The Florida agriculturist., 1889-02-20

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that the first blooming Of Seeding plants
is one succession of waiting for surprises
and novelties, and no orchidacean knows
at what moment he may fall heir to q
prize, in the ownership of a new variety
of orchid, from which fortune may he
obtained
But, as we have elsewhere noted, the
culturist must either introduce insects
among the pollen of his flowers, or must
himself convey the yellow powder from
one blossom to another, ere perfect seeds
can be produced; but this feature of cross
naturalization is well understood noW-a-
days, so even if the insects "turn up
missing" no harm is done; the tiny brush
of the orchidacean will serve the purpose
OF dusting the pollen upon other flowers.
And often, too, this absence of the in
sects is an advantage, rather than other
wise. Hot-house orchids endure fresh for
a long while after full expansion (witness
our own beautiful Espiritu Santo) be-
cause Of this very paucity of insect life
about them; the latter are certain to
carry the pollen from one to the other,
and so fertiize them, and fertilized
flower Withers in an hour orso thereafter,
even if it has justopened Herein lies the
explanation OF many mysterious wither-
ing Of our fair flowers, which has sorely
perpleXed their owners.
Beautiful as are the large Towering
| O11Ii1c tbOro 1ro bo
among them that we find in the human
family many Of the species are small in
size, dull and gloomy in appearance.
The majority Of the orchids have green
or yellow blossoms, many others are pure
white, with rose, purple or golden mark
ings; many also are rose-colored or violet,
while few are bright scarlet but these
are rare, and most rare of all is a blue
orchid
AS we have seen, 10000 species have
been enumerated, and as nature is con
tinually at work in her wild gardens,
evolving new varieties, and the human
culturist is justas busy hybridizing Others
in his hOt-house, thenumber of the orchid
family bids fair to run up and up and up,
| until the description OF them shall be,
'NTheir name is legion
Even now, as we write, in all parts Of
| the world, but especially in the warmer
portions, hundreds of collectors sent out
some by rich amateurs, others by trade
| growers, are busily at work, Drawing
perils by land and by sea, to discover new
species Of orchids.
For this purpose they must often vent
ure where never before has pressed the
| foot of q white man, happy if hunger and
thirst are the only perils or discomforts
| he encounters.
! Over dangerous routes, oftimes guided
| by treacherous natives, drenched by
tropical rains, bitten by mosquitoes, flies,
leeches, stricken by fever threatened by
wild beasts, in peril from deadly snakes,
the life of the faithful collector is no sine
cure, and many brave man has gone
down in the battle for some new, rare
species Of these beautiful flowers. Little
does the average amateur dream of the
ealprice hisorchids cost; notonly money
do they cost, but sometimes o long i'll
ness, limb, even a life.
Hearing from afar of flower that
seems to him rare the enterprising col
lector turns his face towards it, whether
in mountain or valley; he fords rivers,
plods across prairies, wades through
marshes, but eventually he arrives and
then his first object is to describe the
Il l..