Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1884-12-21
ORCHIDS.
Rare Flowers that Take the Fern
of Birds and Turtles.
NO Hundred and Seventy five Dol
lars for a Single Plant.
Colonel Tom 0Chiltree as a eotanist
A Transparent Suit Of Clothes
Other Bits of HeWsy Brio
a-BraC.

wind sweeping and whirling the
dust and dead leaves across Penn
sylyauia avenue and the Wash
ing,on botanical gardens, flock Of Eng
E.h sParrows quarrclinS for precedence lat
he projecting veil OF ivy that hangs from
the caves OF the superintendent cottage.
\ long stretch of rock work, robbed Of its
summer glory. is all that meets the eye
without. \ turn Of the knob, closing OF
the door, aud We find Ourselves in ths
lauguid, tropical atmos phsrs Of the Orchid
house. surrounded on all sides with q be
wildering array Of taesr wonderful! air
plants, which cling WITH tleic long iprous,
worm shaped roots TO mos, covered blocks
aud bits OF To-. FroT ~ mass Of spear
shaped leaves long stalks shoot forth that
bend beneath . crown ct blossoms, some
star shaped, DELICATE piak, with centres .; d
yelvety maroon, Others cream tinted,
jbictN ttcEed with bla K aud heavy with
perfume. Another variety LOOKS very much
Lac maiden hair fcru 10 t9gm, aud is L deIi7
cate pink in color.
Ole fper specimens are brought. SO Super.
iu,eudya! Smith tells rs. from the ia17g..,s =f
ludia and South america. Some take the
.uvm Of men, birds With radiant plumage
boats tiEt5d like delicate shells, brown mon.
keys, or moths that sway aud iiutter on the
fragile st,Es tha. support them, rs If ready
20 tsy away. These plants Gre regarded as
purifiers Of the atmosphere. as the long
hhrouS rooted acluatjc plants are Purifiers
o, the water. Great care is taken in their
propagation, and the slightest neglect is
attended with fatal Consequences. \ varia-
ton in the temperature or water NJ the
wrong time and they are put back u year
in growth The largest private collection
in this country Is Owned by Mr.
Corning, and is valued at one hun
bred and eighty thousand dollars
I LIS gentleman has oeeu very liberal ia his
donations to the Botanical Gardens, and
one handsome vayietg Is uaued in his honor,
,-e Wanda Jovniugi
Orchids sell IS high as two hundred and
>ty,rty-Gye dollars Tor Il single plant, while
,u,rs orchid Is desirable, varieties sell
easily at eighty dollars fer q specimen OF
'c.r lssyas. One cause Of their cosr!iuess
IS thar /, takes from ten 10 twelve years o..
wa'chful care 20 make a young blossom
While nine wears OF waiting IS necessary 70
o. tain pll fom Al old stock They lire
however With proper care aid attention to
tie age Of one hundred years or more, bear
ing their wealth Of blossom, single spear Of
which lasts for three months.
When plant appears sickly and
not 70 be drawing sufficient sustenance from
the wood 70 which it cljugS a fresh bit is
nailed on, the hbrous roots wind themselves
about il. and q healthier tone eusues. At
regular intervals they are dipped or ha,d
under q spray OF tepid water, previously
purified by the roots Of Aquatic plants.
Ihr Temperature
in which they are krpj mus, accord With
that OF the climate from which they come,
vai.c these from the lowlands Of India and
South America require humid. laugujl
atmosphere. specimens from the mountain,
Of !alia auG New Mexico need nUch cooler
Temperature Fer this reason. and the fac.
thG, thgy do no; a..ia;r readily with other
plants. excepting few varieties o. ferns
..ge.a,e houses are required for distinct.
classes.
This. sal; Supss.a.eui, n Smith. touch
ir- q tuiayus ~oo.sd sE.kc.leavei plant
resting on hai Of moss, is the orchid Of
t.. SpiritU Sar,o, or Hover OF the Holy
Ghost l. bears pare white blossom IN the
month Of Hume the opening petals oil winch
disclose 3 perfect dove, with Outstretchei
wings and leuici head. that looks ready %
iy loy;h from the white she'll that cncircleS
II So natural is tue dove. that little
iri,au 20. mine On being ljt'cl u? to look at
/, when AS: Il b,oomed asked wheu the bird
would Ms away"
Almost the entire collection of orchids a.
the Botanical Gardens is made up %, dona-
tons from private individuals, Mr. Corning,
already mentioned, being the principal do.
EatOr.
Century Plants.
The collection of century plants Is very
large aud valuable, over one hundred va
rieues being represented. Only two kinds
are generally known. While admiring
some very fine specimens Of the cacii that
grow to the heig hit of twenty feet bearing q
mass Q! vivid, sword shaped blossoms, Mr..
Saith related an amusing anecdote Mt the
expense Of his predecessor. 1t seems that
some thirty Years ago, or Whereabouts, Nike
Walsh, New York Journalist and cele-
0rated vag, determined to play trick on
the then superintendent Of the gardens
Carefully burying rat, with tue exception
Of it's tail, which was tied to q stick, in a
iower pot, he sent it as present With the
message that it was a cactus ne would be
glad to have classified.
Grayely labelling it with high sounding
botanical name, the florist placed in a sunny
corner and awaited results with anxious eX-
pectancy. As matter Of course this en-
thus;astic student of nature was not kept
long in suspense; decomposition set in, aud
the oyful intelligence was circulated By the
still unsuspicious botanist that the rare
cactus was in q horescent state, and not
until the sense of smell appealed loudly, but
less urerringly to his intelligence than 1t did
to his sight, was the unfortunate man aware
Of his mistake.