New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-06-26
HIGH PRICED ORCHIDS.
Many Perils Are Undergone in
Securing Rare Specimens.

IT costs time and money and sometimes life
to gather some flowers. The flowers are not the
fortune telling daisies the silky petaled roses or
the buttercups growing beside the dusty road
in the tall grass. They the fragile orchids
living In the humid Jungles OF the tropics. To
find these men willing TO take journeys OF
two and three years duration and costing much
money. besides risking their lives
II is said that many enthusiasts have lost
their lives from fatigue and from diseases caught
IN the pestiential climate which well suits
many OF the richest orchids. Some OF the finest
OF these queer plants have been found in swampy
tungles and almost impenctrable forests. Weeks
spent floating down rivers In South America
RATS From these RATS the collectors gather
large numbers OF the orchids. which hang from
the branches Of the trees over the water. The
insects which attracted TO the flowers
In some Instances dangerous TO human life. In
such cases the tree is cut down and tOwed
through the water until the insects have been
washed off. Sometimes snakes found In
the trees Lives have been lost from attacks by
these or from wild animals. The hundreds OF
natives who have been hired by collectors as
guides and porters have added TO the number OF
those whose lives have been sacrificed
Tho Loss Of life Is not always due TO tropical
fevers the bites OF dangerous insects. or the at
tacks OF reptiles and animals Sometimes n
collector Is killed by native for his money.
xnd Is never heard from again A collector
fho expects to be gone two or three years may
lake with him treasure to the amount OF from
$4,000 to $4,000 to cover his expenses Only
n few years ago London firm sent a collector
to South America 1t was expected that his
"trip would take at least two years. and he car
fed with him $4,000. He never came back out
If the South American forest 1t was supposed
~ t,,1 hoo ,rrda 20 hiG
Orchids are found In a number OF different
tropical countries. Some OF the finest said
b come from the Philippines. 1t IS believed that
there remain In these islands many choice va
rieties to be discovered. They are found also in
India, Australia, Brazil. Mexico and other coun-
tries.
There are persons who collect orchids
others do coins postage stamps. paying large
sums for single plants. 1t is said that sum
nearly twice as large as the largest price paid
for a tulip bulb in the time Of the famous tulip
craze, $500 was paid in London last year for
one plant and that the stock of another is valued
at $4,000 The highest valued orchid is said
to be in the collection of Sir Trevor Lawrence,
Of Dorking, England. It's value has not been
tested by Gale, however as the owner cutivates
orchids for his own pleasure solely Miss Gould
Is said to have paid $1,000 for one plant
Some orchids are so large that large teams
required to move them. and so old that they
outrank the lives Of most men. Baron Aponoya.
an Hungarian nobleman, bought from VeEeZ-
uelan a plant which was said to be one hundred
years old. He paid $500 for It. 1t
heavy that several teams of oxen were required
to draw it from the forest to the coast for
transportation over sea
Among the fine collections IS that Of Baron
Schroeder. of the Dell. who has a collection
occupying twenty-three houses. almost under
the massive towers Of Windsor Castle. For