The Mena weekly star., 1897-12-01
ORCHIDS IN THE ANDES.
A Collector Tells of the Difficulties
 of His Business.

of His Business.
 John E. Lager, of Summit, N. J., wbo in February last collected 25,00O orchid plants in various parts of South Amer ica and succeeded in transplanting them to New Jersey soil, told the mem bers of the New York Gardeners society at meeting the other day that coffee cultivation was gradually decreasing the production of the rich variety of orchids found in the Andes. The plants have also suffered from the industry of the orchid hunters, who have torn them up in quantities and shipped them to other countries.
 The coffee plantations are constantly increasing in regions where the orchids were wont to flourish Great zones of forests have been cut down to make way for these plantations, the Cattleya region the one to suffer most, because it's temperature is suited to coffee cul- ture. MT. Lager said that in revisiting last year the spots in South America where in previous years he had made successful orchid hunts he found the forests gone and plantations in their stead and he was compelled to press on- ward te less civilized regions. In a remote section of the Andes he was rewarded by discovering a most beau. tiful lot of cattleyas that were both new and rare. This region, he declared, was without doubt the richest yet found in the variety and usefulness of it's or chard species. The Miltenia vexiiiari lie discovered in Colombia and in Ecua- dor and Peru, and varieties of the Cat tleya superba were obtained in Vene- zuela and Brazil, more especially in the immense territories between the Ori- noco, Amazon and Rio Negro systems.
 The labor of orchid collecting in the South American countries, Mir. Lager said, was beset with great difficulties in the matter of transportation over trails which had been travelled by the Indians centuries ago, before the Span iards appeared. No improvements have been made in these trails. The rough journey was not without its compensa- tion i'll the unfolding panorama of glo- rious scenery and in the purity of the air and the delicious aroma of the luxuriant vegetation. The gathering of the orchids is not easy. Only few of the plants grow on a tree, and great number of trees bear no plants at all. The material for the cases in which the plants are packed is difficult of trans portation, too. Frequently the plants have to be packed iii bags and strapped to the backs of mules, and the plants are found to be crushed to pieces when they reach the camp. Last February Mr. Lager narrowly escaped losing 100 cases of orchids piled in tents on river bank, being unable to move them for three weeks on account of the low water.
 MT. Lager said that the study of the orchids in their native country had brought about a great change in the knowledge of the proper way of rais- ing them, and the mystery that until very recently enshrouded their culti- vation had given way to common sense methods. Air is now admitted to them in greater quantity, the hose has re- placed the water can, and they are potted in simpler form. Orchid cul- turists are now making, with success, efforts to reproduce exactly the condi- tions that favor the growth of the plants in their native country. Knowl- edge of the beautiful plants has spread among amateurs, who find recreation and profit in studying the wonderful varieties and contrasting their bean ties.-N. Y. Sun.