Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1908-07-17
COSTLY ORCHIDS.

DANGERS ENCOUNTERED HUNTING
THEM IN TROPICAL. WILDS.
Recently some rare and costly speci-
mems or orchids have been received by
the governments flower men in Wash
ington, writes correspondent. These
valuable orchids come from the tropic
islands of Spain's colonies, or least
colonies that Spain did own, though
now possessed by the United States.
Orchid hunting and collecting began
as far back as 1880, and now millions
of dollars of capital are invested in Or
chids and in paying men who are nervy
enough to go out into the wilds and
hunt them. Men who go in search of
them do so at great risk to their lives.
Some few of the hunters are men who
are in the business for the sake of reve-
nue. only. The flowers of the air COM
mand a high market price, and as
much as $1,000 has been paid for a sim
gle specimen. Both here and abroad
there are collections which run well up
into the hundreds of thousands One
grower has refused $1,000 for single
plant. 1t was seedless and could be
multiplied only by the tedious process
of roofing leaf cuttings. This grower
saw his profit in such multiplication
and preferred to sell 100 plants at 81 900
each, even though he had to wait some
years to do it. The money is sure to
come to him, for such specimens are
very rare. n
Usually the hunters 60 to a tropic
port, engage 50 to 100 natives, buy all
manner Of supplies and strike straight
into the interior, the very widest sec
ton. Often the men carry everything.
Sometimes there is a bullock train, or
even train of bullock carts; but that
is not practicable in the true virgin
tropics, wherein the hunters find their
most valuable and choicest treasures.
1t is said that sometimes the hunters
find trees 300 feet high, literally cover
ed with orchids, or maybe half dozen
different species, each growing in its
own distinct zone or altitude. Some
flourish only upon the uppermOst airy
| boughs, others run riot over the big
crOtches where the branches come to-
gether, still other ring with blossom
the messy boil, running up maybe 2O0
feet to the lowest limb. Sometimes
the tree is the fetish of the wild men
around about. In that case, woe to
the sacriligious outlanders who lay
hand OF foot upon it More than one
expedition has been massaered for that
cause. The destruction of such tree
scattered and dispersed one of the most
savage of native tribes.
Their titular tree stood in a sort OF
glade; it had been seen by several hunt
ing parties, but none of them dared
touch it. When they went home their
accounts of it so wrought upon the fam
cy of the English collector that he Off
cred an almost fabulous sum for a sec
ton of the tiower-wreathed trunk.
Next year the orchid hunters found the
native tribe at war, and taking advan-
tage of the diversion, cut down the
tree and sent segment down to the
coast, where, after many trials and trib-
ulations, it was got safe aboard ship,
and in the end was the seasons wonder
in London conservatory. The native
worshippers coming backito find what
havoc had been wrought, at once decid-
ed that their god had deserted them in
anger, hastened to make peace, and
ended by going in mass to live at the
other end of their island.
Orchid hunters are attacked by other
than human enemies. One flower, es-
pecially beautiful and of the most ex-
quisite fragrance, grows only in the
treetops, and so high that it is found
only by scent, not sight. Wherever 1t
grows, it is overrun by ant swarms; red
ants not very large, but war-like and
with poisonous stings. The minute
tree trunk is made to tremble beneath
AK strokes these ants swarm down and
attack the cutters most viciOusly, fore
ing them to suspend work. A more
curious thing is that the flowers will
not live and bloom away from the ants.
Boughs overrun with their roots have
been submerged until the ant colonies
were drowned, then packed and shipp-
ed with the rest, and though given
everything that the most finicky orchid
could ask, in the way oflight, heat and
moisture, they have dropped and pined
away to die of inanition.
Then, too, the hunters have to face
serpents, poisonous insects, vines,
herbs, TO say nothing of panthers,
pumas, hurricanes and tropic thunder
bolts. Yet occasionally these hunters
are rewarded by finding specimens of
orchid which are worth their weight
in diamonds. The roots come packed
in wooden boxes, for they will not bear
the least touch of metal. 1t is death
to them. Sometimes the boxes are
beautiful specimens of native joiner
work. Each box is carefully labeled,
dated and marked with the tempera-
ture and altitude at which the plants
it holds were found.