El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-02-11

XXT ITH the fashionable weddings
" and elaborate pre-Lental So
cial events comes an increased
demand for orchids. This year the
florists find it more taxing than ever.
for in fashionable society the orchid
is the feur de luxe beside which the
longest stemmed American beauty or
the straggliest chrysanthemum pales
into mediocrity The cost of orchids
renders them orohibitive to any but
American milIIOnaires, and there is
little prospect OF them becoming cheap
er when the demand is so in excess of
the supply. A single bouquet OF orch
ids recently sent to a New York act
ress cost $1,000, while $4,000 is not an
unusual price to pay for an orchid
table decoration for small dinner or
luncheon. When 1t comes - Iecorat-
ing a ballroom or residence 4 gote-
sized fortune secures comparatively
small effects.
Culture In Infancy Here.
While orchid growing has made
rapid strides within the past decade,
! American orchid culture is in it's in
! fancy as compared with England and
1 the European nations Despite this
I there is a greater general familiarity
with the flowers in America than in
/ Europe, and in no other country in the
! decorations. The English culture them
/ with care and pride themselves upon
their scientific development, but few
! English hostesses would presume ia
use them upon their table or for tleiT
! own adornment.
While nearly all orchids are import
! atoms at the beginning, there are few,
If any, of the imported plants sold ex-'
cepting to scientific collectors or for
( NIL 7S ha
enough to be valuable for the florists
trade. The hybridization Of orchids is
an intricate, but rapidly developing
science. Often two orchids from wide
, ~ separated localities are combined by
! hybridizatiOn and a plant developed
which is suitable to the climate of the
greenhouses Of the temperate zone
Is An Irregular Flower.
The orchid is undoubtedly the most
| irregular flower that grows. The many
blotches which cause the nigh value OF
! some varieties are in reality the re-
! suit of irregular distribution and as
sirniIation. Perhaps in its perfect state
/ the flower has but one color and 5000
! blooms may have occurred TO have de-
veloped the wonderful blotches-
For more than a century men have
risked their lives and encountered the
most deadly dangers in orchid hunting
| There is not, and cannot be, any otne.
| quest quite so perilous. The rares-
| blossoms are found in the most lnaG-
cessible places, generally in tropical
| iuneles where poisonous snakes and
| insects cause the white man practically
! TO take his life in his hands when he
enters them, even if he is not COLI
fronted with the additional terror OF
| fierce savages-
Dangerous Occupation.
Leon Humboldt, a French collector,
at a recent banquet, stated that ne
| had met and dined with six orchld
! hunters in Madagascar and within four
years four Of them were dead WITHIN
six years. Humboldt was the only sur
vivor. A London orchid firm recently
! admitted that five of their men were
killed by spies in the western Hima-
lavan mountains within as many
months.
Last year two hunters from New
York. after incredible hardshipsa
pushed their way into the heart Of a
! Venezuelan forest There they came
upon a good sized hut containing zoo
alligator skins and thousands of dead
orchids. There were three human
! skeletons and some rusty rifles and
! tools. From between the ribs of one
skeleton grew an orchid of rare beau
ty. The indications were that these
! three collectors had been murdered
by natives before they were able 10
get their specimens ready for trans
portatiOn.
often Prisoners For Years
Frequently orchid hunters have
! been held prisoners for years by saw
/ age tribes. Beorge Banault French
man, went in quest of a rare white or
| child only to be found at the top OF
| the Andes mountains. He was cap
/ tured by a rebel tribe Of Columbian
| indians and held a captive for four
years During this time he lost the
largest part Of his collection, although
he was fortunate in being able to pro
serve his rarest plants.
Most orchids are air. plants and COM
monty grow on branches Of trees or on
tall cliffs In the tropics the most
deadly snakes are frequently found on
trees. An American orchid hunter last
year ordered one of his native guides
Pin Brazil to climb a tree to secure
! rare plant. The boy protested that 1t
was a snake tree but the American
believing the native was shamminS,
insisted. The boy climbed the tree,
secured the plant and was starting to
descend when a black, swOrd-like OBJ
ject shot out, striking him fon the arm
He fell to the ground, dying in con-
! the American hunter alone with tho
plant which had cost a human life
Story of the Lost Orchid.
The story of the Lost Orchid" has
| been frequently referred to as fiction,
| although the plot really existed. More
| than so years ago an apOthecary named
| Fairree in Liverpool received a rare
| orchid from Assam which was pro-
nounced of great value, and under the
| name of Cyeripedium Fairreenum be-
| became well known TO scientists. a
number of plants were raised from 1t
but withins a few years all had died
and the species became extinct Be-
| cause it has been considered so desir-
able for hybridization purposes every
| possible means for its discovery was
considered and for As years orchid
hunters devoted their time and risked
their lives in its quest. At least Is
lives were lost in search Of the Lost
Orchid" and $4,000 was offered by the
London Horticulture society for its re-
discovery During the Russo japanese
/ war, L. L. Seabright, of the British
army, discovered the species again at
,1f ~,