The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1894-05-25


edge He was ordered to 90 back for
more, and he did. He found II mag
niticent collection of the orchids in Il
native burying-gr ground, growing among
exposed bones and skulls. After much
hesitation, the natives allowed him to
remove the orchids, some Of them still
in the skulls, and sent with the con-
signment lite idol, to watch over
the spirits Of the departed. Little
wonder that these plants sold at prices
varying from five up to twenty-eight
euineas each.
The dangers of the collectors task
are terrible. Eight naturallsts seeking
vario1s specimens in Madagascar once
dined at Tam,tave, and in one year
after there wa, but single survivor.
Even this favored person was terribly
afflicted, for, after Il sojonrn IN the
most malarious swamp:, he spent
twelve months in IL hospital, and left
without hope of restored health. Two
collectors seeking IA single plant died
one after the other of fever. A collec-
tor detained at Panama went to look
for an orchid he had heard of; ard the
Indians brought him back from the
swamps to die. A man who insulted
Madagascar idol was soaked with
paraf1in by the priests and burnt to
death. Mr.. Frederick Boyle shows
that these dangers must be encounter
ed invariably, if rare or new orchids
are to be found, for he speaks of one
which ''clings to the very tip Of a
slender palm in swamps which the In
dians themselves regard with dread as
the chosen home of fevers and mosqul-
toes
Add the difficulties of the work are
as great as its dangers. One collector
was known to wade up to his mi Idle
in mud for a fortnight seeking for a
specimen of which he had heard; an
other lived among Indians for eight
months, looking in untracked forests
for a lost variety To obtain the or
chids which grow on trees, the co!lec-
tor must hire IA certain area of wood
land with the right TO fell the timber.
The natives cannot be trusted to climb
to the SUBMITS and gather the plant,
and the collec or cannot spare the time.
So the wasteful plan OF telling the
trees is adopted; natives are employed
to do the work, and the collector gath
ers his specimens from the fallen
trunks. This, however, generally takes
place far inland; the plants have then
to be brought home. In one case they
have to be Carried six weeks Oh men S
backs from the mountains to the Esse-
quibo river; then carried six weeks in
canoes, witt twenty portases to George
town; then over the ocean.
Mr.. Boyle talks of a journey to the
Roraima Mountain as quite easy trav-
cling, yet it involves thirty-two load
ings and unloalings of cargo; and in
another direction zone must 60 in the
bed of torrent and on the face of a
precipice alternately for an uncertain
period of time, with river to cross al
most every day" Moreover, after all
this trouble, the specimens often die
on the journey, and the speculator has
to risk the loss of one thousand pounds
on single cargo. What wonder that
orchids are often dear?
Yet it is not so much the difficulty
and danger which make them dear as
rarity or popularity. Amongst LOT
of the commonest orchids, some wears
ago, was found plant similar to the
rest in every characteristic except the
color of its stem, which was green in.
st ,ad of brown. When 1t flowered, the
bloom should have been green; but i
was golden, and the plant became il
consequence practically priceless. i
was divided into two parts, and ont
was sold % Baron Schroeder for seven
ty-two guineas, the other to Mr.. Meas.
ures for one hundred gulneas. Thi:
latter piece was several times divided
selling for one hundred guineas eacl
time; but Baron Schroder's piece was
never mutIat'd, and is now worth ONT
thousand guineas. II would bring tha
sum, say the authorities, in the publ,
salerOOm.
I he good fortune # orchid buyer
sometimes remarkable. Bulbs whicl
have not howered, and give no sign o
POPULARITY, are often treasures in dis
uuisa. An amateur once gave thre
francs on the continent for al OIonto
elcssum; it proved to be an unknown
variety, and was resold for sum ex
ceeding one hundred pounds. Anoihe
rarity, bought with lot at less than
shilling each, was resold for seventy
two guineas TO Sir Trevor Lawrence
who has one of the finest collections. i
not The finest, in England. A CATTLE
va, developing Il new and beautiful
flower at once advanced in value fror
a few shillings to two Numbered an
:, fifty guneas; it was afterwards sold i
five pieces for seven hundred guinea.