut down with axes. Below are all shrubs, full of climbers and lianasabout a finger thick. Every step must be cut to advance, and the groundcleared below the high trees in order to spy the branches. It is a verydifficult job. Nature has well protected this Cattleya. .. . Nobody canlike this kind of work. "

The poor man ends abruptly, "I will write when I can--the mosquitosdon't leave me a moment. "

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 2: See a letter at p. 92. ]

[Footnote 3: _Vide_ "Orchids and Hybridizing, " _infra_, p. 210. ]

WARM ORCHIDS. 

By the expression "warm" we understand that condition which istechnically known as "intermediate. " It is waste of time to ask, at thisday, why a Latin combination should be employed when there is an Englishmonosyllable exactly equivalent; we, at least, will use ourmother-tongue. Warm orchids are those which like a minimum temperature, while growing, of 60°; while resting, of 55°. As for the maximum, itsignifies little in the former case, but in the latter--during themonths of rest--it cannot be allowed to go beyond 60°, for any length oftime, without mischief. These conditions mean, in effect, that the housemust be warmed during nine months of the twelve in this realm ofEngland. "Hot" orchids demand a fire the whole year round--saving a fewvery rare nights when the Briton swelters in tropical discomfort. Uponthis dry subject of temperature, however, I would add one word ofencouragement for those who are not willing to pay a heavy bill forcoke. The cool-house, in general, requires a fire, at night, until June1. Under that condition, if it face the south, in a warm locality, verymany genera and species classed as intermediate should be so thoroughlystarted before artificial heat is withdrawn that they will doexcellently, unless the season be unusual. 

Warm orchids come from a sub-tropic region, or from the mountains of ahotter climate, where their kinsfolk dwelling in the plains defy thethermometer; just as in sub-tropic lands warm species occupy thelowlands, while the heights furnish Odontoglossums and such lovers of achilly atmosphere. There are, however, some warm Odontoglossums, notableamong them _O. Vexillarium_, which botanists class with the Miltonias. This species is very fashionable, and I give it the place of honour; butnot, in my own view, for its personal merits. The name is so singularlyappropriate that one would like to hear the inventor's reasons fortransfiguring it. _Vexillum_ we know, and _vexillarius_, but_vexillarium_ goes beyond my Latin. However, it is an intelligible word, and those acquainted with the appearance of "regimental colours" in OldRome perceive its fitness at a glance. The flat bloom seems to hangsuspended from its centre, just as the _vexillum_ figures inbas-relief--on the Arch of Antoninus, for example. To my mind thecolouring is insipid, as a rule, and the general effect stark--fashionin orchids, as in other things, has little reference to taste. I repeatwith emphasis, _as a rule_, for some priceless specimens are no lessthan astounding in their blaze of colour, the quintessence of a millionuninteresting blooms. The poorest of these plants have merit, no doubt, for those who can accommodate giants. They grow fast and big. There arespecimens in this country a yard across, which display a hundred andfifty or two hundred flowers open at the same time for months. A superbshow they make, rising over the pale sea-green foliage, four spikesperhaps from a single bulb. But this is a beauty of general effect, which must not be analyzed, as I think. 

_Odontoglossum vexillarium_ is brought from Colombia. There are twoforms: the one--small, evenly red, flowering in autumn--was discoveredby Frank Klaboch, nephew to the famous Roezl, on the Dagua River, inAntioquia. For eight years he persisted in despatching small quantitiesto Europe, though every plant died; at length a safer method oftransmission was found, but simultaneously poor Klaboch himselfsuccumbed. It is an awful country--perhaps the wettest under the sun. Though a favourite hunting-ground of collectors now--for Cattleyas ofvalue come from hence, besides this precious Odontoglot--there are stillno means of transport, saving Indians and canoes. _O. Vexillarium_ wouldnot be thought costly if buyers knew how rare it is, how expensive toget, and how terribly difficult to bring home. Forty thousand pieceswere despatched to Mr. Sander in one consignment--he hugged himself withdelight when three thousand proved to have some trace of vitality. 

Mr. Watson, Assistant Curator at Kew, recalls an amusing instance of thevalue and the mystery attached to this species so late as 1867. In thatyear Professor Reichenbach described it for the first time. He tells howa friend lent him the bloom upon a negative promise under fiveheads--"First, not to show it to any one else; (2) not to speak muchabout it; (3) not to take a drawing of it; (4) not to have a photographmade; (5) not to look oftener than three times at it. " By-the-bye, Mr. Watson gives the credit of the first discovery to the late Mr. Bowman;but I venture to believe that my account is exact--in reference to theAntioquia variety, at least. 

The other form occurs in the famous district of Frontino, about twohundred and fifty miles due north of the first habitat, andshows--_savants_ would add "of course"--a striking difference. In thegeographical distinctions of species will be found the key to wholevolumes of mystery that perplex us now. I once saw three Odontoglossumsranged side by side, which even an expert would pronounce mere varietiesof the same plant if he were not familiar with them--_Od. Williamsi_, _Od. Grande_, and _Od. Schlieperianum_. The middle one everybody knows, by sight at least, a big, stark, spread-eagle flower, gamboge yellowmottled with red-brown, vastly effective in the mass, but individuallyvulgar. On one side was _Od. Williamsi_, essentially the same in flowerand bulb and growth, but smaller; opposite stood _Od. Schlieperianum_, only to be distinguished as smaller still. But both these latter rank asspecies. They are separated from the common type, _O. Grande_, by nearlyten degrees of latitude and ten degrees of longitude, nor--we mightalmost make an affidavit--do any intermediate forms exist in the spacebetween; and those degrees are sub-tropical, by so much more significantthan an equal distance in our zone. Instances of the same class and moresurprising are found in many genera of orchid. 

The Frontino _vexillarium_ grows "cooler, " has a much larger bloom, varies in hue from purest white to deepest red, and flowers in May orJune. The most glorious of these things, however, is _O. Vex. Superbum_, a plant of the greatest rarity, conspicuous for its blotch ofdeep purple in the centre of the lip, and its little dot of the same oneach wing. Doubtless this is a natural hybrid betwixt the Antioquia formand _Odontoglossum Roezlii_, which is its neighbour. The chance offinding a bit of _superbum_ in a bundle of the ordinary kind lendspeculiar excitement to a sale of these plants. Such luck first occurredto Mr. Bath, in Stevens' Auction Rooms. He paid half-a-crown for a veryweakly fragment, brought it round, flowered it, and received a prize forgood gardening in the shape of seventy-two pounds, cheerfully paid bySir Trevor Lawrence for a plant unique at that time. I am reminded ofanother little story. Among a great number of _Cypripedium insigne_received at St. Albans, and "established, " Mr. Sander noted onepresently of which the flower-stalk was yellow instead of brown, as isusual. Sharp eyes are a valuable item of the orchid-grower'sstock-in-trade, for the smallest peculiarity among such "sportive"objects should not be neglected. Carefully he put the yellow stalkaside--the only one among thousands, one might say myriads, since _C. Insigne_ is one of our oldest and commonest orchids, and it nevershowed this phenomenon before. In due course the flower opened, andproved to be all golden! Mr. Sander cut his plant in two, sold half forseventy-five pounds to a favoured customer, and the other half, publicly, for one hundred guineas. One of the purchasers has divided hisplant now and sold two bits at 100 guineas. Another piece was boughtback by Mr. Sander, who wanted it for hybridizing, at 250 guineas--not abad profit for the buyer, who has still two plants left. Anotherinstance occurs to me while I write--such legends of shrewdness worthilyrewarded fascinate a poor journalist who has the audacity to groworchids. Mr. Harvey, solicitor, of Liverpool, strolling through thehouses at St. Albans on July 24, 1883, remarked a plant of _Loeliaanceps_, which had the ring-mark on its pseudo-bulb much higher up thanis usual. There might be some meaning in that eccentricity, he thought, paid two guineas for the little thing, and on December 1, 1888, sold itback to Mr. Sander for 200l. It proved to be _L. A. Amesiana_, thegrandest form of _L. Anceps_ yet discovered--rosy white, with petalsdeeply splashed; thus named after F. L. Ames, an American amateur. Suchpleasing opportunities might arise for you or me any day. 

The first name that arises to most people in thinking of warm orchidsis Cattleya, and naturally. The genus Odontoglossum alone has morerepresentatives under cultivation. Sixty species of Cattleya are grownby amateurs who pay special attention to these plants; as for the numberof "varieties" in a single species, one boasts forty, another thirty, several pass the round dozen. They are exclusively American, but theyflourish over all the enormous space between Mexico and the ArgentineRepublic. The genus is not a favourite of my own, for somewhat of thesame reason which qualifies my regard for _O. Vexillarium_. Cattleyasare so obtrusively beautiful, they have such great flowers, which theythrust upon the eye with such assurance of admiration! Theirs is a styleof effect--I refer to the majority--which may be called infantine; suchas an intelligent and tasteful child might conceive if he had no finesense of colour, and were too young to distinguish a showy from acharming form. But I say no more. 

The history of Orchids long established is uncertain, but I believe thatthe very first Cattleya which appeared in Europe was _C. ViolaceaLoddigesi_, imported by the great firm whose name it bears, to which weowe such a heavy debt. Two years later came _C. Labiata_, of which moremust be said; then _C. Mossiæ_, from Caraccas; fourth, _C. Trianæ_ namedafter Colonel Trian, of Tolima, in the United States of Colombia. Trianwell deserved immortality, for he was a native of that secludedland--and a botanist! It is a natural supposition that his orchid mustbe the commonest of weeds in its home; seeing how all Europe is stockedwith it, and America also, rash people might say there are millions incultivation. But it seems likely that _C. Trianæ_ was never veryfrequent, and at the present time assuredly it is so scarce thatcollectors are not sent after it. Probably the colonel, like many other_savants_, was an excellent man of business, and he established "acorner" when he saw the chance. _C. Mossiæ_ stands in the samesituation--or indeed worse; it can scarcely be found now. Theseinstances convey a serious warning. In seventy years we have destroyedthe native stock of two orchids, both so very free in propagating thatthey have an exceptional advantage in the struggle for existence. Howlong can rare species survive, when the demand strengthens and widensyear by year, while the means of communication and transport becomeeasier over all the world? Other instances will be mentioned in theirplace. 

Island species are doomed, unless, like _Loelia elegans_, they haveinaccessible crags on which to find refuge. It is only a question oftime; but we may hope that Governments will interfere before it is toolate. Already Mr. Burbidge has suggested that "some one" who takes aninterest in orchids should establish a farm, a plantation, here andthere about the world, where such plants grow naturally, and devotehimself to careful hybridization on the spot. "One might make as much, "he writes, "by breeding orchids as by breeding cattle, and of the two, in the long run, I should prefer the orchid farm. " This scheme will becarried out one day, not so much for the purpose of hybridization as forplain "market-gardening;" and the sooner the better. 

The prospect is still more dark for those who believe--as many do--thatno epiphytal orchid under any circumstances can be induced to establishitself permanently in our greenhouses as it does at home. Doubtless, they say, it is possible to grow them and to flower them, by assiduouscare, upon a scale which is seldom approached under the rough treatmentof Nature. But they are dying from year to year, in spite ofappearances. That it is so in a few cases can hardly be denied; but, seeing how many plants which have not changed hands since theirestablishment, twenty or thirty or forty years ago, have growncontinually bigger and finer, it seems much more probable that ourignorance is to blame for the loss of those species which suddenlycollapse. Sir Trevor Lawrence observed the other day: "With regard tothe longevity of orchids, I have one which I know to have been in thiscountry for more than fifty years, probably even twenty years longerthan that--_Renanthera coccinea_. " The finest specimens of Cattleya inMr. Stevenson Clarke's houses have been "grown on" from small piecesimported twenty years ago. If there were more collections which couldboast, say, half a century of uninterrupted attention, we should havematerial for forming a judgment; as a rule, the dates of purchase orestablishment were not carefully preserved till late years. 

But there is one species of Cattleya which must needs have seventy yearsof existence in Europe, since it had never been re-discovered till 1890. When we see a pot of _C. Labiata_, the true, autumn-flowering variety, more than two years old, we know that the very plant itself must havebeen established about 1818, or at least its immediate parent--for noseedling has been raised to public knowledge. [4]

In avowing a certain indifference to Cattleyas, I referred to the bulk, of course. The most gorgeous, the stateliest, the most imperial of allflowers on this earth, is _C. Dowiana_--unless it be _C. Aurea_, a"geographical variety" of the same. They dwell a thousand miles apart atleast, the one in Colombia, the other in Costa Rica; and neither occurs, so far as is known, in the great intervening region. Not even aconnecting link has been discovered; but the Atlantic coast of CentralAmerica is hardly explored, much less examined. In my time it was held, from Cape Camarin to Chagres, by independent tribes of savages--notindependent in fact alone, but in name also. The Mosquito Indians arerecognized by Europe as free; the Guatusos kept a space of many hundredmiles from which no white man had returned; when I was in those parts, the Talamancas, though not so unfriendly, were only known by the reportof adventurous pedlars. I made an attempt--comparatively spirited--toorganize an exploring party for the benefit of the Guatusos, but nosingle volunteer answered our advertisements in San José de Costa Rica;I have lived to congratulate myself on that disappointment. Since my daya road has been cut through their wilds to Limon, certain lucklessBritons having found the money for a railway; but an engineer whovisited the coast but two years ago informs me that no one ever wanderedinto "the bush. " Collectors have not been there, assuredly. So there maybe connecting links between _C. Dowiana_ and _C. Aurea_ in that vastwilderness, but it is quite possible there are none. 

Words could not picture the glory of these marvels. In each the schemeof colour is yellow and crimson, but there are important modifications. Yellow is the ground all through in _Cattleya aurea_--sepals, petals, and lip; unbroken in the two former, in the latter superbly streakedwith crimson. But _Cattleya Dowiana_ shows crimson pencillings on itssepals, while the ground colour of the lip is crimson, broadly lined andreticulated with gold. Imagine four of these noble flowers on one stalk, each half a foot across! But it lies beyond the power of imagination. 

_C. Dowiana_ was discovered by Warscewicz about 1850, and he sent homeaccounts too enthusiastic for belief. Steady-going Britons utterlyrefused to credit such a marvel--his few plants died, and there was anend of it for the time. I may mention an instance of more recent date, where the eye-witness of a collector was flatly rejected at home. Monsieur St. Leger, residing at Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay, wrotea warm description of an orchid in those parts to scientific friends. The account reached England, and was treated with derision. Monsieur St. Leger, nettled, sent some dried flowers for a testimony; but the mind ofthe Orchidaceous public was made up. In 1883 he brought a quantity ofplants and put them up at auction; nobody in particular would buy. Sothose reckless or simple or trusting persons who invested a fewshillings in a bundle had all the fun to themselves a few monthsafterwards, when the beautiful _Oncidium Jonesianum_ appeared, toconfound the unbelieving. It must be added, however, that orchid-growersmay well become an incredulous generation. When their judgment leadsthem wrong we hear of it, the tale is published, and outsiders mock. Butthese gentlemen receive startling reports continually, honest enough forthe most part. Much experience and some loss have made them rathercynical when a new wonder is announced. The particular case of MonsieurSt. Leger was complicated by the extreme resemblance which the foliageof _Onc. Jonesianum_ bears to that of _Onc. Cibolletum_, a speciesalmost worthless. Unfortunately the beautiful thing declines to livewith us--as yet. 

_Cattleya Dowiana_ was rediscovered by Mr. Arce, when collecting birds:it must have been a grand moment for Warscewicz when the horticulturalworld was convulsed by its appearance in bloom. _Cattleya aurea_ had noadventures of this sort. Mr. Wallis found it in 1868 in the province ofAntioquia, and again on the west bank of the Magdalena; but it is veryrare. This species is persecuted in its native home by a beetle, whichaccompanies it to Europe not infrequently--in the form of eggs, nodoubt. A more troublesome alien is the fly which haunts _CattleyaMendellii_, and for a long time prejudiced growers against that finespecies, until, in fact, they had made a practical and rather costlystudy of its habits. An experienced grower detects the presence of thisenemy at a glance. It pierces an "eye"--a back one in general, happily--and deposits an egg in the very centre. Presently this growthbegins to swell in a manner that delights the ingenuous horticulturist, until he remarks that its length does not keep pace with its breadth. But one remedy has yet been discovered--cutting off any suspectedgrowth. We understand now that _C. Mendellii_ is as safe to import asany other species, unless it be gathered at the wrong time. [5]

Among the most glorious, rarest, and most valuable of Cattleyas is _C. Hardyana_, doubtless a natural hybrid of _C. Aurea_ with _C. GigasSanderiana_. Few of us have seen it--two-hundred-guinea plants are notcommon spectacles. It has an immense flower, rose-purple; the lippurple-magenta, veined with gold. _Cattleya Sanderiana_ offers aninteresting story. Mr. Mau, one of Mr. Sander's collectors, wasdespatched to Bogota in search of _Odontoglossum crispum_. Whiletramping through the woods, he came across a very large Cattleya atrest, and gathered such pieces as fell in his way--attaching so littleimportance to them, however, that he did not name the matter in hisreports. Four cases Mr. Mau brought home with his stock ofOdontoglossums, which were opened in due course of business. We canquite believe that it was one of the stirring moments of Mr. Sander'slife. The plants bore many dry specimens of last year's inflorescence, displaying such extraordinary size as proved the variety to be new; andthere is no large Cattleya of indifferent colouring. To receive a plantof that character unannounced, undescribed, is an experience withoutparallel for half a century. Mr. Mau was sent back by next mail tosecure every fragment he could find. Meantime, those in hand wereestablished, and Mr. Brymer, M. P. , bought one--Mr. Brymer isimmortalized by the Dendrobe which bears his name. The new Cattleyaproved kindly, and just before Mr. Mau returned with some thousands ofits like Mr. Brymer's purchase broke into bloom. That must have beenanother glorious moment for Mr. Sander, when the great bud unfolded, displaying sepals and petals of the rosiest, freshest, softest pink, eleven inches across; and a crimson labellum exquisitely shown up by abroad patch of white on either side of the throat. Mr. Brymer was goodenough to lend his specimen for the purpose of advertisement, andMessrs. Stevens enthusiastically fixed a green baize partition acrosstheir rooms as a background for the wondrous novelty. What excitementreigned there on the great day is not to be described. I have heard thatover 2000l. Was taken in the room. 

Most of the Cattleyas with which the public is familiar--_Mossiæ_, _Trianæ_, _Mendellii_, and so forth--have white varieties; but anexample absolutely pure is so uncommon that it fetches a long price. Loveliest of these is _C. Skinneri alba_. For generations, if not forages, the people of Costa Rica have been gathering every morsel they canfind, and planting it upon the roofs of their mud-built churches. Roezland the early collectors had a "good time, " buying these semi-sacredflowers from the priests, bribing the parishioners to steal them, or, when occasion served, playing the thief themselves. But the game isnearly up. Seldom now can a piece of _Cat. Skinneri alba_ be obtained byhonest means, and when a collector arrives guards are set upon thechurches that still keep their decoration. No plant has ever been foundin the forest, we understand. 

It is just the same case with _Loelia anceps alba_. The genus Loeliais distinguished from Cattleya by a peculiarity to be remarked only indissection; its pollen masses are eight as against four. To my taste, however, the species are more charming on the whole. There is _L. Purpurata_. Casual observers always find it hard to grasp the fact thatorchids are weeds in their native homes, just like foxgloves anddandelions with us. In this instance, as I have noted, they flatlyrefuse to believe, and certainly "upon the face of it" their incredulityis reasonable. 

_Loelia purpurata_ falls under the head of hot orchids. _L. Anceps_, however, is not so exacting; many people grow it in the cool house whenthey can expose it there to the full blaze of sunshine. In its commonestform it is divinely beautiful. I have seen a plant in Mr. Eastey'scollection with twenty-three spikes, the flowers all open at once. Sucha spectacle is not to be described in prose. But when the enthusiast hasrashly said that earth contains no more ethereal loveliness, let himbehold _L. A. Alba_, the white variety. The dullest man I ever knew, whohad a commonplace for all occasions, found no word in presence of thatmarvel. Even the half-castes of Mexico who have no soul, apparently, forthings above horseflesh and cockfights, and love-making, reverence thissaintly bloom. The Indians adore it. Like their brethren to the south, who have tenderly removed every plant of _Cattleya Skinneri alba_ forgenerations unknown, to set upon their churches, they collect thissupreme effort of Nature and replant it round their huts. So thoroughlyhas the work been done in either case that no single specimen was everseen in the forest. Every one has been bought from the Indians, and thesupply is exhausted; that is to say, a good many more are known toexist, but very rarely now can the owner be persuaded to part with one. The first example reached England nearly half a century ago, sentprobably by a native trader to his correspondent in this country; but, as was usual at that time, the circumstances are doubtful. It found itsway, somehow, to Mr. Dawson, of Meadowbank, a famous collector, and byhim it was divided. Search was made for the treasure in its home, butvainly; travellers did not look in the Indian gardens. No more arrivedfor many years. Mr. Sander once conceived a fine idea. He sent one ofhis collectors to gather _Loelia a. Alba_ at the season when it is inbud, with an intention of startling the universe by displaying a mass ofthem in full bloom; they were still more uncommon then than now, when adozen flowering plants is still a show of which kings may be proud. Mr. Bartholomeus punctually fulfilled his instructions, collected some fortyplants with their spikes well developed; attached them to strips of woodwhich he nailed across shallow boxes, and shipped them to San Francisco. Thence they travelled by fast train to New York, and proceeded without amoment's delay to Liverpool on board the _Umbria_; it was one of herfirst trips. All went well. Confidently did Mr. Sander anticipate thesensation when a score of those glorious plants were set out in fullbloom upon the tables. But on opening the boxes he found every spikewithered. The experiment is so tempting that it has been essayed oncemore, with a like result. The buds of _Loelia anceps_ will not standsea air. 

Catasetums do not rank as a genus among our beauties; in fact, saving_C. Pileatum_, commonly called _C. Bungerothi_, and _C. Barbatum_, Ithink of none, at this moment, which are worthy of attraction on thatground. _C. Fimbriatum_, indeed, would be lovely if it could bepersuaded to show itself. I have seen one plant which condescended toopen its spotted blooms, but only one. No orchids, however, give morematerial for study; on this account Catasetum was a favourite with Mr. Darwin. It is approved also by unlearned persons who find relief fromthe monotony of admiration as they stroll round in observing itsacrobatic performances. The "column" bears two horns; if these betouched, the pollen-masses fly as if discharged from a catapult. _C. Pileatum_, however, is very handsome, four inches across, ivory white, with a round well in the centre of its broad lip, which makes a themefor endless speculation. The daring eccentricities of colour in thisclass of plant have no stronger example than _C. Callosum_, a noveltyfrom Caraccas, with inky brown sepals and petals, brightest orangecolumn, labellum of verdigris-green tipped with orange to match. 

Schomburgkias are not often seen. Having a boundless choice of finethings which grow and flower without reluctance, the practical gardenergets irritated in these days when he finds a plant beyond his skill. Itis a pity, for the Schomburgkias are glorious things--in especial _Sch. Tibicinis_. No description has done it justice, and few are privilegedto speak as eye-witnesses. The clustering flowers hang down, sepals andpetals of dusky mauve, most gracefully frilled and twisted, encircling agreat hollow labellum which ends in a golden drop. That part of thecavity which is visible between the handsome incurved wings has boldstripes of dark crimson. The species is interesting, too. It comes fromHonduras, where the children use its great hollow pseudo-bulbs astrumpets--whence the name. At their base is a hole--a touch-hole, as wemay say, the utility of which defies our botanists. Had Mr. Belttravelled in those parts, he might have discovered the secret, as in thesimilar case of the Bullthorn, one of the _Gummiferæ_. The great thornsof that bush have just such a hole, and Mr. Belt proved by lengthyobservations that it is designed, to speak roughly, for the ingress ofan ant peculiar to that acacia, whose duty it is to defend the youngshoots--_vide_ Belt's "Naturalist in Nicaragua, " page 218. Importers aretoo well aware that _Schomburgkia tibicinis_ also is inhabited by an antof singular ferocity, for it survives the voyage, and rushes forth tobattle when the case is opened. We may suppose that it performs a likeservice. 

Dendrobiums are "warm" mostly; of the hot species, which are many, andthe cool, which are few, I have not to speak here. But a remark made atthe beginning of this chapter especially applies to Dendrobes. If theybe started early, so that the young growths are well advanced by June 1;if the situation be warm, and a part of the house sunny--if they beplaced in that part without any shade till July, and freelysyringed--with a little extra attention many of them will do wellenough. That is to say, they will make such a show of blossom as ismighty satisfactory in the winter time. We must not look for"specimens, " but there should be bloom enough to repay handsomely thevery little trouble they give. Among those that may be treated so are_D. Wardianum_, _Falconeri_, _crassinode_, _Pierardii_, _crystallinum_, _Devonianum_--sometimes--and _nobile_, of course. Probably there aremore, but these I have tried myself. 

_Dendrobium Wardianum_, at the present day, comes almost exclusivelyfrom Burmah--the neighbourhood of the Ruby Mines is its favouritehabitat. But it was first brought to England from Assam in 1858, whenbotanists regarded it as a form of _D. Falconeri_. This error was not sostrange as its seems, for the Assamese variety has pseudo-bulbs muchless sturdy than those we are used to see, and they are quite pendulous. It was rather a lively business collecting orchids in Burmah before theannexation. The Roman Catholic missionaries established there made it asource of income, and they did not greet an intruding stranger withwarmth--not genial warmth, at least. He was forbidden to quit the townof Bhamo, an edict which compelled him to employ native collectors--infact, coolies--himself waiting helplessly within the walls; but hisreverend rivals, having greater freedom and an acquaintance with thelanguage, organized a corps of skirmishers to prowl round and interceptthe natives returning with their loads. Doubtless somebody received thevalue when they made a haul, but who, is uncertain perhaps--and thestranger was disappointed, anyhow. It may be believed that unedifyingscenes arose--especially on two or three occasions when an agent hadalmost reached one of the four gates before he was intercepted. For thehapless collector--having nothing in the world to do--haunted thoseportals all day long, flying from one to the other in hope to see"somebody coming. " Very droll, but Burmah is a warm country for jestsof the kind. Thus it happened occasionally that he beheld his owndiscomfiture, and rows ensued at the Mission-house. At length Mr. Sanderaddressed a formal petition to the Austrian Archbishop, to whom themissionaries owed allegiance. He received a sympathetic answer, and someassistance. 

From the Ruby Mines also comes a Dendrobium so excessively rare that Iname it only to call the attention of employés in the new company. Thisis _D. Rhodopterygium_. Sir Trevor Lawrence has or had a plant, Ibelieve; there are two or three at St. Albans; but the lists of otherdealers will be searched in vain. Sir Trevor Lawrence had also a scarletspecies from Burmah; but it died even before the christening, and nosecond has yet been found. Sumatra furnishes a scarlet Dendrobe, _D. Forstermanni_, but it again is of the utmost rarity. Baron Schroederboasts three specimens--which have not yet flowered, however. FromBurmah comes _D. Brymerianum_, of which the story is brief, but verythrilling if we ponder it a moment. For the missionaries sent this plantto Europe without a description--they had not seen the bloom, doubtless--and it sold cheap enough. We may fancy Mr. Brymer's emotion, therefore, when the striking flower opened. Its form is unique, thoughsome other varieties display a long fringe--as that extraordinaryobject, _Nanodes Medusæ_, and also _Brassavola Digbyana_, which isexquisitely lovely sometimes. In the case of _D. Brymerianum_ the brightyellow lip is split all round, for two-thirds of its expanse, intotwisted filaments. We may well ask what on earth is Nature's purpose inthis eccentricity; but it is a question that arises every hour to themost thoughtless being who grows orchids. 

[Illustration: DENDROBIUM BRYMERIANUM. Reduced To One Fourth. ]

Everybody knows _Dendrobium nobile_ so well that it is not to bediscussed in prose; something might be done in poetry, perhaps, by younggentlemen who sing of buttercups and daisies, but the rhyme would bedifficult. _D. Nobile nobilius_, however, is by no means socommon--would it were! This glorified form turned up among animportation made by Messrs. Rollisson. They propagated it, and sold foursmall pieces, which are still in cultivation. But the troubles of thatrenowned firm, to which we owe so great a debt, had already begun. Themother-plant was neglected. It had fallen into such a desperatecondition when Messrs. Rollisson's plants were sold, under a decree inbankruptcy, that the great dealers refused to bid for what should havebeen a little gold-mine. A casual market-gardener hazarded thirtyshillings, brought it round so far that he could establish a number ofyoung plants, and sold the parent for forty pounds at last. There are, however, several fine varieties of _D. Nobile_ more valuable than_nobilius_. _D. N. Sanderianum_ resembles that form, but it is smallerand darker. Albinos have been found; Baron Schroeder has a beautifulexample. One appeared at Stevens' Rooms, announced as the singleinstance in cultivation--which is not quite the fact, but near enoughfor the auction-room, perhaps. It also was imported originally by Mr. Sander, with _D. N. Sanderianum_. Biddings reached forty-three pounds, but the owner would not deal at the price. Albinos are rare among theDendrobes. 

_D. Nobile Cooksoni_ was the _fons et origo_ of an unpleasantmisunderstanding. It turned up in the collection of Mr. Lange, distinguished by a reversal of the ordinary scheme of colour. There isactually no end to the delightful vagaries of these plants. If peopleonly knew what interest and pleasing excitement attends theinflorescence of an imported orchid--one, that is, which has not bloomedbefore in Europe--they would crowd the auction-rooms in which everystrange face is marked now. There are books enough to inform them, certainly; but who reads an Orchid Book? Even the enthusiast onlyconsults it. 

_Dendrobium nobile Cooksoni_, then, has white tips to petal and sepal;the crimson spot keeps its place; and the inside of the flower is deepred--an inversion of the usual colouring. Mr. Lange could scarcely failto observe this peculiarity, but he seems to have thought little of it. Mr. Cookson, paying him a visit, was struck, however--as well he mightbe--and expressed a wish to have the plant. So the two distinguishedamateurs made an exchange. Mr. Cookson sent a flower at once toProfessor Reichenbach, who, delighted and enthusiastic, registered itupon the spot under the name of the gentleman from whom he received it. Mr. Lange protested warmly, demanding that his discovery should becalled, after his residence, _Heathfieldsayeanum_. But ProfessorReichenbach drily refused to consider personal questions; and really, seeing how short is life, and how long _Dendrobium nobile Heathfield_, &c. , true philanthropists will hold him justified. 

We may expect wondrous Dendrobes from New Guinea. Some fine species havealready arrived, and others have been sent in the dried inflorescence. Of _D. Phaloenopsis Schroederi_ I have spoken elsewhere. There is _D. Goldiei_; a variety of _D. Superbiens_--but much larger. There is _D. Albertesii_, snow-white; _D. Broomfieldianum_, curiously like _Loeliaanceps alba_ in its flower--which is to say that it must be theloveliest of all Dendrobes. But this species has a further charm, almostincredible. The lip in some varieties is washed with lavender blue, insome with crimson! Another is nearly related to _D. Bigibbum_, but muchlarger, with sepals more acute. Its hue is a glorious rosy-purple, deepening on the lip, the side lobes of which curl over and meet, forming a cylindrical tube, while the middle lobe, prolonged, stands outat right angles, veined with very dark purple; this has just been named_D. Statterianum_. It has upon the disc an elevated, hairy crest, like_D. Bigibbum_, but instead of being white as always, more or less, inthat instance, the crest of the new species is dark purple. I have beenparticular in describing this noble flower, because very, very few havebeheld it. Those who live will see marvels when the Dutch and Germanportions of New Guinea are explored. 

Recently I have been privileged to see another, the most impressive tomy taste, of all the lovely genus. It is called _D. Atro-violaceum_. Thestately flowers hang down their heads, reflexed like a "Turban Lily, "ten or a dozen on a spike. The colour is ivory-white, with a faintesttinge of green, and green spots are dotted all over. The lobes of thelip curl in, making half the circumference of a funnel, the outside ofwhich is dark violet-blue; with that fine colour the lip itself isboldly striped. They tell me that the public is not expected to "catchon" to this marvel. It hangs its head too low, and the contrast of huesis too startling. If that be so, we multiply schools of art and CountyCouncil lectures perambulate the realm, in vain. The artistic sense isdenied us. 

Madagascar also will furnish some astonishing novelties; it has alreadybegun, in fact--with a vengeance. Imagine a scarlet Cymbidium! That sucha wonder existed has been known for some years, and three collectorshave gone in search of it; two died, and the third has been terribly illsince his return to Europe--but he won the treasure, which we shallbehold in good time. Those parts of Madagascar which especially attractbotanists must be death-traps indeed! M. Léon Humblot tells how he dinedat Tamatave with his brother and six compatriots, exploring the countrywith various scientific aims. Within twelve months he was the onlysurvivor. One of these unfortunates, travelling on behalf of Mr. Cutler, the celebrated naturalist of Bloomsbury Street, to find butterflies andbirds, shot at a native idol, as the report goes. The priests soakedhim with paraffin, and burnt him on a table--perhaps their altar. M. Humblot himself has had awful experiences. He was attached to thegeographical survey directed by the French Government, and ten years agohe found _Phajus Humblotii_ and _Phajus tuberculosus_ in the deadliestswamps of the interior. A few of the bulbs gathered lived through thepassage home, and caused much excitement when offered for sale atStevens' Auction Rooms. M. Humblot risked his life again, and secured agreat quantity for Mr. Sander, but at a dreadful cost. He spent twelvemonths in the hospital at Mayotte, and on arrival at Marseilles with hisplants the doctors gave him no hope of recovery. _P. Humblotii_ is amarvel of beauty--rose-pink, with a great crimson labellum exquisitelyfrilled, and a bright green column. 

Everybody who knows his "Darwin" is aware that Madagascar is the chosenhome of the Angræcums. All, indeed, are natives of Africa, so far as Iknow, excepting the delightful _A. Falcatum_, which comes, strangelyenough, from Japan. One cannot but suspect, under the circumstances, that this species was brought from Africa ages ago, when the Japanesewere enterprising seamen, and has been acclimatized by those skilfulhorticulturists. It is certainly odd that the only "cool" Aerides--theonly one found, I believe, outside of India and the EasternTropics--also belongs to Japan, and a cool Dendrobe, _A. Arcuatum_, isfound in the Transvaal; and I have reason to hope that another or morewill turn up when South Africa is thoroughly searched. A pink Angræcum, very rarely seen, dwells somewhere on the West Coast; the only species, so far as I know, which is not white. It bears the name of M. DuChaillu, who found it--he has forgotten where, unhappily. I took thatfamous traveller to St. Albans in the hope of quickening hisrecollection, and I fear I bored him afterwards with categoricalinquiries. But all was vain. M. Du Chaillu can only recall that once ona time, when just starting for Europe, it occurred to him to run intothe bush and strip the trees indiscriminately. Mr. Sander was preparedto send a man expressly for this Angræcum. The exquisite _A. Sanderianum_ is a native of the Comorro Islands. No flower could beprettier than this, nor more deliciously scented--when scented it is! Itgrows in a climate which travellers describe as Paradise, and, in truth, it becomes such a scene. Those who behold young plants with gracefulgarlands of snowy bloom twelve to twenty inches long are prone to fallinto raptures; but imagine it as a long-established specimen appearsjust now at St Albans, with racemes drooping two and a half feet fromeach new growth, clothed on either side with flowers like a double trainof white long-tailed butterflies hovering! _A. Scottianum_ comes fromZanzibar, discovered, I believe, by Sir John Kirk; _A. Caudatum_, fromSierra Leone. This latter species is the nearest rival of _A. Sesquipedale_, showing "tails" ten inches long. Next in order for thischaracteristic detail rank _A. Leonis_ and _Kotschyi_--the latter rarelygrown--with seven-inch "tails;" _Scottianum_ and _Ellisii_ withsix-inch; that is to say, they ought to show such dimensionsrespectively. Whether they fulfil their promise depends upon the grower. 

With the exceptions named, this family belongs to Madagascar. It has acharming distinction, shared by no other genus which I recall, save, inless degree, Cattleya--every member is attractive. But I mustconcentrate myself on the most striking--that which fascinated Darwin. In the first place it should be pointed out that _savants_ call thisplant _Æranthus sesquipedalis_, not _Angræcum_--a fact useful to know, but unimportant to ordinary mortals. It was discovered by the Rev. Mr. Ellis, and sent home alive, nearly thirty years ago; but civilizedmankind has not yet done wondering at it. The stately growth, themagnificent green-white flowers, command admiration at a glance, but the"tail, " or spur, offers a problem of which the thoughtful never tire. Itis commonly ten inches long, sometimes fourteen inches, and at home, Ihave been told, even longer; about the thickness of a goose-quill, hollow, of course, the last inch and a half filled with nectar. Studyingthis appendage by the light of the principles he had laid down, Darwinventured on a prophecy which roused special mirth among the unbelievers. Not only the abnormal length of the nectary had to be considered; therewas, besides, the fact that all its honey lay at the base, a foot ormore from the orifice. Accepting it as a postulate that every detail ofthe apparatus must be equally essential for the purpose it had to serve, he made a series of experiments which demonstrated that some insect ofMadagascar--doubtless a moth--must be equipped with a proboscis longenough to reach the nectar, and at the same time thick enough at thebase to withdraw the pollinia--thus fertilizing the bloom. For, if thenectar had lain so close to the orifice that moths with a proboscis ofreasonable length and thickness could get at it, they would drain thecup without touching the pollinia. Darwin never proved his specialgenius more admirably than in this case. He created an insect beyondbelief, as one may say, by the force of logic; and such absoluteconfidence had he in his own syllogism that he declared, "If such greatmoths were to become extinct in Madagascar, assuredly this Angræcumwould become extinct. " I am not aware that Darwin's fine argument hasyet been clinched by the discovery of that insect. But cavil has ceased. Long before his death a sphinx moth arrived from South Brazil whichshows a proboscis between ten and eleven inches long--very nearly equal, therefore, to the task of probing the nectary of _Angræcumsesquipidale_. And we know enough of orchids at this time to beabsolutely certain that the Madagascar species must exist. 

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 4: _Vide_ "The Lost Orchid, " _infra_, p. 173. ]

[Footnote 5: I have learned by a doleful experience that this fly, commonly called "the weavil, " is quite at home on _Loelia purpurata_;in fact, it will prey on any Cattleya. ]

HOT ORCHIDS. 

In former chapters I have done my best to show that orchid culture is nomystery. The laws which govern it are strict and simple, easy to definein books, easily understood, and subject to few exceptions. It is notwith Odontoglossums and Dendrobes as with roses--an intelligent man orwoman needs no long apprenticeship to master their treatment. Stoveorchids are not so readily dealt with; but then, persons who own a stoveusually keep a gardener. Coming from the hot lowlands of eitherhemisphere, they show much greater variety than those of the temperateand sub-tropic zones; there are more genera, though not so many species, and more exceptions to every rule. These, therefore, are not to berecommended to all householders. Not everyone indeed is anxious to growplants which need a minimum night heat of 60° in winter, 70° in summer, and cannot dispense with fire the whole year round. 

The hottest of all orchids probably is _Peristeria elata_, the famous"Spirito Santo, " flower of the Holy Ghost. The dullest soul who observesthat white dove rising with wings half spread, as in the very act oftaking flight, can understand the frenzy of the Spaniards when they cameupon it. Rumours of Peruvian magnificence had just reached them atPanama--on the same day, perhaps--when this miraculous sign from heavenencouraged them to advance. The empire of the Incas did not fall a preyto that particular band of ruffians, nevertheless. _Peristeria elata_ isso well known that I would not dwell upon it, but an odd little talerises to my mind. The great collector Roezl was travelling homeward, in1868, by Panama. The railway fare to Colon was sixty dollars at thattime, and he grudged the money. Setting his wits to work, Roezldiscovered that the company issued tickets from station to station at avery low price for the convenience of its employés. Taking advantage ofthis system, he crossed the isthmus for five dollars--such an advantageit is in travelling to be an old campaigner! At one of the intermediatestations he had to wait for his train, and rushed into the jungle ofcourse. _Peristeria_ abounded in that steaming swamp, but the collectorwas on holiday. To his amazement, however, he found, side by side withit, a Masdevallia--that genus most impatient of sunshine among allorchids, flourishing here in the hottest blaze! Snatching up half adozen of the tender plants with a practised hand, he brought them safeto England. On the day they were put up to auction news of Livingstone'sdeath arrived, and in a flash of inspiration Roezl christened hisnovelty _M. Livingstoniana_. Few, indeed, even among authorities, knowwhere that rarest of Masdevallias has its home; none have reached Europesince. A pretty flower it is--white, rosy tipped, with yellow "tails. "And it dwells by the station of Culebras, on the Panama railway. 

Of genera, however, doubtless the Vandas are hottest; and among these, _V. Sanderiana_ stands first. It was found in Mindanao, the mostsoutherly of the Philippines, by Mr. Roebelin when he went thither insearch of the red Phaloenopsis, as will be told presently. _VandaSanderiana_ is a plant to be described as majestic rather than lovely, if we may distinguish among these glorious things. Its blooms are fiveinches across, pale lilac in their ground colour, suffused with brownishyellow, and covered with a network of crimson brown. Twelve or more ofsuch striking flowers to a spike, and four or five spikes upon a plantmake a wonder indeed. But, to view matters prosaically, _Vanda__Sanderiana_ is "bad business. " It is not common, and it grows on thevery top of the highest trees, which must be felled to secure thetreasure; and of those gathered but a small proportion survive. In thefirst place, the agent must employ natives, who are paid so much perplant, no matter what the size--a bad system, but they will allow nochange. It is evidently their interest to divide any "specimen" thatwill bear cutting up; if the fragments bleed to death, they have gottheir money meantime. Then, the Manilla steamers call at Mindanao onlyonce a month. Three months are needed to get together plants enough toyield a fair profit. At the end of that time a large proportion of thosefirst gathered will certainly be doomed--Vandas have no pseudo-bulbs tosustain their strength. Steamers run from Manilla to Singapore everyfortnight. If the collector be fortunate he may light upon a captainwilling to receive his packages; in that case he builds structures ofbamboo on deck, and spends the next fortnight in watering, shading, andventilating his precious _trouvailles_, alternately. But captainswilling to receive such freight must be waited for too often. AtSingapore it is necessary to make a final overhauling of the plants--totheir woeful diminution. This done, troubles recommence. Seldom willthe captain of a mail steamer accept that miscellaneous cargo. Happily, the time of year is, or ought to be, that season when tea-ships arriveat Singapore. The collector may reasonably hope to secure a passage inone of these, which will carry him to England in thirty-five days or so. If this state of things be pondered, even without allowance foraccident, it will not seem surprising that _V. Sanderiana_ is a costlyspecies. The largest piece yet secured was bought by Sir Trevor Lawrenceat auction for ninety guineas. It had eight stems, the tallest four feethigh. No consignment has yet returned a profit, however. 

The favoured home of Vandas is Java. They are noble plants even when atrest, if perfect--that is, clothed in their glossy, dark green leavesfrom base to crown. If there be any age or any height at which the lowerleaves fall of necessity, I have not been able to identify it. In Mr. Sander's collection, for instance, there is a giant plant of _Vandasuavis_, eleven growths, a small thicket, established in 1847. Thetallest stem measures fifteen feet, and every one of its leaves remain. They fall off easily under bad treatment, but the mischief is reparableat a certain sacrifice. The stem may be cut through and the crownreplanted, with leaves perfect; but it will be so much shorter, ofcourse. The finest specimen I ever heard of is the _V. Lowii_ atFerrières, seat of Baron Alphonse de Rothschild, near Paris. It fillsthe upper part of a large greenhouse, and year by year its twelve stemsproduce an indefinite number of spikes, eight to ten feet long, coveredwith thousands of yellow and brown blooms. [6] Vandas inhabit all theMalayan Archipelago; some are found even in India. The superb _V. Teres_comes from Sylhet; from Burmah also. This might be called the floralcognizance of the house of Rothschild. At Frankfort, Vienna, Ferrières, and Gunnersbury little meadows of it are grown--that is, the plantsflourish at their own sweet will, uncumbered with pots, in housesdevoted to them. Rising from a carpet of palms and maidenhair, eachcrowned with its drooping garland of rose and crimson andcinnamon-brown, they make a glorious show indeed. A pretty littlecoincidence was remarked when the Queen paid a visit to Waddesdon theother day. _V. Teres_ first bloomed in Europe at Syon House, and a smallspray was sent to the young Princess, unmarried then and uncrowned. Theincident recurred to memory when Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild chosethis same flower for the bouquet presented to Her Majesty; he adornedthe luncheon table therewith besides. This story bears a moral. Theplant of which one spray was a royal gift less than sixty years ago hasbecome so far common that it may be used in masses to decorate a room. Thousands of unconsidered subjects of Her Majesty enjoy the pleasurewhich one great duke monopolized before her reign began. There is matterfor an essay here. I hasten back to my theme. 

_V. Teres_ is not such a common object that description would besuperfluous. It belongs to the small class of climbing orchids, delighting to sun itself upon the rafters of the hottest stove. If thishabit be duly regarded, it is not difficult to flower by any means, though gardeners who do not keep pace with their age still pronounce ita hopeless rebel. Sir Hugh Low tells me that he clothed all the treesround Government House at Pahang with _Vanda teres_, planting its nearrelative, _V. Hookeri_, more exquisite still, if that were possible, ina swampy hollow. His servants might gather a basket of these flowersdaily in the season. So the memory of the first President for Pahangwill be kept green. A plant rarely seen is _V. Limbata_ from the islandof Timor--dusky yellow, the tip purple, outlined with white, formedlike a shovel. 

I may cite a personal reminiscence here, in the hope that some readermay be able to supply what is wanting. In years so far back that theyseem to belong to a "previous existence, " I travelled in Borneo, andpaid a visit to the antimony-mines of Bidi. The manager, Mr. Bentley, showed me a grand tapong-tree at his door from which he had latelygathered a "blue orchid, "--we were desperately vague about names in thejungle at that day, or in England for that matter. In a note publishedon my return, I said, "As Mr. Bentley described it, the blossoms hung inan azure garland from the bough, more gracefully than art could design. "This specimen is, I believe, the only one at present known, and bothMalays and Dyaks are quite ignorant of such a flower! What was this?There is no question of the facts. Mr. Bentley sent the plant, a largemass to the chairman of the Company, and it reached home in faircondition. I saw the warm letter, enclosing cheque for 100l. , in whichMr. Templar acknowledged receipt. But further record I have not beenable to discover. One inclines to assume that a blue orchid which putsforth a "garland" of bloom must be a Vanda. The description might beapplied to _V. Coerulea_, but that species is a native of the Khasyahills; more appropriately, as I recall Mr. Bentley's words, to _V. Coerulescens_, which, however, is Burmese. Furthermore, neither ofthese would be looked for on the branch of a great tree. Possiblysomeone who reads this may know what became of Mr. Templar's specimen. 

Both the species of Renanthera need great heat. Among "facts notgenerally known" to orchid-growers, but decidedly interesting for them, is the commercial habitat, as one may say, of _R. Coccinea_. The booksstate correctly that it is a native of Cochin China. Orchids coming fromsuch a distance must needs be withered on arrival. Accordingly, the mostexperienced horticulturist who is not up to a little secret feelsassured that all is well when he beholds at the auction-room or at oneof the small dealer's a plant full of sap, with glossy leaves andunshrivelled roots. It must have been in cultivation for a year at thevery least, and he buys with confidence. Too often, however, adisastrous change sets in from the very moment his purchase reacheshome. Instead of growing it falls back and back, until in a very fewweeks it has all the appearance of a newly-imported piece. Theexplanation is curious. At some time, not distant, a quantity of _R. Coccinea_ must have found its way to the neighbourhood of Rio. There itflourishes as a weed, with a vigour quite unparalleled in its nativesoil. Unscrupulous persons take advantage of this extraordinaryaccident. From a country so near and so readily accessible they can getplants home, pot them up, and sell them, before the withering processsets in. May this revelation confound such knavish tricks! The moral isold--buy your orchids from one of the great dealers, if you do not careto "establish" them yourself. 

_R. Coccinea_ is another of the climbing species, and it demands, evenmore urgently than _V. Teres_, to reach the top of the house, wheresunshine is fiercest, before blooming. Under the best conditions, indeed, it is slow to produce its noble wreaths of flower--deep red, crimson, and orange. Upon the other hand, the plant itself isornamental, and it grows very fast. The Duke of Devonshire has some atChatsworth which never fail to make a gorgeous show in their season; butthey stand twenty feet high, twisted round birch-trees, and they haveoccupied their present quarters for half a century or near it. There isbut one more species in the genus, so far as the unlearned know, butthis, generally recognized as _Vanda Lowii_, as has been alreadymentioned, ranks among the grand curiosities of botanic science. Likesome of the Catasetums and Cycnoches, it bears two distinct types offlower on each spike, but the instance of _R. Lowii_ is even moreperplexing. In those other cases the differing forms represent male andfemale sex, but the microscope has not yet discovered any sort of reasonfor the like eccentricity of this Renanthera. Its proper inflorescence, as one may put it, is greenish yellow, blotched with brown, three inchesin diameter, clothing a spike sometimes twelve feet long. The first twoflowers to open, however--those at the base--present a strong contrastin all respects--smaller, of different shape, tawny yellow in colour, dotted with crimson. It would be a pleasing task for ingenious youthwith a bent towards science to seek the utility of this arrangement. 

Orchids are spreading fast over the world in these days, and we mayexpect to hear of other instances where a species has taken root inalien climes like _R. Coccinea_ in Brazil. I cannot cite a parallel atpresent. But Mr. Sander informs me that there is a growing demand forthese plants in realms which have their own native orchids. We have anexample in the letter which has been already quoted. [7] Among customerswho write to him direct are magnates of China and Siam, an Indian and aJavanese rajah. Orders are received--not unimportant, norinfrequent--from merchants at Calcutta, Singapore, Hong Kong, Rio deJaneiro, and smaller places, of course. It is vastly droll to hear thatsome of these gentlemen import species at a great expense which anintelligent coolie could gather for them in any quantity within a fewfurlongs of their go-down! But for the most part they demand foreigners. 

The plants thus distributed will be grown in the open air; naturallythey will seed; at least, we may hope so. Even _Angræcum sesquipedale_, of which I wrote in the preceding chapter, would find a moth able toimpregnate it in South Brazil. Such species as recognize the conditionsnecessary for their existence will establish themselves. It is fairlysafe to credit that in some future time, not distant, Cattleyas mayflourish in the jungles of India, Dendrobiums on the Amazons, Phaloenopsis in the coast lands of Central America. Those who wish wellto their kind would like to hasten that day. 

Mr. Burbidge suggested at the Orchid Conference that gentlemen who haveplantations in a country suitable should establish a "farm, " or rathera market-garden, and grow the precious things for exportation. It is anexcellent idea, and when tea, coffee, sugar-cane, all the regular cropsof the East and West Indies, are so depreciated by competition, onewould think that some planters might adopt it. Perhaps some have; it istoo early yet for results. Upon inquiry I hear of a case, but it is notencouraging. One of Mr. Sander's collectors, marrying when on service inthe United States of Colombia, resolved to follow Mr. Burbidge's advice. He set up his "farm" and began "hybridizing" freely. No man living isbetter qualified as a collector, for the hero of this little tale is Mr. Kerbach, a name familiar among those who take interest in such matters;but I am not aware that he had any experience in growing orchids. Tostart with hybridizing seems very ambitious--too much of a short cut tofortune. However, in less than eighteen months Mr. Kerbach found it didnot answer, for reasons unexplained, and he begged to be reinstated inMr. Sander's service. It is clear, indeed, that the orchid-farmer of thefuture, in whose success I firmly believe, will be wise to beginmodestly, cultivating the species he finds in his neighbourhood. It isnot in our greenhouses alone that these plants sometimes show likes anddislikes beyond explanation. For example, many gentlemen in CostaRica--a wealthy land, and comparatively civilized--have tried tocultivate the glorious _Cattleya Dowiana_. For business purposes alsothe attempt has been made. But never with success. In those tropicallands a variation of climate or circumstances, small perhaps, but suchas plants that subsist mostly upon air can recognize, will be found in avery narrow circuit. We say that Trichopilias have their home at Bogota. As a matter of fact, however, they will not live in the immediatevicinity of that town, though the woods, fifteen miles away, are stockedwith them. The orchid-farmer will have to begin cautiously, propagatingwhat he finds at hand, and he must not be hasty in sending his crop tomarket. It is a general rule of experience that plants brought from theforest and "established" before shipment do less well than those shippeddirect in good condition, though the public, naturally, is slow to admita conclusion opposed by _à priori_ reasoning. The cause may be that theyexhaust their strength in that first effort, and suffer more severely onthe voyage. 

I hear of one gentleman, however, who appears to be cultivating orchidswith success. This is Mr. Rand, dwelling on the Rio Negro, in Brazil, where he has established a plantation of _Hevia Brazilienses_, a newcaoutchouc of the highest quality, indigenous to those parts. Some yearsago Mr. Rand wrote to Mr. Godseff, at St. Albans, begging plants of_Vanda Sanderiana_ and other Oriental species, which were dulyforwarded. In return he despatched some pieces of a new Epidendrum, named in his honour _E. Randii_, a noble flower, with brown sepals andpetals, the lip crimson, betwixt two large white wings. This and othersnative to the Rio Negro Mr. Rand is propagating on a large scale inshreds of bamboo, especially a white _Cattleya superba_ which he himselfdiscovered. It is pleasing to add that by latest reports all theOriental species were thriving to perfection on the other side of theAtlantic. 

Vandas, indeed, should flourish where _Cattleya superba_ is at home, oranything else that loves the atmosphere of a kitchen on washing-day atmidsummer. Though all the Cattleyas, or very nearly all, will "do" in anintermediate house, several prefer the stove. Of two among them, _C. Dowiana_ and _C. Aurea_, I spoke in the preceding chapter with anenthusiasm that does not bear repetition. _Cattleya guttata Leopoldi_grows upon rocks in the little island of Sta. Catarina, Brazil, incompany with _Loelia elegans_ and _L. Purpurata_. There the four dweltin such numbers only twenty years ago that the supply was thoughtinexhaustible. It has come to an end already, and collectors no longervisit the spot. Cliffs and ravines which men still young can recollectablaze with colour, are as bare now as a stone-quarry. Nature had donemuch to protect her treasures; they flourished mostly in places whichthe human foot cannot reach--_Loelia elegans_ and _Cattleya g. Leopoldi_ inextricably entwined, clinging to the face of lofty rocks. The blooms of the former are white and mauve, of the latterchocolate-brown, spotted with dark red, the lip purple. A wondrous sightthat must have been in the time of flowering. It is lost now, probablyfor ever. Natives went down, suspended on a rope, and swept the wholecircuit of the island, year by year. A few specimens remain in nooksabsolutely inaccessible, but those happy mortals who possess a bit of_L. Elegans_ should treasure it, for more are very seldom forthcoming. _Loelia elegans Statteriana_ is the finest variety perhaps; thecrimson velvet tip of its labellum is as clearly and sharply-definedupon the snow-white surface as pencil could draw; it looks likepainting by the steadiest of hands in angelic colour. _C. G. Leopoldi_has been found elsewhere. It is deliciously scented. I observed a plantat St. Albans lately with three spikes, each bearing over twentyflowers; many strong perfumes there were in the house, but thatoverpowered them all. The _Loelia purpurata_ of Sta. Catarina, towhich the finest varieties in cultivation belong, has shared the samefate. It occupied boulders jutting out above the swamps in the fullglare of tropic sunshine. Many gardeners give it too much shade. Thisspecies grows also on the mainland, but of inferior quality in allrespects; curiously enough it dwells upon trees there, even though rocksbe at hand, while the island variety, I believe, was never found ontimber. 

Another hot Cattleya of the highest class is _C. Acklandiæ_ It belongsto the dwarf section of the genus, and inexperienced persons are vastlysurprised to see such a little plant bearing two flowers on a spike, each larger than itself. They are four inches in diameter, petals andsepals chocolate-brown, barred with yellow, lip large, of colour varyingfrom rose to purple. _C. Acklandiæ_ is found at Bahia, where it growsside by side with _C. Amethystoglossa_, also a charming species, verytall, leafless to the tip of its pseudo-bulbs. Thus the dwarf beneathis seen in all its beauty. As they cling together in great masses thepair must make a flower-bed to themselves--above, the clustered spikesof _C. Amethystoglossa_, dusky-lilac, purple-spotted, with a lip ofamethyst; upon the ground the rich chocolate and rose of _C. Acklandiæ_. 

_Cattleya superba_, as has been said, dwells also on the Rio Negro inBrazil; it has a wide range, for specimens have been sent from the RioMeta in Colombia. This species is not loved by gardeners, who find itdifficult to cultivate and almost impossible to flower, probably becausethey cannot give it sunshine enough. I have heard that Baron Hruby, aHungarian enthusiast in our science, has no sort of trouble; wonders, indeed, are reported of that admirable collection, where all the hotorchids thrive like weeds. The Briton may find comfort in assuming thatcool species are happier beneath his cloudy skies; if he be prudent, hewill not seek to verify the assumption. The Assistant Curator of Kewassures us, in his excellent little work, "Orchids, " that the late Mr. Spyers grew _C. Superba_ well, and he details his method. I myself havenever seen the bloom. Mr. Watson describes it as five inches across, "bright rosy-purple suffused with white, very fragrant, lip with acuteside lobes folding over the column, "--making a funnel, in short--"thefront lobe spreading, kidney-shaped, crimson-purple, with a blotch ofwhite and yellow in front. "

In the same districts with _Cattleya superba_ grows _GalleandraDevoniana_ under circumstances rather unusual. It clings to the very tipof a slender palm, in swamps which the Indians themselves regard withdread as the chosen home of fever and mosquitoes. It was discovered bySir Robert Schomburgk, who compared the flower to a foxglove, referringespecially, perhaps, to the graceful bend of its long pseudo-bulbs, which is almost lost under cultivation. The tube-like flowers arepurple, contrasting exquisitely with a snow-white lip, striped withlilac in the throat. 

Phaloenopsis, of course, are hot. This is one of our oldest genera whichstill rank in the first class. It was drawn and described so early as1750, and a plant reached Messrs. Rollisson in 1838; they sold it to theDuke of Devonshire for a hundred guineas. Many persons regardPhaloenopsis as the loveliest of all, and there is no question of theirsupreme beauty, though not everyone may rank them first. They comemostly from the Philippines, but Java, Borneo, Cochin China, Burmah, even Assam contribute some species. Colonel Berkeley found _Ph. Tetraspis_, snow-white, and _Ph. Speciosa_, purple, in the Andamans, when he was Governor of that settlement, clinging to low bushes alongthe mangrove creeks. So far as I know, all the species dwell withinbreath of the sea, as it may be put, where the atmosphere is laden withsalt; this gives a hint to the thoughtful. Mr. Partington, of Cheshunt, who was the most renowned cultivator of the genus in his time, used tolay down salt upon the paths and beneath the stages of his Phaloenopsishouse. Lady Howard de Walden stands first, perhaps, at the present day, and her gardener follows the same system. These plants, indeed, areaffected, for good or ill, by influences too subtle for our perceptionas yet. Experiment alone will decide whether a certain house, or acertain neighbourhood even, is agreeable to their taste. It is a wasteof money in general to make alterations; if they do not like the placethey won't live there, and that's flat! It is probable that Maidstone, where Lady Howard de Walden resides, may be specially suited to theirneeds, but her ladyship's gardener knows how to turn a lucky chance tothe best account. Some of his plants have ten leaves!--the uninitiatedmay think that fact grotesquely undeserving of a note of exclamation, but to explain would be too technical. It may be observed that thefamous Swan orchid, _Cycnoches chlorochilon_, flourishes at Maidstone asnowhere else perhaps in England. 

Phaloenopsis were first introduced by Messrs. Rollisson, of Tooting, afirm that vanished years ago, but will live in the annals ofhorticulture as the earliest of the great importers. In 1836 they gothome a living specimen of _Ph. Amabilis_, which had been described, andeven figured, eighty years before. A few months later the Duke ofDevonshire secured _Ph. Schilleriana_. The late Mr. B. S. Williams toldme a very curious incident relating to this species. It comes from thePhilippines, and exacts a very hot, close atmosphere of course. Onceupon a time, however, a little piece was left in the cool house atHolloway, and remained there some months unnoticed by the authorities. When at length the oversight was remarked, to their amaze this strangerfrom the tropics, abandoned in the temperate zone, proved to be thrivingmore vigorously than any of his fellows who enjoyed their properclimate!--so he was left in peace and cherished as a "phenomenon. " Fourseasons had passed when I beheld the marvel, and it was a picture ofhealth and strength, flowering freely; but the reader is not advised tointroduce a few Phaloenopsis to his Odontoglossums--not by any means. Mr. Williams himself never repeated the experiment. It was one of thosedelightfully perplexing vagaries which the orchid-grower notes from timeto time. 

There are rare species of this genus which will not be found in thedealers' catalogues, and amateurs who like a novelty may be pleased tohear some names. _Ph. Manni_, christened in honour of Mr. Mann, Directorof the Indian Forest Department, is yellow and red; _Ph. Cornucervi_, yellow and brown; _Ph. Portei_, a natural hybrid, of _Ph. Rosea_ and_Ph. Aphrodite_, white, the lip amethyst. It is found very, very rarelyin the woods near Manilla. Above all, _Ph. Sanderiana_, to which hangs alittle tale. 

So soon as the natives of the Philippines began to understand that theirwhite and lilac weeds were cherished in Europe, they talked of a scarletvariety, which thrilled listening collectors with joy; but the preciousthing never came to hand, and, on closer inquiry, no responsible witnesscould be found who had seen it. Years passed by and the scarletPhaloenopsis became a jest among orchidaceans. The natives persisted, however, and Mr. Sander found the belief so general, if shadowy, thatwhen a service of coasting steamers was established, he sent Mr. Roebelin to make a thorough investigation. His enterprise and sagacitywere rewarded, as usual. After floating round for twenty-five yearsamidst derision, the rumour proved true in part. _Ph. Sanderiana_ is notscarlet but purplish rose, a very handsome and distinct species. 

To the same collector we owe the noblest of Aerides, _A. Lawrenciæ_, waxy white tipped with purple, and deep purple lip. Besides the lovelycolouring it is the largest by far of that genus. Mr. Roebelin sent twoplants from the Far East; he had not seen the flower, nor received anydescription from the natives. Mr. Sander grew them in equal ignorancefor three years, and sent one to auction in blossom; it fell to SirTrevor Lawrence's bid for 235 guineas. 

[Illustration: COELOGENE PANDURATA. Reduced to One Sixth]

Many of the Coelogenes classed as cool, which, indeed, rub along withOdontoglossums, do better in the stove while growing. _Coel. Cristata_itself comes from Nepaul, where the summer sun is terrible, and itcovers the rocks most exposed. But I will only name a few of thoserecognized as hot. Amongst the most striking of flowers, exquisitelypretty also, is _Coel. Pandurata_, from Borneo. Its spike has beendescribed by a person of fine fancy as resembling a row of glossypea-green frogs with black tongues, each three inches in diameter. Thewhole bloom is brilliantly green, but several ridges clothed with hairsas black and soft as velvet run down the lip, seeming to issue from amouth. It is strange to see that a plant so curious, so beautiful, andso sweet should be so rarely cultivated; I own, however, that it is veryunwilling to make itself at home with us. _Coel. Dayana_, also anative of Borneo, one of our newest discoveries, is named after Mr. Day, of Tottenham. I may interpolate a remark here for the encouragement ofpoor but enthusiastic members of our fraternity. When Mr. Day sold hiscollection lately, an American "Syndicate" paid 12, 000l. Down, and theremaining plants fetched 12, 000l. At auction; so, at least, theuncontradicted report goes. _Coel. Dayana_ is rare, of course, anddear, but Mr. Sander has lately imported a large quantity. The spike isthree feet long sometimes, a pendant wreath of buff-yellow flowersbroadly striped with chocolate. _Coel. Massangeana_, from Assam, resembles this, but the lip is deep crimson-brown, with lines of yellow, and a white edge. Newest of all the Coelogenes, and supremelybeautiful, is _Coel. Sanderiana_, imported by the gentleman whose nameit bears. He has been called "The Orchid King. " This superb species hasonly flowered once in Europe as yet; Baron Ferdinand Rothschild is thehappy man. Its snow-white blooms, six on a spike generally, each threeinches across, have very dark brown stripes on the lip. It wasdiscovered in Borneo by Mr. Forstermann, the same collector who happedupon the wondrous scarlet Dendrobe, mentioned in a former chapter. ThereI stated that Baron Schroeder had three pieces; this was a mistakeunfortunately. Mr. Forstermann only secured three, of which two died onthe journey. Baron Schroeder bought the third, but it has perished. Nomore can be found as yet. 

Of Oncidiums there are many that demand stove treatment. The story of_Onc. Splendidum_ is curious. It first turned up in France some thirtyyears ago. A ship's captain sailing from St. Lazare brought half a dozenpieces, which he gave to his "owner, " M. Herman. The latter handed themto MM. Thibaut and Ketteler, of Sceaux, who split them up anddistributed them. Two of the original plants found their way to England, and they also appear to have been cut up. A legend of the King StreetAuction Room recalls how perfervid competitors ran up a bit of _Onc. Splendidum_, that had only one leaf, to thirty guineas. The whole stockvanished presently, which is not surprising if it had all been dividedin the same ruthless manner. From that day the species was lost untilMr. Sander turned his attention to it. There was no record of itshabitat. The name of the vessel, or even of the captain, might havefurnished a clue had it been recorded, for the shipping intelligence ofthe day would have shown what ports he was frequenting about that time. I could tell of mysterious orchids traced home upon indications lessdistinct. But there was absolutely nothing. Mr. Sander, however, hadscrutinized the plant carefully, while specimens were still extant, andfrom the structure of the leaf he formed a strong conclusion that itmust belong to the Central American flora; furthermore, that it mustinhabit a very warm locality. In 1882 he directed one of his collectors, Mr. Oversluys, to look for the precious thing in Costa Rica. Year afteryear the search proceeded, until Mr. Oversluys declared with some warmththat _Onc. Splendidum_ might grow in heaven or in the other place, butit was not to be found in Costa Rica. But theorists are stubborn, andyear after year he was sent back. At length, in 1882, riding through adistrict often explored, the collector found himself in a grassy plain, dotted with pale yellow flowers. He had beheld the same many times, buthis business was orchids. On this occasion, however, he chanced toapproach one of the masses, and recognized the object of his quest. Itwas the familiar case of a man who overlooks the thing he has to find, because it is too near and too conspicuous. But Mr. Oversluys had excuseenough. Who could have expected to see an Oncidium buried in long grass, exposed to the full power of a tropic sun?

_Oncidium Lanceanum_ is, perhaps, the hottest of its genus. Those happymortals who can grow it declare they have no trouble, but unlessperfectly strong and healthy it gets "the spot, " and promptly goes towreck. In the houses of the "New Plant and Bulb Company, " atColchester--now extinct--_Onc. Lanceanum_ flourished with a vigouralmost embarrassing, putting forth such enormous leaves, as it hungclose to the glass, as made blinds quite superfluous at midsummer. Butthis was an extraordinary case. Certainly it is a glorious spectacle inflower--yellow, barred with brown; the lip violet. The spikes last amonth in full beauty--sometimes two. 

An Oncidium which always commands attention from the public and gratefulregard from the devotee is _Onc. Papilio_. Its strange form fascinatedthe Duke of Devonshire, grandfather to the present, who was almost thefirst of our lordly amateurs, and tempted him to undertake theexplorations which introduced so many fine plants to Europe. 

The "Butterfly orchid" is so familiar that I do not pause to describeit. But imagine that most interesting flower all blue, instead of goldand brown! I have never been able to learn what was the foundation ofthe old belief in such a marvel. But the great Lindley went to his gravein unshaken confidence that a blue _papilio_ exists. Once he thought hehad a specimen; but it flowered, and his triumph had to be postponed. Imyself heard of it two years back, and tried to cherish a belief thatthe news was true. A friend from Natal assured me that he had seen oneon the table of the Director of the Gardens at Durban; but it proved tobe one of those terrestrial orchids, so lovely and so tantalizing to us, with which South Africa abounds. Very slowly do we lengthen thecatalogue of them in our houses. There are gardeners, such as Mr. Cookat Loughborough, who grow _Disa grandiflora_ like a weed. Mr. Watson ofKew demonstrated that _Disa racemosa_ will flourish under conditionseasily secured. I had the good fortune to do as much for _DisaCooperi_, though not by my own skill. One supreme little triumph ismine, however. In very early days, when animated with the courage ofutter ignorance, I bought eight bulbs of _Disa discolor_, and floweredthem, every one! No mortal in Europe had done it before, nor has anytried since, I charitably hope, for a more rubbishing bloom does notexist. But there it was--_Ego feci_! And the specimen in the Herbariumat Kew bears my name. 

But legends should not be disregarded when it is certain that they reachus from a native source. Some of the most striking finds had beenannounced long since by observant savages. I have told the story of_Phaloenopsis Sanderiana_. It was a Zulu who put the discoverer of thenew yellow Calla on the track. The blue Utricularia had been heard ofand discredited long before it was found--Utricularias are not orchidsindeed, but only botanists regard the distinction. The natives of Assampersistently assert that a bright yellow Cymbidium grows there, ofsupremest beauty, and we expect it to turn up one day; the Malagasydescribe a scarlet one. But I am digressing. 

Epidendrums mostly will bear as much heat as can be given them whilegrowing; all demand more sunshine than they can get in our climate. Amateurs do not seem to be so well acquainted with the grand things ofthis genus as they should be. They distrust all imported Epidendrums. Many worthless species, indeed, bear a perplexing resemblance to thefinest; so much so, that the most observant of authorities would notthink of buying at the auction-room unless he had confidence enough inthe seller's honesty to accept his description of a "lot. " Gloriouslybeautiful, however, are some of those rarely met with; easy to cultivatealso, in a sunny place, and not dear. _Epid. Rhizophorum_ has beenlately rechristened _Epid. Radicans_--a name which might be confined tothe Mexican variety. For the plant recurs in Brazil, practically thesame, but with a certain difference. The former grows on shrubs, a trueepiphyte; the latter has its bottom roots in the soil, at foot of thetallest trees, and runs up to the very summit, perhaps a hundred andfifty feet. The flowers also show a distinction, but in effect they arebrilliant orange-red, the lip yellow, edged with scarlet. Forty or fiftyof them hanging in a cluster from the top of the raceme make a show toremember. Mr. Watson "saw a plant a few years ago, that bore eighty-sixheads of flowers!" They last for three months. _Epid. Prismatocarpum_, also, is a lovely thing, with narrow dagger-like sepals and petals, creamy-yellow, spotted black, lip mauve or violet, edged with paleyellow. 

Of the many hot Dendrobiums, Australia supplies a good proportion. Thereis _D. Bigibbum_, of course, too well known for description; it dwellson the small islands in Torres Straits. This species flowered at Kew soearly as 1824, but the plant died. Messrs. Loddiges, of Hackney, re-introduced it thirty years later. _D. Johannis_, from Queensland, brown and yellow, streaked with orange, the flowers curiously twisted. _D. Superbiens_, from Torres Straits, rosy purple, edged with white, lipcrimson. Handsomest of all by far is _D. Phaloenopsis_. It throws out along, slender spike from the tip of the pseudo-bulb, bearing six or moreflowers, three inches across. The sepals are lance-shaped, and thepetals, twice as broad, rosy-lilac, with veins of darker tint; the lip, arched over by its side lobes, crimson-lake in the throat, paler andstriped at the mouth. It was first sent home by Mr. Forbes, of KewGardens, from Timor Laüt, in 1880. But Mr. Fitzgerald had made drawingsof a species substantially the same, some years before, from a plant hediscovered on the property of Captain Bloomfield, Balmain, inQueensland, nearly a thousand miles south of Timor. Mr. Sander causedsearch to be made, and he has introduced Mr. Fitzgerald's variety underthe name of _D. Ph. Statterianum_. It is smaller than the type, andcrimson instead of lilac. 

Bulbophyllums rank among the marvels of nature. It is a pointcomparatively trivial that this genus includes the largest of orchidsand, perhaps, the smallest. 

_B. Beccarii_ has leaves two feet long, eighteen inches broad. Itencircles the biggest tree in one clasp of its rhizomes, whichtravellers mistake for the coil of a boa constrictor. Furthermore, thisspecies emits the vilest stench known to scientific persons, which is agreat saying. But these points are insignificant. The charm ofBulbophyllums lies in their machinery for trapping insects. Those whoattended the Temple show last year saw something of it, if they couldpenetrate the crush around _B. Barbigerum_ on Sir Trevor Lawrence'sstand. This tiny but amazing plant comes from Sierra Leone. The longyellow lip is attached to the column by the slenderest possible joint, so that it rocks without an instant's pause. At the tip is set a brushof silky hairs, which wave backwards and forwards with the precision ofmachinery. No wonder that the natives believe it a living thing. Thepurpose of these arrangements is to catch flies, which other specieseffect with equal ingenuity if less elaboration. Very pretty too aresome of them, as _B. Lobbii_. Its clear, clean, orange-creamy hue isdelightful to behold. The lip, so delicately balanced, quivers at everybreath. If the slender stem be bent back, as by a fly alighting on thecolumn, that quivering cap turns and hangs imminent; another tiny shake, as though the fly approached the nectary, and it falls plump, head overheels, like a shot, imprisoning the insect. Thus the flower isimpregnated. If we wished to excite a thoughtful child's interest inbotany--not regardless of the sense of beauty either--we should make aninvestment in _Bulbophyllum Lobbii_. _Bulbophyllum Dearei_ also ispretty--golden ochre spotted red, with a wide dorsal sepal, very narrowpetals flying behind, lower sepals broadly striped with red, and ayellow lip, upon a hinge, of course; but the gymnastic performances ofthis species are not so impressive as in most of its kin. 

A new Bulbophyllum, _B. Godseffianum_, has lately been brought from thePhilippines, contrived on the same principle, but even more charming. The flowers, two inches broad, have the colour of "old gold, " withstripes of crimson on the petals, and the dorsal sepal shows membranesalmost transparent, which have the effect of silver embroidery. 

Until _B. Beccarii_ was introduced, from Borneo, in 1867, theGrammatophyllums were regarded as monsters incomparable. Mr. ArthurKeyser, Resident Magistrate at Selangor, in the Straits Settlement, tells of one which he gathered on a Durian tree, seven feet two incheshigh, thirteen feet six inches across, bearing seven spikes of flower, the longest eight feet six inches--a weight which fifteen men could onlyjust carry. Mr. F. W. Burbidge heard a tree fall in the jungle one nightwhen he was four miles away, and on visiting the spot, he found, "rightin the collar of the trunk, a Grammatophyllum big enough to fill aPickford's van, just opening its golden-brown spotted flowers, on stoutspikes two yards long. " It is not to be hoped that we shall ever seemonsters like these in Europe. The genus, indeed, is unruly. _G. Speciosum_ has been grown to six feet high, I believe, which is bigenough to satisfy the modest amateur, especially when it develops leavestwo feet long. The flowers are--that is, they ought to be--six inches indiameter, rich yellow, blotched with reddish purple. They have somegiants at Kew now, of which fine things are expected. _G. Measureseanum_, named after Mr. Measures, a leading amateur, is palebuff, speckled with chocolate, the ends of the sepals and petalscharmingly tipped with the same hue. Within the last few months Mr. Sander has obtained _G. Multiflorum_ from the Philippines, which seemsto be not only the most beautiful, but the easiest to cultivate of thoseyet introduced. Its flowers droop in a garland of pale green and yellow, splashed with brown, not loosely set, as is the rule, but scarcely halfan inch apart. The effect is said to be lovely beyond description. Wemay hope to judge for ourselves in no long time, for Mr. Sander haspresented a wondrous specimen to the Royal Gardens, Kew. This isassuredly the biggest orchid ever brought to Europe. Its snakeypseudo-bulbs measure nine feet, and the old flower spikes stood eighteenfeet high. It will be found in the Victoria Regia house, growingstrongly. 

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 6: _Vanda Lowii_ is properly called _Renanthera Lowii_. ]

[Footnote 7: _Vide_ page 100. ]

THE LOST ORCHID. 

Not a few orchids are "lost"--have been described that is, and named, even linger in some great collection, but, bearing no history, cannotnow be found. Such, for instance, are _Cattleya Jongheana_, _CymbidiumHookerianum_, _Cypripedium Fairianum_. But there is one to which thedefinite article might have been applied a very few days ago. This is_Cattleya labiata vera_. It was the first to bear the name of Cattleya, though not absolutely the first of that genus discovered. _C. Loddigesii_ preceded it by a few years, but was called an Epidendrum. Curious it is to note how science has returned in this latter day to theviews of a pre-scientific era. Professor Reichenbach was only restrainedfrom abolishing the genus Cattleya, and merging all its species intoEpidendrum, by regard for the weakness of human nature. _Cattleyalabiata vera_ was sent from Brazil to Dr. Lindley by Mr. W. Swainson, and reached Liverpool in 1818. So much is certain, for Lindley makesthe statement in his _Collectanea Botanica_. But legends and mythsencircle that great event. It is commonly told in books that Sir W. Jackson Hooker, Regius Professor of Botany at Glasgow, begged Mr. Swainson--who was collecting specimens in natural history--to send himsome lichens. He did so, and with the cases arrived a quantity oforchids which had been used to pack them. Less suitable material for"dunnage" could not be found, unless we suppose that it was thrustbetween the boxes to keep them steady. Paxton is the authority for thisdetail, which has its importance. The orchid arriving in such humblefashion proved to be _Cattleya labiata_; Lindley gave it thatname--there was no need to add _vera_ then. He established a new genusfor it, and thus preserved for all time the memory of Mr. Cattley, agreat horticulturist dwelling at Barnet. There was no ground insupposing the species rare. A few years afterwards, in fact, Mr. Gardner, travelling in pursuit of butterflies and birds, sent homequantities of a Cattleya which he found on the precipitous sides of thePedro Bonita range, and also on the Gavea, which our sailors call"Topsail" Mountain, or "Lord Hood's Nose. " These orchids passed as _C. Labiata_ for a while. Paxton congratulated himself and the world in his_Flower Garden_ that the stock was so greatly increased. Those were thecoaching days, when botanists had not much opportunity for comparison. It is to be observed, also, that Gardner's Cattleya was the nearestrelative of Swainson's;--it is known at present as _C. Labiata Warneri_. The true species, however, has points unmistakable. Some of its kinsfolkshow a double flower-sheath;--very, very rarely, under exceptionalcircumstances. But _Cattleya labiata vera_ never fails, and aninteresting question it is to resolve why this alone should be socarefully protected. One may cautiously surmise that its habitat is evendamper than others'. In the next place, some plants have their leavesred underneath, others green, and the flower-sheath always corresponds;this peculiarity is shared by _C. L. Warneri_ alone. Thirdly--and thereis the grand distinction, the one which gives such extreme value to thespecies--it flowers in the late autumn, and thus fills a gap. Those whopossess a plant may have Cattleyas in bloom the whole year round--andthey alone. Accordingly, it makes a section by itself in theclassification of _Reichenbachia_, as the single species that flowersfrom the current year's growth, after resting. Section II. Contains thespecies that flower from the current year's growth before resting. Section III. , those that flower from last year's growth after resting. All these are many, but _C. L. Vera_ stands alone. 

[Illustration: CATTLEYA LABIATA. Reduced to One Sixth. ]

We have no need to dwell upon the contest that arose at the introductionof _Cattleya Mossiæ_ in 1840, which grew more and more bitter as othersof the class came in, and has not yet ceased. It is enough to say thatLindley declined to recognize _C. Mossiæ_ as a species, though he stoodalmost solitary against "the trade, " backed by a host of enthusiasticamateurs. The great botanist declared that he could see nothing in thebeautiful new Cattleya to distinguish it as a species from the onealready named, _C. Labiata_, except that most variable ofcharacteristics, colour. Modes of growth and times of flowering do notconcern science. The structure of the plants is identical, and to admit_C. Mossiæ_ as a sub-species of the same was the utmost concessionLindley would make. This was in 1840. Fifteen years later came _C. Warscewiczi_, now called _gigas_; then, next year, _C. Trianæ_; _C. Dowiana_ in 1866; _C. Mendellii_ in 1870--all _labiatas_, strictlyspeaking. At each arrival the controversy was renewed; it is not overyet. But Sir Joseph Hooker succeeded Lindley and Reichenbach succeededHooker as the supreme authority, and each of them stood firm. Thereare, of course, many Cattleyas recognized as species, but Lindley's rulehas been maintained. We may return to the lost orchid. 

As time went on, and the merits of _C. Labiata vera_ were understood, the few specimens extant--proceeding from Mr. Swainson'simportation--fetched larger and larger prices. Those merits, indeed, were conspicuous. Besides the season of flowering, this proved to be thestrongest and most easily grown of Cattleyas. Its normal type was atleast as charming as any, and it showed an extraordinary readiness tovary. Few, as has been said, were the plants in cultivation, but theygave three distinct varieties. Van Houtte shows us two in his admirable_Flore des Serres; C. L. Candida_, from Syon House, pure white exceptingthe ochrous throat--which is invariable--and _C. L. Picta_, deep red, from the collection of J. J. Blandy, Esq. , Reading. The third was _C. L. Pescatorei_, white, with a deep red blotch upon the lip, formerly ownedby Messrs. Rouget-Chauvier, of Paris, now by the Duc de Massa. 

Under such circumstances the dealers began to stir in earnest. From thefirst, indeed, the more enterprising had made efforts to import a plantwhich, as they supposed, must be a common weed at Rio, since men usedit to "pack" boxes. But that this was an error they soon perceived. Taking the town as a centre, collectors pushed out on all sides. Probably there is not one of the large dealers, in England or theContinent, dead or living, who has not spent money--a large sum, too--insearching for _C. L. Vera_. Probably, also, not one has lost by thespeculation, though never a sign nor a hint, scarcely a rumour, of thething sought rewarded them. For all secured new orchids, newbulbs--Eucharis in especial--Dipladenias, Bromeliaceæ, Calladiums, Marantas, Aristolochias, and what not. In this manner the lost orchidhas done immense service to botany and to mankind. One may say that thehunt lasted seventy years, and led collectors to strike a path throughalmost every province of Brazil--almost, for there are still vastregions unexplored. A man might start, for example, at Para, and travelto Bogota, two thousand miles or so, with a stretch of six hundred mileson either hand which is untouched. It may well be asked what Mr. Swainson was doing, if alive, while his discovery thus agitated theworld. Alive he was, in New Zealand, until the year 1855, but he offeredno assistance. It is scarcely to be doubted that he had none to give. The orchids fell in his way by accident--possibly collected in distantparts by some poor fellow who died at Rio. Swainson picked them up, andused them to stow his lichens. 

Not least extraordinary, however, in this extraordinary tale is the factthat various bits of _C. L. Vera_ turned up during this time. Lord Homehas a noble specimen at Bothwell Castle, which did not come fromSwainson's consignment. His gardener told the story five years ago. "Iam quite sure, " he wrote, "that my nephew told me the small bit I hadfrom him"--forty years before--"was off a newly-imported plant, and Iunderstood it had been brought by one of Messrs. Horsfall's ships. " LordFitzwilliam seems to have got one in the same way, from another ship. But the most astonishing case is recent. About seven years ago twoplants made their appearance in the Zoological Gardens at Regent'sPark--in the conservatory behind Mr. Bartlett's house. How they gotthere is an eternal mystery. Mr. Bartlett sold them for a large sum; butan equal sum offered him for any scrap of information showing how theycame into his hands he was sorrowfully obliged to refuse--or, rather, found himself unable to earn. They certainly arrived in company withsome monkeys; but when, from what district of South America, the closestsearch of his papers failed to show. In 1885, Dr. Regel, Director ofthe Imperial Gardens at St. Petersburg, received a few plants. It may beworth while to name those gentlemen who recently possessed examples of_C. L. Vera_, so far as our knowledge goes. They were Sir TrevorLawrence, Lord Rothschild, Duke of Marlborough, Lord Home, Messrs. J. Chamberlain, T. Statten, J. J. Blandy, and G. Hardy, in England; inAmerica, Mr. F. L. Ames, two, and Mr. H. H. Hunnewell; in France, Comte deGerminy, Duc de Massa, Baron Alphonse and Baron Adolf de Rothschild, M. Treyeran of Bordeaux. There were two, as is believed, in Italy. 

And now the horticultural papers inform us that the lost orchid isfound, by Mr. Sander of St. Albans. Assuredly he deserves his luck--ifthe result of twenty years' labour should be so described. It was about1870, we believe, that Mr. Sander sent out Arnold, who passed five yearsin exploring Venezuela. He had made up his mind that the treasure mustnot be looked for in Brazil. Turning next to Colombia, in successiveyears, Chesterton, Bartholomeus, Kerbach, and the brothers Klabochoverran that country. Returning to Brazil, his collectors, Oversluys, Smith, Bestwood, went over every foot of the ground which Swainsonseems, by his books, to have traversed. At the same time Clarke followedGardner's track through the Pedro Bonita and Topsail Mountains. ThenOsmers traced the whole coast-line of the Brazils from north to south, employing five years in the work. Finally, Digance undertook the search, and died this year. To these men we owe grand discoveries beyondcounting. To name but the grandest, Arnold found _CattleyaPercevaliana_; from Colombia were brought _Odont. Vex. Rubellum_, _Bollea coelestis_, _Pescatorea Klabochorum_; Smith sent _CattleyaO'Brieniana_; Clarke the dwarf Cattleyas, _pumila_ and _præstans_;Lawrenceson _Cattleya Schroederæ_; Chesterton _Cattleya Sanderiana_;Digance _Cattleya Diganceana_, which received a Botanical certificatefrom the Royal Horticultural Society on September 8th, 1890. But theyheard not a whisper of the lost orchid. 

In 1889 a collector employed by M. Moreau, of Paris, to explore Centraland North Brazil in search of insects, sent home fifty plants--for M. Moreau is an enthusiast in orchidology also. He had no object in keepingthe secret of its habitat, and when Mr. Sander, chancing to call, recognized the treasure so long lost, he gave every assistance. Meanwhile, the International Horticultural Society of Brussels hadsecured a quantity, but they regarded it as new, and gave it the name of_Catt. Warocqueana_; in which error they persisted until Messrs. Sanderflooded the market. 

AN ORCHID FARM. 

My articles brought upon me a flood of questions almost as embarrassingas flattering to a busy journalist. The burden of them was curiouslylike. Three ladies or gentlemen in four wrote thus: "I love orchids. Ihad not the least suspicion that they may be cultivated so easily and socheaply. I am going to begin. Will you please inform me"--here diversityset in with a vengeance! From temperature to flower-pots, from theselection of species to the selection of peat, from the architecture ofa greenhouse to the capabilities of window-gardening, with excursionsbetween, my advice was solicited. I replied as best I could. It must befeared, however, that the most careful questioning and the mostelaborate replies by post will not furnish that ground-work ofknowledge, the ABC of the science, which is needed by a person utterlyunskilled; nor will he find it readily in the hand-books. Written by menfamiliar with the alphabet of orchidology from their youth up, thoughthey seem to begin at the beginning, ignorant enthusiasts who study themfind woeful gaps. It is little I can do in this matter; yet, believingthat the culture of these plants will be as general shortly as theculture of pelargoniums under glass--and firmly convinced that he whohastens that day is a real benefactor to his kind--I am most anxious todo what lies in my power. Considering the means by which this end may bewon, it appears necessary above all to avoid boring the student. Heshould be led to feel how charming is the business in hand even whileengaged with prosaic details; and it seems to me, after some thought, that the sketch of a grand orchid nursery will best serve our purposefor the moment. There I can show at once processes and results, passingat a step as it were from the granary into the harvest-field, from theworkshop to the finished and glorious production. 

"An orchid farm" is no extravagant description of the establishment atSt. Albans. There alone in Europe, so far as I know, three acres ofground are occupied by orchids exclusively. It is possible that largerhouses might be found--everything is possible; but such are devoted moreor less to a variety of plants, and the departments are not allgathered beneath one roof. I confess, for my own part, a hatred ofreferences. They interrupt the writer, and they distract the reader. Atthe place I have chosen to illustrate our theme, one has but to cross acorridor from any of the working quarters to reach the showroom. We maystart upon our critical survey from the very dwelling-house. Pundits ofagricultural science explore the sheds, I believe, the barns, stables, machine-rooms, and so forth, before inspecting the crops. We may followthe same course, but our road offers an unusual distraction. 

It passes from the farmer's hall beneath a high glazed arch. Some thirtyfeet beyond, the path is stopped by a wall of tufa and stalactite whichrises to the lofty roof, and compels the traveller to turn right orleft. Water pours down it and falls trickling into a narrow poolbeneath. Its rough front is studded with orchids from crest to base. Coelogenes have lost those pendant wreaths of bloom which latelytipped the rock as with snow. But there are Cymbidiums arching longsprays of green and chocolate; thickets of Dendrobe set with flowersbeyond counting--ivory and rose and purple and orange; scarletAnthuriums: huge clumps of Phajus and evergreen Calanthe, with a scoreof spikes rising from their broad leaves; Cypripediums of quaint formand striking half-tones of colour; Oncidiums which droop their slendergarlands a yard long, golden yellow and spotted, purple and white--ahundred tints. The crown of the rock bristles all along with Cattleyas, a dark-green glossy little wood against the sky. The _Trianæs_ arealmost over, but here and there a belated beauty pushes through, whiteor rosy, with a lip of crimson velvet. _Mossiæs_ have replaced themgenerally, and from beds three feet in diameter their great blooms startby the score, in every shade of pink and crimson and rosy purple. Thereis _Loelia elegans_, exterminated in its native home, of such bulk andsuch luxuriance of growth that the islanders left forlorn might almostfind consolation in regarding it here. Over all, climbing up thespandrils of the roof in full blaze of sunshine, is _Vanda teres_, roundas a pencil both leaves and stalk, which will drape those bare iron rodspresently with crimson and pink and gold. [8] The way to our farmyard isnot like others. It traverses a corner of fairyland. 

We find a door masked by such a rock as that faintly and vaguelypictured, which opens on a broad corridor. Through all its length, fourhundred feet, it is ceilinged with baskets of Mexican orchid, as closeas they will fit. Upon the left hand lie a series of glass structures;upon the right, below the level of the corridor, the workshops; at theend--why, to be frank, the end is blocked by a ponderous screen ofmatting just now. But this dingy barrier is significant of a work inhand which will not be the least curious nor the least charming of thestrange sights here. The farmer has already a "siding" of course, forthe removal of his produce; he finds it necessary to have a station ofhis own also for the convenience of clients. Beyond the screen atpresent lies an area of mud and ruin, traversed by broken walls and rowsof hot-water piping swathed in felt to exclude the chill air. A fewweeks since, this little wilderness was covered with glass, but the endsof the long "houses" have been cut off to make room for a structure intowhich visitors will step direct from the train. The platform is alreadyfinished, neat and trim; so are the vast boilers and furnaces, newlyrebuilt, which would drive a cotton factory. 

A busy scene that is which we survey, looking down through openings inthe wall of the corridor. Here is the composing-room, where thatmagnificent record of orchidology in three languages, the"Reichenbachia, " slowly advances from year to year. There is theprinting-room, with no steam presses or labour-saving machinery, but themost skilful craftsmen to be found, the finest paper, the mostdeliberate and costly processes, to rival the great works of the past inillustrating modern science. These departments, however, we need notvisit, nor the chambers, lower still, where mechanical offices areperformed. 

The "Importing Room" first demands notice. Here cases are received byfifties and hundreds, week by week, from every quarter of the orchidworld, unpacked, and their contents stored until space is made for themup above. It is a long apartment, broad and low, with tables against thewall and down the middle, heaped with things which to the uninitiatedseem, for the most part, dry sticks and dead bulbs. Orchids everywhere!They hang in dense bunches from the roof. They lie a foot thick uponevery board, and two feet thick below. They are suspended on the walls. Men pass incessantly along the gangways, carrying a load that would filla barrow. And all the while fresh stores are accumulating under thehands of that little group in the middle, bent and busy at cases justarrived. They belong to a lot of eighty that came in from Burmah lastnight--and while we look on, a boy brings a telegram announcing fiftymore from Mexico, that will reach Waterloo at 2. 30 p. M. Great is thewrath and great the anxiety at this news, for some one has blundered;the warning should have been despatched three hours before. Orchids mustnot arrive at unknown stations unless there be somebody of discretionand experience to meet them, and the next train does not leave St. Albans until 2. 44 p. M. Dreadful is the sense of responsibility, alarmingthe suggestions of disaster, that arise from this incident. 

The Burmese cases in hand just now are filled with Dendrobiums, _crassinode_ and _Wardianum_, stowed in layers as close as possible, with _D. Falconerii_ for packing material. A royal way of doing thingsindeed to substitute an orchid of value for shavings or moss, but mightyconvenient and profitable. For that packing will be sent to theauction-rooms presently, and will be sold for no small proportion of thesum which its more delicate charge attains. We remark that theexperienced persons who remove these precious sticks, layer by layer, perform their office gingerly. There is not much danger orunpleasantness in unpacking Dendrobes, compared with other genera, butship-rats spring out occasionally and give an ugly bite; scorpions andcentipedes have been known to harbour in the close roots of _D. Falconerii_; stinging ants are by no means improbable, nor huge spiders;while cockroaches of giant size, which should be killed, may be lookedfor with certainty. But men learn a habit of caution by experience ofcargoes much more perilous. In those masses of _Arundina bambusæfolia_beneath the table yonder doubtless there are centipedes lurking, perhapseven scorpions, which have escaped the first inspection. Happily, thesepests are dull, half-stupefied with the cold, when discovered, and noman here has been stung, circumspect as they are; but ants arrive asalert and as vicious as in their native realm. Distinctly they are nojoke. To handle a consignment of _Epidendrum bicornutum_ demands somenerve. A very ugly species loves its hollow bulbs, which, whendisturbed, shoots out with lightning swiftness and nips the arm or handso quickly that it can seldom be avoided. But the most awkward cases todeal with are those which contain _Schomburghkia tibicinis_. This superborchid is so difficult to bloom that very few will attempt it; I haveseen its flower but twice. Packers strongly approve the reluctance ofthe public to buy, since it restricts importation. The foreman has beenlaid up again and again. But they find pleasing curiosities also, tropic beetles, and insects, and cocoons. Dendrobiums in especial arefavoured by moths; _D. Wardianum_ is loaded with their webs, empty as arule. Hitherto the men have preserved no chrysalids, but at this momentthey have a few, of unknown species. 

The farmer gets strange bits of advice sometimes, and strange offers ofassistance. Talking of insects reminds him of a letter received lastweek. Here it is:--

 SIRS, --I have heard that you are large growers of orchids; am I right in supposing that in their growth or production you are much troubled with some insect or caterpillar which retards or hinders their arrival at maturity, and that these insects or caterpillars can be destroyed by small snakes? I have tracts of land under my occupation, and if these small snakes can be of use in your culture of orchids you might write, as I could get you some on knowing what these might be worth to you. 

 Yours truly ----

Thence we mount to the potting-rooms, where a dozen skilled workmen tryto keep pace with the growth of the imported plants; taking up, day byday, those which thrust out roots so fast that postponement isinjurious. The broad middle tables are heaped with peat and moss andleaf-mould and white sand. At counters on either side unskilledlabourers are sifting and mixing, while boys come and go, laden withpots and baskets of teak-wood and crocks and charcoal. These things arepiled in heaps against the walls; they are stacked on frames overhead;they fill the semi-subterranean chambers of which we get a glimpse inpassing. Our farm resembles a factory in this department. 

Ascending to the upper earth again, and crossing the corridor, we mayvisit number one of those glass-houses opposite. I cannot imagine, muchmore describe, how that spectacle would strike one to whom it was whollyunfamiliar. These buildings--there are twelve of them, side byside--measure one hundred and eighty feet in length, and the narrowesthas thirty-two feet breadth. This which we enter is devoted to_Odontoglossum crispum_, with a few _Masdevallias_. There weretwenty-two thousand pots in it the other day; several thousand have beensold, several thousand have been brought in, and the number at thismoment cannot be computed. Our farmer has no time for speculativearithmetic; he deals in produce wholesale. Telegraph an order for athousand _crispums_ and you cause no stir in the establishment. You takeit for granted that a large dealer only could propose such atransaction. But it does not follow at all. Nobody would credit, unlesshe had talked with one of the great farmers, on what enormous scaleorchids are cultivated up and down by private persons. Our friend has aclient who keeps his stock of _O. Crispum_ alone at ten thousand; butothers, less methodical, may have more. 

Opposite the door is a high staging, mounted by steps, with a gangwaydown the middle and shelves descending on either hand. Those shelves arecrowded with fine plants of the glorious _O. Crispum_, each bearing oneor two spikes of flower, which trail down, interlace, arch upward. Notall are in bloom; that amazing sight may be witnessed for a month tocome--for two months, with such small traces of decay as the casualvisitor would not notice. So long and dense are the wreaths, so broadthe flowers, that the structure seems to be festooned from top to bottomwith snowy garlands. But there is more. Overhead hang rows of baskets, lessening in perspective, with pendent sprays of bloom. And broad tableswhich edge the walls beneath that staging display some thousands still, smaller but not less beautiful. A sight which words could not portray. Iyield in despair. 

The tillage of the farm is our business, and there are many points herewhich the amateur should note. Observe the bricks beneath your feet. They have a hollow pattern which retains the water, though your bootskeep dry. Each side of the pathway lie shallow troughs, always full. Beneath that staging mentioned is a bed of leaves, interrupted by a tankhere, by a group of ferns there, vividly green. Slender iron pipes runthrough the house from end to end, so perforated that on turning a tapthey soak these beds, fill the little troughs and hollow bricks, play inall directions down below, but never touch a plant. Under such constantdrenching the leaf-beds decay, throwing up those gases and vapours inwhich the orchid delights at home. Thus the amateur should arrange hisgreenhouse, so far as he may. But I would not have it understood thatthese elaborate contrivances are essential. If you would beat Nature, ashere, making invariably such bulbs and flowers as she produces onlyunder rare conditions, you must follow this system. But orchids are notexacting. 

The house opens, at its further end, in a magnificent structure designedespecially to exhibit plants of warm species in bloom. It is threehundred feet long, twenty-six wide, eighteen high--the piping laid endto end, would measure as nearly as possible one mile: we see a practicalillustration of the resources of the establishment, when it is expectedto furnish such a show. Here are stored the huge specimens of_Cymbidium Lowianum_, nine of which astounded the good people of Berlinwith a display of one hundred and fifty flower spikes, all open at once. We observe at least a score as well furnished, and hundreds which aroyal gardener would survey with pride. They rise one above another in agreat bank, crowned and brightened by garlands of pale green andchocolate. Other Cymbidiums are here, but not the beautiful _C. Eburneum_. Its large white flowers, erect on a short spike, not droopinglike these, will be found in a cool house--smelt with delight beforethey are found. 

Further on we have a bank of Dendrobiums, so densely clothed in bloomthat the leaves are unnoticed. Lovely beyond all to my taste, if, indeed, one may make a comparison, is _D. Luteolum_, with flowers ofpalest, tenderest primrose, rarely seen unhappily, for it will notreconcile itself to our treatment. Then again a bank of Cattleyas, ofVandas, of miscellaneous genera. The pathway is hedged on one side with_Begonia coralina_, an unimproved species too straggling of growth andtoo small of flower to be worth its room under ordinary conditions; buta glorious thing here, climbing to the roof, festooned at every seasonof the year with countless rosy sprays. 

Beyond this show-house lie the small structures devoted to"hybridization, " but I deal with them in another chapter. Here also arethe Phaloenopsis, the very hot Vandas, Bolleas, Pescatoreas, Anæctochili, and such dainty but capricious beauties. 

We enter the second of the range of greenhouses, also devoted toOdontoglossums, Masdevallias, and "cool" genera, as crowded as the last;pass down it to the corridor, and return through number three, which isoccupied by Cattleyas and such. There is a lofty mass of rock in front, with a pool below, and a pleasant sound of splashing water. Many orchidsof the largest size are planted out here--Cypripedium, Cattleya, Sobralia, Phajus, Loelia, Zygopetalum, and a hundred more, "specimens, " as the phrase runs--that is to say, they have ten, twenty, fifty, flower spikes. I attempt no more descriptions; to one who knows, the plain statement of fact is enough, one who does not is unable toconceive that sight by the aid of words. But the Sobralias demandattention. They stand here in clumps two feet thick, bearing awilderness of loveliest bloom--like Irises magnified and glorified byheavenly enchantment. Nature designed a practical joke perhaps when shegranted these noble flowers but one day's existence each, while dingyEpidendrums last six months, or nine. I imagine that for statelinessand delicacy combined there are no plants that excel the Sobralia. Atany single point they may be surpassed--among orchids, be it understood, by nothing else in Nature's realm--but their magnificence and gracetogether cannot be outshone. 

I must not dwell upon the marvels here, in front, on either side, andabove--a hint is enough. There are baskets of _Loelia anceps_ threefeet across, lifted bodily from the tree in their native forest wherethey had grown perhaps for centuries. One of them--the white variety, too, which æsthetic infidels might adore, though they believed innothing--opened a hundred spikes at Christmas time; we do not concernourselves with minute reckonings here. But an enthusiastic novicecounted the flowers blooming one day on that huge mass of _Loeliaalbida_ yonder, and they numbered two hundred and eleven--unless, assome say, this was the quantity of "spikes, " in which case one must haveto multiply by two or three. Such incidents maybe taken for granted atthe farm. 

[Illustration: LOELIANCEPS SCHROEDERIANA. Reduced to One Sixth]

But we must not pass a new orchid, quite distinct and supremelybeautiful, for which Professor Reichenbach has not yet found a namesufficiently appreciative. Only eight pieces were discovered, whence wemust suspect that it is very rare at home; I do not know where thehome is, and I should not tell if I did. Such information is morevaluable than the surest tip for the Derby, or most secrets of State. This new orchid is a Cyrrhopetalun, of very small size, but, like somany others, its flower is bigger than itself. The spike inclines almostat a right angle, and the pendent half is hung with golden bells, nearlytwo inches in length. Beneath it stands the very rare scarletUtricularia, growing in the axils of its native Vriesia, as in a cupalways full; but as yet the flower has been seen in Europe only by theeyes of faith. It may be news to some that Utricularias do not belong tothe orchid family--have, in fact, not the slightest kinship, thoughassociated with it by growers to the degree that Mr. Sander admits themto his farm. A little story hangs to the exquisite _U. Campbelli_. Allimporters are haunted by the spectral image of _Cattleya labiata_, which, in its true form, had been brought to Europe only once, seventyyears ago, when this book was written. Some time since, Mr. Sander waslooking through the drawings of Sir Robert Schomburgk, in the BritishMuseum, among which is a most eccentric Cattleya named--for reasonsbeyond comprehension--a variety of _C. Mossiæ_. He jumped at theconclusion that this must be the long-lost _C. Labiata_. So strongindeed was his confidence that he despatched a man post-haste over theAtlantic to explore the Roraima mountain; and, further, gave him strictinjunctions to collect nothing but this precious species. For eightmonths the traveller wandered up and down among the Indians, searchingforest and glade, the wooded banks of streams, the rocks and clefts, buthe found neither _C. Labiata_ nor that curious plant which Sir RobertSchomburgk described. Upon the other hand, he came across the lovely_Utricularia Campbelli_, and in defiance of instructions brought itdown. But very few reached England alive. For six weeks they travelledon men's backs, from their mountain home to the River Essequibo; thence, six weeks in canoe to Georgetown, with twenty portages; and, so aboardship. The single chance of success lies in bringing them down, undisturbed, in the great clumps of moss which are their habitat, as isthe Vriesia of other species. 

I will allow myself a very short digression here. It may seemunaccountable that a plant of large growth, distinct flower, andcharacteristic appearance, should elude the eye of persons trained tosuch pursuits, and encouraged to spend money on the slightest prospectof success, for half a century and more. But if we recall thecircumstances it ceases to astonish. I myself spent many months in theforests of Borneo, Central America, and the West African coast. Afterthat experience I scarcely understand how such a quest, for a givenobject, can ever be successful unless by mere fortune. To look for aneedle in a bottle of hay is a promising enterprise compared with thesearch for an orchid clinging to some branch high up in that green worldof leaves. As a matter of fact, collectors seldom discover what they arespecially charged to seek, if the district be untravelled--the natives, therefore, untrained to grasp and assist their purpose. This remark doesnot apply to orchids alone; not by any means. Few besides thescientific, probably, are aware that the common _Eucharis amasonica_ hasbeen found only once; that is to say, but one consignment has ever beenreceived in Europe, from which all our millions in cultivation havedescended. Where it exists in the native state is unknown, but assuredlythis ignorance is nobody's fault. For a generation at least skilledexplorers have been hunting. Mr. Sander has had his turn, and hasenjoyed the satisfaction of discovering species closely allied, as_Eucharis Mastersii_ and _Eucharis Sanderiana_; but the old-fashionedbulb is still to seek. 

In this third greenhouse is a large importation of _Cattleya Trianæ_, which arrived so late last year that their sheaths have openedcontemporaneously with _C. Mossiæ_. I should fear to hazard a guess howmany thousand flowers of each are blooming now. As the Odontoglossumscover their stage with snow wreaths, so this is decked with uprightplumes of _Cattleya Trianæ_, white and rose and purple in endlessvariety of tint, with many a streak of other hue between. 

Suddenly our guide becomes excited, staring at a basket overhead beyondreach. It contains a smooth-looking object, very green and fat, whichmust surely be good to eat--but this observation is alike irrelevant anddisrespectful. Why, yes! Beyond all possibility of doubt that is a spikeissuing from the axil of its fleshy leaf! Three inches long it isalready, thick as a pencil, with a big knob of bud at the tip. Suchpleasing surprises befall the orchidacean! This plant came from Borneoso many years ago that the record is lost; but the oldest servant of thefarm remembers it, as a poor cripple, hanging between life and death, season after season. Cheerful as interesting is the discussion thatarises. More like a Vanda than anything else, the authorities resolve, but not a Vanda! Commending it to the special care of those responsible, we pass on. 

Here is the largest mass of Catasetum ever found, or even rumoured, lying in ponderous bulk upon the stage, much as it lay in a Guatemalanforest. It is engaged in the process of "plumping up. " Orchids shrivelin their long journey, and it is the importer's first care to renew thatsmooth and wholesome rotundity which indicates a conscience untroubled, a good digestion, and an assurance of capacity to fulfil any reasonabledemand. Beneath the staging you may see myriads of withered sticks, clumps of shrunken and furrowed bulbs by the thousand, hung above thoseleaf-beds mentioned; they are "plumping" in the damp shade. The largerpile of Catasetum--there are two--may be four feet long, three wide, andeighteen inches thick; how many hundreds of flowers it will bear passescomputation. I remarked that when broken up into handsome pots it wouldfill a greenhouse of respectable dimensions; but it appears that thereis not the least intention of dividing it. The farmer has severalclients who will snap at this natural curiosity, when, in due time, itis put on the market. 

At the far end of the house stands another piece of rockwork, anotherlittle cascade, and more marvels than I can touch upon. In fact, thereare several which would demand all the space at my disposition, but, happily, one reigns supreme. This is a _Cattleya Mossiæ_, the pendant ofthe Catasetum, by very far the largest orchid of any kind that was everbrought to Europe. For some years Mr. Sander, so to speak, hovered roundit, employing his shrewdest and most diplomatic agents. For this was nota forest specimen. It grew upon a high tree beside an Indian's hut, nearCaraccas, and belonged to him as absolutely as the fruit in hiscompound. His great-grandfather, indeed, had "planted" it, so hedeclared, but this is highly improbable. The giant has embraced twostems of the tree, and covers them both so thickly that the bare ends ofwood at top alone betray its secret; for it was sawn off, of course, above and below. I took the dimensions as accurately as may be, with anobject so irregular and prickly. It measures--the solid bulk of it, leaves not counted--as nearly as possible five feet in height and fourthick--one plant, observe, pulsating through its thousand limbs from oneheart; at least, I mark no spot where the circulation has been checkedby accident or disease, and the pseudo-bulbs beyond have been obliged tostart an independent existence. 

In speaking of _Loelia elegans_, I said that those Brazilianislanders who have lost it might find solace could they see itshappiness in exile. The gentle reader thought this an extravagant figureof speech, no doubt, but it is not wholly fanciful. Indians of TropicalAmerica cherish a fine orchid to the degree that in many cases no sum, and no offer of valuables, will tempt them to part with it. Ownership isdistinctly recognized when the specimen grows near a village. The rootof this feeling, whether superstition or taste, sense of beauty, rivalryin magnificence of church displays, I have not been able to trace. Itruns very strong in Costa Rica, where the influence of the aborigines isscarcely perceptible, and there, at least, the latter motive issufficient explanation. Glorious beyond all our fancy can conceive, mustbe the show in those lonely forest churches, which no European visitssave the "collector, " on a feast day. Mr. Roezl, whose name is sofamiliar to botanists, left a description of the scene that time hefirst beheld the Flor de Majo. The church was hung with garlands of it, he says, and such emotions seized him at the view that he choked. Thestatement is quite credible. Those who see that wonder now, prepared forits transcendent glory, find no words to express their feeling: imaginean enthusiast beholding it for the first time, unwarned, unsuspectingthat earth can show such a sample of the flowers that bloomed in Eden!And not a single branch, but garlands of it! Mr. Roezl proceeds to speakof bouquets of _Masdevallia Harryana_ three feet across, and so forth. The natives showed him "gardens" devoted to this species, for theornament of their church; it was not cultivated, of course, butevidently planted. They were acres in extent. 

The Indian to whom this _Cattleya Mossiæ_ belonged refused to part withit at any price for years; he was overcome by a rifle of peculiarfascination, added to the previous offers. A magic-lantern has verygreat influence in such cases, and the collector provides himself withone or more nowadays as part of his outfit. Under that charm, with47l. In cash, Mr. Sander secured his first _C. Mossiæ alba_, but ithas failed hitherto in another instance, though backed by 100l. , in"trade" or dollars, at the Indian's option. 

Thence we pass to a wide and lofty house which was designed for growing_Victoria Regia_ and other tropic water-lilies. It fulfilled its purposefor a time, and I never beheld those plants under circumstances so wellfitted to display their beauty. But they generate a small black fly inmyriads beyond belief, and so the culture of _Nymphæa_ was dropped. Afew remain, in manageable quantities, just enough to adorn the tankwith blue and rosy stars; but it is arched over now with baskets asthick as they will hang--Dendrobium, Coelogene, Oncidium, Spathoglottis, and those species which love to dwell in theneighbourhood of steaming water. My vocabulary is used up by this time. The wonders here must go unchronicled. 

We have viewed but four houses out of twelve, a most cursory glance atthat! The next also is intermediate, filled with Cattleyas, warmOncidiums, Lycastes, Cypripediums--the inventory of names alone wouldoccupy all my space remaining. At every step I mark some object worth anote, something that recalls, or suggests, or demands a word. But wemust get along. The sixth house is cool again--Odontoglossums and such;the seventh is given to Dendrobes. But facing us as we enter stands a_Lycaste Skinneri_, which illustrates in a manner almost startling theinfinite variety of the orchid. I positively dislike this species, obtrusive, pretentious, vague in colour, and stiff in form. But what aroyal glorification of it we have here!--what exquisite veining andedging of purple or rose; what a velvet lip of crimson darkening toclaret! It is merely a sport of Nature, but she allows herself suchglorious freaks in no other realm of her domain. And here is a newBrassia just named by the pontiff of orchidology, Professor Reichenbach. Those who know the tribe of Brassias will understand why I make noeffort to describe it. This wonderful thing is yet more "all over theshop" than its kindred. Its dorsal sepal measures three inches inlength, its "tail, " five inches, with an enormous lip between. They termit the Squid Flower, or Octopus, in Mexico; and a good name too. But inplace of the rather weakly colouring habitual it has a grand decision ofcharacter, though the tones are like--pale yellow and greenish; itsraised spots, red and deep green, are distinct as points of velvet uponmuslin. 

In the eighth house we return to Odontoglossums and cool genera. Hereare a number of Hybrids of the "natural class, " upon which I should havea good deal to say if inexorable fate permitted; "natural hybrids" areplants which seem species, but, upon thoughtful examination and study, are suspected to be the offspring of kindred and neighbours. Interestingquestions arise in surveying fine specimens side by side, in flower, allattributed to a cross between _Odontoglossum Lindleyanum_ and_Odontoglossum crispum Alexandræ_, and all quite different. But we mustget on to the ninth house, from which the tenth branches. 

Here is the stove, and twilight reigns over that portion where a varietyof super-tropic genera are "plumping up, " making roots, and generallyreconciling themselves to a new start in life. Such dainty, delicatesouls may well object to the apprenticeship. It must seem very degradingto find themselves laid out upon a bed of cinders and moss, hung up bythe heels above it, and even planted therein; but if they have as muchgood sense as some believe, they may be aware that it is all for theirgood. At the end, in full sunshine, stands a little copse of _Vandateres_, set as closely as their stiff branches will allow. Still we mustget on. There are bits of wood hanging here so rotten that they scarcelyhold together; faintest dots of green upon them assure the experiencedthat presently they will be draped with pendant leaves, and presentlyagain, we hope, with blue and white and scarlet flowers of Utricularia. 

From the stove opens a very long, narrow house, where cool genera are"plumping, " laid out on moss and potsherds; many of them have burst intostrong growth. Pleiones are flowering freely as they lie. This farmer'scrops come to harvest faster than he can attend to them. Thingsbeautiful and rare and costly are measured here by the yard--so manyfeet of this piled up on the stage, so many of the other, from allquarters of the world, waiting the leisure of these busy agriculturists. Nor can we spare them more than a glance. The next house is filled withOdontoglossums, planted out like "bedding stuff" in a nursery, awaitingtheir turn to be potted. They make a carpet so close, so green, thatflowers are not required to charm the eye as it surveys the longperspective. The rest are occupied just now with cargoes of importedplants. 

My pages are filled--to what poor purpose, seeing how they might havebeen used for such a theme, no one could be so conscious as I. 

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 8: I was too sanguine. _Vanda teres_ refused to thrive. ]

ORCHIDS AND HYBRIDIZING. 

In the very first place, I declare that this is no scientific chapter. It is addressed to the thousands of men and women in the realm who tenda little group of orchids lovingly, and mark the wonders of theirstructure with as much bewilderment as interest. They read ofhybridization, they see the result in costly specimens, they get books, they study papers on the subject. But the deeper their researchcommonly, the more they become convinced that these mysteries lie beyondtheir attainment. I am not aware of any treatise which makes a seriouseffort to teach the uninitiated. Putting technical expressions on oneside--though that obstacle is grave enough--every one of those whichhave come under my notice takes the mechanical preliminaries forgranted. All are written by experts for experts. My purpose is contrary. I wish to show how it is done so clearly that a child or the dullestgardener may be able to perform the operations--so very easy when youknow how to set to work. 

[Illustration: CYPRIPEDIUM (HYBRIDUM) POLLETTIANUM. Reduced to One Sixth. ]

After a single lesson, in the genus _Cypripedium_ alone, a young ladyof my household amused herself by concerting the most incrediblealliances--_Dendrobium_ with _Odontoglossum_, _Epidendrum_ with_Oncidium_, _Oncidium_ with _Odontoglossum_, and so forth. It isunnecessary to tell the experienced that in every case the seed vesselswelled; that matter will be referred to presently. I mention theincident only to show how simple are these processes if the key begrasped. 

Amateur hybridizers of an audacious class are wanted because, hitherto, operators have kept so much to the beaten paths. The names of Veitch andDominy and Seden will endure when those of great _savants_ areforgotten; but business men have been obliged to concentrate their zealupon experiments that pay. Fantastic crosses mean, in all probability, awaste of time, space, and labour; in fact, it is not until recent yearsthat such attempts could be regarded as serious. So much the morecreditable, therefore, are Messrs. Veitch's exertions in that line. 

But it seems likely to me that when hybridizing becomes a common pursuitwith those who grow orchids--and the time approaches fast--a verystrange revolution may follow. It will appear, as I think, that theenormous list of pure species--even genera--recognized at this date maybe thinned in a surprising fashion. I believe--timidly, as becomes theunscientific--that many distinctions which anatomy recognizes at presentas essential to a true species will be proved, in the future, to resultfrom promiscuous hybridization through æons of time. "Proved, " perhaps, is the word too strong, since human life is short; but such a mass ofevidence will be collected that reasonable men can entertain no doubt. Of course the species will be retained, but we shall know it to be ahybrid--the offspring, perhaps, of hybrids innumerable. 

I incline more and more to think that even genera may be disturbed in asurprising fashion, and I know that some great authorities agree with meoutright, though they are unprepared to commit themselves at present. Avery few years ago this suggestion would have been absurd, in the sensethat it wanted facts in support. As our ancestors made it an article offaith that to fertilize an orchid was impossible for man, so we imagineduntil lately that genera would not mingle. But this belief growsunsteady. Though bi-generic crosses have not been much favoured, asoffering little prospect of success, such results have been obtainedalready that the field of speculation lies open to irresponsiblepersons like myself. When Cattleya has been allied with Sophronitis, Sophronitis with Epidendrum, Odontoglossum with Zygopetalum, Coelogenewith Calanthe, one may credit almost anything. What should be stated onthe other side will appear presently. 

How many hybrids have we now, established, and passing from hand to handas freely as natural species? There is no convenient record; but in thetrade list of a French dealer those he is prepared to supply are setapart with Gallic precision. They number 416; but imagination andcommercial enterprise are not less characteristic of the Gaul thanprecision. 

In the excellent "Manual" of Messrs. Veitch, which has supplied me witha mass of details, I find ten hybrid Calanthes; thirteen hybridCattleyas, and fifteen Loelias, besides sixteen "naturalhybrids"--species thus classed upon internal evidence--and the wondrousSophro-Cattleya, bi-generic; fourteen Dendrobiums and one natural;eighty-seven Cypripediums--but as for the number in existence, it is sogreat, and it increases so fast, that Messrs. Veitch have lost count;Phajus one, but several from alliance with Calanthe; Chysis two;Epidendrum one; Miltonia one, and two natural; Masdevallia ten, and twonatural; and so on. And it must be borne in mind that these amazingresults have been effected in one generation. Dean Herbert'sachievements eighty years ago were not chronicled, and it is certainthat none of the results survive. Mr. Sander of St. Albans preserves aninteresting relic, the only one as yet connected with the science oforchidology. This is _Cattleya hybrida_, the first of that genus raisedby Dominy, manager to Messrs. Veitch, at the suggestion of Mr. Harris ofExeter, to the stupefaction of our grandfathers. Mr. Harris will ever beremembered as the gentleman who showed Mr. Veitch's agent how orchidsare fertilized, and started him on his career. This plant was lost foryears, but Mr. Sander found it by chance in the collection of Dr. Janisch at Hamburg, and he keeps it as a curiosity, for in itself theobject has no value. But this is a digression. 

Dominy's earliest success, actually the very first of garden hybrids toflower--in 1856--was _Calanthe Dominii_, offspring of _C. Masuca_ × _C. Furcata_;--be it here remarked that the name of the mother, or seedparent, always stands first. Another interest attaches to _C. Dominii_. Both its parents belong to the _Veratræfolia_ section of Calanthe, theterrestrial species, and no other hybrid has yet been raised among them. We have here one of the numberless mysteries disclosed by hybridization. The epiphytal Calanthes, represented by _C. Vestita_, will not crosswith the terrestrial, represented by _C. Veratræfolia_, nor will themules of either. We may "give this up" and proceed. In 1859 flowered _C. Veitchii_, from _C. Rosea_, still called, as a rule, _Limatodes rosea, ×C. Vestita_. No orchid is so common as this, and none more simplybeautiful. But although the success was so striking, and the way to itso easy, twenty years passed before even Messrs. Veitch raised anotherhybrid Calanthe. In 1878 Seden flowered _C. Sedeni_ from _C. Veitchii ×C. Vestita_. Others entered the field then, especially Sir TrevorLawrence, Mr. Cookson, and Mr. Charles Winn. But the genus is small, andthey mostly chose the same families, often giving new names to theprogeny, in ignorance of each other's labour. 

The mystery I have alluded to recurs again and again. Large groups ofspecies refuse to inter-marry with their nearest kindred, even plantswhich seem identical in the botanist's point of view. There is goodground for hoping, however, that longer and broader experience willannihilate some at least of the axioms current in this matter. Thus, itis repeated and published in the very latest editions of standard worksthat South American Cattleyas, which will breed, not only amongthemselves, but also with the Brazilian Loelias, decline an alliancewith their Mexican kindred. But Baron Schroeder possesses a hybrid ofsuch typical parentage as _Catt. Citrina_, Mexican, and _Catt. Intermedia_, Brazilian. It was raised by Miss Harris, of Lamberhurst, Kent, one single plant only; and it has flowered several times. Messrs. Sander have crossed _Catt. Guttata Leopoldii_, Brazil, with _Catt. Dowiana_, Costa Rica, giving _Catt. Chamberliana_; _Loelia crispa_, Brazil, with the same, giving _Loelio-Cattleya Pallas_; _Catt. Citrina_, Mexico, with _Catt. Intermedia_, Brazil, giving _Catt. Citrinaintermedia_ (Lamberhurst hybrid); _Loelia flava_, Brazil, with _Catt. Skinneri_, Costa Rica, giving _Loelio-Catt. Marriottiana_; _Loeliapumila_, Brazil, with _Catt. Dowiana_, Costa Rica, giving_Loelio-Catt. Normanii_; _Loelia Digbyana_, Central America, with_Catt. Mossiæ_, Venezuela, giving _Loelio-Catt. Digbyana-Mossiæ_;_Catt. Mossiæ_, Venezuela, with _Loelia cinnabarina_, Brazil, giving_Loelio-Catt. Phoebe_. Not yet flowered and unnamed, raised in theNursery, are _Catt. Citrina_, Mexico, with _Loelia purpurata_, Brazil;_Catt. Harrisoniæ_, Brazil, with _Catt. Citrina_, Mexico; _Loeliaanceps_, Mexico, with _Epidendrum ciliare_, U. S. Colombia. In othergenera there are several hybrids of Mexican and South Americanparentage; as _L. Anceps_ × _Epid. Ciliare_, _Sophronitis grandiflora_ ×_Epid. Radicans_, _Epid. Xanthinum_ × _Epid. Radicans_. 

But among Cypripediums, the easiest and safest of all orchids tohybridize, East Indian and American species are unfruitful. Messrs. Veitch obtained such a cross, as they had every reason to believe, inone instance. For sixteen years the plants grew and grew until it wasthought they would prove the rule by declining to flower. I wrote toMessrs. Veitch to obtain the latest news. They inform me that one hasbloomed at last. It shows no trace of the American strain, and they havesatisfied themselves that there was an error in the operation or therecord. Again, the capsules secured from very many by-generic crosseshave proved, time after time, to contain not a single seed. In othercases the seed was excellent to all appearance, but it has resolutelyrefused to germinate. And further, certain by-generic seedlings haveutterly ignored one parent. _Zygopetalum Mackayi_ has been crossed byMr. Veitch, Mr. Cookson, and others doubtless, with variousOdontoglossums, but the flower has always turned out _ZygopetalumMackayi_ pure and simple--which becomes the more unaccountable moreone thinks of it. 

Hybrids partake of the nature of both parents, but they inclinegenerally, as in the extreme cases mentioned, to resemble one much morestrongly than the other. When a Cattleya or Loelia of the single-leafsection is crossed with one of the two-leaf, some of the offspring, fromthe same capsule, show two leaves, others one only; and some show oneand two alternately, obeying no rule perceptible to us at present. So itis with the charming _Loelia Maynardii_ from _L. Dayana_ × _Cattleyadolosa_, just raised by Mr. Sander and named after the Superintendent ofhis hybridizing operations. _Catt. Dolosa_ has two leaves, _L. Dayana_one; the product has two and one alternately. Sepals and petals arealike in colour, rosy crimson, veined with a deeper hue; lip brightestcrimson-lake, long, broad and flat, curving in handsomely above thecolumn, which is closely depressed after the manner of _Catt. Dolosa_. 

The first bi-generic cross deserves a paragraph to itself if only onthat account; but its own merits are more than sufficient. _Sophro-Cattleya Batemaniana_ was raised by Messrs. Veitch from_Sophronitis grandiflora_ × _Catt. Intermedia_. It flowered in August, 1886; petals and sepals rosy scarlet, lip pale lilac bordered withamethyst and tipped with rosy purple. 

But one natural hybrid has been identified among Dendrobes--the progenydoubtless of _D. Crassinode_ × _D. Wardianum_. Messrs. J. Laing have afine specimen of this; it shows the growth of the latter species withthe bloom of the former, but enlarged and improved. Several other hybridcrosses are suspected. Of artificial we have not less than fifty. 

Phaius--it is often spelt Phajus--is so closely allied with Calanthethat for hybridizing purposes at least there is no distinction. Dominyraised _Ph. Irroratus_ from _Ph. Grandifolius_ × _Cal. Vestita_; Sedenmade the same cross, but, using the variety _Cal. V. Rubro-occulata_, heobtained _Ph. Purpureus_. The success is more interesting because oneparent is evergreen, the other, Calanthe, deciduous. On this accountprobably very few seedlings survive; they show the former habit. Mr. Cookson alone has yet raised a cross between two species of Phajus--_Ph. Cooksoni_ from _Ph. Wallichii_ × _Ph. Tuberculosus_. One may say thatthis is the best hybrid yet raised, saving _Calanthe Veitchii_, if allmerits be considered--stateliness of aspect, freedom in flowering, striking colour, ease of cultivation. One bulb will throw up fourspikes--twenty-eight have been counted in a twelve-inch pot--eachbearing perhaps thirty flowers. 

Seden has made two crosses of Chysis, both from the exquisite _Ch. Bractescens_, one of the loveliest flowers that heaven has granted tothis world, but sadly fleeting. Nobody, I believe, has yet been sofortunate as to obtain seed from _Ch. Aurea_. This species has the rareprivilege of self-fertilization--we may well exclaim, Why! why?--and iteagerly avails itself thereof so soon as the flower begins to open. Thus, however watchful the hybridizer may be, hitherto he has found thepollen masses melted in hopeless confusion before he can secure them. 

One hybrid Epidendrum has been obtained--_Epi. O'Brienianum_ from _Epi. Evectum × Epi. Radicans_; the former purple, the latter scarlet, produce×a bright crimson progeny. 

Miltonias show two natural hybrids, and one artificial--_Mil. Bleuiana_from _Mil. Vexillaria × Mil. Roezlii_; both of these are commonlyclassed as Odontoglots, and I refer to them elsewhere under that title. M. Bleu and Messrs. Veitch made this cross about the same time, but theseedlings of the former flowered in 1889, of the latter, in 1891. Herewe see an illustration of the advantage which French horticulturistsenjoy, even so far north as Paris; a clear sky and abundant sunshinemade a difference of more than twelve months. When Italians beginhybridizing, we shall see marvels--and Greeks and Egyptians!

Masdevallias are so attractive to insects, by striking colour, as arule, and sometimes by strong smell--so very easily fertilizedalso--that we should expect many natural hybrids in the genus. They arenot forthcoming, however. Reichenbach displayed his scientific instinctby suggesting that two species submitted to him might probably be theissue of parents named; since that date Seden has produced both of themfrom the crosses which Reichenbach indicated. 

We have three natural hybrids among Phaloenopsis. _Ph. Intermedia_ madeits appearance in a lot of _Ph. Aphrodite_, imported 1852. M. Porte, aFrench trader, brought home two in 1861; they were somewhat different, and he gave them his name. Messrs. Low imported several in 1874, one ofwhich, being different again, was called after Mr. Brymer. Three havebeen found since, always among _Ph. Aphrodite_; the finest known ispossessed by Lord Rothschild. That these were natural hybrids could notbe doubted; Seden crossed _Ph. Aphrodite_ with _Ph. Rosea_, and provedit. Our garden hybrids are two: _Ph. F. L. Ames_, obtained from _Ph. Amabilis × Ph. Intermedia_, and _Ph. Harriettæ_ from _Ph. Amabilis ×Ph. Violacea_, named after the daughter of Hon. Erastus Corning, ofAlbany, U. S. A. 

Oncidiums yield only two natural hybrids at present, and thoseuncertain; others are suspected. We have no garden hybrids, I believe, as yet. So it is with Odontoglossums, as has been said, but in thenatural state they cross so freely that a large proportion of thespecies may probably be hybrids. I allude to this hereafter. 

I have left Cypripediums to the last, in these hasty notes, because thatsupremely interesting genus demands more than a record of dry facts. Darwin pointed out that Cypripedium represents the primitive form oforchid. He was acquainted with no links connecting it with the later andmore complicated genera; some have been discovered since that day, butit is nevertheless true that "an enormous extinction must have sweptaway a multitude of intermediate forms, and left this single genus asthe record of a former and more simple state of the great orchidaceanorder. " The geographical distribution shows that Cypripedium was morecommon in early times--to speak vaguely--and covered an area yet moreextensive than now. And the process of extermination is still working, as with other primitive types. 

Messrs. Veitch point out that although few genera of plants arescattered so widely over the earth as Cypripedium, the species havewithdrawn to narrow areas, often isolated, and remote from theirkindred. Some are rare to the degree that we may congratulate ourselvesupon the chance which put a few specimens in safety under glass beforeit was too late, for they seem to have become extinct even in thisgeneration. Messrs. Veitch give a few striking instances. All the plantsof _Cyp. Fairieanum_ known to exist have sprung from three or fourcasually imported in 1856. Two bits of _Cyp. Superbiens_ turned up amonga consignment of _Cyp. Barbatum_; none have been found since, and it isdoubtful whether the species survives in its native home. Only threeplants of _Cyp. Marstersianium_ have been discovered. They reached Mr. Bull in a miscellaneous case of Cypripediums forwarded to him by theDirector of the Botanic Gardens at Buitzenzorze, in Java; but thatgentleman and his successors in office have been unable to find anotherplant. These three must have reached the Gardens by an accident--as theyleft it--presented perhaps by some Dutchman who had been travelling. 

_Cyp. Purpuratum_ is almost extinct at Hong Kong, and is vanishing faston the mainland. It is still found occasionally in the garden of apeasant, who, we are told, resolutely declines to sell his treasure. This may seem incredible to those who know the Chinaman, but Mr. Roebelin vouches for the fact; it is one more eccentricity to the creditof that people, who had quite enough already. Collectors expect to finda new habitat of _Cyp. Purpuratum_ in Formosa when they are allowed toexplore that realm. Even our native _Cyp. Calceolus_ has almostdisappeared; we get it now from Central Europe, but in several districtswhere it abounded the supply grows continually less. The same reportcomes from North America and Japan. Fortunate it is, but not surprisingto the thoughtful observer, that this genus grows and multiplies withsingular facility when its simple wants are supplied. There is no dangerthat a species which has been rescued from extinction will perish underhuman care. 

This seems contradictory. How should a plant thrive better underartificial conditions than in the spot where Nature placed it? Thereason lies in that archaic character of the Cypriped which Darwinpointed out. Its time has passed--Nature is improving it off the face ofthe earth. A gradual change of circumstances makes it more and moredifficult for this primitive form of orchid to exist, and, conscious ofthe fate impending, it gratefully accepts our help. 

One cause of extermination is easily grasped. Cypripeds have not thepower of fertilizing themselves, except a single species, _Cyp. Schlimii_, which--accordingly, as we may say--is most difficult toimport and establish; moreover, it flowers so freely that the seedlingsare always weak. In all species the sexual apparatus is so constructedthat it cannot be impregnated by accident, and few insects can performthe office. Dr. Hermann Muller studied _Cyp. Calceolus_ assiduously inthis point of view. He observed only five species of insect whichfertilize it. _Cyp. Calceolus_ has perfume and honey, but none of thetropical species offer those attractions. Their colour is not showy. Thelabellum proves to be rather a trap than a bait. Large insects whichcreep into it and duly bear away the pollen masses, are caught and heldfast by that sticky substance when they try to escape through thelateral passages, which smaller insects are too weak to force their waythrough. 

Natural hybrids occur so rarely, that their existence is commonlydenied. The assertion is not quite exact; but when we consider thehabits of the genus, it ceases to be extraordinary that Cypripedsrarely cross in their wild state. Different species of Cattleya, Odontoglots, and the rest live together on the same tree, side by side. But those others dwell apart in the great majority of cases, eachspecies by itself, at a vast distance perhaps from its kindred. Thereason for this state of things has been mentioned--natural laws haveexterminated them in the spaces between, which are not so well fitted tomaintain a doomed race. 

Doubtless Cypripeds rarely fertilize--by comparison, that is, ofcourse--in their native homes. The difficulty that insects find inperforming that service has been mentioned. Mr. Godseff points out to mea reason far more curious and striking. When a bee displaces the pollenmasses of a Cattleya, for instance, they cling to its head or thorax bymeans of a sticky substance attached to the pollen cases; so, onentering the next flower, it presents the pollen _outwards_ to thestigmatic surface. But in the case of a Cypriped there is no suchsubstance, the adhesive side of the pollen itself is turned outward, andit clings to any intruding substance. But this is the fertilizing part. Therefore, an insect which by chance displaces the pollen mass carriesit off, as one may say, the wrong side up. On entering the next flower, it does not commonly present the surface necessary for impregnation, buta sterile globule which is the backing thereof. We may suppose that inthe earlier age, when this genus flourished as the later forms of orchiddo now, it enjoyed some means of fertilization which have vanished. 

Under such disadvantages it is not to be expected that seed capsuleswould be often found upon imported Cypripeds. Messrs. Veitch state thatthey rarely observed one among the myriads of plants that have passedthrough their hands. With some species, however, it is not by any meansso uncommon. When Messrs. Thompson, of Clovenfords, bought a quantity ofthe first _Cyp. Spicerianum_ which came upon the market, they found anumber of capsules, and sowed them, obtaining several hundred fineplants. Pods are often imported on _Cyp. Insigne_ full of good seed. 

In the circumstances enumerated we have the explanation of anextraordinary fact. Hybrids or natural species of Cypripediumsartificially raised are stronger than their parents, and they producefiner flowers. The reason is that they get abundance of food incaptivity, and all things are made comfortable for them; whilst Nature, anxious to be rid of a form of plant no longer approved, starves andneglects them. 

The same argument enables us to understand why Cypripeds lend themselvesso readily to the hybridizer. Darwin taught us to expect that specieswhich can rarely hope to secure a chance of reproduction will learn tomake the process as easy and as sure as the conditions would admit--thatnone of those scarce opportunities may be lost. And so it proves. Orchidaceans are apt to declare that "everybody" is hybridizingCypripeds nowadays. At least, so many persons have taken up thisagreeable and interesting pursuit that science has lost count of theless striking results. Briefly, the first hybrid Cypripedium was raisedby Dominy, in 1869, and named after Mr. Harris, who, as has been said, suggested the operation to him. Seden produced the next in 1874--_Cyp. Sedeni_ from _Cyp. Schlimii × Cyp. Longiflorum_; curious as the singleinstance yet noted in which seedlings turn out identical, whicheverparent furnish the pollen-masses. In every other case they vary when thefunctions of the parents are exchanged. 

For a long time after 1853, when serious work begun, Messrs. Veitch hada monopoly of the business. It is but forty years, therefore, sinceexperiments commenced, in which time hundreds of hybrids have beenadded to our list of flowers; but--this is my point--Nature has beenbusy at the same task for unknown ages, and who can measure the fruitsof her industry? I do not offer the remark as an argument; ourobservations are too few as yet. It may well be urged that if Nature hadbeen thus active, the "natural hybrids" which can be recognized would bemuch more numerous than they are. I have pointed out that many of thelargest genera show very few; many none at all. But is it impossiblethat the explanation appears to fail only because we cannot yet push itfar enough? When the hybridizer causes by force a fruitful union betwixttwo genera, he seems to triumph over a botanical law. But suppose thegenera themselves are artificial, only links in a grand chain whichNature has forged slowly, patiently, with many a break and many afailure, in the course of ages? She would finish her work bit by bit, and at every stage the new variety may have united with others inendless succession. Few natural hybrids can be identified amongCattleyas, for instance. But suppose Cattleyas are all hybrids, theresult of promiscuous intercourse among genera during cycles oftime--suppose, that is, the genus itself sprang from parents widelydiverse, crossing, returning, intercrossing from age to age? It isadmitted that Cypripedium represents a primeval form--perhaps _the_primeval form--of orchid. Suppose that we behold, in this nineteenthcentury, a mere epoch, or stage, in the ceaseless evolution? Only anirresponsible amateur could dare talk in this way. It would, in truth, be very futile speculation if experiments already successful did notoffer a chance of proof one day, and others, hourly ripening, did notsummon us to think. 

I may cite, with the utmost brevity, two or three facts which--to meunscientific--appear inexplicable, unless species of orchid weredeveloped on the spot; or the theory of special local creations beadmitted. _Oncidium cucullatum_ flourishes in certain limited areas ofPeru, of Ecuador, of Colombia, and of Venezuela. It is not found in theenormous spaces between, nor are any Oncidiums which might be acceptedas its immediate parents. Can we suppose that the winds or the birdscarried it over mountain ranges and broad rivers more than two thousandmiles, in four several directions, to establish it upon a narrow tract?It is a question of faith; but, for my own part, I could as soon believethat æsthetic emigrants took it with them. But even winds and birdscould not bear the seed of _Dendrobium heterocarpum_ from Ceylon toBurmah, and from Burmah to Luzon in the Philippines; at least, I amutterly unable to credit it. If the plants were identical, or nearly, intheir different habitats, this case would be less significant. But the_D. Heterocarpum_ of Ceylon has a long, thin pseudo-bulb, with brightyellow flowers; that of Burmah is short and thick, with paler colouring;that of Luzon is no less than three feet high, exaggerating the statureof its most distant relative while showing the colour of its nearest;but all, absolutely, the same botanic plant. I have already mentionedother cases. 

Experience hitherto suggests that we cannot raise Odontoglossumseedlings in this climate; very, very few have ever been obtained. Attempts in France have been rather more successful. Baron Adolf deRothschild has four different hybrids of Odontoglossum in bud at thispresent moment in his garden at Armainvilliers, near Paris. M. Moreauhas a variety of seedlings. 

Authorities admit now that a very great proportion of our Odontoglossumsare natural hybrids; so many can be identified beyond the chance oferror that the field for speculation has scarcely bounds. _O. Excellens_is certainly descended from _O. Pescatorei_ and _O. Triumphans_, _O. Elegans_ from _O. Cirrhosum_ and _O. Hallii_, _O. Wattianum_ from _O. Harryanum_ and _O. Hystrix_. And it must be observed that we cannottrace pedigree beyond the parents as yet, saving a very, very few cases. But unions have been contracting during cycles of time; doubtless, fromthe laws of things the orchid is latest born of Nature's children in theworld of flora, but mighty venerable by this time, nevertheless. We canidentify the mixed offspring of _O. Crispum Alexandræ_ paired with _O. Gloriosum_, with _O. Luteopurpureum_, with _O. Lindleyanum_; theseparents dwell side by side, and they could not fail to mingle. We canalready trace with assurance a few double crosses, as _O. Lanceans_, theresult of an alliance between _O. Crispum Alexandræ_ and _O. Ruckerianum_, which latter is a hybrid of the former with _O. Gloriosum_. When we observe _O. Roezlii_ upon the bank of the RiverCauca and _O. Vexillarium_ on the higher ground, whilst _O. Vexillariumsuperbum_ lives between, we may confidently attribute its peculiarity ofa broad dark blotch upon the lip to the influence of _O. Roezlii_. So, taking station at Manaos upon the Amazons, we find, to eastward, _Cattleya superba_, to westward _C. Eldorado_, and in the midst _C. Brymeriana_, which, it is safe to assume, represents the union of thetwo; for that matter, the theory will very soon be tested, for M. Alfred Bleu has "made the cross" of _C. Superba_ and _C. Eldorado_, andits flower is expected with no little interest. 

These cases, and many more, are palpable. We see a variety in the makingat this date. A thousand years hence, or ten thousand, by more distantalliances, by a change of conditions, the variety may well havedeveloped into a species, or, by marriage excursions yet wider, it mayhave founded a genus. 

I have named Mr. Cookson several times; in fact, to discourse ofhybridization for amateurs without reference to his astonishing "record"would be grotesque. One Sunday afternoon, ten years ago, he amusedhimself with investigating the structure of a few Cypripeds, afterreading Darwin's book; and he impregnated them. To his astonishment theseed-vessel began to swell, and so did Mr. Cookson's enthusiasmsimultaneously. He did not yet know, and, happily, these experimentsgave him no reason to suspect, that pseudo-fertilization can beproduced, actually, by anything. So intensely susceptible is thestigmatic surface of the Cypriped that a touch excites it furiously. Upon the irritation caused by a bit of leaf, it will go sometimesthrough all the visible processes of fecundation, the ovary will swelland ripen, and in due time burst, with every appearance of fertility;but, of course, there is no seed. Beginners, therefore, must not be toosanguine when their bold attempts promise well. 

From that day Mr. Cookson gave his leisure to hybridization, with suchresults as, in short, are known to everybody who takes an interest inorchids. Failures in abundance he had at first, but the proportion hasgrown less and less until, at this moment, he confidently looks forsuccess in seventy-five per cent. Of his attempts; but this does notapply to bi-generic crosses, which hitherto have not engaged hisattention much. Beginning with Cypripedium, he has now ninety-fourhybrids--very many plants of each--produced from one hundred and fortycapsules sown. Of Calanthe, sixteen hybrids from nineteen capsules; ofDendrobium, thirty-six hybrids from forty-one capsules; of Masdevallia, four hybrids from seventeen capsules; of Odontoglossum, none from ninecapsules; of Phajus, two from two capsules; of Vanda, none from onecapsule; of bi-generic, one from nine capsules. There may be anotherindeed, but the issue of an alliance so startling, and produced undercircumstances so dubious, that Mr. Cookson will not own it until he seesthe flower. 

It does not fall within the scope of this chapter to analyze the listof this gentleman's triumphs, but even _savants_ will be interested tohear a few of the most remarkable crosses therein, for it is notpublished. I cite the following haphazard:--

 Phajus Wallichii × Phajus tuberculosus. Loelia præstans. × Cattleya Dowiana. " purpurata × Cattleya Dowiana. " " × Loelia grandis tenebrosa. " " × Cattleya Mendellii. " marginata × Loelia elegans Cooksoni. Cattleya Mendellii × " purpurata. " Trianæ × " harpophylla. " Percivalliana × " " Lawrenceana × Cattleya Mossiæ. " gigas × " Gaskelliana. " crispa × " " " Dowiana × " " " Schofieldiana × " gigas imperialis. " Leopoldii × " Dowiana. Cypripedium Stonei × Cypripedium Godefroyæ. " " × " Spicerianum. " Sanderianum × " Veitchii. " Spicerianum × " Sanderianum. " Io × " vexillarium. Dendrobium nobile nobilus × Dendrobium Falconerii. " " × " nobile Cooksonianum. " Wardianum × " aureum. " " × " Linawianum. " luteolum × " nobile nobilius. Masdevallia Tovarensis × Masdevallia bella. " Shuttleworthii × " Tovarensis. " " × " rosea. 

Of these, and so many more, Mr. Cookson has at this moment fifteenthousand plants. Since my object is to rouse the attention of amateurs, that they may go and do likewise, I may refer lightly to a considerationwhich would be out of place under other circumstances. Professionalgrowers of orchids are fond of speculating how much the Wylam collectionwould realize if judiciously put on the market. I shall not mention theestimates I have heard; it is enough to say they reach many, manythousands of pounds; that the difference between the highest and thelowest represents a handsome fortune. And this great sum has been earnedby brains alone, without increase of expenditure, by boldness ofinitiative, thought, care, and patience; without special knowledge also, at the beginning, for ten years ago Mr. Cookson had no more acquaintancewith orchids than is possessed by every gentleman who takes an interestin them, while his gardener the early time was both ignorant andprejudiced. This should encourage enterprise, I think--the revelation ofmeans to earn great wealth in a delightful employment. But amateurs mustbe quick. Almost every professional grower of orchids is preparing toenter the field. They, however, must needs give the most of theirattention to such crosses as may be confidently expected to catch thepublic fancy, as has been said. I advise my readers to be daring, evendesperate. It is satisfactory to learn that Mr. Cookson intends to makea study of bi-generic hybridization henceforward. [9]

The common motive for crossing orchids is that, of course, which urgesthe florist in other realms of botany. He seeks to combine tints, forms, varied peculiarities, in a new shape. Orchids lend themselves toexperiment with singular freedom, within certain limits, and their arrayof colours seems to invite our interference. Taking species and generaall round, yellow dominates, owing to its prevalence in the great familyof Oncidium; purples and mauves stand next by reason of their supremacyamong the Cattleyas. Green follows--if we admit the whole group ofEpidendrums--the great majority of which are not beautiful, however. Ofmagenta, the rarest of natural hues, we have not a few instances. Crimson, in a thousand shades, is frequent; pure white a little rare, orange much rarer; scarlet very uncommon, and blue almost unknown, though supremely lovely in the few instances that occur. Thus thetemptation to hybridize with the object of exchanging colours ispeculiarly strong. 

It becomes yet stronger by reason of the delightful uncertainty whichattends one's efforts. So far as I have heard or read, no one has yetbeen able to offer a suggestion of any law which decides the result ofcombination. In a general way, both parents will be represented in theoffspring, but how, to what degree either will dominate, in what parts, colours, or fashions a hybrid will show its mixed lineage, theexperienced refuse to conjecture, saving certain easy classes. Afterchoosing parents thoughtfully, with a clear perception of the aim inview, one must "go it blind. " Very often the precise effect desiredappears in due time; very often something unlooked for turns up; butnearly always the result is beautiful, whether or no it serve theoperator's purpose. Besides effect, however, there is an utility inhybridization which relates to culture. Thus, for example, the lovely_Cypripedium Fairieanum_ is so difficult to grow that few dealers keepit in their stock; by crossing it with _Cyp. Barbatum_, from MountOphir, a rough-and-ready cool species, we get _Cyp. Vexillarium_, whichtakes after the latter in constitution while retaining much of thebeauty of the former. Or again, _Cypripedium Sanderianum_, from theMalay Archipelago, needs such swampy heat as few even of its fellowsappreciate; it has been crossed with _Cyp. Insigne_, which will flourishanywhere, and though the seedlings have not yet bloomed, there is noreasonable doubt that they will prove as useful and beautiful as in theother case. _Cypripedium insigne_, of the fine varieties, has beenemployed in a multitude of such instances. There is the striking _Cyp. Hirsutissimum_, with sepals of a nameless green, shaded yellow, studdedwith spiculæ, exquisitely frilled, and tipped, by a contrast almoststartling, with pale purple. It is very "hot" in the first place, and, in the second, its appearance would be still more effective if somewhite could be introduced; present it to _Cyp. Niveum_ and confidentlyexpect that the progeny will bear cooler treatment, whilst their "dorsalsepal" will be blanched. So the charming _Masdevallia Tovarensis_, warm, white and lowly, will take to itself the qualities, in combination, of_Mas. Bella_, tall, cool, and highly coloured red and yellow, as Mr. Cookson has proved; so _Phaloenopsis Wightii_, delicate of growth andsmall of flower, will become strong and generous by union with _Phal. Grandiflora_, without losing its dainty tones. 

It is worth mention that the first Flora medal offered by the RoyalHorticultural Society for a seedling--a hybrid--in open competition waswon by _Loelia Arnoldiana_ in 1891; the same variety took the firstprize in 1892. It was raised by Messrs. Sander from _L. Purpurata_ ×_Catt. Labiata_; seed sown 1881, flowered 1891. 

And now for the actual process by which these most desirable results, and ten thousand others, may be obtained. I shall not speak upon my ownauthority, which the universe has no reason to trust. Let us observe themethods practised in the great establishment of Mr. Sander at St. Albans. 

 Remark, in the first place, the low, unshaded range of houses devoted to hybridization, a contrast to those lofty structures, a hundred yards long or more, where plants merely flourish and bloom. Their span roofs one may touch with the hand, and their glass is always newly cleaned. The first and last demand of the hybridizer is light--light--eternally light. Want of it stands at the bottom of all his disappointments, perhaps. The very great majority of orchids, such as I refer to, have their home in the tropics; even the "cool" Odontoglots and Masdevallias owe that quality to their mountaineering habit, not to latitude. They live so near the equator that sunshine descends almost perpendicularly--and the sun shines for more than half the year. But in this happy isle of ours, upon the very brightest day of midsummer, its rays fall at an angle of 28°, declining constantly until, at midwinter, they struggle through the fogs at an inclination of 75°. The reader may work out this proportion for himself, but he must add to his reckoning the thickness of our atmosphere at its best, and the awful number of cloudy days. We cannot spare one particle of light. The ripening seed must stand close beneath the glass, and however fierce the sunshine no blind may be interposed. It is likely that the mother-plant will be burnt up--quite certain that it will be much injured. 

This house is devoted to the hybridizing of Cypripediums; I choose thatgenus for our demonstration, because, as has been said, it is so veryeasy and so certain that an intelligent girl mastered all itseccentricities of structure after a single lesson, which made herequally proficient in those of Dendrobes, Oncidiums, Odontoglots, Epidendrums, and I know not how many more. The leaves are green andsmooth as yet, with many a fantastic bloom, and many an ovary that hasjust begun to swell, rising amidst the verdure. Each flower spike whichhas been crossed carries its neat label, registering the father's nameand the date of union. 

Mr. Maynard takes the two first virgin blooms to hand: _CypripediumSanderianum_, and _Cypripedium Godefroyæ_, as it chances. Let us cut offthe lip in order to see more clearly. Looking down now upon the flower, we mark two wings, the petals, which stood on either side of thevanished lip. From the junction of these wings issues a round stalk, about one quarter of an inch long, and slightly hairy, called the"column. " It widens out at the tip, forming a pretty table, rather morethan one-third of an inch long and wide. This table serves no purpose inour inquiry; it obstructs the view, and we will remove it; but thereader understands, of course, that these amputations cannot beperformed when business is intended. Now--the table snipped off--we seethose practical parts of the flower that interest us. Beneath itsprotection, the column divides into three knobbly excrescences, thecentral plain, those on either side of it curling back and down, eachbearing at its extremity a pad, the size of a small pin's head, outlineddistinctly with a brown colour. It is quite impossible to mistake thesethings; equally impossible, I hope, to misunderstand my description. The pads are the male, the active organs. 

But the column does not finish here. It trends downward, behind andbelow the pads, and widens out, with an exquisitely graceful curve, intoa disc one-quarter of an inch broad. This is the female, the receptivepart; but here we see the peculiarity of orchid structure. For the uppersurface of the disc is not susceptible; it is the under surface whichmust be impregnated, though the imagination cannot conceive a mereaccident which would throw those fertilizing pads upon their destinedreceptacle. They are loosely attached and adhesive, when separated, to adegree actually astonishing, as is the disc itself; but if it werepossible to displace them by shaking, they could never fall where theyought. Some outside impulse is needed to bring the parts together. Intheir native home insects perform that service--sometimes. Here we maytake the first implement at hand, a knife, a bit of stick, a pencil. Weremove the pads, which yield at a touch, and cling to the object. We laythem one by one on the receptive disc, where they seem to melt into thesurface--and the trick is done. Write out your label--_"Cyp. Sanderianum× Cyp. Godefroyæ_, Maynard. " Add the date, and leave Nature to her work. 

She does not linger. One may almost say that the disc begins to swellinstantly. That part which we term the column is the termination of theseed-purse, the ovary, which occupies an inch, or two, or three, of thestalk, behind the flower. In a very few days its thickening becomesperceptible. The unimpregnated bloom falls off at its appointed date, aseverybody knows; but if fertilized it remains entire, saving thelabellum, until the seed is ripe, perhaps half a year afterwards--butwithered, of course. Very singular and quite inexplicable are thedevelopments that arise in different genera, or even species, afterfertilization. In the Warscewiczellas, for example, not the seed-purseonly, but the whole column swells. _Phaloenopsis Luddemanniana_ isspecially remarkable. Its exquisite bars and mottlings of rose, brown, and purple begin to take a greenish hue forthwith. A few days later, thelip jerks itself off with a sudden movement, as observers declare. Thenthe sepals and petals remaining take flesh, thicken and thicken, whilethe hues fade and the green encroaches, until, presently, they assumethe likeness of a flower, abnormal in shape but perfect, of dense greenwax. 

This Cypripedium of ours will ripen its seed in about twelve months, more or less. Then the capsule, two inches long and two-thirds of aninch diameter, will burst. Mr. Maynard will cut it off, open it wide, and scatter the thousands of seeds therein, perhaps 150, 000, over potsin which orchids are growing. After experiments innumerable, this hasbeen found the best course. The particles, no bigger than a grain ofdust, begin to swell at once, reach the size of a mustard-seed, and infive or six weeks--or as many months--they put out a tiny leaf, then atiny root, presently another leaf, and in four or five years we may lookfor the hybridized flower. Long before, naturally, they have beenestablished in their own pots. 

Strange incidents occur continually in this pursuit, as may be believed. Nine years since, Mr. Godseff crossed _Catasetum macrocarpum_ with_Catasetum callosum_. The seed ripened, and in due time it was sown; butnone ever germinated in the proper place. A long while afterwards Mr. Godseff remarked a tiny little green speck in a crevice above the doorof this same house. It grew and grew very fast, never receiving waterunless by the rarest accident, until those experts could identify ahealthy young Catasetum. And there it has flourished ever since, receiving no attention; for it is the first rule in orchid culture toleave a plant to itself where it is doing well, no matter how strangethe circumstances may appear to us. This Catasetum, wafted by the wind, when the seed was sown, found conditions suitable where it lighted, andquickened, whilst all its fellows, carefully provided for, died withouta sign. It thrives upon the moisture of the house. In a very few yearsit will flower. In another case, when all hope of the germination of aquantity of seed had long been lost, it became necessary to take up thewooden trellis that formed the flooring of the path; a fine crop ofyoung hybrids was discovered clinging to the under side. 

The amateur who has followed us thus far with interest, may inquire howlong it will be before he can reasonably expect to see the outcome ofour proceedings? In the first place, it must be noted that the timeshortens continually as we gain experience. The statements following Ileave unaltered, because they are given by Messrs. Veitch, our oldestauthority, in the last edition of their book. But at the Temple Showthis year Norman C. Cookson, Esq. , exhibited _Catt. William Murray_, offspring of _Catt. Mendellii × Catt. Lawrenceana_, a lovely flowerwhich gained a first class certificate. It was only four years old. 

The quickest record as yet is _Calanthe Alexanderii_, with which Mr. Cookson won a first-class certificate of the Royal HorticulturalSociety. It flowered within three years of fertilizing. As a genus, perhaps, Dendrobiums are readiest to show. Plants have actually been"pricked out" within two months of sowing, and they have bloomed withinthe fourth year. Phajus and Calanthe rank next for rapid development. Masdevallia, Chysis, and Cypripedium require four to five years, Lycasteseven to eight, Loelia and Cattleya ten to twelve. These are Mr. Veitch's calculations in a rough way, but there are endless exceptions, of course. Thus his _Loelia triophthalma_ flowered in its eighthseason, whilst his _Loelia caloglossa_ delayed till its nineteenth. The genus _Zygopetalum_, which plays odd tricks in hybridizing, as Ihave mentioned, is curious in this matter also. _Z. Maxillare_ crossedwith _Z. Mackayi_ demands five years to bloom, but _vice versâ_ nineyears. There is a case somewhat similar, however, among the Cypripeds. _C. Schlimii_ crossed with _C. Longifolium_ flowers in four years, but_vice versâ_ in six. It is not to be disputed, therefore, that thehybridizer's reward is rather slow in coming; the more earnestly shouldhe take measures to ensure, so far as is possible, that it be worthwaiting for. 

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 9: Mr. Cookson writes to me: "Give some of the credit to mypresent gardener, William Murray, who is entitled to a large proportion, at least. "]

INDEX. 

 PAGE Aerides Lawrenciæ 160 Angræcum arcuatum 134 " caudatum 135 " Duchailluianum 134 " Ellisii 135 " falcatum 133 " Kotschyi 135 " Leonis 135 " Sanderianum 134 " Scottianum 135 " sesquipedale (Æranthus sesquipedalis) 135 Anomatheca cruenta 11

 Begonia coralina 195 Begonias 86 Brassias 207 Brassavola Digbyana 128 Bulbophyllum barbigerum 169 " Beccarii 169 " Dearei 170 " Godseffianum 170 " Lobbii 170 Bullthorn acacia 124

 Calanthe Alexanderii 246 " Dominii 214 " Sedeni 215 " Veitchii 215 Catasetum barbatum 123 " Bungerothi (C. Pileatum) 123 " callosum 123 " fimbriatum 123 Cattleya Acklandiæ 154 " amethystoglossa 154 " aurea 115 " Brymeriana 232 " Dowiana 115, 151 " Hardyana 118 " hybrida 214 " labiata 111 " Lawrenceana 92 " Mendellii 117 " " fly 117 " Mossiæ 111 " Sanderiana 118 " Skinneri alba 119 " superba 152 " Trianæ 111, 201 " violacea 110 Coelogene cristata 160 " Dayana 161 " pandurata 160 " Sanderiana 161 Cookson, Norman, Esq. 22433

 Collectors:-- Arnold 27, 28, 70, 180, 181 Bartholomeus 122, 180 Bestwood 180 Chaillu, M. Du 134 Chesterton 180, 181 Clarke 181 Digance 181 Dressel 77 Endres 70 Ericksson 32, 33 Falkenberg 69 Forstermann 162 Gardner 174, 175, 181 Hartweg 67 Humblot 133 Kerbach 72, 180 Klaboch 70, 105, 180 Kromer 95, 98, 99 Lawrenceson 181 Micholitz 30, 31 Osmers 94, 181 Oversluys 163, 180 Roebelin 140, 160 Roezl 66, 75, 76, 105, 139, 204, 205 Schroeder 70 Seyler 100 Smith 180, 181 Steigfers 99 Swainson 173-175, 177, 179, 181 Wallace 35 Wallis 70 Weir 67 Cypripedium calceolus 82, 224, 225 " candidum 82 " Curtisi 32 " Fairieanum 223 " guttatum 82 " insigne 83, 84, 108 " macranthum 82 " niveum 85 " parviflorum 82 " planifolium 87 " pubescens 82 " purpuratum 223 " Sedeni 228 " spectabile 82 " Spicerianum 83, 85 " vexillarium 238 Cymbidium Lowianum 195 " Albertesii 131

 Dendrobium atro-violaceum 131 " bigibbum 168 " Broomfieldianum 131 " Brymerianum 127 " Forstermanni 127 " Goldiei 130 " heterocarpum 230 " Johannis 168 " luteolum 195 " nobile nobilius 128 " " Cooksoni 129 " " Sanderianum 129 " phaloenopsis 168 " " Schroederianum 29 " rhodopterygium 127 " superbiens 168 " Wardianum 125 Disa Cooperi 166 " discolor 166 " grandiflora 165 " racemosa 165

 Epidendrum bicornutum 40 " O'Brienianum 220 " prismatocarpum 167 " radicans 167 " Randii 152 " rhizophorum 167

 Frogs, green, value of 13

 Galleandra Devoniana 156 Grammatophyllum speciosum 171 " Measureseanum 171 " multiflorum 172

 Hybridizing 210

 Lycaste Skinneri 79-81, 206 " " alba 79, 81 " aromatica 80 " cruenta 81 Loelia anceps 109, 120, 122 " elegans 153 " Maynardii 218 " purpurata 153, 154 " guttata Leopoldi 152, 153, 154 " anceps alba 122 " " Amesiana 109

 Masdevallia Livingstoniana 140 " Schlimii 76 " Tovarensis 27

 Odontoglossum Alexandræ 39, 67, 71 " citrosmum 58 " grande 107 " Hallii 77 " Harryanum 75 " Hybrids 64, 78, 108, 231 " noeveum 77 " ramossissimum (coeleste) 34 " Roezlii (Miltonia Roezlii) 64 " Schlieperianum 107 " vexillarium (Miltonia vexillaria) 104 " Williamsi 107 Oncidium cibolletum 116 " crispum 47 " cucullatum 230 " fuscatum 90 " Jonesianum 116 " juncifolium 39 " Lanceanum 164 " luridum 39 " macranthum 88 " papilio 164 " sculptum 89 " serratum 89 " splendidum 162, 163 " superbiens 89

 Peristeria elata 138 Phajus Cooksoni 219 " Humblotii 133 " irroratus 219 " purpureus 219 " tuberculosus 133 Phaloenopsis 54 " amabilis 158 " cornucervi 159 " F. L. Ames 221 " Harriettæ 221 " intermedia 221 " Luddemanniana 244 " Manni 159 " Portei 159 " Sanderiana 159 " Schilleriana 158 " speciosa 157 " tetraspis 156

 Renanthera coccinea 113, 146, 147 Roraima Mountain 77, 94

 Schomburgkia tibicinis 124 Sobralias 196 Sophro-Cattleya Batemaniana 218

 Thanatophore 92

 Utricularia Campbelli 199

 Vanda limbata 144 " Lowii 143, 148 " teres 143, 144