The free press. (Southern Pines, N.C.) 1898-19??, 1899-04-15
ORCHID HUNTING.
7ERILs AND PRIzEsoF THE SEARCH IN
TROPICAL ISLANDS.

Millions of Capital-The High fflces Ger
tain Varieties Bring-Some of the Dan
gers in Collecting the Flower.
East or west the tropic islands are
among the happiest hunting grounds
for that flower of the air, the orchid.
Yearly many men go in search OF them
at inconceivable risk of life and limb.
Some few are scientific enthusiasts. or
the agent of scientific institutes. The
most part, however, go for revenue
only. Not every man can hunt orchids
successfully-in this calling, as in most
others, ability commands high marx
ct price.
Statistics are uninteresting-still, 1t
is worth while to be told that the Dusl-
ness of orchid growing and orchid col
Letting, though begun as late as 1881,
now employs good many millions OF
capital. Both here and abroad there
are collections whose value runs we'll
up into the hundred thousands. ana
collectors with nerve enough to pay
$4,000 for a single specimen-provlded
it be sufficiently unique. Further, there
was at least one grower long-h eaded
enough to refuse more than $5,c0O Tor
an absolutely unique plant. It was
seedless and could be multiplied only
by the tedious process OF roofing lea1
cuttings-hence, he saw his profit IN
such multiplication, and preferred TO
sell a hundred plants at thousand
each, even though he had to wait some
years to do 1T.
Such men stand back Of the orchid
hunters proper. Usually three or four
Europeans 20 together to a tropic port,
engage from fifty to a hundred ma
tives, buy all manner of supplies, ana
strike straight into the widest inter-
Tor. Often the men carry everything;
sometimes there is bullock train, or
even a train of bullock carts. But
that is impracticable in the true virgin
tropics. wherein the hunters find their
choicest treasures.
It is like fairy tale to talk with
one of the returned explorers. You
hear of trees 300 feet high, literally
covered with orchids, or maybe half
dozen species, each growing in its own
distinct zone or altitude. Some Hour
ish only upon the uppermost airy
houghs, others riot over the big
crotches where the branches come to-
eether. still others ring with blossom
the messy boil, running up maybe lOo
feet to the lowest limb. Sometimes
a tree is the fetish of the wild men
round about. In that case woe to the
sacriligious outlanders who lay hand
or foot upon it. More than one ex-
petition has been massacred for such
cause. The destruction of such tree
scattered and dispersed one of the saw
agest native tribes.
Their titular tree stood in a sort OF
glade-it had been seen by several
hunting parties, but none OF them oar
ed touch it, When they went nome
their accounts of it so wrought upon
the fancy of an English collector that
he offered an almost fabulous sum Tor
q section of the f1owerWreathed trunk
Next year the orchid hunters found
the native tribe at war, and taking
advantage of the diversion, cut down
the tree and sent segment down TO
the coast, where, after many trials ana
tribulations, it was got safe ABOARD
ship and in the end was the season $
wonder of London conservatory. me
native worshipers coming back to IND
what havoc had been wrought, at once
decided that their god had deserted
them in anger, FASTENED to make peace,
and ended by going in mass to live
at the other side of their island.
Other than human enemies attack the
orchid hunters. One flower especially
beautiful and of the most exquisite ira
GRANGE. grows only in the tree tops,
and SO high that it is found by scent,
rot sight. Wherever it grows, u is
oyerrun with ant swarms, red ants, not