New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-03-03
ROMANCE OF THE ORCHID.
IrS STRANGE BEAUTY AND TIE PERKS
THAT SURROUND II.
VARIETIES THAT ARE MOST USEFUL TOR GEN
ERN. CULTIVATION SEARCHING FOR \
NOVELTY IL THE JrNGrT>
Ut ND =
TO TIL" Edito OF The Tribunc.

''N'h ~ IiiI. - N'l'I>
Of INDrs.
TO u e Editor OF he Tribune.
sir: Collecting orchids Is an especially Interesting
D'anch Of Horticulture. To begin WITH the orchid has
weird beauty all rs own. lis sraug. shape IT,.
fantastic method of growth. clinglng 10 the rock on
lofty mountain sides. and 10 the branches Of tree,
In tropical countries: the fact That t. gathered in
thes" countries. often at great risk Of life dives
having actually been lot In establishing
vari"ti'.)fh"Sr circumstances serve - enhance the
Interest that orchid, world awaken Of themselves
even II they not difficult 70 procure. Then too.
| orchids not difficult 10 cultivate. a cool house
answering the requirements Of temperature. rs they
mostly com" from the mountain land Of the. tropics.
and watering ana cleaning being all they Need In the
way Of care Moreover. abov" stated. II Is an
easy matter 10 have bloom all the round with
orchids. This Is due the great number Of varieties
and the long towering period VI some varieties. ia"
flowers on Caitl"ya 1ranae and,CypiifedIm Insgne.
for Instance. lasting through the autumn and winter.
50 That with only these two varieties bloom could b.
maintained throughout these Seasons And alch bloom
~ on" who Ia, ever group Of towering Cat
ryaS forget them They In appearance
he most superb Of all orchids. Tile flower Is 'not
nfFcqu~nty hair II foo IN diameter. Petals and
sepals hang with lang1d grace that Is simply en-
rancng. TIA" color In single ntvrr will shade OIL
from a soft pink 10 II delicate creamy h,shint like
the lining OF shell. while i'm the lip there j. Il
spot Of gorgeous royal purple. They are the planets
among the constellation Of orchids: fairly glowing
ont from the deep shadows OF their frondS a II
some Of the hil., Of the sunset had taken shape and
Heated down 10 earth. Notably beautiful among
the Caiteyas the Ieecy white Ahinoo nhe col
-clOr pridr- himself these. they very rare.
and are Therefore more highly valued point holding
good with all groups OF orchids. and The Caitleya
>pcco,. s,ina. the purpl" In Whose lip Is either
motlrd or sireakcd with white and framed with
pIr. rich yellow. The Cypipcdum In-igne. which
also blooms during autumn and winter, i S"iio"
flower with large brown spots, quiet contrast 10
elegance the cat;l~yns similar contrasts can
be effected during season Of III" year. II i an
easy matter 10 vary plant, of gorgeous bloom with
those which with iher snlaIucd cOlorS seem 10 Low"
dusk and shadow. No other gems OF Hover can
approach orchids in their combination VI the richest
with the most delicate hues
The Cypripedlums are perhaps the most useful Of
all orchids for general cultivation They ar" rep
resented by some fifty species and som" 300 hyhld,'
r L,ins the easiest species ~ hybridihe. The
nr.t hybrid orchid raised wa, Cyprpcdinm ilaf
II iannm and It Is SIN considered Oh" OF The best Is
II flowers two or three times year ANA IS OF easy
culture As a rule hybridS are OF darker color than
the parent plants and strong r. Bnt there are eN
c.p,lnnS ,yprip dunn Mar,haanun. for instance.
orisnat.d Years ago I'm England yet to-day only one
specimen Of It Is believed 10 exist In this country
and although II IS n small plant Is vdlucd AT 500
tn. value Of the Albinps among orchids has Deem
referred to. a Catll"ya OF ten or twelve bulbs j.
worth - an Albino OF III" same sz". 500 ofchis
ar. Ntrrmelv dccoraiiy" In conservatory or WluV"
Tn, decorative qualities Of the Cattleyas hay" al
re- iv been mentioned. Nothing could h" more grace
ul than sprays 81 OdonogoS,um with their exquisite
sulan flowers usually SNOWY white, with dots. lobs
and other shapes In hazl hanging dendr"binmS ana
vondas give at, airy touoh TO the arrangement" rs 90
also the Cypfipcdluns whose lower s"paS of'h taper
avay TO .plratIng tendris. Altogether. an orchid
| Of 1sF
willie with proper care tho plants quickly Increase IN
value la ten years II plant which originally cost
II viii in som. Instances have pnt forth - many
shoot, that it, value win hav" risen 10 80
Tho hardships endured by the collectors" whom
orchid growers have sent into The Iuhe'S OF 'H'
troplc, form hitherto unwrlttrn chapter IN 'h'
story Of Horticulture and touch 81 romance |"
,,.. strange plaufs-the sphinx among flowers. A
8, good example ! may CT" Oh" Introduction Oh
Cylrpctium Spicerlanum About l-'o an Ih"''" '''
planter named spicer sent 10 "A brother III Ehs'""u
an orchid which he believed 10 be the common variety
Of typripcdlum lusanc. A. soon a. II Do"''u'
However Il was found 10 be- a new variety ana Wa
named Iplcrranum. II beautiful Hover ana
combining III. desirable qualities Of novelty ana
bcau,y II brought a very high price. No other con.
.ieumeut of this orchid reached England during th'
TWO following wears and II seemed n II the specimen
received by 'picer TO remain III" Only one h""'
To tie civilized world. although Somewhere !" "'
Indian lumglcs 1t might hc blooming III pr"ih'o''
II WIS th,n that Ignatins Fost-rman, an Orchid col
hector for an English house. determined 10 o's"'N
mn c,pednion 10 search the lost orchid After
arriving I'm ,ncnfta lie found that there were two
fen ulanters named spccr In India one on the llIr
travelled route To Manipur, the other In NOR" Ire
qucntcd district. 49,
TN. collector concluded that the more Inaccessible
territory would be the nhccr habitat Vi the "Ios
orchid md started up the Gaiges for ManipIr
Mcefi
caniioris Inquiry Tor orchid hunter Is Obliged 10
l A. circiiiispcct Diplomat 80 Keen J., the com
pciiiion-tAnt a sco,chnan In splcers employ "itrl
hunted along the Brahmapuia river and had on
several occasions returned with orchids a, Ven n'
game. l0strIman had been unable 10 obialh pr
mission to enter Manlpnr bnl 10y '',ra ii m, T,
,"rd did not follow the river and lis bnnk' w"r" nm
Inhabited so when about 900 miles rom The coast .'
,tnr,.d M The .lvrr with three boat, and twenty
nuives and 30 snrak,d into Man!pnr ~" W"
crdd slowly up 'as yrr exploiting ,Ic for t iD
orchid In The jungle was mucn like loohlhs l9r '
oS.[na ns IN w InsiS added ' o the ~rn
81 the search wa the constant mnrn'lm,' "l ,i,
The Maharajahs unfr"ndlincS' toward 'i"N'I" 1n,
looked on discovery rIiivnl"n, 10 drath, ' u,
Wnnl"ir and Ind been left behind. and 1t required
constant bracing up I" me inHrg ln,acI. II wa
Keep a s i th e "lI% % +" Giva mp The cxdon
into two parties for the day work i,adhg on, pliN
ihimg in the ,lair Of orchids they discovered one
dav his latter party stumbled upon uE, !" ,,i
Incident almc, broke mp the expedition more E,,h
and reward IN case OF Nu't'a9 ~ l"-
,I nn,v mean, of dS>llading IN" natives from turning
back. ... .,,., ,,..,r,., lao ,b.
continual opportunities Of his NATIVE. t"iioWrrH au
being aI,p Within dangerous proximity 10 UN VIII
,ri, nf Ioushays the collector determined 10 con-
Inn. his search for only three days longer lie WAS
then at the month Of one o; 'he tlnn'nii, ,n 81 W..
ur,Iunpntrn lie assembled this stream Hii'H sUiS''
f thr third day. when h. limited. sick al heart rom
hi failure N A. the slT setting IT., rosy l'SI
III, ,,nuu IN. side Of OF the hills pnc two mile
nm th, stream and brought ont In bold relief ma
- rnrk A. Ibis looked favorable 10 Orchid growth
,p. collector decided make II final search there on
he morrow. At daybreah he started WIN a irw
natives who consented to follow him, ana led TINS
/" iorlorn" hope mp the river: Reaching The spot he
Inn +, elm nbnr ND lie hillside and lauSing In hi
INT IN look upwnrd he nodd.ng al him from
- cr"vice I'm the rocks flower OF Cypripedum Spccr
i,nuu lie gathered 800 of these plants and hurried
,nrk IN Calcutta ON arriving there he discovered
no hal ID