file was produced from images generously made available by biodiversity heritage library.) transcriber's note: text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). * * * * * a monograph of odontoglossum. by james bateman, esq., f.r.s., f.l.s., etc., author of "the orchidaceæ of mexico and guatemala." [illustration] london: l. reeve & co., 5, henrietta street, covent garden. 1874. london: savill, edwards and co., printers, chandos street, covent garden. to her royal highness alexandra, princess of wales, this monograph of a favourite section of a charming family, commenced on the eve of her royal highness' arrival in this her adopted country, is with permission dedicated, by her royal highness' loyal and obedient servant, james bateman. introduction. at the time (1864) when this monograph was commenced, the successful application of the system of cool treatment to orchids accustomed to a moderate temperature in their native haunts gave a fresh impulse to the cultivation of that charming tribe of plants. by its means, what might almost be regarded as a new orchid-world, teeming with interest and beauty, was suddenly brought within our reach. a fresh field was opened to the enterprise of collectors, the spirits of cultivators revived, and the hopes of botanists mounted high. foremost among the spoils that we sought to secure, stood the various members of the genus odontoglossum, which from the days of humboldt[1] and lexarza, was known to abound in species pre-eminent for the loveliness and delicacy of their flowers but which had hitherto mocked the utmost efforts of our most skilful growers. for although (thanks to the labours of warczewitz and lobb) the horticultural society and messrs. veitch had more than once received large consignments of orchids--among which were many _odontoglossa_--from the mountain ranges of new grenada and peru, they had invariably succumbed under the stifling atmosphere to which, in common with the denizens of india, guiana, or madagascar, they were remorselessly consigned. here and there, indeed, an accidental success was achieved in a greenhouse, but the hint was turned to no account, and as a rule--notwithstanding the repeated warnings and remonstrances of mr. skinner, warczewitz, and others--for thirty years we persisted in the incredible folly of growing "cool" orchids in "hot" stoves; so deeply rooted in the minds of horticulturists was the original prejudice! but it yielded at last, and no sooner had a few houses--constructed and managed on the cool-culture system--made it clear that the orchids of temperate regions were prepared to submit to the skill of the cultivator, than a general raid was made upon the more accessible countries in which they were known to abound--more especially certain districts in mexico and new grenada. to the latter country, collectors were simultaneously sent off by the horticultural society, who despatched mr. weir; by mr. linden, of brussels; and by messrs. low, of the clapton nursery; and all these rival envoys, much to their own mortification and chagrin, found themselves sailing for the same destination in the same steamer on the same errand! it was now that the idea occurred to me of devoting a work of adequate dimensions to the illustration of the particular genus, which from the dried specimens in our herbaria, the plates in _pescatorea_, the figures of humboldt, and the descriptions of travellers was evidently destined to hold the first place among all the numerous company of cool orchids; and thus began the present monograph. i had expected that after the work of importation had fairly commenced, not only would the species described by lindley and reichenbach be easily obtained, but that along with these a multitude of others entirely new to science would likewise be received. in this respect, however, the results have scarcely come up to expectations; a circumstance that is partly to be accounted for by the difficulty attendant on their importation,[2] but which is owing, i grieve to say, in a far greater degree to the untimely deaths of those zealous collectors, bowman and pearse, who, when in the very heart of the cool orchid regions of ecuador and peru, succumbed under the pressure of their arduous labours. in mexico, from which much novelty was expected, little has been added to the number of _odontoglossa_ previously known, and the same may be said of costa rica, notwithstanding the vigorous exertions of mr. endries. but in these countries it is evident that the genus is not so fully developed as in the mountain ranges of new grenada, quito, and peru. from the latter country little indeed has yet been received, although the eastern slopes of its andean chain are probably richer in species of unknown or unimported orchids than any other portion of the globe. but we must await further improvements in the navigation of the affluents of the mighty amazon, before we can hope to receive any large instalment of these much-coveted treasures. a combination of the various causes referred to above, by limiting the choice of materials, has seriously delayed the publication of this work, which i had hoped would by this time have reckoned at least a dozen parts. but as there seems to be no immediate prospect of these hindrances to more rapid progress being taken out of the way, and as the sands of my life are fast running out, i have thought it best in the interests of my subscribers, to make the present number the last. the six parts now published will, however, form a volume of convenient size, and one which may, as i trust, serve to show how rich new grenada is in the members of this glorious genus. what wealth of _odontoglossa_ peru may possess, i must leave some future botanist to unfold. he will have a pleasant task, and will probably have doubled the roll of the genus as now known, before his work is done. during the progress of this monograph a curious incident has occurred, which may deserve a brief notice. when the publication was commenced, the introduction of two particular plants--more perhaps than of any others known to orchidists--was earnestly desired by growers, these two being the _odontoglossum crispum_ of lindley, and the _cuitlauzina pendula_ of lexarza. the finding, or rather the re-finding of the former--so magnificent were the specimens in the lindleyan herbarium--was declared to be worth a king's ransom; while for the latter--described as a native of oaxaca--more than one collector had scoured that province in vain. _strange to say, they were already in our grasp_: the _o. crispum_ being none other than my _o. alexandræ_, while--as explained under plate viii.--the _cuitlauzina_ proves to be identical with the long previously introduced _odontoglossum citrosmum_ of lindley. whether all the botanical pressure that can be brought to bear upon our cultivators may suffice to convert _o. alexandræ_ into _o. crispum_, or change _o. citrosmum_ into _o. pendulum_, is an extremely doubtful question, so strong is the hold that the erroneous names have already secured on the public mind. in the parallel case of _wellingtonia_, that popular conifer--though now almost universally admitted to be a _sequoia_--remains _wellingtonia_ still, and seems likely to do so for all time to come. the range of the genus _odontoglossum_, as may be gathered from the descriptions attached to the various plates, is of a peculiar character, being at once restricted and extensive. it is restricted, for it never leaves the andes, and it is extensive, for it is found in all parts of that vast mountain-chain, from the confines of florida to the frontiers of chili. as yet no species has ever been met with at a lower elevation than 2500 feet above the sea-level, nor, with the exception of _o. hastilabium_, has any _odontoglossum_ been known to descend so low;--the most usual altitude being 5-6000 feet, though a higher point is often reached. like the humming-birds which frequent the same mountains, and vie with them in beauty, nearly all the _odontoglossa_ are exceedingly local, and in this way two of the most beautiful species, _e.g._, _o. vexillarium_ and _o. roezlii_, eluded discovery for many years, even in a region supposed to be well explored by collectors. as to the botanical limits of the genus, i must needs confess that they are exceedingly difficult to fix. it is as true now as when professor lindley first made the observation to me, that "the more we build up the partition walls between _odontoglossum_, _oncidium_, &c., the more the species break them down." certainly no one at first sight would suppose _odontoglossum cariniferum_ was anything but an _oncidium_, nor _oncidium macranthum_ other than an _odontoglossum_. indeed, i must own to a suspicion that ultimately both these genera, together with _miltonia_, _mesospinidium_, _aspasia_, and possibly one or two others, may come to be regarded merely as _sub_-genera, but this difficult question is safest left in professor reichenbach's far abler hands. at the same time, it is not to be denied that there is such a peculiar look about the _odontoglossa_, that even a non-scientific observer has seldom any difficulty in at once referring most of the species to their true position. one other matter remains to which i must very briefly advert. mr. darwin's fascinating work on the "fertilization" of orchids has led many persons to suppose that this beautiful tribe lends an exceptional amount of support to the theory with which that ingenious writer's name is so prominently associated, but there could scarcely be a greater mistake. not only is the theory in question utterly rejected by professor reichenbach, the _facile princeps_ of living orchidists, but the greater our knowledge of the order, the less countenance does it seem to yield to the darwinian view. we have now become perfectly well acquainted with all the genera--we might almost say with all the species--that belong to particular countries, but it is in these that the limits of variation between the different forms are most distinctly defined; in these, too, the great principle of unity in diversity is most conspicuous--the genera holding aloof from each other, and even the species keeping themselves distinct, although the orchid mark is unmistakeably stamped upon all alike. mr. gould has remarked, in his great work on the "_trochilidæ_," that the darwinian theory derives no support from _them_, and the same may be safely affirmed of orchids, which--we are now speaking of america--are the humming-birds' constant associates. neither, while we contemplate the marvellous and inexhaustible variety of form by which the order is distinguished above all its fellows, can any plead that this result is due to its ancient lineage, nor yet to the vast periods through which endless transformations are assumed to have been continually taking place, because orchids--according to geologic reckoning--are but a thing of yesterday, and have never been found in a fossil state. yet their constant companions the ferns, trace back their pedigree to the earliest vegetation of the primeval world! to the believer, however, the problem is not hard to solve. ferns and other flowerless plants came early in the divine programme, because the coal, into which they were to be ultimately converted, had need to be long accumulating for the future comfort and civilization of our race; while the genesis of orchids was postponed until the time drew near when man, who was to be soothed by the gentle influence of their beauty, or charmed by the marvellous variety of their structure, was about to appear upon the scene. there are multitudes who could bear witness how amply, in their own experience, this gracious purpose has been fulfilled; while the writer--in whose breast a love of orchids prevailed from his youth up--can only exclaim with the psalmist, "thou, oh lord, hast made me glad through thy works, and i will rejoice in giving thanks for the operation of thy hand." j. b. knypersley hall, _april 24th, 1874_. list of plates. 1. o. nebulosum. 2. o. uro-skinneri. 3. o. phalænopsis. 4. o. insleayii. 5. o. pescatorei. 6. o. pendulum. 7. o. hastilabium. 8. o. grande. 9. o. nævium. 10. o. cariniferum. 11. o. lindleyanum. 12. o. gloriosum. 13. (fig. 1.) o. warnerianum. 13. (fig. 2.) o. stellatum. 14. o. alexandræ. 15. o. reichenheimii. 16. o. læve. 17. o. luteo-purpureum. 18. o. bictonense. 19. o. alexandræ. 20. o. maculatum. 21. o. hallii. 22. o. roseum. 23. o. triumphans. 24. o. krameri. 25. o. cordatum. 26. o. angustatum. 27. o. coronarium. 28. o. blandum. 29. o. vexillarium. 30. o. roezlii. alphabetical index of species figured in this work, with synonyms marked in italics. o. angustatum plate 26 _o. ramosissimum, lindl._ o. bictonense " 18 _cyrtochilum bictoniense, bateman._ o. blandum " 20 o. cariniferum " 10 o. cordatum " 25 o. coronarium " 27 o. crispum plate 14, " 19 _o. alexandræ, bateman._ _o. bluntii, rchb. fil._ o. gloriosum " 12 o. grande " 8 o. hallii " 21 o. hastilabium " 7 o. insleayii " 4 o. læve " 16 o. lindleyanum " 11 o. luteo-purpureum " 17 _o. hystrix, bateman._ _o. radiatum, rehb. fil._ o. maculatum " 20 o. nævium " 9 o. nebulosum " 1 o. pendulum " 6 _o. citrosmum, lindl._ _cuitlauzina pendula, la llave._ o. pescatorei " 5 o. phalænopsis " 3 o. reichenheimii " 15 o. roezlii " 30 o. roseum " 22 o. stellatum " 13 o. triumphans " 23 o. uro-skinneri " 2 o. vexillarium " 29 o. warnerianum " 13 plate i [illustration: odontoglossum nebulosum.] plate i. odontoglossum nebulosum, _lindley_. clouded odontoglossum. o. (leucoglossum, _lindl._) pseudobulbis ovatis compressis 2-3-phyllis, foliis oblongis acutis basi conduplicatis pedunculo radicali erecto (apice) nutante 3-7-floro brevioribus, bracteis scariosis amplexicaulibus ovario duplo brevioribus, sepalis petalisque latioribus membranaceis oblongis undulatis apiculis recurvis, labelli ungue cucullato carnoso, lamellis duabus erectis dentibusque totidem anticis, limbo ovato acuto dentato subpubescente, columnâ apterâ elongatâ. (_lindl. quibusdam mutatis_.) odontoglossum nebulosum, _lindl. fol. orch._ odontoglossum maxillare, _lemaire (nec lindley), illustration horticole_ (1859), _t._ 200. habitat in mexico, prope oaxaca (_karwinski_, _galeotti_, etc.), _circiter 5000 ft._ description. pseudobulbs _2 to 3 inches long, smooth, ovate, somewhat compressed, 2 or 3-leaved_. leaves _2 or 3 at the apex of the pseudobulbs, oblong, acute, shorter than the_ scape, _which, rising from the base of the pseudobulbs, is bent down at its upper extremity by the weight of from 3 to 7 large and handsome_ flowers. bracts _only half the length of the ovary, embracing the flower-stem_. sepals _1½ inches long_. petals _much wider than the sepals, and like them of an oblong form, waved at the margin, and a little recurved at the end, which is sharply pointed; both sepals and petals are of clear membranous white, clouded (as the name implies) by a profusion of spots or blotches of a reddish-brown colour, which extend to nearly half their length_. lip _of the same texture and colour as the sepals, only that the brown blotches are broader, and that there is a patch of yellow on the claw; its upper portion is of an ovate form, acute, with the margins very much torn; its fleshy dish is hooded, or gathered into 2 erect plates, with a pair of teeth attached in front_. column _very long, destitute of wings_. it was at munich, in the year 1835, that i first became acquainted with this fine _odontoglossum_ having, through the kindness of professor von martius, been allowed to examine the rich collection of dried specimens that baron karwinski had then recently brought home with him from mexico. two years afterwards living plants were sent to me from oaxaca, which happening to arrive in the midst of that remarkably severe winter 1837-38, i naturally expected would have been destroyed on their way; so far, however, from this being the case, they appeared to have sustained little or no injury from the cold, and on being placed in a stove they soon began to push both roots and leaves. all went well so long as the temperature of the house did not exceed 70°, but when the winter had passed away and they had to face the intense heat at which the orchid-houses of that period were ordinarily maintained, they then quickly lost their vigour and before a twelvemonth had passed were all gone, victims--like a multitude of other invaluable plants--to our then ignorance of the conditions under which alone the orchids of _cool_ countries could be expected to thrive! i am not aware that this plant ever flowered in this country until within the last year or two, certainly no figure of it has ever been published in any english botanical periodical; i have, however, found in a french work (the _illustration horticole_), under the name of _o. maxillare_, what is obviously the same as the plant represented in the plate. i should myself have probably fallen into the same mistake as professor lemaire, had i not enjoyed the opportunity--which he unfortunately had not--of examining the original specimens in dr. lindley's herbarium, and from which that able botanist drew up his description (in the _folia orchidacea_) of the two species. _o. maxillare_, of which dr. lindley only examined a single flower--though he made a most careful drawing--is shown by a glance at the latter, to be a totally different thing; it has moreover, i fear, long since disappeared from our collections. in dr. lindley's description the flower-scape is said to be terminal, which in nature it never is, although from the way in which karwinski's wild specimen was glued together, it certainly presents that appearance in the herbarium. the column moreover, and the base of the sepals and petals, are said to be pubescent, though nothing of the kind is visible to the naked eye when the flowers are fresh. with a powerful magnifying glass pubescence may certainly be seen. _odontoglossum nebulosum_ flowers at different seasons of the year, always sending up its scape at the same time as the young growth. it is of the easiest culture.[3] the figure was derived from a beautiful specimen that flowered last november in the collection of j. day, esq., of tottenham, who grows this and many other _odontoglossa_ in high perfection. dissections.--1. lip, seen in front; 2. ditto, seen sideways: _both magnified_. plate ii [illustration: odontoglossum uro-skinneri.] plate ii. odontoglossum uro-skinneri, _lindl_. mr. skinner's odontoglossum. o. (leucoglossum, _lindl_.) pseudobulbis ovato-oblongis ancipitibus compressis guttulatis 1-2-phyllis, foliis oblongis acuminatis scapo multifloro simplici vel subpaniculato multo brevioribus, bracteis membranaceis cymbiformibus acuminatis ovario 3-plo brevioribus, petalis sepalisque subæqualibus late-ovatis acuminatis, labelli ungue bilamellato limbo cordato maculato acuminato undulato, columnæ alis ovatis deflexis. odontoglossum uro-skinneri, _gardeners' chronicle_, vol. 1859, pp. 708, 724. habitat in guatemala, prope santa catarina de los altos, 5-6000 _ft_., _skinner_. description. pseudobulbs 3 _or_ 4 _inches long by nearly as many wide, much flattened, and very sharp at the edges, always powdered with minute brown dots, which do not appear until the second year_. leaves _oblong, broad, and stiff, acuminate at their extremities, much shorter than the scape_. scape _generally simple, but sometimes slightly panicled, about a yard high, and bearing from_ 10 _to_ 20 _agreeably scented_ flowers. _bracts_ _of a delicate texture, boat-shaped, scarcely more than one-third the length of the ovary_. sepals _and_ petals _nearly equal, broadly ovate, about an inch long, of a green colour, covered with rich reddish-brown spots_. lip _broad and spreading, heart-shaped, acuminate, and turned inwards at the apex, its disk white, but covered with round blue spots, which cease at the foot of the isthmus (claw), where two upright and nearly parallel lamellæ (plates) are stationed_. column _furnished with ovate, decurved, round-headed wings_. this is a robust and stately plant, nearly allied to _o. bictoniense_ to which at one time dr. lindley was disposed to refer it, but far larger and handsomer in all its parts. its broad pseudobulbs which become covered in their second year with a multitude of small reddish dots, its wide sepals and petals, the spotting of its lip, and its general resemblance to _zygopetalum mackaii_ will, however, sufficiently distinguish it. being found at a higher elevation than _o. bictoniense_, it requires to be kept more cool, and as it affects dark and wet banks in its native wilds, it is better to place it in a north house where it can be more readily protected from the sun. treated in this way it grows luxuriantly and flowers abundantly at knypersley, whence the specimen figured in the plate was derived. its flowering season seems to vary, for while with me it is now (may) coming into bloom, about london november is the more usual month. _o. uro-skinneri_ was the latest discovery of my indefatigable friend mr. skinner (after whom it was named by dr. lindley), and who, though now settled in england, is as much devoted to his favourite tribe as when, while resident in guatemala, he was wont to delight the orchidists of europe by the multitude of new and beautiful plants that he was constantly dispatching across the main. dissection.--1. side view of lip and column: _magnified_. plate iii [illustration: odontoglossum phalænopsis.] plate iii. odontoglossum phalænopsis, _rchb. fil_. moth-like odontoglossum. o. (leucoglossum, _lindl_.) pseudobulbis ovatis obtuse ancipitibus 1-2-phyllis, foliis linearibus acutissimis racemis bivel trifloris spithamæis longioribus, sepalis oblongo-ligulatis acutis, petalis latioribus obovatis obtusis; labelli ampli pandurati emarginati bilamelligeri disco velutino, columnæ alis abbreviatis membranaceis. odontoglossum phalænopsis, _rchb. fil. in seemann bonplandia_, ii. 278; _pescatorea, linden et rchb. fil_. ii. 44. miltonia pulchella, _hort_. habitat in n. granada, prope aspasica, alt. 5-6000 ft., _schlim_. description. _terrestrial_. pseudobulbs _nearly two inches long, ovate, bearing one, or more frequently two, narrow linear, very acute_ leaves, _less than a foot long, and usually withered at the extremities_. raceme _nodding, shorter than the leaves, furnished with a few small acute_ bracts, _and bearing two, or occasionally three, very large and handsome flowers, which, the markings of the lip excepted, are of a uniform white_. sepals _oblong, sharp-pointed, about an inch long_. petals _broader than the sepals, obtuse_. lip _fiddle-shaped, its front portion deeply emarginate, spread out nearly flat, very broad, its side portions much smaller, rounded, and with two continuous upright lamellæ on its velvety disk; the lip has two large irregular pale-crimson blotches on its anterior portion, with concentric lines of the same colour on its lower portion, with a small patch of yellow on either side the isthmus_ (i.e. _point of junction between the upper and lower divisions of the lip_). column _short, with membranous wings much abbreviated_. this most charming _odontoglossum_ was discovered in the year 1850 by m. schlim at that time engaged in exploring the higher regions of new granada in the service of m. linden to whose well-known horticultural establishment at brussels he had the honour of introducing it. the species was seen in flower for the first time in the year 1856 when it appeared at some horticultural exhibitions both on the continent and in london and, as may readily be conceived, attracted universal admiration. since that time its lovely blossoms have been rarely produced, owing no doubt to its cultivation having been imperfectly understood. it has however, i believe, bloomed occasionally in the collection of the lord chancellor of ireland, and more recently in that of e. mcmorland, esq., of haverstock hill, with whom it thrives amazingly, and to whose kindness i am indebted for the opportunity of figuring it. in its native country it is found in a mild climate growing on the ground, or upon rocks in moist and shady situations, and by simply imitating these conditions mr. mcmorland cultivates it with the most perfect success. his plants are kept in pots, with living moss on the surface, and their base resting in pans of water the evaporation from which cannot fail to be highly beneficial. the temperature of the house in which they are grown is that of an ordinary greenhouse, but the air is always humid, and water is freely given because, in consequence of the _open potting_, it can pass as freely away. the plants seem to grow and flower almost all the year round, though their proper and principal flowering-season is in may and june. _o. phalænopsis_ is entirely distinct from any species of the genus yet in cultivation, but it is allied to a still finer plant detected by warszewicz in costa rica, and called in honour of its discoverer _o. warszewiczii_ by professor reichenbach. dissections.--1. lip. seen sideways; and 2. front view of lip: _both magnified_. plate iv [illustration: odontoglossum insleayii.] plate iv. odontoglossum insleayi, _lindl_. insleay's odontoglossum. o. (euodontoglossum, _lindl_.) pseudobulbis ovatis compressis diphyllis, foliis coriaceis oblongo-ensiformibus subundulatis apice recurvis racemo 5-10-floro erecto rigido brevioribus, sepalis petalisque oblongis subæqualibus undulatis infimis connatis, labello angusto obovato retuso basi auriculato, disci cristâ apice bilobâ dilatatâ utrinque in medio dente refracto auctâ, columnæ alis incurvis cirrhatis. (_lindl. fol. orch._) oncidium insleayi, _barker in bot. reg._ 1840, _misc._ 21; _bateman, orchid. mex. et guat. t. 21_; _van houtte, flore des serres,_ 1848, _t._ 62. habitat in mexico, _barker_; oaxaca, _loddiges_; 5-6000 _ft._ description. pseudobulbs _ovate, slightly furrowed, compressed, bearing 2 leathery, sword-shaped, sharp-pointed_ leaves, _which are less than a foot long, and like the rest of the plant of a glaucous hue_. scape _upright, longer than the leaves, bearing from 5 to 10 flowers, usually from 2 to 3 inches in diameter, but sometimes considerably more_. bracts _few, about an inch long, occurring at intervals somewhat longer than themselves, and fitting tightly to the stem_. sepals _and_ petals _nearly equal, oblong, waved, the two lateral ones attached at their base, of a pale yellowish-green tint, crossed throughout their entire length by broad bands of reddish-brown_. lip _narrow, obovate, turned a little back, of a bright yellow colour, bordered by a belt of red blotches; on its disk are a group of tubercles, mounting two teeth on either side, and with cleft callus in front_. column-wings _bent inwards, and resembling in form the antennæ of an insect_. this _odontoglossum_ was originally introduced from mexico by the late mr. barker, of birmingham, after whose gardener it was named by dr. lindley. it flowered with mr. barker somewhere about the year 1840, when a figure was prepared for the 'orchidaceæ of mexico and guatemala,' but i had not then the opportunity of examining the plant, nor indeed did i ever actually see it in flower until the autumn of last year (1863) when i happened to meet with the specimen from which the illustration is derived, growing and blooming vigorously in the collection of dr. cauty, of liverpool. the species had, in fact, virtually disappeared from collections during an interregnum of twenty years, and its reappearance is entirely due to the adoption of the rational system of cool treatment now happily prevailing, and under which it may be cultivated with the greatest ease. in habit _o. insleayi_ is quite indistinguishable from _o. grande_; and although its flowers are far inferior in beauty to those of that glorious species, they bear a certain sort of resemblance to them in their colouring and general arrangement. the structure is however entirely different, for while _o. grande_ has no bristle-like appendages to its column, and therefore belongs to the section of the genus which has been called xanthoglossum by dr. lindley, the processes in question are clearly present (see dissections) in the case of _o. insleayi_, thereby bringing it under the preceding section, to which the title of euodontoglossum has been given by the same authority. the time and mode of flowering are also different in the two plants, for while in _o. grande_ the flower-scapes appear almost simultaneously with the leaves, and are usually in perfection in july, those of _o. insleayi_ are not produced until long after the pseudobulbs have been matured, nor do they expand their blossoms until late in the autumn. as is the case with most of its congeners, there are many varieties of _o. insleayi_, some of which are much less attractive in their colouring than the one represented in the plate, while others have much larger flowers, as in the example given in the vignette which is copied from an old woodcut in the journal of the horticultural society. unfortunately this latter variety has, i greatly fear, been lost to the country, but collectors should endeavour to reintroduce it. i have already referred to dr. cauty's success in the treatment of the subject of the present plate, but his skill and care are equally conspicuous in the management of a miscellaneous collection of orchids, which he contrives to grow under circumstances such as would have deterred most men from attempting to grow any plants at all. the house in which he lives is in the very centre of liverpool, and has in its rear a small back court, such as is usually devoted to dustbins and coal-holes, but where dr. cauty has found space for three little orchid-houses of different temperatures in which the orchids of different climes are perfectly at home. i can really see no reason why in all large towns--in london more especially--dr. cauty's example should not be extensively followed, and the luxury of an orchid-house be thus brought within the reach of many who now consider it quite beyond their grasp. dissections.--1. lip, seen sideways; 2. ditto, seen in front: _both magnified_. [illustration: flower (_nat. size_) of a large variety of _o. insleayi_.] plate v [illustration: odontoglossum pescatorei.] plate v. odontoglossum pescatorei, _lindley_. m. pescatore's odontoglossum. o. (isanthium, _lindl._) pseudobulbis ovatis lævigatis nebulosis diphyllis, foliis loratis planis basi angustatis paniculâ amplâ erectâ multiflorâ 3-plo brevioribus, bracteis minutis, floribus membranaceis, sepalis ovato-oblongis apiculatis leviter undulatis, petalis conformibus latioribus, labello cuspidato subpandurato basi denticulato, cristæ lamellis lateralibus distantibus cartilagineis laceris lineis duabus divergentibus apice denticulatis interjectis, columnæ brevis alis brevibus cuneatis laceris. (_lindl. fol. orch., quibusdam mutatis._) odontoglossum pescatorei, _lindley, in paxton's flower garden, iii. t. 90_; _pescatorea, t. 1_; _warner's select orchidaceous plants, t. 25._ odontoglossum nobile, _reichenbach fil. in linnæa_, 22, 850. habitat in new granada, province of pamplona, at the height of from 5000 to 6000 feet, _funck and schlim_. description. pseudobulbs _from 2 to 3 inches long, of an ovate form, glossy, and mottled with dark brown, usually bearing 2 lorate_ leaves, _which are from 6 inches to a foot long, narrowed at the base and sharp at the end, much shorter than the tall upright branched_ panicle, _which sometimes rises to the height of 3 feet, and bears from 6 to 60 membranous_ flowers _of a peculiarly delicate texture_. bracts _very small_. sepals _ovate-oblong, apiculate, slightly waved at the edges, an inch long, white with streaks of rose-colour_. petals _similar in form and texture to the sepals, but broader and more curled at the edges, of the purest white_. lip _inclining to fiddle-shape, pointed, but with the point invisible when looked at in front; towards the base are two short upright tubercles that pass forward into plates diverging from each other, and toothed in front. on either side are two pseudo-wings, irregularly indented, and, like the plates, of a beautiful gold colour, streaked with red. the rest of the lip is white, with the exception of a few irregular blotches of crimson, the number and size and disposition of which vary considerably in different individuals_. column _short, with short wedge-shaped_ wings, _a little indented at the edges_. this lovely plant was discovered in the year 1847 by mm. funck and schlim when on a botanical mission to new granada, in the service of m. linden. according to its discoverers, it is not unfrequently met with in the provinces of pamplona and ocaña, at an elevation above the sea-level of about 5000 feet, inhabiting the oak forests which--where the climate is mild--clothe the eastern slopes of the glorious cordillera. _o. pescatorei_ flowered with m. linden for the first time in 1851, and attracted, as well it might, universal admiration. nothing indeed, even in the beautiful family to which it belongs, can surpass the delicacy of its blossoms, with their charming mixture of rose and white, relieved by a few deep-crimson stains scattered irregularly over the lip. its habit too is good, and its stately panicle of flowers well-proportioned to the size of the bulbs and leaves. it blooms abundantly in the spring months, and its blossoms continue at least six weeks in perfection. we need not wonder that a plant with such a rare combination of good qualities should have been selected by m. linden to do honour to his patron the late m. pescatore, after whom he named it, and in whose sumptuous work ('pescatorea') it forms the first plate. although the species, owing to the difficulty of importing it alive, is still exceedingly rare in this country, it has already flowered in many of the principal collections, especially in those of mr. rucker, mr. basset, mr. day, and mr. dawson, of meadow bank near edinburgh. with the last-named gentleman a panicle, with sixty flowers upon it, is now (april, 1864) in full beauty. mr. fitch's drawing was taken from an exquisite variety, of which mr. day is the fortunate possessor, and which he kindly placed at my disposal for the purpose of being figured in this work. in the plate the flower-spike is represented as panicled because such--as in the case of all the other varieties--is no doubt its normal state; as yet however racemes only have been produced. the treatment recommended for other _odontoglossa_ (see under plate i.) will suit _o. pescatorei_, which is as easily managed as any of the genus. dissections.--1. lip, seen sideways; 2. lip, front view: _magnified_. [illustration] plate vi [illustration: odontoglossum pendulum.] plate vi. odontoglossum pendulum. pendent-flowered odontoglossum. o. (trymenium) pseudobulbis subrotundis compressis lævibus diphyllis, foliis oblongo-ligulatis obtusis racemo pendulo multifloro paulo brevioribus, sepalis oblongis obtusis petalisque conformibus subæqualibus, labello unguiculato reniformi basi excavato marginibus callosis, clinandrii alis lateralibus subtruncatis dorsalique rotundato denticulatis. odontoglossum citrosmum, _lindl. bot. reg._ 1842, _misc._ 68; 1843, _t._ 3; _fol. orch. n._ 59; _warner's select orchidaceous plants_, _t._ 28; _lemaire_, _jard. fl._ _t._ 90. cuitlauzina pendula, _la llace et lexarza_, _orch. mex._ 2; _reichenbach, fil._, _bonplandia_, iii. 15, 16. habitat in mexico, _lexarza_, _karwinski_, _barker_. description. pseudobulbs _clustered together, 2 to 4 inches long, compressed, ovate or almost round, smooth and glossy, 2-leaved_. leaves _6 inches to a foot long, leathery, oblong-ligulate, obtuse, rather shorter than the raceme_. raceme _issuing at an early stage from the young growth, pendulous, many-flowered, rarely branched, longer than the leaves_. sepals _and_ petals _similar in form, pure white, or in some varieties of a faint blush or rose-colour, frequently sprinkled with minute red dots, oblong, obtuse, about an inch long_. lip _unguiculate, kidney-shaped, channelled (with the solid edges turned up) along its base, on which there is a patch of yellow, with a few bright dots in the position where a crest (here entirely wanting) is usually placed; the colour of the disk of the lip varies in different specimens, being sometimes entirely white and sometimes tipped with faint rose-colour or deep-crimson_. column _with upper and lower wings (all of which are toothed), that on the back being rounded and the others truncated_. early in the present century, two spaniards--la llave and lexarza by name--settled at the mexican town of valladolid, in the fertile province of mechoacan. they were both attached to botany, but the younger of the two, lexarza, was so attracted by the beauty of the numerous orchids of the district that to these he devoted himself with an ardour that would have done honour even to the lindleys and reichenbachs of our own day. as the result of his labours a little work--'orchidianum opusculum' he modestly styled it--presently made its appearance, wherein about fifty species, all at that time new to science, were described with remarkable accuracy and skill. among the number there was a plant,--_cuitlauzina pendula_ he called it,--said to be of surpassing loveliness and to form an undoubtedly new genus the distinctive characters of which were minutely given. as time went on and the rage for orchids developed itself in europe, a keen desire was naturally felt by cultivators to add so fine a plant to their lists; but although many collectors visited valladolid and laid hands upon nearly all the other desirable orchids described by lexarza, still nothing was heard of the _cuitlauzina_, and on the cover of the latest number of dr. lindley's 'folia orchidacea' its name may be found in the list of genera "unknown to the author." about the same time i myself addressed a letter to the 'gardeners' chronicle' urging some adventurous traveller to take ship for new spain, mainly with the object of instituting another search for the tantalizing plant that had hitherto eluded our grasp. yet all this while _cuitlauzina pendula_ was amongst us, and indeed had been an established favourite for upwards of twenty years! but if so, it may well be asked, how came it to pass that it was never recognized? for a full reply to this very natural inquiry i must refer the reader to a most ingenious article in 'bonplandia' (jahrg. iii. no. 15, 16), by the younger reichenbach, to whom all the credit is due of having solved a great botanical puzzle, and proved to demonstration that the _cuitlauzina pendula_ of lexarza is none other than the _odontoglossum citrosmum_ of lindley.[4] under these circumstances, however undesirable the meddling with established names, i scarcely see how, in common justice to lexarza, we can do otherwise than adopt his specific name of _pendula_, more especially as it happens that the plant to which he originally gave it remains to this day the only one out of nearly a hundred _odontoglossa_ that has flower-stems which are strictly _pendulous_. our gardens contain many varieties of _o. pendulum_, of which, though all are beautiful, some are far superior to others. that represented in the plate, and which forms a part of mr. rucker's collection, is among the best. mr. rucker keeps it in his coolest house, where it is perfectly at home, and produces a profusion of its lovely drooping racemes in may and june. it should always be grown in a pot. dissections.--1. front view of lip and column; 2. side view of ditto: _magnified_. plate vii [illustration: odontoglossum hastilabium.] plate vii. odontoglossum hastilabium, _lindley_. halbert-lipped odontoglossum. o. (isanthium, _lindl._) pseudobulbis ovatis compressis 1-2-phyllis, foliis oblongis coriaceis, paniculæ exaltatæ ramis spicatis, bracteis cymbiformibus acuminatis ovario æqualibus, sepalis petalisque lineari-lanceolatis acuminatis undulatis, labello apice subrotundo-ovato acuto basi auriculis acutis lanceolatis porrectis aucto, lamellis 5 elevatis, columnæ alis obsolete undulatis, margine versus basin membranaceo dilatato. odontoglossum hastilabium, _lindley_, _orchid. linden._ _n._ 84; _hooker_, _bot. mag._ _t._ 4272; _pescatorea_, _t._ 11. habitat in nov. granada: tesqua, in the province of pamplona, at the elevation of 2500 feet, april, _linden_; on the road from santa martha to the sierra nevada, _purdie_; ocaña, january, 5-6000 feet, _schlim_, _wagener_, _blunt_. description. pseudobulbs _compressed, ovate, 3 to 6 inches long, bearing 1 or 2 oblong, leathery_ leaves, _not more than a third the length of the scape_. bracts _boat-shaped, acuminate, equal in length to the ovary_. scape _very robust, from 2 to 6 feet high, panicled, bearing from 20 to 100 flowers_. sepals _and_ petals _1½ to 2 inches long, linear-lanceolate, acuminate, slightly waved at the margin, of a pale-green, barred with numerous lines of dark-red or purple_. lip _halbert-shaped, purple at the base, but white in its upper portion, which is of a roundish-ovate form, pointed at the extremity; its crest consists of 2 outer and 2 interior plates, the taller stretching forward beyond the former, with a linear-oval callosity in the centre_. column _expanding at its base on either side into an inflexed membrane_. as this stately _odontoglossum_ is met with at a much lower elevation than any of its congeners, it is constitutionally less impatient of heat, and has therefore been able to accommodate itself to artificial conditions under which others of its race in former years have pined and died. but although in some parts of new granada it descends as low as 2500 feet, its more frequent range is 2000 feet higher up the mountains, and it is in such situations that it attains its greatest luxuriance and beauty. some imported specimens that i was fortunate enough to see last year (1864) at the clapton nursery, whither they had been sent by mr. blunt, had flower-stems half an inch thick and fully 6 feet high. these were gathered at an elevation of at least 4000 feet above the sea-level and, as they arrived in excellent condition and have been extensively distributed, i have little doubt we shall ere long see cultivated specimens that may vie with the wild ones in stature and magnificence. its flowering season is the spring or early summer. the figure was taken in may last from a plant in mr. rucker's collection where it is grown at the coolest end of the cattleya-house. dissection.--1. front view of lip and column; 2. side view of ditto: _magnified_. plate viii [illustration: odontoglossum grande.] plate viii. odontoglossum grande, _lindley_. great odontoglossum. o. (xanthoglossum) pseudobulbis ovatis compressis diphyllis, foliis coriaceis oblongo-ensiformibus scapo simplici brevioribus, sepalis lanceolatis lateralibus convexis falcatis petalisque oblongis obtusiusculis latioribus subundulatis, labello subrotundo basi auriculato sepalis plus duplo breviore, disci cristâ apice truncatâ bituberculatâ utrinque in medio dente calloque auctâ, columnæ tomentosæ auriculis rotundatis convexis incurvis. odontoglossum grande, _lindl. in bot. reg._ 1840, _misc._ 94; _bateman_, _orchid. mex._ _t._ 21; _morren. ann. gand._ i. _t._ 37. habitat in guatemala, _skinner_, _hartweg_. description. pseudobulbs _compressed, broadly ovate, 2 or 3 inches long, bearing 1 or more frequently_ 2 _leathery, oblong-ensiform_ leaves, _which, as well as the pseudobulbs, have always more or less of a pale-glaucous hue_. scape _twice the length of the leaves, 4-8-flowered_. bracts _sheathing, acute, half the length of the ovary_. flowers _very large, in some varieties 7 inches or more from the tip of expanded petals_. sepals _lanceolate, the lateral ones convex and falcate_. petals _wider than the sepals, and, like them, of a rich yellow colour, marked with large deep-cinnamon bands and blotches, oblong, somewhat obtuse at their extremities, and slightly waved at the margin_. lip _not half the length of the sepals, nearly round, whitish, with a few crimson stains near the crest, which is of rich orange-yellow, marked with deep-orange spots, and is seated on the disk of the lip; it consists of 2 large truncate processes in front, with 2 or 4 small teeth at its base; its auricles turn their edges down until they meet under the disk of the lip, and there grow together_. column _downy, with a rounded, incurved, convex auricle on either side_. mr. skinner was the fortunate discoverer of this noble _odontoglossum_ which to this day remains unsurpassed, even among all the fine additions that have of late years been made to the genus. mr. skinner found it in a "barranca" (or dark ravine) in the environs of the city of guatemala, and so closely had it lain concealed that even his quick eye failed to detect it until long after he had, as he thought, exhausted the district of all its finest orchids. it was afterwards met with in other localities, but invariably in a climate of which the ordinary range of temperature lay between 60° and 70°, and in situations where it was secure of abundant moisture and constant shade. in these peculiarities of its natural habitat the conditions of its successful cultivation are clearly pointed out; yet, strange to say, they were unheeded for twenty years, during which the plants in our orchid-houses were always in a feeble and sickly state, rarely producing more than two or three flowers on a scape, while the imported specimens showed that at least double that number was the proper quota. now, however, the case is different, for with a mild temperature and moderate shade they are found to be managed with the most perfect ease and to grow with a vigour that could never have been exceeded in their native wilds. in proof of this we need only turn to the vignette, which is copied from a beautiful photograph kindly sent to me by joshua saunders, esq., and which represents a specimen of _o. grande_ as it appeared when flowering in his collection at clifton. as a further evidence of the ease with which the plant may be grown i may mention that under the care of major trevor clarke it has been induced to bloom in the open air during the summer months. this, however, must only be looked upon as an interesting experiment and is not recommended for imitation. _o. grande_ usually flowers in july or august, when the season's growth is nearly completed; after this it should be allowed to rest. mr. fitch's drawing was taken from a handsome variety that flowered last year (1864) in a north house at knypersley, and which had been given me by mr. skinner.[5] dissections.--1. front view of column and labellum; 2. side view of ditto: _slightly magnified_. [illustration: plant of _odontoglossum grande_ in the collection of joshua saunders, esq., copied from a photograph taken by himself.] plate ix [illustration: odontoglossum nævium.] plate ix. odontoglossum nævium, _lindley_. speckled odontoglossum. o. (euodontoglossum) pseudobulbis ovatis compressis, foliis tenuibus lanceolatis basi angustatis scapo racemoso vel subpaniculato multifloro nutante subæqualibus vel longioribus, sepalis petalisque angustis ovato-lanceolatis acuminatis undulatis, labello subconformi pubescente vix hastato, cristæ dentibus 2 grossis bivel subtrilobis pubescentibus, columnæ cirrhis subulatis patulis. odontoglossum nævium, _lindley in paxton's flower garden_, i. _t._ 18; _flore des serres_, vi. 594; _pescatorea_, _t._ 13; _warner's select orchidaceous plants_, _t._ 7; _reichenbach fil. in bonplandia_, ii. 278. habitat in venezuela, _funck and schlim_ (721), in the province of truxillo, near s. lazaro and la peña, 6000 feet; new granada, in the province of pamplona, flowering in august, 8000 feet, _linden_ (146). description. pseudobulbs _ovate, compressed, somewhat bluntly ribbed, bearing 1 or 2 narrow-oblong_ leaves, _tapering at the base, about equal in length to or more frequently shorter than the many-flowered flower-scape_. flowers _arranged on a nodding raceme (occasionally a panicle is formed), pure white, speckled everywhere with rich crimson or brown_. bracts _very short, scale-like_. sepals _and_ petals _ovate, linear-lanceolate, acuminate, spreading equally, much waved, from 1½ to (in some varieties) 2 or 2½ inches long_. lip _shorter than the petals, but nearly of the same form and colour, except that there is a yellow crest with a large crimson blotch in its front; at its base the edges of the claw clasp the column_. teeth _of the crest yellow, small, distinct, with 2 or 3 unequal blunt lobes to each, downy_. column _downy, narrowed to the base, with a pair of awl-shaped ears near the summit, below the anther-bed_. this brilliant _odontoglossum_ was first discovered by the late sir robert schomburgk, and having been shipped with his other collections from demerara, has long been supposed to be a native of the latter colony. i am, however, satisfied that, beyond the circumstance alluded to, there is not the slightest reason for regarding it as a demerara plant, for no other collector has ever found it there, nor would its constitution endure so hot a climate. as sir robert, in his memorable expedition into the interior of guiana (1835-37), reached an elevation of 7000 feet, on the fourth parallel of latitude, and among the southern affluents of the orinoco, i have little doubt that it was in this region that he discovered _o. nævium,_ along with _maxillaria eburnea_, _diothonea imbricata_, and other treasures that have never yet found their way to us in a living state.[6] _o. nævium_ and its varieties appear to be extensively distributed, having been met with in many localities, both in venezuela and new granada, always, however, at a very considerable elevation, and hence the necessity of cool treatment. if this be conceded, the plant is of the easiest culture and will flower abundantly in may or june. the figure was taken from a splendid specimen in mr. rucker's collection. i do not think it necessary to adhere any longer to dr. lindley's distinction (as noted in the 'folia orchidacea') of a "major" variety, for this is now found to pass insensibly into the ordinary type. the former has sometimes been confounded with the _o. gloriosum_ of reichenbach, but this is a perfectly independent form, and as such will shortly be figured in this work. dissections.--1. front view of lip and column; 2. side view of ditto: _magnified_. [illustration] plate x [illustration: odontoglossum carinatum.] plate x. odontoglossum cariniferum, _reichb. fil._ keel-petaled odontoglossum. o. (xanthoglossum) pseudobulbis oblongis 1-2-phyllis, foliis loratis scapo paniculato brevioribus, sepalis petalisque oblongis acutiusculis basi subcuneatis dorso carinâ crassâ auctis pergameneis, labello membranaceo sessili ligulato dimidio anteriori subito in laminam reniformem denticulatam medio antice apiculatam extenso, lamellis rhombeis extrorsum biquadridentatis supinis utrinque in ligulâ labelli basilari, raphi utriusque lamellæ carinatâ antrorsum in tres digitos excurrente, columnâ elongatâ, alis elongatis crenulatis hyalinis inferioribus 2 utrinque obtusatis, crassioribus columnâ vix marginatâ. (_reichb. fil. in bot. zeitung_, 1852, _p._ 638.) odontoglossum cariniferum, _lindl. fol. orch._ habitat in america centrali, _reichenbach_. description. pseudobulbs _3 or 4 inches long, oblong, smooth, bearing 2 broadish, leathery, sharp-pointed_ leaves. scape _longer than the leaf, panicled with zigzag branches_. bracts _triangular, short_. sepals _and_ petals _1 inch long, greenish outside, but of a purplish-brown inside, distinctly keeled at the back_. lip _yellowish-white, sessile, ligulate at its base, but suddenly changing into a broad reniform plate, which is apiculate in front, and at its base adjoins the crest, which consists of 2 nearly prostrate, irregularly toothed, rhomboid lobes on either side, with 3 finger-like processes in front_. column _elongated, with transparent crenulate wings, its anther-bed scarcely margined_. for the opportunity of figuring this pretty _odontoglossum_ i am indebted to the kindness of the bishop of winchester, in whose collection at farnham castle it flowered profusely in november last. a fortnight afterwards i also received specimens from mr. rucker, but the flowers of his variety were scarcely so bright in their colouring as those of the bishop's plant. _o. cariniferum_, although now figured for the first time, appears to have been introduced several years ago to german collections, and from some of these it has, no doubt, found its way to england. it is a native of central america, where it probably affects a high elevation, as it succeeds perfectly under cool treatment, both at farnham castle and at west hill. its flowers continue in perfection for many weeks. dissections.--1. front view of lip and column; 2. side view of ditto: _magnified_. plate xi [illustration: odontoglossum lindleyanum.] plate xi. odontoglossum lindleyanum. dr. lindley's odontoglossum. o. (euodontoglossum, _lindl._) pseudobulbis ovato-oblongis compressis diphyllis, foliis lanceolatis subcoriaceis acutis scapo racemoso multi-(5-12)floro vix brevioribus, sepalis petalisque lineari-lanceolatis acuminatis subæqualibus, labello angusto unguiculato hastato utroque latere angulato in disco bifalcigero basi per carinam cum columnâ connato. columna tomentosa, auriculis erectis angustis acuminatis. odontoglossum lindleyanum, _reichenbach fil._: _warsz. bonpl._ ii. 69; _reichenbach_, _xenia orch._ _t._ 71; _walpers_, _annales._ vi. _fasc._ 6. odontoglossum epidendroides, _lindl. fil._ (_non hb. kth. n.g._). habitat in pamplona (in sylvis humidis), 8500 ft., _linden_; ocaña, 9000 ft., _schlim_; ocaña (_floribus majoribus_), _wagener_; bogotá, _weir_. description. pseudobulbs _about 3 inches long, ovate-oblong, compressed, 2-leaved, sometimes a little spotted_. leaves _lanceolate, from a span to a foot long, rather leathery, sharp-pointed_. raceme _rather longer than the leaves, bearing from half-a-dozen to a dozen flowers_. bracts _oblong, acute, about one-third the length of the ovary_. sepals _and_ petals _nearly equal, an inch or more long, linear-lanceolate, acuminate, of a yellowish-green, with a few large chestnut blotches, the arrangement of which varies in different specimens_. lip _shorter than the petals, narrow, unguiculate, hastate, 3-lobed; the lateral lobes forming two blunt angles, the middle lobe longer, linear-lanceolate, deflexed, with two large upright slightly-curved horns placed on either side of the disk; at its base the lip is keeled and united with the column after the fashion of the trichopilias; its colour is usually a pale yellow or yellowish-white with large chestnut bands_. column _downy, furnished near the summit with two narrow erect upright acuminate auricles_. the name of this plant, associated as it is with the memory of the distinguished botanist who has lately passed from among us, is to me suggestive of the most melancholy reflections. mourn indeed i must, the loss of one who had been my steady friend for five-and-thirty years, and by whose labours among the members of my favourite tribe, i have been enabled to follow a pursuit that has never ceased to be a joy and solace amid all the cares and vicissitudes of life![7] _o. lindleyanum_ was so named by professor reichenbach, in honour of the great orchidist whose mantle seems now to have fallen upon himself. it is closely allied to the _o. epidendroides_ of humboldt and kunth, from which indeed dr. lindley failed to distinguish it, but if the characters of the two species, as represented in the 'xenia,' prove to be constant, no doubt the german professor was right in separating them. several travellers, including schlim, wagener, warszewicz, and weir, appear to have met with the plant in various localities in new granada, but always at a great elevation, hence it must of course be classed among the coolest section of orchids. it has flowered in the gardens of the horticultural society, to which it was sent by their zealous collector mr. weir, and also in the collection of mr. rucker, where mr. fitch made his drawing in the spring of last year (1865). dissections.--1. lip and column, seen sideways; 2. ditto seen in front: _magnified_. plate xii [illustration: odontoglossum gloriosum.] plate xii. odontoglossum gloriosum. fine odontoglossum. o. (euodontoglossum, _lindl._) pseudobulbis ovatis confertis diphyllis, foliis lato-lanceolatis acutis scapo valido paniculato multifloro brevioribus, sepalis petalisque oblongo-ligulatis acuminatis stellatis, labello a basi cordatâ ligulato acuminato, basin versus utrinque angulato, ceterum hinc illinc denticulato, callo depresso quadrilobulo nunc quadridentato ante basin, columnâ clavatâ apice utrinque cirrho setaceo medio inferne unidentato. odontoglossum gloriosum, _reichenbach fil._ _bonpl._ ii. 278; _idem in gardeners' chronicle_ (_new plants_, _n._ 293, 1865), _et in walpers_, _annales_, vi. _fasc._ 6. habitat in n. granada, soto. 8-9000 p., _schlim_; ocaña, 6000 p., _wagener_; bogotá, _weir_. description. pseudobulbs _ovate, 2-leaved, growing closely together, 3 or 4 inches long, turning to a dark colour when old_. leaves _broadly-lanceolate, acute, shorter than the stout much-branched many-flowered panicle_. flowers _exceedingly variable in size and form and colour; the example in the plate representing one of the largest varieties, and the vignette one of the least. usually they are about 2 inches across, of a pale ochrish or greenish-yellow, blotched, or sometimes minutely spotted, with dark-chestnut_. sepals _and_ petals _nearly equal, lanceolate, acute (often narrower than in the figure), slightly waved_. lip _ligulate, smooth (not crisp) at the margin, very much attenuated in front, but heart-shaped at the base, towards which it is abruptly carinate, and furnished with 2 upright large sharp double teeth_. column _clavate, with hairy cirrhi on either side near its apex, and a solitary tooth near the middle_. this remarkable _odontoglossum_ was long since discovered in new granada by schlim and wagener, in whose herbaria its stately many-flowered panicles formed so striking a feature that professor reichenbach did not hesitate to give the plant the name of _gloriosum_; an epithet which--now that we have the plant amongst us in a living state--may perhaps be thought to be somewhat beyond its merits. it must indeed be admitted that the fresh blossoms, which are of a faint yellowish-green, scarcely realize the expectations which the rich colour and profusion of flowers in the dried specimens had very naturally raised. nor are all the varieties of equal merit, some being much smaller and paler than others. the species has lately been imported in large quantities, both by messrs. h. low and co., of clapton, and by the horticultural society, who received it in 1864 from mr. weir, by whom it was gathered in the neighbourhood of bogotá. it flowers freely, and at all seasons of the year; nor does it appear to care so much as many of its congeners for a few degrees more or less of heat or cold. i believe it has already bloomed in almost every collection of note; though the spikes, as was of course to be expected, are as yet far from equal to the wild specimens.[8] the figure was taken from a plant in mr. day's garden, where i saw, in november last, nearly a dozen distinct varieties in blow, some of them rivalling the example given in the plate, while others were as insignificant as that which is shown in the vignette. the blossoms continue fresh for at least a fortnight, and emit a pleasant honey-like scent. [illustration] dissections.--1. lip (_magnified_), seen sideways; 2. ditto, seen in front. plate xiii [illustration: odontoglossum warneri.] [illustration: odontoglossum stellatum.] plate xiii. fig. 1. odontoglossum warnerianum, mr. warner's odontoglossum. o. (leucoglossum, _lindl._) pseudobulbis subelongatis compressis monophyllis, foliis membranaceis oblongis in petiolum canaliculatum angustatis scapo 2-6-floro brevioribus, bracteis uncialibus acuminatis, sepalis lineari-lanceolatis acutis, petalis latioribus undulatis, labelli callo cuneato ovato, antice abrupte trilobo, lobis lateralibus angulatis, lobo medio forcipato bicruri, longiori, lateribus calli a basi versus apicem involutis, laminâ cordato-triangulâ obtusâ, margine minute crispulâ crenulatâ, columnâ gracili clavatâ apterâ. odontoglossum warnerianum, _reichenbach fil. in mohl and schl. bot. zeit._ 1864, 297; _idem in gardeners' chronicle_, 1865, _new plants_, _n._ 294. habitat in mexico (?). description. pseudobulbs _rather long and narrow, compressed, about 3 inches in length_. leaves, _one on each pseudobulb, less than a span long, membranous, sharp-pointed, narrowed at the base into a channelled petiole_. bracts _about an inch long, scariose, very acuminate_. scape _longer than the leaves, only partially covered by the bracts, bearing from 2 to half-a-dozen flowers of a very delicate texture, and of snowy whiteness with the exception of the yellow crest on the lip and a few brown blotches on the lower half of the sepals and (though in a less degree) of the petals also_. sepals _rather narrow, oblong, acute_. petals _broader than the sepals and waved at the margin_. lip _with a heart-shaped crenulate plate (occasionally suffused with a rosy tint), and a yellow 3-lobed callus at its base, the front portion of which is longer than the lateral ones (which are turned inwards from the base upwards), and split into two divergent members_. column _slender, clavate, wingless_. this pretty species was first described by professor reichenbach, from materials derived from the collection of mr. warner, of broomfield, in compliment to whom he named it. it also flowered with the late mr. cauty, of liverpool, who kindly sent me the specimens from which the figure was prepared, but these were smaller and less rich in their colouring than those of mr. warner. we have no precise information as to the locality where _o. warnerianum_ grows wild, but there can be no doubt that it comes from some part of mexico, whence we have other species, _e.g._ _o. rossii_, _o. ehrenbergii_, and _o. nebulosum_, to all of which it is nearly allied. it flowers in the later autumn and winter months, but like most of the other members of its section (_leucoglossum_), is of a delicate habit, and requires to be very carefully handled. it seems to prefer a moderate heat and perhaps a slightly drier atmosphere than that in which the new granada and peruvian odontoglossa evidently delight; the compost or materials in which the roots grow, should on no account be allowed to become sodden. dissections.--1. lip and column (_magnified_), seen in front; 2. ditto, seen sideways. plate xiii. fig. 2. odontoglossum stellatum. stellate odontoglossum. o. (leucoglossum, _lindl._) pseudobulbis ovalibus compressis, foliis solitariis lanceolatis recurvis, scapis erectis 1-2-floris brevioribus, bracteis ovarii triquetri medium non attingentibus, sepalis petalisque æqualibus linearibus acuminatis herbaceis, labello rhomboideo subrotundo grosse dentato appendice unguis truncatâ quadridentatâ apice liberâ. odontoglossum stellatum, _lindl. in bot. reg._ 1841, _misc._ 25; _fol. orch._ _n._ 18. odontoglossum erosum, _reichenbach fil. bonpl._ ii. 99; _a. rich. gal. in ann. sc. nat._ jan. 1845. habitat in guatemala, _skinner_; mexico, _hartweg_; veraguas, _warszewicz_. description. pseudobulbs _oval, compressed, about an inch long, glossy, bearing solitary lanceolate somewhat recurved_ leaves, _which are shorter than the upright 1-(rarely 2-)flowered_ scapes. bracts _not half so long as the three-cornered ovary_. sepals _and_ petals _equal, linear, acuminate, of a dull olive-green, with a few faint transverse streaks of brown on their inner side_. lip _white, rhomboidal, subrotund, with its edges eroded, and its unguis, or claw, hollow, truncate, free, and divided at top into two, or rather into four lobes, the two foremost of which resemble teeth_. column _slender, wingless_. there is an air of quaintness about this little _odontoglossum_ which, insignificant though it be, is spread over a range of territory far more extensive than is occupied by any other member of the genus; for it has been found in mexico by hartweg, in guatemala (on the volcan del fuego) by skinner, and in veraguas by warszewicz! at knypersley, where the figure was taken, the species flowers freely in the winter and spring, and is managed (in a cool house) without the slightest difficulty. dissections.--1. column and lip (_magnified_), seen sideways; 2. ditto, ditto, in front. plate xiv [illustration: odontoglossum alexandræ.] plate xiv. odontoglossum alexandræ. princess of wales' odontoglossum (blunt's variety). o. (isanthium, _lindl._) pseudobulbis ovatis compressis 1vel 2-phyllis, racemo simplici multifloro foliis subæquali, bracteis minoribus cochleatis acutis, floribus membranaceis pedicellis æquantibus, sepalis petalisque sæpius subæqualibus (interdum petalis multo latioribus), sepalis lanceolatis acuminatis petalis ovato-lanceolatis acutis undulato-laceris, labello breviore unguiculato formâ diversissimâ, nunc sepalis conformi nunc subpanduriformi, apice emarginato (sæpius mucrone adjecto) margine undulato integro vel sæpius dentato acuto apice recurvo, disco maculato, cristâ simplici bilamellatâ. columna arcuata clavata, alata, alis laceris. odontoglossum alexandræ, _bateman in gardeners' chronicle_, 1864; _et in proceedings r. hort. soc._ _p._ 186 (1864). odontoglossum bluntii, _reichenbach fil._ habitat in nov. granada, prope pacho, 7-8000 p., _weir_, _blunt_. description. _an epiphyte._ pseudobulbs _smooth, slightly compressed, sometimes broadly ovate, but occasionally tapering, 2 to 3 inches long, and bearing 1 or 2 linear lanceolate-pointed_ leaves, _which are from a few inches to a foot long, and frequently of rather lax character; a reddish tint is also sometimes met with both in the leaves and pseudobulbs_. racemes _always simple, about the length of--sometimes longer than--the leaves, and carrying from two or three to a dozen or more large membranous and beautiful_ flowers, _which vary exceedingly both in size, form, and colouring. usually they are from 2 to 3 inches in diameter, and about equal to the pedicels_. bracts _about half an inch long, pointed, fitting close to the stem_. sepals _lanceolate acuminate, white or rosy-white, with sometimes one or more brown or purple spots on each_. petals _usually--though not invariably--wider than the sepals, and resembling them in form and colour, but destitute of spots; both in the sepals and petals the edges are usually more or less curled or waved_. lip _recurved at the apex, exceedingly variable in its outline; in some examples almost exactly resembling the sepals, in others taking more or less a panduriform shape (in which case the apex, instead of pointed, is round, emarginate, with a point or mucro); the edges too, which are sometimes entire, are much more frequently jagged or toothed; the short unguis, or claw, is longitudinally callose; and where it expands into the disk, ends in two straight pointed and diverging teeth, which, like the claw, are yellow, the rest of the lip being white, with or without spots of the same character as those found in the sepals; there are a few red or brown lines which radiate or spread out like a fan on either side of the teeth composing the crest, but they do not, as in_ o. pescatorei, _form a detached flap_. column _short, arched, club-shaped, with broad truncate wings that are more or less jagged or fringed_. this most charming _odontoglossum_ was discovered in 1863 by mr. weir, at an elevation of from 7000 to 8000 feet, in the gloomy forests that clothe the slopes of the lofty mountain-ranges at the rear of the city of santa fé de bogotá. as the wild specimens of the flowers that he sent home to the horticultural society indicated not only a new species, but one of surpassing beauty, i did not hesitate at once to dedicate it to the illustrious princess whose name it will henceforth bear. since the first description of the plant appeared in the 'gardeners' chronicle' many living plants have been received both by the royal horticultural society and by messrs. hugh low and co., of clapton, several of which have bloomed and, even in their first feeble attempts to flower, have more than justified the very high expectations formed of the plant which, as it gathers strength, cannot fail to become an established favourite with all orchid-lovers. it proves to be a most variable species, and i am not surprised that my accomplished friend professor reichenbach should have considered the first examples sent to him from clapton to differ so materially from those of _o. alexandræ_, as described by myself, as to justify his regarding them as a distinct form, to which, in honour of messrs. low's very zealous collector, he gave the designation of _bluntii_. since then, however, so many intermediate varieties have made their appearance that it is clearly impossible to regard the two supposed species as really distinct. specimens of the plant have been sent to me by messrs. low, mr. w. w. buller, mr. rucker, mr. day, and mr. paterson; it has also flowered at knypersley, but as yet no two specimens have been alike for, while some were beautifully spotted on the lip and petals with brown or crimson, others, with the exception of the golden crest on the labellum, were of the purest white. to the last-named class belonged the specimens grown by mr. buller and mr. paterson, the latter of which were so eminently lovely that they will form the subject of a separate plate. mr. blunt's name may very properly be associated with the spotted variety now figured, and which was taken from a plant that he sent to his employers at clapton. _o. alexandræ_ is nearly allied to _o. crispum_ and _o. pescatorei_; but, independently of the structure of its flowers, differs from both in its invariably producing simple racemes instead of branched panicles. it flowers freely in the winter and spring months, and may apparently be cultivated with the greatest ease. of course, coming as it does from a great elevation, it must not be kept too warm. dissections.--1. lip and column (_magnified_), seen in front. 2. ditto, ditto, seen sideways. plate xv [illustration: odontoglossum reichenheimii.] plate xv. odontoglossum reichenheimii. m. reichenheim's odontoglossum. o. (isanthium, _lindl._) pseudobulbis oblongis aggregatis diphyllis vix sulcatis, foliis oblongo-lanceolatis acutis scapo maculato laxe paniculato 3-plo brevioribus, bracteis brevibus membranaceis, sepalis petalisque subæqualibus oblongo-lanceolatis apiculatis, labello oblongo basi cordato apice obtusato lobulato, callo tumido utrinque ante basin, carinâ geminâ in imâ basi. odontoglossum reichenheimii, _reichenbach fil. in bonpl._ iii. 214; _idem in pescatorea_, _sub t._ 19; _walpers_, _annales_, vi. _fasc._ 6. _lemaire in illustr. hortic. pl._ 213. habitat in mexico, _ghiesbreght_. description. _an epiphyte._ pseudobulbs _oblong, slightly furrowed, from 2 to 4 inches long, clustered together_. leaves _2 on each pseudobulb, shining and leathery, oblong-lanceolate, pointed, about a foot long, much shorter than the scape_. scape _upright or nodding, from 2 feet to a yard high, spotted, loosely panicled, bearing from 10 to sometimes probably 50 flowers_. bracts _few, short, and membranous, fitting close to the stem_. sepals _and_ petals _nearly equal, oblong-lanceolate, apiculate, about an inch long, greenish-yellow, barred with dark purplish-brown_. lip _purple in some varieties, in others white, with a horseshoe-shaped band of purple on its disk, oblong, rather blunt, and slightly lobed at the apex, somewhat heart-shaped at the base, where there is a callosity on either side, and a double carina_. column _very slightly winged_. this pretty species is well figured in 'pescatorea,' where it is stated to be a native of mexico, whence it was introduced by m. linden, of brussels. it was from his establishment that i derived the plant that is represented on the other side, and which flowered at knypersley in may last (1865). it appears to be very easily managed, requiring the same temperature and treatment as _o. læve_, to which it is nearly allied, and which forms the subject of the following plate. it is also very closely related to _o. karwinskii_; and i do not feel certain that the two may not eventually have to be united. at present, however, so few plants of either kind exist in the collections of this country, that the materials necessary for an extensive comparison are not forthcoming. the specific name was given by professor reichenbach in honour of m. reichenheim, of berlin, whose collection of orchids and other plants has long been celebrated. dissections.--1. side view (_magnified_) of lip and column; 2. front view of ditto. [illustration] plate xvi [illustration: odontoglossum læve.] plate xvi. odontoglossum læve. smooth-lipped odontoglossum. o. (isanthium) pseudobulbis subcompressis sulcatis diphyllis, foliis oblongo-ensiformibus obtuse acutis apice obliquis, scapis multifloris brevioribus, floribus laxe racemoso-paniculatis, bracteis brevibus membranaceis, sepalis petalisque oblongo-linearibus acutis planis, labelli limbo panduriformi apiculato ungui lævi obsoletissime bidentato, columnæ alis apice rotundatis crispis basi planis. _lindl._ odontoglossum læve, _lindl. in bot. reg._ (1844), _t._ 39; _l. fol. orch._ _n._ 52. habitat in guatemala, _skinner_. description. pseudobulbs _from 3 to 5 inches long, ovate, subcompressed, furrowed, 2-leaved_. leaves _sword-shaped, obtuse, or obtusely-acute, sometimes slightly oblique at their extremities, a foot or more long, shorter than the many-flowered flower-stems_. flower-stems _loosely branched, 2 to 3 feet long, rather drooping, bearing from 20 to (sometimes) 100_ flowers. bracts _from half an inch to an inch long, sharp-pointed, clipping tightly hold of the stem_. sepals _and_ petals _nearly equal, oblong-linear, acute, plane at the edges, usually about an inch long, light green, transversely banded with brown_. lip _with a fiddle-shaped, apiculate limb doubled back on its unguis or claw, white, changing into purple at its base, where it is sometimes very obscurely bidentate_. wings _of_ column _crisp at the edges, plane at the base_. this is not one of the most attractive species, but its stately appearance, the profuseness with which its flowers are produced and their pleasant aroma, will secure it a place in most collections. it is common in guatemala, where mr. skinner originally discovered it, and it probably extends as far as mexico, where the nearly allied species (_o. reichenheimii_), figured in the preceding plate, is found. as it is only met with at a great elevation, it must be treated as a very "cool" orchid, under which _régime_ it will flower abundantly in the spring months. the chief danger to be guarded against is that of its exhausting itself--like many species of _phalænopsis_--by over-much flowering, and to prevent which it is of course only necessary to break off some of the scapes. dissections.--1. lip, seen in front; 2. lip and column, seen sideways: _magnified_. plate xvii [illustration: odontoglossum atropurpureum.] plate xvii. odontoglossum luteo-purpureum. yellow and brown odontoglossum. o. (euodontoglossum) pseudobulbis ovatis subcompressis diphyllis, foliis ensiformibus racemis multifloris nutantibus subæqualibus, bracteis ovatis acutis squamæformibus, pedicellis internodiis æquantibus, sepalis petalisque subæqualibus oblongo-lanceolatis acuminatis, labelli breviter unguiculati lateribus planis, limbo subpanduriformi antice lacero-serrulato, cristâ ad basin multidigitatâ, columnæ petalis triplo brevioris vix arcuatæ alis multifidis crinitis. odontoglossum luteo-purpureum, _lindl. orch. linden._ _n._ 85; _fol. orch._ _n._ 7. odontoglossum radiatum, _rchb. gard. chron._ (1864, _new plants_, _n._ 307.) odontoglossom hystrix, _bateman in gard. chron._ 1864, _new plants_, _n._ 282. habitat in n. granada, prope quindiu, alt. 8000 p., _linden_; prope santa fé de bogotá, _weir_, _blunt_. description. pseudobulbs _about 3 or 4 inches long, somewhat compressed, ovale, 2-leaved_. leaves _sword-shaped, sharp-pointed, a foot or more long, about the same length as the many-flowered nodding_ racemes. bracts _ovate, acute, scaly_. pedicels _equalling in length the average spaces between the_ flowers. sepals _and_ petals _nearly equal, oblong-lanceolate (the petals sometimes unguiculate), acuminate, of a rich chocolate-brown inside, with edges and tips of a greenish-yellow_. lip _with a very short claw, fiddle-shaped, at its side-edges plane, its centre-lobe minutely serrate and apiculate, with a multitude of finger-like processes (varying in different individuals) seated on the claw, and with their bristles all more or less inclining forwards. the upper portion of the lip is white, with a brown base, which again is banded with white beneath the series of bristles, which are of a rich golden-yellow_. column _only one-third the length of the petals, slightly arched, with lacerated, hairy wings nearly concealing the anther_. the vicissitudes which the name of this species has had to undergo within the last three years are full of instruction both to botanists and the public. it was first described by lindley from wild specimens gathered by linden in the neighbourhood of quindiu. mr. weir was the next to meet with it, and he succeeded in sending to the horticultural society several living plants that had been obtained about 100 miles to the south of bogotá. he also sent wild specimens in admirable condition which, not agreeing with lindley's description, and being profusely furnished both at the base of the lip and in the apex of the column with long bristle-like appendages, led to my calling it _o. hystrix_ (_i. e._ the porcupine odontoglossum). messrs. low also received the plant, through their collector mr. blunt, from the same locality as that where weir met with it, and one of their plants produced flowers which--neither agreeing with lindley's _o. luteo-purpureum_ nor with my _o. hystrix_--received from professor reichenbach the name of _o. radiatum_. subsequently many specimens flowered, no two of which were alike, though they all maintained a sort of distant family resemblance to _o. luteo-purpureum_ of which--as the professor himself was the first to point out--there can now be no doubt that they are all varieties. the figure is taken from a plant that flowered in mr. day's collection in the autumn of 1865, the flowers of which were twice the size of those of a plant that flowered with me,--but still larger varieties have since appeared in the collections of lord egerton of tatton and mr. wentworth buller. the species, being found at an elevation of 8000 feet or more, requires very "cool" treatment, and should be referred to what--for reasons stated under plate xx.--i propose to call the "peruvian house." in this it is very easily grown, and flowers freely. the markings in the dried specimens being much deeper than in the fresh flowers, led dr. lindley to give it a name (_o. luteo-purpureum_) which is scarcely applicable to any variety that has yet appeared,--no _purple_ tints having been observed. dissections.--1. front view of lip and column; 2. side view of ditto: _magnified_. plate xviii [illustration: odontoglossum bictoniense.] plate xviii. odontoglossum bictoniense. the bicton odontoglossum. (variety with leafy flower-stems.) o. (leucoglossum) pseudobulbis oblongis compressis 2-3-phyllis, foliis ensiformibus undulatis patentibus scapo racemoso duplo brevioribus, bracteis herbaceis lanceolatis acuminatis ovario duplo brevioribus, sepalis petalisque subæqualibus lineari-lanceolatis maculatis, labelli ungue bilamellato limbo cordato acuminato undulato, columnæ alis transverse oblongis integris. cyrtochilum bictoniense, _bateman_, _orch. mex. et gua._ _t._ 6. zygopetalum africanum, _bot. mag._ _t._ 3812. habitat in guatemala, _skinner_; circa 6-7000 ped. alt. description. pseudobulbs _oblong, 3 to 6 inches long, somewhat compressed, bearing 2 or 3_ leaves, _which are sword-shaped, spread open, much shorter than the upright purple many-flowered_ scape. _the latter, in its normal state, is unbranched, and destitute of leaves, but in the variety represented in the plate has numerous branches, and is leafy at the extremities_. bracts _herbaceous, lanceolate, acuminate, not half the length of the ovary_. sepals _and_ petals _nearly equal, linear-lanceolate, light-green spotted, or banded with brown_. lip _with a bilamellate claw and a heart-shaped, acuminate limb, waved at the margin. in most cases the lip is white or nearly so, in others it has more or less of a rosy or purplish tint_. column-wings _transversely oblong, entire_. the plate represents a remarkable state of this now well-known plant, which i have observed only in the collection of mr. aspinall turner, of pendlebury house, near manchester. in its normal or ordinary condition _o. bictoniense_ produces--in the winter months--simple, upright flower-stems, but in mr. turner's plant the stems are branched, and, what is still more extraordinary, are _leafy_ at their extremities! nor was this peculiarity confined to the growth of a single season, for it has already reappeared at least three years in succession! it produces a very singular effect, though it can hardly be said to add to the beauty of the plant. _o. bictoniense_, so called after lady rolle, of bicton, in devonshire, was the earliest species of this popular genus that ever reached england alive. it also formed a portion of the first box of orchids that i ever received from guatemala, whence they were sent to me in 1835 by my invaluable friend george ure skinner, now (1867) alas!--most suddenly and unexpectedly--numbered with the dead! this is not the place for a memoir of that generous and enthusiastic spirit;--let it suffice to state that mr. skinner was on his way to guatemala for a final visit, when he was attacked by yellow-fever early in february last on the isthmus of panama, and carried off after three days' illness! he was collecting plants on the saturday before his death, and on the wednesday he was a corpse! he was in his 63rd year, and had he but been permitted to return to england, would have crossed the atlantic exactly forty times! he was the discoverer of _o. grande_ and _o. uro-skinneri_, already figured in this work, and of at least fifty other orchids, including the well-known _lycaste skinneri_ perhaps the most useful and popular of its tribe. dissections.--1. lip and column, seen sideways; 2. ditto ditto, seen in front: _magnified_. plate xix [illustration: odontoglossum alexandræ. (_weirs variety_)] plate xix. odontoglossum alexandræ. princess of wales' odontoglossum (white, or weir's variety). of this charming odontoglossum, which i had the honour to dedicate to h.r.h. the princess of wales, there appear to be innumerable varieties. of these some--like the one figured at plate xiv.--have crimson spots, others again are spotted with brown, while a third section--like the one represented in the plate--have flowers of the purest white, relieved only by the rich golden crest of the lip. an excellent example of the latter variety was sent to me nearly two years ago by mr. paterson, of ashville, partrickhill, near glasgow, and from this mr. fitch's drawing was obtained. since then, other specimens of the same kind have been communicated to me, especially by mr. wentworth buller, mr. jones, of whalley range, near manchester, mr. bull, and mr. dawson of meadow bank. the last was an admirable specimen bearing as it did on a curved stalk about a dozen perfect flowers, all of which faced the same way, so as to form a sort of natural tiara exactly suited to a lady's head and which--especially when worn on dark hair--could not fail to produce a most beautiful effect. this variety has also flowered at the royal gardens, kew, a fact that is not a little creditable to mr. smith's (the curator's) energy and skill, he being compelled to grow his orchids in houses that are very ill adapted to such a purpose. surely the government of this wealthy country might afford to devote a few hundred pounds to the construction of houses in which these most popular and marvellous plants might be worthily grown! as the first specimens of the _white_ variety of _o. alexandræ_ were collected by mr. weir, it is only fitting that his name should be associated with it, just as the name of his rival mr. blunt has been connected with the variety distinguished by its crimson spots. plants of both frequently acquire a reddish tint both in their bulbs and leaves, a tint which, wherever it occurs, is a sure criterion by which _o. alexandræ_ may be distinguished from other odontoglossa that closely resemble it in habit. _o. alexandræ_ proves to be a slow grower, and to require the coolest compartment of the peruvian house. if this condition be attended to, it gives no trouble whatever, and produces its exceedingly durable flowers very freely indeed. dr. triana met with it on the trunks of very large trees with dense foliage, ten leagues from bogotá, and also at pacho. dissections.--1. lip and column, seen in front; 2. ditto, seen sideways: _magnified_. plate xx [illustration: odontoglossum maculatum.] plate xx. odontoglossum maculatum. spotted odontoglossum. o. (xanthoglossum) pseudobulbis oblongis compressis monophyllis, foliis oblongis nervosis acutiusculis, racemis subpendulis multifloris brevioribus, bracteis navicularibus herbaceis ovario brevioribus, sepalis lineari-lanceolatis acuminatis discoloribus, petalis oblongis undulatis acuminatis, labello cordato acuminato subcrenato, appendice unguis bivalvi concavâ cochleari apice liberâ bidentatâ per medium argute serrulatâ, columnâ pubescente subapterâ. _lindl._ odontoglossum maculatum, _llave_, _orch. mex._ 2, 35; _bot. reg._ 1840, _t._ 30; _pescatorea_, _t._ 28; _lindl. fol. orch._ habitat in mexico, _lexarza_, _barker_, _karwinski_. description. pseudobulbs _narrow, oblong, much compressed, from 2 to 4 inches long, 1-leaved_. leaves _lanceolate-oblong, nervose, more or less sharp-pointed, shorter than the flower-scapes_. bracts _boat-shaped, acuminate, the lower ones shorter than the upper ones, nearly as long as the ovary_. racemes _nodding, sometimes pendulous, 5to 12-flowered, about a foot long_. flowers _variable in size and colour, which is sometimes a brightish at other times only a greenish-yellow, spotted with brown_. sepals _brown inside, linear-lanceolate, acuminate_. petals _rather wide, oblong, waved, acuminate_. lip _heart-shaped, acuminate, slightly crenate, with a two-cleft process forming a pair of blunt teeth at the upper end of the claw_. column _pubescent, clavate, wingless_. this plant is common in many parts of mexico, especially on the irapæan mountains in the neighbourhood of valladolid, where it was originally discovered and described by lexarza, that earliest of orchid-devotees! it was also one of the earliest species of the extensive genus to which it belongs that ever produced flowers in england. the credit of introducing it belongs to the late mr. barker, of birmingham, with whom it bloomed about the year 1839, but it soon disappeared, like nearly the whole of the invaluable collection of mexican orchids that i remember having seen in the most splendid condition, shortly after their arrival, in his stoves. fifteen years afterwards it was reintroduced by m. linden, from whose establishment the figure in _'pescatorea'_ was obtained, but it seems to have again been lost. last spring (1866) i had the pleasure of seeing the species in the best possible health in mr. dawson's rich and admirably-managed collection at meadow bank near glasgow, and from his plant, which flowered in april, mr. fitch's drawing was prepared. i also received specimens about the same time from mr. turner. still more recently, messrs. hugh low and co. have imported it in large quantities and excellent condition, and many good varieties have already appeared, though none that i have yet seen are so fine or so richly coloured as that of mr. dawson. one that is now flowering at knypersley is a dull yellowish-green. in its native country it flowers in march, which is about the time of its flowering with us. as to treatment it will naturally be found more at home in the mexican house, where a cool and comparatively dry atmosphere should be maintained, than in the peruvian house, which should be suited to the species that are accustomed to a damper and--not unfrequently--still cooler climate. i have no doubt that this distinction will be found of much practical utility, for although "cool treatment" as opposed to "warm" marks a very important division still, just as among "warm" plants it is necessary to separate the east indian aerides from the brazilian cattleyas, so among "cool" plants it will be advisable to separate the mexican lælias from the peruvian odontoglossa. nay, i apprehend that what i call the "peruvian house" will itself have to be subdivided into two portions, one of which, _i. e._ the warm portion, will contain such plants as the trichopilias, the anguloas, and such odontoglossa as are met with below 6500 feet, while the other or cooler portion will be suited to an innumerable multitude of glorious orchids that are met with at a still higher elevation. already cultivators have discovered that _o. phalænopsis_ and _o. nævium_ cannot be made to thrive in the same house, for though both are "cool" plants the former--coming as it does from a lower level--requires a decidedly warmer climate than the latter, and so it will be in many other cases which are not yet so distinctly understood. dissections.--1. lip and column, seen sideways; 2. front view of ditto: _magnified_. plate 21 [illustration: odontoglossum hallii.] plate xxi. odontoglossum hallii. colonel hall's odontoglossum. o. (euodontoglossum, _lindl._) pseudobulbis ovatis, ancipitibus 1-2-phyllis, foliis ensiformibus in basin angustatis, racemo multifloro (raro sub-paniculato), sepalis petalisque ovato-lanceolatis unguiculatis labello oblongo acuminato lacero, cristâ baseos lamellatâ multifidâ, columnæ alis dente superiore aristato. odontoglossum hallii, _lindl. in bot. reg. sub t._ 1992, _et folia orchid._; _reichenbach fil._ xenia, i. 63; _walpers annales_, vi. p. 828. habitat in peru (western declivity of pichincha), _hartweg_; valley of lloa, at elevation of 8000 ft., _col. hall_; n. grenada in forests of pamplona, 8500 ft., _linden_. description. pseudobulbs _ovate, 2 to 4 inches long, compressed, 2-edged, bearing generally one, occasionally two, lanceolate_ leaves, _a foot or more long_. raceme _many (10-20) flowered, occasionally though rarely branched, 2 to 3 feet long_. sepals _and_ petals _nearly equal, ovate-lanceolate, exceedingly unguiculate, from an inch to (in some varieties) an inch and a half or even 2 inches long, yellow with large, often very dark, blotches of purplish-brown_. lip _white, with a few rich spots, oblong-acuminate, jagged at the edges, with a large and handsome yellow_ crest, _consisting of a multitude of flattened but sharp-pointed teeth, pointing sideways and downwards_. column _white, winged, the wings broken into teeth or cirrhi, of which the uppermost is much the largest_. this fine _odontoglossum_ was one of the earliest known though one of the latest to reach us alive. it is now (1873) plentiful enough, and forms a most attractive object in our spring orchid-shows. there are many varieties differing greatly in the size and marking of their flowers, but all maintaining the unguiculate sepals and petals which chiefly distinguish it from _o. luteo-purpureum_ (pl. 17), to which it is indeed very nearly allied. _o. hallii_ is abundant in new grenada and peru, but is seldom met with at a lower elevation than 8000 feet, hence it is quite at home in the coolest part of the "cool orchid-house," in which it grows and flowers very freely indeed. in the woodcut, a solitary flower of a larger variety of the species is represented, natural size. [illustration] plate 22 [illustration: odontoglossum roseum.] plate xxii. odontoglossum roseum. rosy odontoglossum. o. pseudobulbis ovatis ancipitibus 1-phyllis, foliis oblongo-lanceolatis racemo gracili multifloro duplo brevioribus, bracteis ovatis concavis subangulatis pedicellis duplo brevioribus, sepalis petalisque lanceolatis, labello trilobo basi bilamellato: lobis lateralibus nanis rotundatis intermedio obcuneato acuto, columnâ elongatâ apice alis 3 membranaceis integris auctâ. odontoglossum roseum, _lindl. in bentham plant. hartweg_, p. 251. _reichenbach fil. in garden. chron. april 20, 1867._ habitat in peru, _backhouse_, nuebrada de los juntas, _hartweg_. description. pseudobulbs _ovate, two-edged, much compressed, dark-coloured, from one to two inches long, carrying a short solitary oblong-lanceolate leaf_. leaves _very sharp-pointed linear-lanceolate, not half the length of the slender nodding graceful many-flowered_ racemes. bracts _ovate, slightly angular, much shorter than the_ pedicels. sepals _and_ petals _nearly equal, lanceolate, acuminate, linear, two-thirds of an inch long, of a beautiful bright rose colour_. lip _about same length as the petals, pale whitish rose, three-lobed, bilamellate at the base, side-lobes rounded, very small, intermediate lobe sharp-pointed, obcuneate_. column _standing forward, rounded, provided at its apex with three membranous wings_. a charming little species long known by the specimens in the lindleyan herbarium. it was introduced--though in very limited quantities--by the messrs. backhouse several years ago, since which time it has always continued scarce. in lindley's herbarium the racemes are about the length of those represented in the figure, but in a specimen exhibited in 1872 by mr. linden the pseudobulbs, leaves, and racemes were nearly twice as large and as long as those in the plate. the precise treatment that it affects has not yet been distinctly ascertained, but there can be no doubt that, being a denizen of high places on the mountain ranges in peru, it prefers the coldest house. plate 23 [illustration: odontoglossum triumphans.] plate xxiii. odontoglossum triumphans. splendid odontoglossum. o. (xanthoglossum, _lindl._) pseudobulbis ovatis 1-2-phyllis foliis lato lanceolatis acutis, basi attenuatis, racemo multifloro, bracteis triangularibus ovario pedicellato 4-5plo brevioribus, sepalis oblongo-acutis basi bene attenuatis, petalis subæqualibus latioribus, magis acuminatis, utrinque hinc illinc lobulatis, labello unguiculato basi bifalci, utrinque bicalloso laminâ panduratâ apiculatâ, columnæ alis rhombeis ascendentibus margine externo erosulis. odontoglossum triumphans, _reichenbach fil. bonpl._ ii. 99; _walpers annales_, vi. p. 831; _pescatorea_, _t._ 46. habitat in n. grenada, _warscewicz_. ocana, 6000-8000 feet, _schlim_, _wagener_. description. pseudobulbs _ovate, very similar to those of_ o. hallii, _bearing generally two stout sharp-pointed_ leaves _a foot or more long_. raceme _many-(6-18) flowered, half a yard or 2 feet long, rather drooping_. bracts _small and triangular, 4 or 5 times shorter than the ovary_. sepals _1½ to 2 inches long, oblong-acute, narrowed at the base_. petals _about the same size as the sepals, but broader and more acuminate, sometimes diversely lobed on either side like the sepals, nearly covered with rich chestnut blotches on a bright yellow ground_. lip _white with deep reddish blotches at apex, shorter than petals, unguiculate, pandurate, partially connate with the column, toothed at the edges, bicarinate at base, provided with_ crest _consisting of two sets of falcate teeth, extending about one-third of its own length_. column _white, half the length of the lip, furnished with upright rhomb-like wings the edges of which are indented_. this is a very fine species indeed, although it scarcely realizes the expectations excited by the figure in _pescatorea_, whether as regards the size of the individual blossoms or their colour. in the fresh flowers the prevailing tone is a bright yellow, which serves as a foil to the rich brown or chestnut marking with which the sepals and petals are profusely covered, and which, though to a lesser degree, cover also the lip. but in _pescatorea_ the lip is represented as white, and as bearing at its upper extremity a rich blotch of bright purple which affords a beautiful contrast to the yellow and brown tints of the other parts of the flower. probably the figure referred to may have been prepared from dried specimens and hence the mistake as to the colouring. there are many varieties of this species, some of the best of which were exhibited by mr. marshall of enfield at a meeting of the royal horticultural society as early as april, 1869. _o. triumphans_ does not appear to be so plentiful in its native habitats as _o. hallii_, _o. luteo-purpureum_, and many other n. grenada kinds that now swarm in our collections. the range of elevation within which it grows is nearly identical with that of _o. hallii_, hence the same treatment is suitable to both. it is easily grown and flowers freely. [illustration: 1. front view of lip and column; 2. side view of ditto: _magnified_.] plate 24 [illustration: odontoglossum krameri.] plate xxiv. odontoglossum krameri. kramer's odontoglossum. o. pseudobulbis suborbicularibus valde compressis ancipitibus 1-phyllis, foliis oblongo-lanceolatis, scapis ascendentibus vel sub-pendulis foliis brevioribus pauci-(2-5) floris, sepalis petalisque oblongis acutis subæqualibus, labelli ungue 2-calloso laminâ subquadratâ 2-lobâ pallide-roseo-violaceâ plagâ basi utrinque semilunari albâ aureo et purpureo maculatâ. odontoglossum krameri, _reichenbach fil. in gard. chron._ 1868, p. 98. _floral mag._ _t._ 406 (_sub o. krameri_). _hooker in bot. mag._ _t._ 5778. habitat in costa-rica. description. pseudobulbs _nearly round, flattened, 2-edged, 1-leaved_; leaves _oblong-lanceolate, leas than a foot long, by about an inch wide, longer than the_ scapes _which bear from 2 to 5 flowers_. peduncles _with the ovary one to one and a half inches long_. flowers _one to one and a half inches in diameter_. sepals _and_ petals _subequal oblong-acute, pale violet-red in the centre with broad white margins_. lip _one-third of an inch wide, neck short, broad, deeply hollowed in front with two erect calli; limb subquadrate, two-lobed at the apex, angles rounded, the basal lateral lobes small, reflexed, pale violet-red with two confluent semilunar white patches at the base, on each of which is a concentric red-brown band, and a few spots of the same colour on a golden yellow ground_. column _short, thick, without wings or appendages_. (hooker, l. c.) this though not a striking is a very distinct plant. it is a native of costa-rica, where it seems to be plentiful enough though it long eluded detection. it was first exhibited in 1868 by mr. veitch at one of the shows at s. kensington, but appeared almost simultaneously in the collection of mr. day, by whose direction a careful drawing was prepared. like other costa-rica plants, though not requiring a high temperature, it is scarcely content with the small amount of heat that is now allotted to the great majority of cool orchids. its proper place would be in the mexican house. it is a free bloomer. plate 25 [illustration: odontoglossum cordatum.] plate xxv. odontoglossum cordatum. heart-lipped odontoglossum. o. (euodontoglossum) pseudobulbis oblongis compressis monophyllis, foliis lato-oblongis planis acutis scapo squamis carinatis vaginato brevioribus, racemo simplici vel paniculato, bracteis navicularibus acuminatis membranaceis, ovario multo brevioribus, sepalis petalisque lineari-lanceolatis acuminatissimis, labello cordato acuminatissimo integerrimo, appendice unguis carnosâ apice bilobâ basi utrinque dente unico auctâ, columnâ pubescente clavatâ subapterâ. odontoglossum cordatum, _lindl. in bot. reg._, 1838, _misc._ 90; _knowles and westcott_, _floral cabinet_, _t._ 100; _paxton's mag._, xiii. 147; _regel. garten-flora_, 1862, 356; _pescatorea_, i. 26. habitat in mexico, _barker_. guatemala, _hartweg_, _skinner_. description. pseudobulbs _oblong, very much compressed and very sharp at the edges, 1½ to 2 inches long_. leaves _one (rarely if ever two) on each pseudobulb and broadly-oblong acute shorter than the scape_. scape _and_ raceme _sheathed at intervals with long keel-shaped membranaceous_ bracts, _few or many flowered, simple or (more rarely) branched, from one to two feet high_. sepals _and_ petals _nearly equal, linear-lanceolate, extremely acuminate, an inch or more long, greenish-yellow richly blotched with brown_. lip _shorter than the sepals heart-shaped, with a very acuminate slightly recurved apex, white with dark brown spots and a purplish 2-lobed callus at the base_. column _pubescent, club-shaped, almost wingless_. though scarcely to be classed among the more attractive species, _o. cordatum_ is occasionally seen at our shows with branching scapes 2 feet high and flowers much more richly coloured than those in the plate. it is found both in mexico and guatemala (whence plants were sent to me by my lamented friend skinner), but always at high elevations. it flowers in the early summer without any special treatment, except that it is perhaps more impatient of water than some of its congeners. plate xxvi [illustration: odontoglossum angustatum.] plate xxvi. odontoglossum angustatum. narrow-petalled odontoglossum. o. (isanthium) pseudobulbis ovato-oblongis compressis, foliis longis lato-lanceolatis erectis acutis paniculâ ramosâ elatâ brevioribus, bracteis carinatis acutis ovario multò brevioribus, sepalis petalisque subæqualibus undulatis unguiculatis, labello ovato-lanceolato acuminato reflexo, cristæ lamellis lateralibus membranaceis trifidis, digitis anterioribus majoribus, callo obtuso interposito, columnâ apterâ. odontoglossum angustatum, _lindl. in bot. reg._ _sub_ t. 1992, _folia orchid._, 48; _rchb. fil._; _walper's annales_, vi. p. 841. habitat in peru, (alt. 8000 ft.,) _hall_, _hartweg_, _linden_. description. _a very stately plant._ pseudobulbs _ovate-oblong compressed, 2 or 3 inches long, 1 (or ? 2) leaved_. leaves _one to one and a half feet long, linear-lanceolate acute, shorter than the upright branching zigzag many-flowered_ panicles. bracts _keeled, acute, much shorter than the ovaries_. sepals _and_ petals _nearly equal, unguiculate, acuminate, undulated, white with beautiful purple spots on their lower portions_. lip _white, or nearly so, shorter than the petals, ovate-lanceolate, the apex acuminate and exceedingly recurved, having at its sides two membranous lamellæ, divided into three unequal parts, those in front the larger and projecting forwards like horns or fingers with a blunt callus lying between them_. column _not half the length of the lip, and destitute of wings_. this is a very distinct species, as remarkable among _odontoglossa_ with its white and purple flowers, as is _oncidium incurvum_, with blossoms of similar hues, among the innumerable members of that still more extensive genus. although originally discovered by colonel hall more than a quarter of a century ago, no genuine plants--there have been impostors in plenty--seem to have reached europe alive before the year 1871, when it was introduced by m. linden; by whom also, in the following spring, flowering specimens were exhibited at south kensington and universally admired. according to lindley, the species is nearly allied to his _o. ramosissimum_, from which, indeed, he at one time failed to distinguish it. m. linden's plant, which is faithfully rendered in mr. fitch's drawing, does not exactly answer to the descriptions in the folia orchidacea either of _o. angustatum_ or _o. ramosissimum_, but is apparently a connecting link between the two, whence i infer the probability that both the above supposed species will eventually be found to be one and the same. the plant is still exceedingly scarce, and as it is indistinguishable in habit from many other _odontoglossa_ derived from the same rich country (peru), i would warn cultivators against purchasing any specimens that have not actually proved themselves to be true. it belongs to the cooler sections of its race, and must be treated accordingly. plate xxvii [illustration: odontoglossum coronarium.] plate xxvii. odontoglossum coronarium. royal odontoglossum. o. (trymenium) rhizomate caulescente, pseudobulbis brunneis ovalibus compressis monophyllis, foliis rigidis coriaceis basi canaliculatis acutis racemo multifloro dense racemoso subæqualibus vel longioribus, bracteis linearibus canaliculatis ovario triplô brevioribus, sepalis petalisque subrotundis unguiculatis planis margine crispis, labello longê cuneato retuso basi auriculis unidentatis subfalcatis obtusis subtus in unam connatis acuto, inter auriculas tuberculis duobus hoc didymo illo inferiore simplici; clinandrio subserrato lobis rotundatis (_lindl._) odontoglossum coronarium, _lindl. folia orchid._; _linden_, _pescatorea_, t. 47. habitat in n. grenada, _propè_ la baja, pamplona, (alt. 7000 ft.,) _schlim_. description. _a stout and rigid plant._ pseudobulbs _oval, compressed, 3 or more inches long, of a brownish hue, placed at intervals on a stiff caulescent_ rhizome. leaves _one on each pseudobulb, leathery, sharp-pointed, channelled near the base, a foot or more long, equal to or longer than the flower-scapes_. bracts _linear channelled, only one third the length of the ovary_. racemes _about a foot high, upright, bearing from a dozen to twenty flowers in a dense mass_. sepals _and_ petals _equal, subrotund, unguiculate, smooth, with their margins crisp or curled, about an inch long, of a rich reddish coppery brown on the upper surface, shining as if they had been varnished, yellowish underneath_. lip _yellow, retuse, about same length as the petals, obovate, rounded at apex, narrowed and wedge-shaped at the base, where the sides arrange themselves into two narrow blunt falcate horns which are united on the under side_. crest _consisting of three processes_. column _slightly curved with two truncate rounded wings_. this species has been long known, but it was slow in making its appearance, and slow likewise in flowering after it had reached us. during the last four years both messrs. veitch and m. linden have succeeded in importing it alive, but it has only produced flowers in two or three instances; the finest specimens i have seen being those exhibited by lord londesborough during the present spring (1874). even in its native country it seems to be a shy flowerer. as it is never met with lower than 7000 feet on the mountains of pamplona, it of course requires a cooler treatment than many of its congeners which affect a lower level. the shining surface of the sepals and petals is very remarkable, and has the appearance of being due to a coat of the best varnish. another species, _o. brevifolium_, found in lofty mountains in peru, is closely allied to this, if indeed, which i greatly doubt, it be anything more than a very high-level variety of it. plate xxviii [illustration: odontoglossum blandum.] plate xxviii. odontoglossum blandum. pleasant odontoglossum. o. (euodontoglossum) pseudobulbis ovatis 1-2-phyllis, foliis lineari-lanceolatis acutis racemis multifloris subæqualibus, sepalis petalisque cuneato-lanceis acuminatis; labelli ungue bilamellato, lamellis oblongis antice obtusangulis, laminâ ab ungue cuneato velutino ampliato ovatâ acuminatâ crispulâ, cornubus brevibus geminis ante lamellas, antepositis falcibus geminis, tumore parvo interjecto; cirrhis columnæ basi angulatæ bifidis setaceis. odontoglossum blandum, _rchb. fil. in gardeners' chronicle_, p. 1342 (1872). habitat in ocaña, _blunt_, _roezl_. description. plant _about a span across, in a compact mass_. pseudobulbs _ovate, somewhat compressed, about an inch long, bearing 1 (rarely 2) narrow lanceolate_ leaves _of about the same length as the slender nodding many-flowered_ racemes. _the_ flowers, _of which there are from six to twelve (or more) crowded together on the racemes, are all expanded at the same time, and emit a pleasant honey-like smell_. sepals _and_ petals _nearly equal, less than an inch long, lanceolate, acuminate, of a creamy white sprinkled over with numerous crimson dots_. lip _about the same length as the sepals, and of the same hue, but destitute of spots except at the apex, the central portion bearing a large crimson mark nearly in the form of the letter_ w; _the lip's base is formed of two parallel blunt lamellæ out of which springs the main limb which is broadly ovate, curled and jagged at the edges and recurved and acuminate at its extremity; at the point of junction with the unguis or claw occur two horned falcate processes, between which a small tumour is interposed, at foot of which are two short and blunt horns_. column _short, bifid, angular with three or four straggling cirrhi or filaments on either side_. this pretty little _odontoglossum_ comes from ocaña, where it was first discovered by mr. low's collector many years ago. at that time none of the plants reached england alive, but some dried specimens that found their way to professor reichenbach, enabled the great german orchidist to name and describe the species; which turns out to be nearly allied to _o. nævium_. it has been met with by m. roezl and other collectors, but is still a rare plant, as its constitution is apt to succumb under a long journey by sea and land. the specimens from which mr. fitch prepared his drawing, flowered in the spring of 1871, in the collection of the royal horticultural society;--the plants having been purchased at one of stevens' sales, among a "miscellaneous lot" of doubtful things. the species is a free-flowerer, and sends out an agreeable honey-like odour, but in point of beauty is scarcely a rival for _o. nævium_. it seems to require rather more heat than the latter species, which is one of the coolest of cool orchids. plate xxix [illustration: odontoglossum vexillarium.] plate xxix. odontoglossum vexillarium. broad-lipped odontoglossum. o. (phalænopsidea) pseudobulbis ovato-oblongis compressis 1-2-phyllis; foliis pedalibus subglaucescentibus carinatis lanceolatis acutis pedunculis gracilibus 2-6-floris subæqualibus; bracteis triangulis minutis; floribus maximis roseo suffusis; sepalis oblongo-ligulatis apiculatis; petalis conformibus vel paulò latioribus subacutis vel obtusis; labello maximio flabellato orbiculari bilobo, in unguem brevem hastatum contracto, carinis quinis abruptis in basi; columnâ brevissimâ exalatâ. odontoglossum vexillarium, _rchb. fil. in gard. chron._ 1867, 901; _ibid._ 1872, p. 667, _cum xylo_; 1873, p. 580, 644, _cum xylo_, 885; _hooker in bot. mag._ t. 6037; _illustration horticole_, 1873, pl. cxiii. habitat in n. grenada, _bowman_, _wallis_, _roezl_, _chesterton_. description. pseudobulbs _flattened, ovate-oblong, an inch or inch and a half long, bearing one or two keeled sharp-ended lanceolate_ leaves _from six inches to a foot long, by an inch or more wide, with a glaucous tint, especially on their upper surface_. scapes _slender, nodding, about the same length as the leaves, two to six-flowered, clasped at intervals by small triangular_ bracts. flowers _flat, the largest in the genus, tinted more or less deeply with lovely rose_. sepals _and_ petals _somewhat variable in their relative forms, in most cases nearly the same size, oblong or obovate apiculate or obtuse, about an inch long, the former nearly white, the latter of the same hue as the lip_. lip _generally of a rich rosy tint, expanding from a narrow sagittate claw into a round and ample, 2-lobed disk, more than double the size of the petals, with five dwarf calli and some yellow streaks at its base_. column _very short with rarely a trace of wings_. this is the handsomest of known _odontoglossa_. in the year 1867 mr. low showed me a solitary flower, which had been sent to him by his collector (bowman, i believe), but a discreet silence was observed as to the locality where the prodigy had been found, nor, alas, did living plants ever make their way to the clapton nursery. subsequently the species was met with by wallis--when collecting for mr. linden--and later still by roezl; but although in each case a large number of specimens were packed up and despatched to europe, they either died on the passage, or shortly after their arrival. indeed, cultivators were almost beginning to despair, when, early in the spring of last year (1873), the arrival was announced of a small cargo of the beauteous novelty in most excellent condition at the establishment of messrs. veitch; to whom it had been forwarded by mr. henry chesterton. once safe in the chelsea collection, it did not put the patience of orchid-growers to any severe strain, for within little more than three months of its arrival vigorous flower-spikes were produced, and the plant itself exhibited--both in regent's park and at south kensington--to the envy and admiration of all beholders. it seems to be very easy to manage, and produces its flower-scapes with the utmost profusion. like all its congeners, it must be relegated to the cool orchid-house, though probably it will be found to prefer the warmest end. professor reichenbach has written several articles in the _gardeners' chronicle_ about this plant, in one of which he deplores, and most justly, the wanton waste and havoc committed by collectors; who, instead of contenting themselves with a moderate number of specimens, gather them by hundreds, or even by thousands, thus imperilling the very existence of species which, like the present, are believed to possess only a very restricted habitat. nor does this recklessness often benefit their employers, for in most cases, the larger the consignment, the smaller the chance of its prospering on its way. the woodcut is copied from a photograph of a small specimen of _o. vexillarium_, taken in new grenada, in the act of flowering. [illustration] plate xxx [illustration: odontoglossum roezlii.] plate xxx. odontoglossum roezlii. roezl's odontoglossum. o. (phalænopsidea) affine o. vexillario, pseudobulbis ovato-oblongis ancipitibus compressis 1-2-phyllis, foliis lineari-ligulatis inferne striatis pedunculis 1-3-floris longioribus; sepalis oblongo-ligulatis acutis, petalis sublatioribus; labello a basi angustâ sagittatâ cuneato flabellato obtuse bilobo; carinis ternis in imâ basi; prepositâ lamellâ transversâ seu callis parvis geminis; columnâ apterâ. odontoglossum roezlii, _rchb. fil. xenia orchidacea_, ii.; _idem in gard. chron._ p. 1302, (_cum xylo_) 1873. habitat in n. grenada, _roezl_; _backhouse in gard. chron._ p. 1334, (1873). description. _a compact plant, of which the_ pseudobulbs _are ovate-oblong, 1-2 inches long and much compressed; these bear one or two bright green linear acute_ leaves, _which are remarkable for their parallel streaks--nine in number--on the under side, and are from six to ten inches long, and about ½ inch wide. the_ scapes _or_ peduncles _are shorter than the leaves, and bear from one to three (possibly more) large and beautiful flowers, which with the exception of some markings at the base of the petals and on the lip are of snowy whiteness_. sepals _oblong-ligulate pointed at the extremity, fully an inch long_. petals _rather wider than the sepals and with a rich crimson blotch at their base_. lip _wedge-shaped, expanding from a narrow sagittate base into a broad two-lobed disk, an inch and a half wide, white with some bright yellow markings near the foot and in the region of the_ crest; _the latter being formed by three slightly raised "carinæ" or ridges near the base on either side, traversed by two moderate sized calli placed in front_. column _wingless_. this is a most charming _odontoglossum_, allied to the preceding and to _o. phalænopsis_, but perfectly distinct from either. its bright green narrow leaves--streaked like those of _saccolabium blumei_, at once distinguish the plant, even when out of flower, from its fascinating rival _o. vexillarium_; which always bears a glaucous hue, and which has larger and broader foliage, and produces double the number of flowers on a scape. the first rumours that reached us of the plant led to a suspicion that it might, after all, be only a variety of _o. vexillarium_, but these unworthy fears were at once dispelled by the flowering of the plant itself at mr. bull's nursery in the early part of last september, when mr. fitch prepared his drawing, and professor reichenbach obtained materials for the description which appeared in the _gardeners' chronicle_ of september 27, 1873. the professor has also given, in his _xenia_, a characteristic representation of the wild plant constructed from the specimens supplied to him by its fortunate discoverer, mr. roezl; in whose honour the species is very properly named. it is a native of new grenada, and, like _o. vexillarium_, appears to be exceedingly rare; we must not, therefore, murmur if the precise locality--of which the knowledge is a fortune in itself--should be for awhile withheld. but there would have been no harm in telling us the approximate elevation of the native habitat, as the same is always important as a clue to culture; especially in the case of plants with a limited range. in this instance i apprehend that both _o. roezlii_ and _o. vexillarium_ are not found at a _very_ high level and that therefore--though happily entitled to rank among "cool" orchids--they must be placed in the warmer division of the "cool" orchid-house. the woodcut represents, for purposes of comparison, two nearly allied _odontoglossa_, viz., _o. pulchellum_ and _o. egertonianum_; they both come from the same country (guatemala) and closely resemble each other in habit--only that the pseudobulbs of the latter have much the sharper edges--but the flowers are very different. the spikes of _o. egertonianum_ (2) are a sort of orchid-imitation of the racemes of the "lily of the valley," though unfortunately they have no perfume, while those of _o. pulchellum_ (1) emit a delicious, almond-like odour, not very unlike that of _gardenia radicans_; they are, moreover, very chaste and beautiful, and are freely produced during the winter months. under these circumstances the species has long since become, what it well deserved to be, an established popular favourite. yet on its introduction some five-and-thirty years ago--i had then just received the plant from my lamented friend mr. g. u. skinner--its first feeble attempts to flower left such an impression of its insignificance upon my mind, that i churlishly refused it a place among the magnates of its family in "the orchidaceæ of mexico and guatemala" on which i was then engaged! but greater discrimination in the treatment of our plants--in other words the recognition of the system of "cool-orchid-growing"--has led to a more just appreciation of its merits. [illustration] notes. [1] the mention of the illustrious traveller's name reminds me of the obligations under which he laid me when i first visited berlin, in the spring of 1836; for, young as i was, he deigned to pour into my delighted ears all the stores of orchid-lore collected during his memorable wanderings among the andes of new grenada and peru. here, he said, the greatest store of beauteous orchids was to be found, and we are now beginning to realize the truth of his remark. [2] cool orchids from the interior of south america, have either to be carried across the andes, where the intense cold of the passes is often fatal to them, or to be conveyed by a tedious voyage down the great rivers, where the heat is greater than their constitution--often delicate--can endure. in this way whole importations have been lost, including, i am sorry to say, one or two cargoes of the exquisite _odontoglossum warczewitzii_ (figured in reichenbach's "xenia") which still unhappily remains a desideratum. [3] as most of the _odontoglossa_ require to be treated in the same way, i transcribe, from the 'guide to cool-orchid growing' (reeve, 1864), the following instructions for the culture of the genus:--"they will all succeed perfectly in a low lean-to house facing the north, the mean temperature of which need not exceed 60°. they should stand on a shelf of slate or stone, near the glass, but should always be protected from the direct rays of the sun. constant humidity should be maintained by damping the shelves and floors, but the plants themselves will only require water in moderation, and what is given to them should pass away freely, for if it stagnates, or if the compost in which they grow becomes sodden, the roots will immediately decay. a gentle evaporation is greatly assisted by placing layers of moss--to be kept damp of course--on the shelves whereon the plants stand. _odontoglossa_ cannot endure wooden blocks, but will thrive in a compost of which one-half consists of small broken potsherds, the remainder being a mixture of shredded sphagnum (dusted with fine sand) and fibrous peat. about one-third of the entire depth of the pots may be filled with this mixture, the other two-thirds containing nothing but large pieces of broken pots, so as to admit as much air as possible to the roots. the pots in which the plants are grown should stand on other pots (inverted) placed in saucers of water, in order to secure humidity and protect them from wood-lice. nearly all the species flower during the winter or spring months, a circumstance that greatly enhances their value. many, _e. g._ _o. pulchellum_, are deliciously fragrant, and the flowers of nearly all the species remain in perfection for weeks, whether left on the plants or cut for bouquets. in so vast a genus we shall, no doubt, meet with many idiosyncrasies, but nine-tenths of the species will flourish under the treatment indicated above, and which may be regarded as suitable to the majority of cool orchids. most _odontoglossa_ are, like the _masdevallias_, very impatient of the knife, and cannot therefore be rapidly multiplied. they have also a peculiar aversion to fumigation by tobacco, which causes their leaves to fall off." [4] the idea that _cuitlauzina pendula_ might possibly be identical with _odontoglossum citrosmum_ had more than once occurred to myself, but lexarza's character of the flower-scape,--which he described as "_bracteis destitutus_,"--had always proved an insuperable difficulty. it seems, however, that the scapes of the other _odontoglossa_ that he met with happened to be entirely clothed with large inflated bracts; our present plant therefore, in which they occur only at long intervals and are exceedingly minute, may in comparison be said to be almost "destitute" of them. [5] mr. skinner has lately received from guatemala some magnificent specimens of _o. grande_, which are incorporated with _masses of fern_ and other shade-loving plants. cultivators might make a good practical use of the well-known maxim "_noscitur a sociis_" in this case. [6] i copy sir robert's description of the locality in which these plants were found, in the hope that some collector may be induced to visit so interesting a region:--"the _diothonea_ was met with on the high mountain-chain between the sixty-fifth and sixty-sixth meridian and the fourth parallel of latitude, at an elevation of 6-7000 feet above the sea-level. the summits of those elevations are thickly covered with two species of lichen, the white colour of which conveys the supposition that the ground is covered with snow. the thermometer stood frequently in the morning at 57° f., which, connected with the snow-white lichens, powerfully reminded us of a winter landscape. indeed, the stunted trees, with grey tortuous branches, would have assisted to make the picture complete, if numerous _orchidaceæ_, conjointly with green mosses, had not clothed them. indeed, it was the _orchidaceæ_ alone that gave the vegetation a tropical aspect.... we discovered the _maxillaria_ near mount maravaca."--_lindl. sert. orch._ _sub t._ xl. [7] i allude of course to those remarkable works of dr. lindley, the _orchidearum genera et species_ and the _folia orchidacea_ (the latter of which he was not destined to complete), with which the science of orchidology may be said to have arisen, and which will continue its text-books for all time to come. [8] it may be well, once for all, to state that in the case of species that have not been long imported, and which have therefore not had time to acquire their full strength, the number and arrangement of flowers in the figures is taken from native specimens where such are available. it sometimes happens that the "wild" standard is never reached in cultivation, but it is more frequently exceeded. generously made available by the internet archive/american libraries.) present-day gardening edited by.... r. hooper pearson managing editor of the _gardeners' chronicle...._ a list of volumes in the series is given on the next page.... [transcriber's note: words surrounded by tildes, like ~this~ signifies words in bold. words surrounded by underscores, like _this_, signifies words in italics.] _present-day gardening_ list of volumes in the series. 1. sweet peas. by horace j. wright, late secretary and chairman of the national sweet pea society. with chapter on "sweet peas for exhibition" by thos. stevenson. 2. pansies, violas, and violets. by william cuthbertson, j.p., and r. hooper pearson. 3. root and stem vegetables. by alexander dean, v.m.h., chairman of the national vegetable society. 4. daffodils. by the rev. j. jacob, secretary of the midland daffodil society, with preface by the rev. w. wilks, m.a., secretary of the royal horticultural society. 5. orchids. by james o'brien, v.m.h., secretary of the orchid committee of the royal horticultural society. 6. carnations and pinks. by t. h. cook, head gardener to queen alexandra at sandringham; james douglas, v.m.h.; and j. f. m'leod, head gardener to mr. j. pierpont morgan. 7. rhododendrons and azaleas. (_the first popular volume published on this subject._) by william watson, a.l.s., curator of the royal botanic gardens, kew, with preface by sir fred. w. moore, m.a., a.l.s., v.m.h. 8. lilies. by a. grove, f.l.s., with preface by h. j. elwes, f.r.s. 9. apples and pears. by george bunyard, v.m.h., chairman of fruit and vegetable committee of royal horticultural society. 10. roses. by h. r. darlington, vice-president of national rose society. (double volume.) 11. irises. by w. rickatson dykes, m.a., l.-ès-l. with preface by professor i. bayley balfour, d.sc., f.r.s., &c. 12. annuals, hardy and half-hardy. by c. h. curtis, hon. sec. of the national sweet pea society. 13. chrysanthemums. by thomas stevenson, with chapters by c. harman payne and charles e. shea. 14. tulips. by the rev. j. jacob. 15. the rock garden. by reginald farrer, author of "among the hills," "my rock garden," "in a yorkshire garden," &c. these will be followed by volumes on ~dahlias~, ~climbers~, ~trees and shrubs~, ~pæonies~, ~primulas~, ~window gardens~, ~cucumbers~, ~melons~, ~bedding plants~, ~hardy herbaceous plants~, ~ferns~, ~tomatoes~, ~bulbous plants~, ~peaches and nectarines~, ~vines~, ~stove and greenhouse plants~, ~&c.~ [illustration: plate i (_frontispiece_) cypripedium insigne sanderæ] orchids by james o'brien with eight coloured plates [illustration] london: t.c. & e.c. jack 67 long acre, w.c., & edinburgh preface in the early days of orchid cultivation the idea was commonly entertained that these interesting plants could never become popular with the general public, for the reason that their culture involves a great initial outlay and permanent expense. that such an idea is incompatible with the facts is now admitted by all those who are most familiar with the subject. there is no department of "present-day" gardening that exhibits such wonderful progress as is shown in the orchid gardens and nurseries that are to be found in every portion of these isles. at the same time, the popularisation of orchid culture is only now in its very commencement. amateurs are but just beginning to realise that orchids, like other plants, are capable of being understood by any one who really desires to understand them; and, when once understood, the cool species, at any rate, are not less tractable than common greenhouse plants. so much is this the case that the author of the present volume declares that even the house-holders in suburban districts who have but one conservatory may, if they choose, keep that structure furnished with orchids at a less expenditure of time and money than is necessary for the palms, ferns, and other species usually employed for the purpose. orchid-growing in the past has been looked upon too much as a craze. ruinously high prices have been asked for novelties, and "collectors" have been ready enough to pay them in the hope of obtaining unique varieties. this fact alone has frightened off average people. it is hoped that the present volume will induce thousands to commence the culture of the cooler species, as it clearly indicates the simplicity of the cultural principles whilst explaining in full all the principal details. thanks to the experiments of former workers, we are no longer dependent entirely on the introduction of plants from other countries. seedling orchids are raised as freely as seedling fuchsias, and home-raised seedlings, as a rule, thrive better than introduced species in the artificial cultivation we have to offer them. readers will find the details of cross-breeding and seed-raising set out in the following pages at considerable length. the author is one of the greatest orchid specialists the world has known. as a practical cultivator in the old pine apple nurseries of messrs. henderson, he had the good fortune to flower many species for the first time after their introduction, and ever since those early days he has continued to specialise in these plants. he is secretary of the orchid committee of the royal horticultural society, and in 1897 he was included in the first sixty horticulturists who were selected to receive the victoria medal of honour in commemoration of queen victoria's jubilee. our grateful acknowledgments are made to lieut.-col. sir g. l. holford, k.c.v.o., for his kindness in affording us facilities for getting the illustrations. every plant illustrated is a first-rate specimen of its kind, and all have been photographed in sir george holford's collection at westonbirt, which is so well cultivated by his grower, mr. h. g. alexander. the editor. contents page introduction, 1 chap. i. the rise and progress of orchid culture, 3 ii. structure of orchid flowers, 6 iii. difficulties to overcome, 8 iv. structure of the orchid house, 9 v. the potting and basketing process, 22 vi. removing useless leaves and bulbs, 31 vii. propagation by division, 34 viii. watering epiphytal orchids, 35 ix. manures for orchids, 39 x. resting orchids, 44 xi. specially rare and valuable plants, 46 xii. diseases and insect pests, 47 xiii. periodical inspection, 50 xiv. orchids for the conservatory, 52 xv. orchids as cut flowers, 55 xvi. importing orchids, 59 xvii. treatment of imported orchids, 63 xviii. odours of orchids, 65 xix. hybridising and raising seedling orchids, 67 xx. enumeration of the principal genera and species in cultivation, 81 xxi. orchid hybrids, 109 index, 111 list of illustrations plate i. cypripedium insigne sanderæ, _frontispiece_ page ii. miltonia vexillaria, 12 iii. dendrobium wardianum, 24 iv. cattleya trianæ var. hydra, 40 v. brasso-cattleya digbyano-mossiæ, 56 vi. cymbidium lowio-eburneum, 72 vii. oncidium marshallianum, 88 viii. odontoglossum crispum, 102 orchids introduction it is not necessary here to trace the history of orchid cultivation since its commencement a century and a half or so ago. the earlier introductions were few and infrequent, but they probably attracted as much attention as the subjects in our gardens obtain to-day. it may be said of orchids that no class of plants has so well and consistently sustained the interest of cultivators, which is partly because few, if any, plants have flowers that exhibit such diversity of form, size, and colouring. but another reason for their popularity may be found in the fact that few plants are so easy to cultivate, if placed in the care of a careful and earnest cultivator who applies the best methods which his own experience indicates and is willing to avail himself of the help which the experience of others has placed within his reach. upwards of fifty years' continuous experience with orchids have necessarily presented to us much evidence as to the right or the wrong methods of carrying out the numerous operations connected with their culture. nevertheless, it may be said that common sense is one of the most important factors in cultivation, and the grower who carefully thinks over the various problems as they arise, and, profiting by experience, does his best to avoid former failures, will obtain a measure of success far exceeding his expectations. to those who know anything about the ordinary processes of growth and flower the plants tell their own tale. they show when actively growing the period when a reasonable amount of heat and moisture is required, and, on the completion of growth of the deciduous species and the turning yellow of the leaves, they tell just as plainly when the resting period has arrived. it is so in all the important stages of their existence. the extent of the present work having been determined by others in the same series, the object has been to get as much useful information into it as possible, to confine the matter to practical subjects and to avoid repetition. it has therefore been arranged in a series of chapters, each dealing with an important matter, and available for reference when any question on the subject crops up in another portion of the book. short notes follow on the principal genera known in gardens, but the cultural remarks may be supplemented by reference to the cultural chapters. anything like an enumeration of the more important species could not be attempted. so also in the matter of hybrid orchids, the question is discussed in two chapters dealing with the practical question of raising seedlings, but only slight reference could be made to the species used in hybridising or to the numerous hybrids themselves.[1] the amateur who engages in orchid culture and in the raising of seedlings will find that "practice makes master." it is in indicating the lines on which the practice may be best pursued that, it is hoped, this book may serve a useful purpose. [footnote 1: readers may be referred to _list of orchid hybrids_, published by f. sander and sons.] chapter i the rise and progress of orchid culture the first tropical orchid to flower in the british isles appears to have been _bletia verecunda_ (_helleborine americana_), figured in _historia plantorum rariorum, 1728-1735_. it bloomed in 1732 on a plant received by peter collinson from the bahamas in the previous year. in succession to this appeared _cypripedium spectabile_ and one or two other north american cypripediums; _vanilla aromatica_, and a few other species, chiefly terrestrial orchids. in 1789 aiton's _hortus kewensis_ enumerated fifteen species of exotic orchids as being in cultivation at kew, the tropical species being _bletia verecunda_, _epidendrum fragrans_, _epidendrum cochleatum_, and _phaius grandifolius_. at the end of the eighteenth century about fifty exotic species were recorded. at that time most of the orchids were imported only to perish as a consequence of the unsuitable conditions in which they were grown. the plants were potted in the most unlikely materials, such as decayed wood, sawdust, loam, tanner's bark, or any other material which the cultivator thought would be useful in preventing the excessive mortality among his plants; but in all cases the chances of success were discounted by the plants being placed near hot flues, or plunged in tan or bark beds. it was thought that a great success had been attained if a plant bloomed once before it died. the year 1800 may be said to be the real starting-point of rational orchid culture, although, even in the earlier part of the nineteenth century, the old traditions still hindered progress. in 1800 _aërides odoratum_ was introduced, this being the first east indian orchid cultivated in this country. in 1817 sir joseph banks brought about the cultivation of epiphytal orchids in light, wicker baskets which were suspended in the orchid house or stove; this is one of the most noteworthy events in the early history of orchid cultivation. in 1818 _cattleya labiata_ appeared, and about the same time _cypripedium insigne_, which has now two or three hundred varieties that enthusiasts consider sufficiently distinct to bear varietal names. _disa grandiflora_ and _oncidium papilio_ appeared in 1825, when about 180 species of tropical orchids were in cultivation in the horticultural society's gardens. this society gave a great impetus to orchid culture by sending out collectors into distant lands, and dr. lindley, whilst editor of the _gardeners' chronicle_, played a no less important part in studying and recording the species as they were received in this country. the interest in orchid importing gradually spread, and from the time when alan cunningham sent home australian orchids in 1835 the interest has never flagged, the famous orchid collectors, lobb, gardner, skinner, hartweg, gibson, and others, sending consignments from time to time from various parts of the world. the first attempts to grow orchids in a reasonably low temperature were made in the first half of the nineteenth century, one of the first to grasp the truth in this direction being joseph cooper, who was gardener to earl fitzwilliam at wentworth. but a considerable time elapsed before the more rational treatment, which meant less artificial heat and more ventilation, became general. the culture was further improved by the introduction of the hot-water system of heating orchid houses, a method which is now almost perfect and has done more to further orchid-growing than anything else. the spread of information respecting the climatic conditions of the countries in which the plants were collected also helped cultivators in this country, and the articles published in the _gardeners' chronicle_ in 1851 by the late b. s. williams, and subsequent articles by other experts, were of great service. the latter half of the nineteenth century was the most important era in the development of orchid cultivation. a remarkable feature was the beginning of that industry which has now attained such widespread popularity, namely, the raising of hybrid orchids from seed. the first hybrid orchid, calanthe × dominyi (obtained from a cross between _c. furcata_ and _c. masuca_), flowered with messrs. james veitch & sons in october 1856. the same firm subsequently produced many fine hybrid calanthes, phalanopsis, cattleyas, lælias, and læliocattleyas. many of these are now standard garden plants, whilst the work of hybridising and raising hybrid orchids has become general. another notable event in orchid culture during the period mentioned was the commencement of the cool-house or odontoglossum section of orchid culture. in 1863, weir, blunt, and schlim went to new granada in search of odontoglossums, and they were successful in introducing plants of _odontoglossum crispum_ (alexandræ), collected above bogota. these collectors also contributed to our knowledge of the proper methods of cultivating cool orchids. so things have gone on until our own days. orchids hold one of the most important places in gardens, and such genera as odontoglossums and cypripediums are so popular that they are cultivated on an extensive scale even by many who do not care to grow a general collection of orchids. chapter ii structure of orchid flowers most people are familiar with the regular arrangement of the segments of the flowers of amaryllids and lilies, with their prominent pistils and anthers. the first stage in the advance of the orchid family is shown in the apostasieæ, comprising _apostasia_, _neuwiedia_ and _adactylus_, in which the perianth segments are more or less regular and the anthers in some degree prominent, neuwiedia, with its free stamens and prominent style, appearing at first sight nearer to some of the amaryllids than to the orchideæ commonly seen in gardens. the cypripedieæ, although so widely separated from other sections as to suggest that in the operations of nature a vast number of connecting types must have become extinct, is the next step, the labellum being formed into a pouch with infolded side lobes. the column has a prominent staminode with two fertile anthers below it, one on each side of the column and behind the stigmatic plate. the upper sepal is frequently the showiest feature in the flower; the lower sepals are joined and arranged behind the lip, whilst the petals extend on each side and vary much in form. in gardens, the whole of the genus is known as cypripedium, although the south american species (selenipedium), having a three-celled ovary, differ widely from the one-celled east indian and malayan species, and other sections have such marked and consistent botanical differences as to warrant the botanist in separating them under different sub-generic names. the third section of orchidæ, the largest family of the monocotyledons, forms the chief class of orchids as they are known in gardens. in this class the stamens and style unite into a column, and at the top of the column the pollen masses are situated; these are covered by the anther-cap, and in a cavity is the stigma with its viscid surface to receive the pollen grains. so diverse and intricate are the forms of the flowers, and especially labellums, that there is little doubt that insect aid is necessary in their natural habitats to bring about pollination. it has been proved by the operations carried out in cross-fertilisation in gardens that no class of plants can be so readily crossed under artificial conditions. it is not necessary here to go further into structural details, as the peculiarities of each section will be remarked on under their different headings. but it may be said that in what are called abnormal flowers, which have perfect stamens and style, can be seen instances suggesting the evolutionary process; these would be more common but for the number of connecting links which have dropped out in the great struggle for existence. chapter iii difficulties to overcome some of the difficulties which the cultivator of orchids has to contend against arise from the fact that his houses have to accommodate plants which have been brought from widely separated countries, or from different altitudes in the same region. they therefore require very different cultural conditions, especially in the matter of temperature. consideration of the climatic conditions under which the plants are found growing in their native habitats is very helpful to all engaged in orchid culture. many problems have already been worked out by the experience of cultivators, but some of the conclusions have been arrived at only after costly failures. in the early days of orchid culture, before the advent of the modern orchid house with its improved methods of ventilation and means for the promotion of humidity, the great mortality among cultivated orchids was caused by excessive heat and drought. even at the present day more mischief is done by excessive heat than by cold treatment. chapter iv structure of the orchid house so far as the improvements in present-day orchid houses are concerned, these are not due to the imagination of the horticultural builder, but to the experience of the orchid grower. it is owing to him that the old-time glass sides, with their hinged ventilators on a level with the plants, and many other harmful arrangements, have been abandoned. moderately low, span-roofed houses, extending north and south for preference--although the aspect does not seem to be of vital importance--are the best, the sides being wholly of brick, and also the ends of all but the large houses, in which the upper part may be formed of wood and glass. the top ventilation should be admitted through ventilators placed at the highest point of the ridge, and they are usually worked by a continuous system manipulated at one end. the lower ventilators should be small ones fixed in the brick-work at the sides of the house, and they may be arranged to be regulated from the outside, or by means of rods attached to the flaps on the inside and reaching to the path, being carried beneath the staging. the natural earth is the best base for an orchid house, and open wood-work trellises placed on the natural earth are far preferable to tiled paths, therefore their use is strongly recommended. beneath the central stage, from end to end, deep tanks with cemented interior should be provided, because rain-water is essential for watering the plants. to create a good appearance, narrow, ornamental rockeries may be arranged at the edge of the side staging and beneath it, and in any part of the basement available. these should be planted with begonias, tradescantias, such ferns as are not likely to be attacked by thrips, selaginellas, fittonias, and _ficus repens_, which are not liable to attacks from insects, whilst their presence tends to preserve a healthy atmosphere in the house. the rockeries beneath the staging should not be built high enough to obstruct the passage of the heat from the hot-water piping, a rise of one foot from the ground level being sufficient. in the warm-house, _eucharis grandiflora_ and other species of eucharis; hymenocallis and pancratiums, thrive and bloom well beneath the staging. the inside of the roof should be wired for suspending baskets containing orchids, and this should be done before the plants are placed in the house. as regards the form of structure, comparatively low, span-roofed houses, with brick sides reaching to the eaves, and no side glass, are the best, the ends being of brick up to the height of the side walls, the remaining part running up to the ridge, in all but very small houses, being formed of wood and glass. if several houses are built, spaces should be left between each house, and no two or more houses should be built with partition walls, for these prevent the necessary side ventilation. a house of 100 feet or so in length should have a division midway in its length, which for some purposes gives the advantages of two houses. pitch-pine or teak, being durable, are good woods for the wood-work, and, in any case, the use of cheap, soft timber should be avoided. in glazing, only a thin bedding of putty should be used, and the glass should be bradded on the upper side, as top putty when decaying or on becoming loose is worse than useless, and tends seriously to foul the water in the cisterns. span-roofed houses 12 feet to 15 feet wide, and of proportionate elevation, are suitable for ordinary orchids, but if specimen plants are desired a loftier house will be necessary. a range of houses should, if possible, be connected at the end which is most exposed to the north and north-east winds by a corridor or covered structure, in which the potting-shed stores and entrance to the boiler hold should be arranged. the greatest care must be taken that no fumes from the heating apparatus can find their way into either the corridor, potting-sheds, or plant-houses, or the plants will suffer the worst consequences. safety can easily be assured by thoroughly ventilating the stoke-hold and making the partition between the corridor or offices and the stoke-hold as air-tight as possible. the wood-work, when of pitch-pine or other hard wood planed smooth, may be oiled or varnished, painting being undesirable for new houses. in course of time, however, painting has to be resorted to, and it is one of the most trying operations about the orchid houses. great care has to be taken to obtain a reliable quality of paint that will not harm the plants, and to keep the house vacant for as long a time as possible for the gases from the paint to escape. after the plants are returned to the house some ventilation must be maintained day and night for a time. tar should not be used inside an orchid house for any purpose. the staging the staging must be arranged according to the width of the house. narrow houses may be provided with a stage on each side and a path through the centre. other structures of sufficient width should be furnished with a side stage measuring 4 feet to 4 feet 6 inches in width, and a central stage on a somewhat higher level, and rising in steps to the middle and highest point. [illustration: plate ii miltonia vexillaria "empress augusta victoria" (this specimen, cultivated from a single growth, bore 126 flowers.)] iron frame-work is the best, because it is clean and almost indestructible. the uprights resting on the floor should be fixed in metal saucers, which, if kept filled with water, offer great obstacles to insects ascending from the floor. the open wood-work resting on the iron frames, and on which the plants are to stand, should be of teak or pitch-pine, and arranged trellis-like. for some years past it has been the practice to have a close, moisture-holding stage of slate, or tiles, beneath the upper and open wood-work stage. it was an invention of my own when adapting an ordinary plant-house with a slate stage to receive one of the earliest importations of _odontoglossum crispum_. the existing slate stage was made water-tight at the joints, and a fillet of cement was run along the back; the surface was then covered with clean shingle, and home-made trellises, raised on bricks in three levels, were placed along the close staging to receive the plants. it proved a great success, and in the same house the small, bottom ventilators, the first of their kind, but which have now become general, were an equally good innovation. at that time, and for many years afterwards, the flooring of orchid houses was sealed by concrete or hard tiles, and the moisture-holding lower stage was necessary to give a reasonable amount of evaporating surface. more recently it has occurred to many of us that a moisture-giving surface might be obtained from the natural earth, if the earth was left either in its natural state or was given a coating of coke-breeze or similar porous material, and trellises used for the paths. in a similar way provision had to be made for the second object of the close stage, namely, the checking of the direct upward heat from the hot-water pipes. this has been done very effectively in some gardens by arranging a much less elaborate and costly means than the full, close staging generally in use. an iron frame is placed midway between the hot-water pipes and the staging on which the plants rest; a shelf of corrugated iron, slate, or tiles, extends from the back to about half the width of the side staging, its inner edge being about midway in the space beneath the staging, and an inch or so of space is left between the back of the shelf and the wall of the house to allow some of the heat from the pipes to pass that way, the greater part being diverted towards the middle of the house by the intervention of the shelf which is covered with turf or some other moisture-holding material. this is kept continually moist by frequent syringings during the warm season, when plenty of moisture in the air is required. in arranging new houses having the natural earth for a floor, this plan is less expensive and altogether preferable to the formal, close staging of full width, which, however, should still be retained in adapting ordinary plant-houses already provided with a tiled or cemented base, unless it is convenient to remove the tiles and restore the natural earth surface. in arranging the staging, one essential object has to be kept in view, namely, that no part of it shall be out of easy reach; for very wide stages are apt to cause the plants in the back rows to suffer neglect. method of heating in these progressive times it is not well to lay down hard-and-fast rules with regard to the best type of appliance. it should, however, be urged that every orchid house ought to be heated with hot water, and, that in all cases 4-inch piping should be used, the radiation of heat from that size being much more gentle and equal than from smaller pipes. bottom heat by means of piping under closed-in beds of cocoa-nut fibre, or any other material, is bad, although, in a very slight degree, some arrangement of the kind may be of assistance in the house devoted to raising seedlings. if it is used, an outlet must be provided for the inevitable moisture thus raised so that it will not condense and fall on the plants. for small houses or blocks of houses, the old saddle boiler in some form is all that can be desired; and there are several forms of slow-combustion boilers which may be set almost on the surface of the ground outside the house, and these are satisfactory. for blocks of houses the english form of sectional boiler is one of the very best; in large blocks duplicate sets of this pattern, or any other type that may be selected, should be set down, as it provides means of heating the houses if the ordinary boiler happens to fail. it is always better to provide more power than may appear absolutely necessary, and work it at low pressure, than to have barely sufficient power and work it hard during severe weather, as the heat diffused in the latter case is harmful. before deciding on the means of heating to be employed, it would be well to pay a visit to some of the collections noted for the excellent condition of their plants, and inspect the appliances and their arrangement. most orchid growers, whether in private establishments or nurseries, are willing to assist amateurs in these matters. when the apparatus has been got into working order, tests should be made to ensure an equal distribution of the heat from the piping. if a draught of hot air to any part of the house from beneath the staging is observed, it is a good plan to build up openly-laid screens or brick walls 4-1/2 inches thick, the layers of brick being placed so that there is half the length of the brick opening between each brick and the next to it. where there is a sufficient command of heat, these openly-laid brick walls, without mortar, built up below the side staging and running parallel with the edge of it, if they are syringed frequently, assist materially in preserving a healthy moisture in the house. temperature one of the most important matters in orchid cultivation is to see that a lower temperature is maintained at night than in the day. nothing is more injurious to the plants than to be kept in a high temperature at night, nor is anything more contrary to natural conditions. all who have travelled in the countries from whence orchids have been imported testify to the great difference between the temperature during the day and that experienced at night, the difference in some parts being that between an excessively hot day and a chilly night and early morning. these cool conditions at night are absolutely necessary for the well-being of the plants, and in their absence the plants suffer as do human beings during the progress of a heat-wave, which often kills many people. therefore it must be urged that at night the temperature must be from 5° to 10° fahrenheit lower than the day temperatures. this condition is difficult to get during hot weather, but it is necessary. although a scale of temperatures throughout the year must not be taken to mean that a little more heat may not be allowed occasionally--as, for instance, by sun-heat, which is beneficial--nevertheless it is better to have a scale to form a basis, and especially to emphasise the lower temperature at night. ~table of temperatures for orchid houses~ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- months. | warm house, | cattleya or | cool or | | east indian. | intermediate house.| odontoglossum house.| -----------|---------------|--------------------|--------------------- | day. | night.| day. | night. | day. | night. january | 65-70 | 60 | 60-65 | 55 | 50-55 | 45 february | 65-70 | 60 | 60-65 | 55 | 50-55 | 45 march | 65-70 | 60 | 60-65 | 55 | 55-60 | 50 april | 65-70 | 60 | 60-65 | 55 | 55-60 | 50 may | 70-75 | 65 | 65-70 | 60 | 60-65 | 55 june | 75-80 | 65 | 70-75 | 60 | 60-65 | 55 july | 75-85 | 65 | 70-80 | 65 | 60-70 | 55 august | 75-85 | 65 | 70-80 | 65 | 60-70 | 55 september | 75-80 | 65 | 70-75 | 60 | 60-65 | 55 october | 70-75 | 65 | 65-70 | 60 | 60-65 | 55 november | 65-70 | 60 | 60-65 | 55 | 55-60 | 50 december | 65-70 | 60 | 60-65 | 55 | 50-55 | 45 ----------------------------------------------------------------------degrees fahrenheit. the higher day temperature should be obtained by sun-heat when possible. further remarks on this and other details will be found under the headings of the different genera, but it will be better now to state in general terms that during the season of active growth any reasonably high temperature by sun-heat, secured by keeping the house tolerably close and well shaded, greatly benefits the plants. this is specially noticeable where batches of _dendrobium nobile_, _d. wardianum_, and other deciduous dendrobiums are grown. those who grow them best allow the house containing the plants to become very warm; they remove the shading early in the afternoon in order to let the plants get the longest duration of light possible, and they keep the house very moist until the evening. the single orchid house it is doubtful whether the owner of a large collection of orchids gets a greater amount of pleasure than the beginner starting with but one orchid house, provided the owner of the single structure is careful in selecting his plants. in cases where only one orchid house is possible, and a more or less general collection of plants is desired, that house should be heated as an intermediate house. the single orchid house has often been the starting-point of more extensive culture. it is generally commenced by utilising an existing plant-house, in some cases, unfortunately, without making the necessary preparation for the new occupants. when it has been decided to adapt a house for orchids, the proper course is to clear the house of its contents, thoroughly overhaul the interior fittings, such as staging, &c., and make any alterations necessary. the heating apparatus should be regulated, and, above all, the best possible provision must be made for catching and storing rain-water, even if this necessitates the providing of a brick and cement tank beneath the staging. if the existing floor in the house is of concrete or tiles, or any similar material, it must be removed, leaving the natural earth for the surface of the basement, and providing a wood-trellis for walking on in spaces between the stages. let the house be thoroughly cleansed and painted, and after a short time has elapsed it will be ready to receive the plants. in such a house heated as a cool, intermediate house, with a minimum temperature of 50° to 60° fahr. in winter, a large number of showy orchids can be grown successfully. those species which require great heat should be carefully avoided, for, although cool-house orchids are easily managed in a house warmer than is necessary for them, the hot-house kinds usually fail in a temperature which is too low to allow of their making growth under favourable conditions. in such an intermediate house the odontoglossums, masdevallias and other favourite cool-house orchids can be grown successfully, if arranged in the cooler part of the house and carefully watered. the cattleyas, lælias, and the garden hybrids should be placed on the staging in the middle of the house, well up to the light; the brazilian oncidiums, _sophronitis grandiflora_, and stanhopeas should be suspended from the roof of the house, but in such positions as will avoid placing them over the plants on the side staging. the odontoglossums and cochliodas may be accommodated on the side staging in the cooler and moister part of the house. in such a house all the varieties of _cypripedium insigne_, _c. spicerianum_, _c. charlesworthii_, and all the green-leafed section known as selenipediums, will thrive admirably, and a very large selection of other showy orchids, including zygopetalums; but again i would say that species which are usually regarded as warm-house orchids must be rejected. shading it should be distinctly understood that every orchid house needs to be fitted with proper means of shading, extending over the whole roof and removable when necessary. some cultivators think they meet the case by providing shading only on the sunny side, or by painting the glass with some kind of preparation more or less in the nature of whitewash. such preparations should never be used, because, when this is once placed on the glass, the shade, such as it is, is there in dull as well as bright weather, in the night time as well as the day, and for the greater part of the time, especially in dull seasons, it obstructs light which is necessary for the proper development of the plants. another important objection to their use is that shading given by these washes wears off and leaves the plants exposed to the full sunlight. the substance is washed off by the rains and carried into the rain-water tanks, thus causing injuries to the plants watered with the polluted water, and rendering unsightly the foliage moistened with it. proper blinds running on iron or wooden supports, raising them well above the glass of the roof, are absolutely necessary. lath roller blinds are excellent for shading, being durable, clean, and easily let down and drawn up. light canvas or scrim shading fixed to roller blinds answers the purpose well, but care should be taken not to employ heavy, closely woven canvas. too great attention cannot be paid to the working of these blinds, for they must never be down except when required for protection against the sun's rays, and they must be drawn up during dull intervals. the blinds are useful also during severe winters as a protection against excessive cold at nights, and in this particular the lath roller blinds are the best, and may be left in position where they are likely to be required for this purpose. when canvas blinds are used during the summer and removed in late autumn, care should be taken to have them perfectly dry before they are stored for the winter in some dry place, or they will be useless when they are required for placing in position the following spring. chapter v the potting and basketing process we are often asked what season is the best for potting and basketing orchids. experienced growers say that, with the exception of the winter season, they are engaged in potting operations all the year round, potting each section as it requires it. springtime is a period when a general overhaul of the plants is usual, and, at that time, plants requiring it should be repotted, but those which are not in the proper condition, or which are showing flower-spikes, should be allowed to remain until their flowering time has passed. as a general rule, it may be said that the best time to perform the operation is soon after the flowering season has passed, and that no plant should be repotted unless it really requires it; but any plant which has become in a bad condition in the pot by being in unsuitable material should be repotted at once, no matter what season it may be. care should be taken to use the pots and crocks in a thoroughly clean condition. broken crocks are generally used for drainage, although they are not now placed in the pots to the depth of one-half or more, as they used to be. the depth of the crocks varies from about one-third in cypripediums and terrestrial orchids generally, to a rather greater depth for cattleyas, lælias, and similar orchids, the depth of crocks also being varied according to the density of the material used, fewer crocks being necessary when a mixture of osmunda fibre, or other material which lets the water through quickly, is employed in place of peat. sand and crushed crocks or potsherds are used by many for mixing with the potting material, but they may easily be dispensed with, or used only in very small quantities. turfy loam carefully broken up and mixed in suitable proportions with peat and sphagnum-moss, or osmunda, or polypodium fibre, is necessary for cypripediums, the proportion of loam being greatest for the stronger-growing plants; certain selenipediums and cypripediums require quite one-half of that ingredient. some good growers use loam fibre with a sprinkling of leaves and broken crocks entirely for _cypripedium insigne_ and others of the green-leafed class, and also for calanthes, phaius, zygopetalums, and other plants. in preparing the peat for use in potting, the bracken rhizomes should be set aside to place as a layer over the crocks, with a little sphagnum-moss. bracken rhizomes have been used with advantage instead of crocks to form drainage for odontoglossums, and some growers like it so much for that purpose that the horticultural sundriesmen supply it sterilised in bags. the methods of potting and choice of material vary with different growers, each pursuing in some matters different methods to those observed by others. it is desirable that an orchid grower should endeavour to find out the best methods for his own circumstances and, if the results are satisfactory, that he should adhere to them, for there is no more prolific cause of failure than in continually trying experiments recommended by others. the operation of potting or basketing orchids is very simple, and can be readily learned by observation. the aim should be to avoid injuring the living roots but to leave the plant firm in the pot. [illustration: plate iii dendrobium wardianum (at the time the photograph was taken this plant bore 264 flowers.)] baskets and pots it is more in accordance with nature to grow epiphytal orchids of convenient size in baskets to be suspended from the roof of the orchid house, and in the case of subjects reputedly difficult to grow the best results are often attained in this way. at the same time, this is due as much to the plants being placed near to the glass of the roof, as to the fact that the air has better access to the roots than when the plants are in pots. hence it is that for suspending plants of small and medium growth, orchid pans made in the same way as the flower-pot are found to be a convenient substitute for baskets, as they are not so liable to decay as wood-baskets. stanhopeas, lueddemannias, acinetas, and some other orchids which produce their flower spikes directly from the base of the growth, must be grown in baskets to admit of the proper production of their flowers, which, if grown in pots, are sent down into the compost and lost. gongoras, cirrhæas, and similar genera, which produce slender spikes of flowers of drooping habit, are also best in baskets, as they produce their flowers much more freely when the plants are suspended. the orchid pan, for suspending, is also equally good for masdevallias of the chimæra section, a large number of bulbophyllums and cirrhopetalums, and generally for plants of small stature which would be too far away from the glass if placed on the stage. for the bulk of the collection the grower has to use the ordinary flower-pots, which are still unsurpassed for general purposes. the elaborately designed pots, perforated with holes or slits, which were used for orchids years ago, are not necessary, for there is no defect in the ordinary flower-pot which cannot be overcome by the careful and skilful practitioner. rafts and cylinders of teak-wood made in the same manner as baskets are useful for some species, but it has to be remembered that plants on rafts are liable to suffer from lack of sufficient moisture-holding material around them. _broughtonia sanguinea_, however, is never so happy as when grown on a horizontally suspended raft without the least potting material. the great trouble with suspended orchids, and one which precludes the cultivator employing this culture for so many plants as he could wish, is the drip they cause to the plants on the stages. no orchid should have another plant suspended above it; if it is not possible to avoid this, the relative positions of the suspended plants should be changed as often as possible; water should only be given them by "dipping" the plants, and they should be allowed to drain thoroughly before being again suspended. as many of the suspended plants as possible should be arranged on each side of the path, and in other situations where there are no plants immediately under them. narrow rafts 4 inches wide and 1 foot or so in height are suitable for _angræcum infundibulare_, _a. imbricatum_, and other scandent angræcums of similar growth. these should be fastened to the rafts with some good sphagnum-moss between the plant and the raft on the lower half, the base of the plant and the raft being afterwards fastened in a flower-pot with sphagnum-moss, the raft leaning at a slight angle. sphagnum-moss can be added on the upper part as the plant grows, and, when sufficiently rooted up the stem, it can be severed half-way up when the base will produce new growths. staking or fixing orchids some years ago, when large specimens were favoured, it used to be the practice to stake or "stick" the plants, as it was called, some of them exhibiting almost as many sticks as pseudo-bulbs. the sticks rapidly decayed, often leaving the stumps to harbour fungus and cause injury to the plants. the compact specimens of the present day, when properly grown, require no support from sticks. in respect to specimens of larger growth, such as aërides of tall habit, lælias of the _l. purpurata_ class, and dendrobiums, when they require sticking at all, they may be securely supported by one stick in the centre, to which one of the strongest growths should be fastened, any others requiring support being looped to the centre stick. the fewer sticks used the better. dwarf plants with creeping rhizomes between the pseudo-bulbs used often to be secured when repotted by small wire pegs, and the custom is not yet quite obsolete. metal, especially galvanised iron wire, which is most commonly used, is very injurious to any portion of an orchid which is allowed to come in contact with it. such pegs are unnecessary, for the plants can be fixed with the potting material, and later on the new roots will effectually secure them. in fastening orchids on rafts or blocks, fine copper wire should be used, and all the care possible taken to prevent it resting on the rhizomes or stems, a small piece of peat or sphagnum-moss being placed beneath the wire where it crosses the plant. where orchids such as phalænopsis are grown in baskets or hanging pans, the leaves should not be allowed to touch the wire suspenders, or injury will result. where leaves too closely approach the wire suspenders during their growth, the wire should be bent to avoid contact, or have a small shred of cotton-wool or other material bound round it at the point of contact, if the leaf cannot be drawn aside. for staking orchids, bamboo canes are preferable to common deal-wood sticks. labelling the plants it adds much to the interest of a collection of orchids, either small or large, if a proper system of recording the plants is arranged for by means of a stock-book, in which the name of each plant is entered as it is acquired, together with the source from which it was obtained, and any other particulars that may be required when the plant flowers. this entry need only be brief, and generally one, or at most two lines will suffice for each plant. if it is intended to keep the plants under numbers, the left-hand margin should bear consecutive numbers from one onward, but if it is desired to have the names on each plant, the names in the stock-book should be arranged in an alphabetical manner. in some collections where numbering is practised the number is written across the top of the label, and the name written lengthwise when desired. the common deal label is not suitable, because the base soon decays in orchid houses, causing danger from fungal growth, and rendering the identification of the plant after the label has perished, or fallen away, very uncertain. the lead number for clipping the rim of the pot, or attaching to the wires of the basket or suspending pan, is less objectionable, but they are only convenient where numbers are alone used. zinc labels and various other contrivances have been tried, but the best and safest label, either for numbers or names, or both, is the white celluloid label, obtainable in all sizes, similar to the ordinary wooden plant label, and in the ticket form for attaching to the baskets by means of fine wire. this kind of label does not decay as the wood labels, and it may be cleaned and used again as long as it remains in a perfect condition. let all labels be made as small as possible consistent with their being firmly fixed, as it detracts much from the appearance of a house of plants if the labels are too much in evidence. care must be taken during repotting that the labels removed from the plants should each be returned to its proper specimen. much trouble may be caused by mixing the labels. chapter vi removing useless leaves and bulbs an unsightly appearance is given to many collections of orchids by the presence on some of the plants of a number of damaged or yellow leaves. these are often supposed to be the result of bad cultivation, and, in some cases, rightly so. but in all collections of orchids the old leaves, even of the evergreen species, do not pass off naturally as they do in their native habitats, where they have the natural seasons with their climatic changes to cause the leaves to fall naturally. when cultivated under glass, the species which are known as evergreen kinds retain their old leaves long after they would have passed away in their native wilds; and not only that, but they decline and become unsightly for years under glass, instead of passing away in a few months. consequently many orchids in collections often carry at least twice as many leaves as they ought to do, and the oldest are the most unsightly. a ready example of this kind is given by most collections of masdevallias. the leaves are usually densely packed, many of the older ones shabby, and not only unsightly in themselves, but interfering with the full development of the new growths. masdevallias have no developed pseudo-bulbs, but a joint will be seen where the leaf-blades join the basal stems; all damaged leaves should be cut off just above that joint, and it will be found that some of the plants will be benefited, both in appearance and condition, by having from one-third to one-half the number of their old and damaged leaves removed. the same remarks apply to all orchids of similar growth, such as pleurothallis and octomerias, and indeed to the species generally, for damaged or decaying leaves can be of no assistance in the development of the plant, unless in exceptional cases where the grower must use his own discretion. useless pseudo-bulbs if an imported orchid such as a cattleya or lælia, which has been cultivated under glass for several years and has many pseudo-bulbs, be turned out of the pot and the roots freed from the potting material, it will be seen that the new roots which nourish the plant are confined to the freshest pseudo-bulbs, and that the roots beneath the older pseudo-bulbs are in such a condition that they are useless in the economy of the plant. this fact goes to show that the old pseudo-bulbs are being supported by the newer growths, and, that they are seriously impeding the full development of the flower-producing part of the specimen. in such cases it is a common thing to see large specimens collapse and die off, the decay being traceable to the old bulbs in the centre of the plant. it is, therefore, better to remove old pseudo-bulbs behind the last three or four leading ones, and, if it is desired to retain all leading portions of a large mass in one pot or pan to form a specimen, they should be potted together, when it will be found that, given reasonable treatment, they will make better specimens than if left in a mass. in the case of varieties that need to be propagated, the pieces removed should be placed in comparatively small orchid pans or baskets, properly labelled, and in due time useful and often valuable specimens may be secured from material which would only have been detrimental to the parent plant. the same kind of treatment will be found equally beneficial in the case of garden hybrids which have been cultivated long enough to have a number of back bulbs. in such cases the plants frequently degenerate after the first two or three years, until they produce inferior flowers, but the removal of the back pseudo-bulbs results in giving the flowering growths the full benefit of the root action, and consequently the plants again produce flowers of good quality. potting time is a very convenient season to give special attention to the removal of useless leaves and pseudo-bulbs, as the plants can be readily handled when they are out of the pots. all useless parts removed should be taken out of the house and burnt. it is a common practice to throw the leaves under the stage. no rubbish of this, or any other kind, should be allowed in the orchid house, as it forms a harbour for insects and is, in other respects, objectionable. chapter vii propagation by division it used to be thought a very delicate operation to divide an orchid, or to remove any portion of it for the purpose of obtaining another specimen, and, when the operation was carried out, it was thought to be at the risk of the plant and its offset. in the case of badly grown plants, or where the houses are unsuitable for growing orchids successfully, there may still be considerable risk in the process; but under ordinary conditions, and where the plants have proper accommodation, there is no risk whatever; it may be said that plants are never in better health than when they are divided at reasonable intervals. if we consider the case of _cypripedium insigne sanderæ_, some of the white cattleyas, and many other orchids which were imported only as single specimens originally but which are now well represented in gardens, the advantage of dividing the plants is readily seen. pseudo-bulbous orchids with progressive rhizomes, such as cattleyas, lælias, oncidiums, and odontoglossums, should be divided by severing the rhizomes, retaining two or more pseudo-bulbs together. this operation can be done at any season of the year, but it is most convenient to do it at potting time, and, for preference, just before the commencement of the natural growing season of the plant. small pieces should be placed in small orchid pans or baskets, but larger ones may be potted at once and placed on the stage with the other plants. dendrobiums may also be propagated by dividing the plants, but a large section of the genus may also be propagated by cuttings of the pseudo-bulbs. this method is specially useful for increasing a rare and fine variety of _dendrobium nobile_ or others of the section, as a good supply of plants can quickly be obtained in this way. the method is to cut the pseudo-bulbs into lengths of two or three inches and to place them in small orchid pans, six or eight in a pan, suspending the pan in a warm, moist, house. the thunia section of phaius, _epidendrum radicans_, and some other epidendrums and orchids of similar growth may be multiplied in this manner. further remarks on propagation will be found under the names of the genera enumerated. chapter viii watering epiphytal orchids success or failure with any class of orchids depends largely on the exercise of discretion in watering. while it may be said that more specimens are lost by having too little water, especially among the smaller-growing species, than by over-watering, at the same time much mischief is caused by a system of giving a little watering frequently all the year round, and without any regard to the period of growth or rest through which the plants are passing. such treatment does not provide for strong growth during the growing season, or adequate rest after the growths are finished; consequently the plants decline in health and the flowers are not satisfactory. rain-water is the only suitable water for orchids, and the growers who can command a supply of it all the year round possess a great advantage over those who have to use water from any other source. during the period of growth and root action, too much water at the root cannot easily be given, provided the material in which the plants are potted is sufficiently porous and the pots or orchid pans have a sufficient drainage. the rule should be to water thoroughly when watering at all, making sure that the whole of the potting material is moistened well, then not to give more water to that plant until the effect of the watering is seen to be passing, the plant being still moist but approaching dryness, when the thorough watering should be repeated. nothing is more misleading than to pour a little water each day on the surface of the material in which the plant is potted. this is often considered to be careful watering, but it results in a large number of the plants never getting thoroughly moist at the root, while others in a retentive compost, or where the drainage is defective, become soddened. such cases may arise occasionally under any conditions, and, where a thoroughly dry plant is found at a season when it should be moist, it is better to plunge the pot or basket in water until it is perfectly soaked. in the case of a plant which is too wet with stagnant moisture, it should either be repotted after the wet potting material has been removed, or placed on a shelf to remain without water until it is again in a proper condition to receive it. in all cases a spouted watering-pot should be used. the rose watering-pot and syringe are necessary things in the orchid house, but the use of them should be rigidly restricted to some definite work, such as watering orchids for the first time after repotting, sprinkling the floors, staging, and brick walls, and other work which cannot cause mischief. it used to be a common practice to water orchids overhead with a rose watering-pot, but the plants so watered made but few roots, and the foliage was generally unsightly, owing to deposits from the water. it is therefore best to make a rule against watering overhead in a general way. the syringe may be used among dendrobiums and some other warm-house orchids during the height of the growing season; but it would be safer to arrange for such work to be done by means of a sprayer and at shorter intervals. the sprayer is a very useful and beneficial contrivance, and, in the hands of a careful operator using clean rain-water, it affords a valuable aid in maintaining a healthily humid condition in the atmosphere of all the orchid houses, especially during the heat of the summer. equal in importance to the giving of sufficient water during the growing season is the observance of the dry, resting season, which, in a varying degree, is required by all orchids, whether they come from hot or cold habitats, and whether they are epiphytal or terrestrial species. watering terrestrial orchids these, like the epiphytal orchids, may be divided into two main classes, namely, those which lose their leaves annually, and those which are more or less evergreen. some of the genera contain both of these classes, and notably the calanthes. in _c. vestita_, _c. regnieri_, _c. rosea_, and their varieties and hybrids the leaves turn yellow after the growths are fully made up, a sign which gives a good indication as to the necessity for withholding water for a lengthened period; while _calanthe veratrifolia_ and others of the class retain the last-made foliage green all the year round, the loss of foliage being in the old leaves, which should be removed at the first sign of decay. with these latter may be classed the phaius, zygopetalums, cymbidiums, cypripediums, and many others of evergreen habit, which require much care to be exercised in the matter of withholding water during the resting season, otherwise the plants will decline in vigour. after the growths are finished, most of these plants are benefited by removal to a cooler and more freely ventilated house for a few weeks, during which time the supply of water should be restricted, but they should never be allowed to suffer by being thoroughly dried. for zygopetalums and other orchids which it is customary to place in a rather drier atmosphere during the time they are in flower, such an interval would be sufficient rest. chapter ix manures for orchids it should be distinctly understood that, in the case of true epiphytes, there is no need for manures, and, that artificial chemical manures are almost certain to bring about disastrous results, the final collapse being in proportion to the potency of the stimulant used and the recklessness of the grower. where rain-water can be obtained and stored for use throughout the season, it is safest and most satisfactory to rely on this alone, except for some terrestrial orchids. the chief difficulty in recommending the use of manures for any class of plants, orchids especially, is in the fact that, once the practice is commenced, even those cultivators who begin cautiously frequently lose discretion in the course of time and ruin their plants by excessive applications. it is for this reason that the growers of plants for market purposes, whose secret of success almost entirely depends on the use of manures, are careful to give out the supplies to the men who have to use them, or, with the very best intentions, they would often destroy a crop. indeed, it is not uncommon for foremen, or men in charge of departments in large nurseries devoted to growing plants for market, to resort to unfair means to get extra supplies of manure for their plants, and frequently with bad results. there is another curious feature about the use of manures in market-plant gardens, namely, that all concerned observe the greatest secrecy in the matter, and rarely admit that they use "anything but water"--that being the common expression. the same secrecy is observed by the orchid expert in most cases. another thing is that there is no common formula accepted by all practitioners. each seems to have his own opinions as to materials, quality, and strength of the stimulants used. one thing is certain, that even where artificial manures are used, the time of application and its discontinuance has more to do with success or failure than the nature of the manure itself. even in cases where the administration of a mild stimulant is of use during the period of active growth and free rooting, if the manure is not discontinued after growth is completed much mischief is done. it is not necessary to go into the relative merits of chemical manures, which are not recommended for use, but it may be stated that some growers do use small quantities with apparently good results, restricting the use of the manure to the active growing season and during the time the flower-spikes are forming. aërides, saccolabiums, and vandas seem to be exceptions, as they represent the highest development of the epiphyte. odontoglossums and some similar orchids have been treated to a very small quantity of peruvian guano sprinkled in the water used for watering them in spring while the flowers were forming, and without a bad effect; but the quantity used was very small, and the water was not allowed to touch the leaves or pseudo-bulbs. one grower on the continent was in the habit of sprinkling a handful of nitrate of soda in the gutter of the house, especially before, or during heavy rain, in order that a little solution of it might be carried into the rain-water tanks in the orchid house. his plants throve well, and this shows that even with epiphytal orchids there is a field open for experiment; but the operator must not lose sight of the fact that he is "playing with edged tools." we will now state what has been proved to be beneficial when carefully carried out. those who grow batches of the showy dendrobiums such as _d. nobile_, _d. wardianum_, _d. phalænopsis_, and others of the class, and who, at the growing season, place them in a warm, moist house, suspended from the roof for preference, frequently give them weak doses of liquid manure during the season of growth, and the plants make very fine growth. [illustration: plate iv cattleya trianæ var. "hydra" (the plant bore 88 flowers.)] the liquid from farm-yard manure, or from a stable, should be avoided, as its strength cannot be known; sometimes it is very weak, and at others fatally strong. a large tub with liquid manure made of cow-dung, and in which a coarse bag of soot has been sunk, is a safe manure for any plant, and if properly diluted can do no harm to plants requiring such a stimulant. terrestrial orchids such as calanthes and phaius can scarcely be grown to their best without a liberal application of this, or some other manure known to the operator to be safe, during their season of growth. cymbidiums, zygopetalums, peristerias, and other strong-growing orchids have also been treated to weak liquid manure from the commencement of growth until the flowers expanded, with advantage so far as evidence is available. an occasional watering of liquid manure, or slight sprinkling of guano, may be given beneath the staging in the evenings during the growing season. the structure of the roots of orchids does not favour the idea that they are suited for taking up stimulating liquid in the manner common to fibrous-rooted plants. on the general question of the use of stimulants in orchid culture many clever men have carried out experiments. the late dr. a. h. smee went into the question, basing his experiments on the chemical constituents of the plants themselves, which is not an infallible guide. the late norman c. cookson carefully studied the subject, and he recommended for experiment the following formula:- potassium nitrate (saltpetre), 3 oz. ammonium phosphate, 2 oz. dissolve in a three-gallon jar of soft water, and when watering growing orchids, or those perfecting their flowers, add one ounce of the solution to each gallon of water. again it must be urged that those experimenting with manures must do so only on growing plants, and when growth is completed it must be stopped. no orchid grower should undertake such experiments without first obtaining his employer's concurrence. chapter x resting orchids whilst we may definitely say that all orchids require a resting season in some degree, the cultivator must be careful to arrange the resting season, in the matter of its duration and other particulars, in accordance with the nature of the plant, for in some classes of orchids it is very easy to do much mischief by subjecting them to a too prolonged and rigorous resting time. seedling orchids, as a rule, require little or no resting season until after their first flowering, and cattleyas, læliocattleyas, and other evergreen hybrids require a rather shorter period of rest than deciduous species. bulbophyllums, cirrhopetalums, and many other small-growing orchids are frequently killed by attempting to give them a dry resting season, although there is a section which lose their leaves in winter like the deciduous dendrobiums, and these are benefited by being dried off in a cooler house when the leaves fall, keeping them dry until growth starts again, in the same manner as _dendrobium nobile_, _d. wardianum_, _d. crassinode_, and other deciduous dendrobiums. the evergreen dendrobiums of the _d. densiflorum_ and _d. farmeri_ class require a short rest in a lower temperature, and should be watered a little occasionally, especially if they show a tendency to shrivel, which is not a good thing for any orchid. aërides, vandas, and saccolabiums require a lower temperature in winter, and less water. many of these begin to grow in march; after that season they require heat and moisture more liberally. as a rule, the plants themselves give the best indication when the resting season has arrived, and, in the case of those which lose their leaves, they show how much rest is necessary. the starting of the new growth indicates when growing conditions should be restored. in respect to the very small-growing species, and especially evergreen kinds, it is much better to ignore the resting season rather than to lower the vitality of the plants by a severe drying off. chapter xi specially rare and valuable plants while every plant in the collection should be given the best possible care and attention, it is advisable to keep the more rare and valuable specimens immediately under the eye of the grower. it is often the case that albinos, rare varieties, and new species are allowed to get mixed up in the general collection, and a plant that could not be replaced may be hidden by the commoner things which are not of so much consequence. in the case of the best spotted varieties of _odontoglossum crispum_, albino cattleyas, and other exceptionally rare things, it is a good plan to arrange a batch of them together in the most suitable part of the house, or to place each on an inverted flower-pot at intervals along the staging, thus bringing them into prominence and facilitating the inspection of each at all times. some use wire plant stands instead of inverted pots, but the moisture-holding flower-pots are preferable, if they are inspected occasionally to see that they are not harbouring insects. albinos and fine varieties of cattleyas and lælias could be grown in suspended orchid pans or baskets, to take them out of the general collection, and so grown they would make better progress than if placed on the stages. in the case of any plant not making satisfactory growth it is often beneficial to place it on an inverted pot to bring it more prominently under notice. chapter xii diseases and insect pests there is very much in the old-time advice, "grow your plants clean," for a very large proportion of orchid diseases and insect pests are due to errors in cultivation, more especially in the regulation of the temperature and the ventilation. insanitary houses lower the vitality of the plants, and vegetation, like human beings, is a prey to disease when kept in unhealthy conditions. spot, or orchid disease, exhibits itself in various forms. it is caused, as scientists say, by different micro-organisms, but in effect it is practically the same whether in the form known as "spot," often seen in phalænopsis, aërides, and vandas, or in the decayed and blackened pseudo-bulbs of cattleyas, especially _c. warscewiczii_ (gigas), which from an apparently healthy plant may develop a diseased condition of the pseudo-bulbs, and become useless in a few days. in all such diseases it will be seen that the tissues have collapsed, the result being brown or blackish spots on leaves or bulbs. imperfect nutrition from lack of healthy roots is a frequent cause of this mischief, for aërides and vandas which have been affected with "spot" recover in the new growth, for a time at least, if a satisfactory root action can be set up. propagation, by freeing the recently made parts of the plants from the old and worn-out back portions, which are not furnished with the roots necessary to support themselves is one of the best means of preventing orchid diseases, and efforts should be made to keep the plants vigorous and, therefore, capable of resisting attacks by insect pests. plants are also benefited greatly by having their position in the houses changed, and that is one of the great advantages of the periodical inspection, for during this process the relative positions of the plants are altered. it should be said that cattleyas and other common orchids badly affected by disease had better be burnt, for it is cheaper to buy a healthy young plant than to waste time in trying to bring the unsightly and diseased specimens back to health. the cattleya fly (_isosoma orchidearum_), first imported probably with _cattleya dowiana_, and frequently with other cattleyas since, affects the new growths, the grubs causing them to swell and rendering the growth useless. the same species, or one closely allied, also attacks the young roots of cattleyas, lælias, and their hybrids, causing unsightly galls on the points of the roots. fumigation, with some safe preparation to destroy the fly, should be carried out, and every young growth and root-point as soon as they are seen to be affected should be cut off and burnt. by adopting these remedies it is possible to get rid of the pest. in purchasing freshly imported plants, care should be taken to reject those which show signs of having been affected by the fly. thrips, red spider, and aphides occasionally appear in every collection, and the remedy is fumigation and sponging with an insecticide, which some growers prepare for themselves, either by pouring boiling water over coarse tobacco tied up in a cloth and adding a little soft soap, or by making an infusion of quassia chips. but excellent insecticides can be purchased already prepared, which are guaranteed to be safe and effective, and being of uniform strength, they may be used with confidence if the instructions given with the preparations are observed strictly. avoid using paraffin and emulsions of paraffin, for it is dangerous, not only to the plants sponged with it, but to all the plants in the house, for it affects the atmosphere. scale insects these appear much less in collections now than formerly, because the old large specimens are replaced by young and vigorous plants. thirty or forty years ago, it was a usual thing to spend several days every year scraping the brown scales from tall plants of _aërides odoratum_, _vanda tricolor_, and other specimen orchids, and what was called "cleaning" was going on all the year round. now there is much less need of such work, although scale will appear in its various species on one section of plants or another. in the periodical inspections, all plants attacked by it should have the insects removed by a piece of stick blunted at the edge and point, sponging the leaves afterwards with some diluted insecticide. syringing with an insecticide, or dipping the plants in the liquid, should be avoided, for the quantity applied is likely to saturate the material in which the plants are potted and to run into the centres of the young growths and cause injury. by means of a sponge, it may be applied lightly or heavily, but the operator has command in each case over what he is doing. mealy bug fortunately this pest is rare in orchid houses, but when it appears it is easily destroyed in the same manner as scale. cockroaches the first of these insects to be noticed should be the signal for the laying of poison. search should be made for the breeding quarters, which are often in the stoke-hole, or in some hot, dry corner of the house. various preparations are recommended, but the best still seems to be the old phosphor paste, which should be placed on pieces of paper in the haunts of the insects in the evening, and removed the next morning, a fresh supply being put down every two or three days so long as one of the insects remains. slugs, snails, and woodlice to combat these is more a question of diligence than anything else. the old remedies to attract them, such as lettuce leaves, or hollowed halves of potatoes, are still effective, and a walk round the houses with a light at night never goes unrewarded. chapter xiii periodical inspection whenever the time is to be spared, it is a good plan to overhaul one or other of the sections of orchids thoroughly, and to have a more general inspection as soon as possible after the winter has passed, and at the end of the summer, this latter inspection being the more important. cleanliness in everything around orchids is one of the most important aids to successful culture, and, during the periodical inspections, plants which are not clean should be cleansed, their pots where it is required washed, and the staging and any part of the house requiring it thoroughly cleansed before the plants are rearranged. during the course of the work certain plants which would be benefited by being repotted, or divided, will be found, and these should be given attention. the water in the tub in which the green deposit on the pots has been removed by scrubbing, and as much of the other water used in cleansing as can be dealt with, should be poured down a drain outside the orchid house. if thrown on the floor of the house, it leaves an unpleasant odour, which is harmful and lasts a long time. during the inspection at the end of the summer the staging should be repaired where necessary, the heating apparatus carefully overhauled and defects made good, in order to minimise the risk of having to do the work during the cold weather. where it is deemed advisable to black the hot-water piping, use only lamp-black and oil. paint gives off injurious gases for a considerable time, and where persons have been incautious enough to use gas-tar the most lamentable results have followed, the mischief lasting for years. these periodical inspections and rearrangement of the plants are also useful in preventing the same plants occupying the same positions for too long a time. a change of position in the house is beneficial, even where the plants are not crowded; but in collections where the plants are closely arranged, to change their positions frequently, goes far to mitigate the evil arising from want of space. in preparing for a thorough inspection of the plants in a house, it is desirable to remove a number of the plants to another house to make room to examine the rest without risk of breakage, the plants removed at the commencement being returned to fill the space remaining after the work has been completed. the orchid grower is always supposed to have the plants under his direct inspection and to treat them with individual care, but these occasional reviews often reveal defects in some of the specimens which would otherwise have escaped for some considerable time. chapter xiv orchids for the conservatory there are many dwelling-houses of moderate pretensions, especially in towns and suburban districts, in which the sole accommodation for plant-growing consists of the conservatory adjoining the house, and this is, in most cases, heated by one or other of the simple means at command for the purpose. the contents of such structures are usually unsatisfactory, the pelargoniums, fuchsias, and other soft-wooded plants which are arranged with some of the hardier palms and ferns being drawn into spindly growth, which results in a miserable supply of flowers for a short season, and afterwards in decaying foliage, which is not ornamental. quite a new interest would open up to the owners of such places were they to turn their attention to acquiring from time to time a few of the orchids which are now to be procured as cheaply as the less suitable plants, such as pelargoniums. already some successes have been recorded in this direction. let us consider the different classes of conservatories, and the species most likely to succeed in them. to take first the commonest kind of small conservatory attached to villa gardens. these are unheated structures except in the winter months, when the temperature cannot be kept from getting below 45° fahr. without the aid of one of the oil-stove heating apparatus, or heat turned on from the pipe connected with the kitchen range, where arrangements for doing so have been provided. these means of applying artificial heat should be used as little as possible, and only to prevent the temperature falling below 45° fahr., for in confined spaces and with such means of heating, the atmosphere is better for the plants without the use of artificial heat, whenever the house can be kept from getting too cold without it. in such conservatories, many of the odontoglossums, masdevallias, _oncidium varicosum_, _o. crispum_, _o. prætextum_, _o. gardneri_, the pretty scarlet _sophronitis grandiflora_, _epidendrum vitellinum_, _lycaste skinneri_, _cypripedium insigne_, _disa grandiflora_, and a number of other pretty and inexpensive species can be grown satisfactorily, especially if the oncidiums, sophronitis, _odontoglossum rossii majus_, and other of the smaller species be placed in baskets for suspending, a means of cultivation which suits them best, and adds to their decorative effect. the next step is the larger conservatory adjoining many town and suburban dwellings. these are heated by a small boiler with hot-water pipes, a means, it should be said, which is the only satisfactory method of heating glass structures. to the species indicated for the smaller and less safely heated structures may be added a very wide range of subjects of great beauty. in such a structure the palms supplying decorative foliage may be much restricted, or entirely dispensed with, as _cymbidium lowianum_, _c. giganteum_, _c. tracyanum_, and any others of the section having evergreen leaves of much grace, are decorative plants at all seasons, and possess the further advantage of being furnished with fine spikes of flowers for several months in the year. these large and strong-growing species are specially adapted for the conservatory, an orchid house being unnecessary for them. to the heated conservatory also may now be handed over the showier species and hybrids of the south american cypripediums (selenipediums), which, probably because of their very free-growing nature rendering them too large for the orchid house, and the ready manner in which they may be increased, have caused them to be slighted lately by growers of collections of orchids. the air of the conservatory, rather drier than that of the orchid house, suits these plants admirably. their bright evergreen foliage and tall sprays of white and rose, or greenish flowers tinged with purple, which often by succession keep the specimens in bloom for six months in the year, render them beautiful and interesting subjects for the conservatory. the strongest and best kinds to be acquired are _selenipedium longifolium_, _s. sedenii_, _s. cardinale_, _s. calurum_, _s. grande_, _s. schröderæ_, and _s. albo-purpureum_. _cypriperium charlesworthii_, _c. spicerianum_, and _c. leeanum_ should also be added. the larger, heated conservatories might well be furnished with the orchids recommended rather than the plants generally used for decorating them, for these have to be changed frequently. the orchids, if carefully tended, will grow permanently in the conservatory and be a source of never-failing interest. in these large conservatories, stanhopeas in baskets for suspending are ornamental plants, and sobralias on the floor or central bed would prove satisfactory. to those enumerated many more might be added, but in all cases it is best to get only evergreen kinds, which may be grown continuously in the same house. chapter xv orchids as cut flowers orchids having flowers with persistent perianths, in which the segments do not drop as in many other flowers, are of the highest value for cut flowers, as some or other of them can be obtained in every month in the year. large quantities of the large-flowered cattleyas, especially _c. labiata_, of _c. harrisoniana_ and its near ally _c. loddigesii_, _odontoglossum crispum_, _o. pescatorei_, dendrobiums, and other showy orchids are grown for cut flowers in nurseries where orchids are not required for other than market purposes. in many private gardens, also, the same kinds of orchids are grown for decorative purposes, even without a desire to grow a general collection. those who arrange for a general collection of orchids as their primary object often cut the flowers for their own use, or to give to their friends, and the following remarks may be useful to all classes of growers. a large proportion of the flowers of orchids used for decorative purposes are in a great degree wasted by being cut in an immature state soon after the buds have expanded. such flowers last but a very short time, and, if used for decoration by night, are only presentable for one evening. orchid flowers should not be cut until they are fully mature and their tissues hardened. they last longer even if they are cut after they are past their best, than they do if cut too soon after expanding. when mature, the flowers require less support from moisture passing up the stem than most flowers, but if cut in an undeveloped state sufficient moisture cannot be obtained through the stems, even if well supplied with water, to continue the development, and the petals droop and the flowers soon wither. [illustration: plate v brasso-cattleya digbyano-mossiæ "westonbirt variety" (raised from a cross between _brassavola digbyana_ and _cattleya mossiæ_.)] when orchid flowers are to be used for decorative purposes, no matter in what stage of development they may be, it adds greatly to their durability if they are placed head downward, thoroughly immersed in clean water (rain-water for preference), and kept so immersed until an hour or so before they are set up, gently shaking the water from them, and placing them on a cloth or some dry, cool surface until wanted. treated in this way, orchid flowers will last for weeks instead of days. the method should be to take them out of the dining-room or other place where they have been used after the guests have departed each evening. have ready a large earthenware pan filled with water, and in it immerse the orchid flowers, leaving them immersed until shortly before they are required to be set up again next day, repeating the same treatment every night. managed in this way, sprays of odontoglossums and other orchids often last for weeks, and look better than freshly cut immature flowers do even on the first day. flowers received by post should always be treated to the bath for some hours, and, during immersion, any defects which are reparable will be made good and the duration of the flowers ensured, especially if the immersion be repeated as before recommended. in this way masdevallia, sobralia, and other fugacious flowers may be used for decorative purposes for two evenings at least, but in the absence of immersion they would wither in a very short time. it might also be said that the maidenhair fern, also _asparagus plumosus_, and other foliage used with the cut orchids are materially benefited by immersion, the maidenhair fern especially; it should always be kept immersed until required for use. chapter xvi importing orchids many interesting orchids have been imported by amateurs who have friends or correspondents in the countries which the orchids inhabit, and many more would have arrived alive if the persons who sent them possessed some knowledge of the best methods of collecting, packing, and forwarding the plants. the want of this knowledge often results in the trouble the collector has taken being in vain, and disappointment to the receiver who gets the dead plants and has to tell his correspondent the sad tale of failure. orchids should be gathered and forwarded during their resting season, and with a sufficient time between their being sent off and their natural growing season to allow of the period of their transit being made before their resting season expires. this rule is often needlessly violated by those who are settled in the district from whence they are sending the orchids, and who could easily wait until the resting season comes round. for those who are travelling and have to take the orchids when they can and in whatever condition they may be, however, there is some excuse, and by carefully forwarding the plants, even although at the wrong season, many may get them over alive. residents in the tropics often grow a collection of orchids, bringing to the gardens around their residences the plants collected in distant parts of their districts. these growers have a notion that cultivated plants are the best to send their correspondents, therefore, although they could collect fresh plants, they think it safer to send those in their own gardens. these are the very worst plants to travel. they are usually collected in high localities, and their sojourn in a garden results in lowered vitality, which explains why a large proportion die during the journey to this country. freshly collected plants, in whatever stage they may be, are the best, the ideal conditions being to take the plants at mid-resting season, to have the case to receive them beneath the trees on which they are growing, to pack them off at once to a shipping agent at the port of embarkation, to catch a steamer previously timed, and to consign the case or cases to a reliable shipping agent in england. another cause of mortality in orchids during transit arises from the mistaken notion that the plants require to be prepared by drying before packing, and this practice is continued so long and rigorously in many cases that the plants are half dead before they are despatched. no such preparation is needed; the plants should be packed at once after collecting, and any moisture which may be in them will escape through the small holes in the case. the parcels post is available from many parts of the tropics, and from some places it is the only reliable means of getting orchids over in a reasonable time. but it is only available for small lots, and for these it forms the best means of forwarding. unfortunately, there are drawbacks even to these means, for the parcels, especially from some ports, are frequently stowed in hot chambers on board the mail steamer, the object being to keep the mails dry, and plant-life is destroyed by the excessive heat. epiphytal orchids with pseudo-bulbs, such as cattleyas, lælias, and epidendrums, if collected at or near the proper season, require very little packing. the cases being ready, it is necessary to place a layer of plants at the bottom, with their heads all facing one way. the next layer is placed with the heads the reverse way, and so on until the box is full of plants firmly pressed in, but not sufficiently close to cause injury. during the packing a few struts of wood should be placed across the inside and fastened by nails driven into their ends from the outside; these will prevent the plants from forming a mass and rolling about when the boxes are moved. a few small holes should be bored in the boxes to admit a little air. leafy epiphytal orchids, such as phalænopsis, aërides, vandas, and saccolabiums, may be forwarded in the same way, but with a sprinkling of fine paper cuttings, layers of paper, fine but not resinous shavings, or dry moss between each row of plants. in respect to species which do not possess pseudo-bulbs it is absolutely necessary that they be sent at the proper resting season, if forwarded in bulk in boxes. phalænopsis for sending at any time are prepared by collectors in java and the philippines by establishing the plants on blocks. they are almost the only temporarily cultivated orchids which often travel well when so managed, and they are usually sent fastened round the sides and backs of wardian cases, a method which is somewhat costly. terrestrial orchids, such as phaius, calanthes, and others with above-ground pseudo-bulbs, if collected at the proper resting season, travel well packed in cases of moderate size and with a little dry packing material placed between the rows. the danger with these kinds is that the pseudo-bulbs, being soft and containing much moisture, are liable to decay, and a few damaged plants may cause the loss of all contained in the box. tuberous-rooted, terrestrial orchids of the same nature as the british orchis, and including the african disas, and satyriums, also the habenarias of different regions, should be marked when in flower and lifted in the resting season, the tubers being placed in small boxes with a sprinkling of nearly dry sandy peat or sand, run in between the tubers. if there are several different kinds to be forwarded, all the small boxes containing them may be packed together in a larger box. next to the trouble caused by loss in transit is that of having plants arrive without any means of identification. the collector should be careful to write the name of every specimen on an imperishable label, or, better still, send each under a number and forward a numbered list with the names corresponding to the numbers on each kind sent. those who are collecting orchids should, as often as possible, dry specimens of the growth and flowers of each kind, forwarding one set, numbered similarly to the set retained, to their correspondent, or to some authority, for identification. a description or rough sketch of the plant should be given on the same sheet as the dried specimens, stating such important particulars as colour of flowers, altitude of habitat, and exact locality. chapter xvii treatment of imported orchids much depends on the condition of the importations, whether they have been collected at the proper time, and whether they have been properly packed and forwarded. many imported orchids offered for sale cannot possibly do well, as from improper packing they have "heated," or been subjected to excessive heat or cold whilst on board. cases of orchids awaiting transit are often left on the landings in the full sun and become partially desiccated, though while dry still retaining a green appearance. such collectors' failures die rapidly as soon as heat and moisture are given, and, even in the case of those which seem to establish a healthy appearance of the pseudo-bulbs, growth is not possible, as the growth-buds have been dried up. it is waste of time trying to bring such plants round, therefore care should be taken not to purchase them at any price. imported orchids of all kinds should be trimmed over as soon as they are received, the damaged parts removed, and the plants placed in a cool-intermediate temperature after they have been sponged over. they may be suspended for a few days and afterwards placed in small pots of broken crocks. pseudo-bulbous orchids, such as odontoglossums and cattleyas, should not be watered, but they may be sponged occasionally until growth commences, when they should be potted in the usual manner. aërides, saccolabiums, vandas, angræcums, and other orchids not having pseudo-bulbs may be treated in the same way as the pseudo-bulbous kinds, it being probably the safer and more cautious policy. but good results, and a quicker establishment may be secured, if the plants are recoverable by immersing them for five minutes in a rain-water tank immediately on arrival, suspending them head downwards from the roof of the house afterwards, and repeating the dipping two or three times a week. this method has the advantage at least that those which were not recoverable are quickly discovered, while the sound plants soon plump up. with all imported plants there is no use potting them permanently and watering them until growth commences, but they must not be kept too hot in the meantime. chapter xviii odours of orchids many orchids have fragrant flowers, while in some sections the fragrance is emitted by the whole plant. a large number of burmese and indian, highland orchids, such as _dendrobium moschatum_, the section of deciduous bulbophyllums which includes _b. auricomum_, _b. hirtum_, _b. comosum_, and _b. suavissimum_, have leaves that on becoming dry after falling give off a strong odour of newly-mown hay, the plants also in all their parts being similarly scented when dry, even the cases containing them being pleasantly scented by the plants. the odours of orchid flowers may generally be likened to well-known perfumes. _trichopilia suavis_, _miltonia roezlii_, and others are scented like the rose; _odontoglossum odoratum_ and some other odontoglossums, _maxillaria picta_ and other maxillarias, like the hawthorn. certain maxillarias of the _m. luteo-alba_ section are scented like honeysuckle, and odour similar to the tuberose is given off by many angræcums. some have a much stronger odour at night than in the day, a peculiarity which is found in _epidendrum nocturnum_, _e. ciliare_, and many species. vanilla is a common scent in orchids, being present in some vandas. the odour of violets is furnished by _dendrobium heterocarpum_ and others of its class, and the primrose, wallflower, and other common garden plants have their exact imitators in the matter of scent in some tropical orchids--indeed, it is an interesting subject to consider how plants resemble each other in this particular. then there are large numbers of orchids with such delicate odours that some are unable to appreciate them, but they are specially grateful to those who detect them. again, some orchids have different odours at different times in the day. it is not safe, therefore, to declare a plant scentless unless it has been tested repeatedly at different times. variation in odour has been noticed. we remember flowering the first _odontoglossum hebraicum_, and on testing it its odour was of cinnamon. it passed to sir trevor lawrence's collection, and we asked the late mr. spyers to test the odour, and he replied that it was of hawthorn, like others of its class. he tested it several times with the same result, but for some time before it passed off he reported to us that it smelt exactly like cinnamon. then there are odours in orchids about which opinions are divided as to whether they are pleasant or not. _oncidium ornithorhynchum_ is an example; some like the odour of it very much, while it is disagreeable to others. the same applies to anguloas, some lycastes and stanhopeas with strongly aromatic scent, which are pleasant at a distance, but not so when too closely approached. but the majority are distinctly pleasant, _cattleya dowiana_ and its hybrids, _c. eldorado_ and others, being delicately fragrant. a very few are malodorous, _bulbophyllum beccari_ not being tolerable under any circumstances, the flowers smelling like some of the stapelias. chapter xix hybridising and raising seedling orchids a new interest has been added to orchid culture by the pursuit of hybridising and raising seedling orchids, which commenced with _calanthe dominyi_, raised in the nurseries of messrs. veitch and recorded in the _gardeners' chronicle_ in 1858. the practice has now become general, and a large number of orchidists arrange for the production of new orchids from seeds, while even in small collections some attention is given to the matter. when the engrossing pursuit is first taken up, the operator should neglect no opportunity to make himself conversant with the structure of the flowers. this may be done effectually by carefully examining any available flowers, and by making longitudinal sections of the bloom by cutting them in two, commencing at the apex of the column and finishing at the ovary and pedicel. this operation exposes the various organs that are concerned in the fertilisation of the flower. in most orchids, such for instance as lælias and cattleyas, it will be seen that the pollen masses are situated at the apex of the column covered by the anther cap, the stigma being in a cavity in the face of the column beneath it. in cypripedium there are two developed anthers; the viscous pollen masses are not enclosed in cases, but are placed opposite each other; the stigma is a shield-shaped body seen inside the lip on the under side of the column, and the stigmatic surface is not viscous. the details of the structure of the flowers being fully understood, it will readily be seen that the first process in the production of seeds is to fertilise the flower intended to bear the seed capsule with the pollen of the other parent selected. this is readily accomplished by lifting the pollen masses beneath the anther-cap with a thin pencil or sharpened stick and placing them on the stigmatic surface of the seed-bearing parent. flowers which are intended to be fertilised for seed-bearing should have their own pollen carefully removed before the pollen taken from the other plant is introduced, the pollen removed being used to effect the reverse cross, or to fertilise another species if desired. in fertilising small flowers with the pollen of larger species, as in the case of _sophronitis grandiflora_ with the pollinia of the larger species, the pollen masses may be cut and a portion of it used in crossing the smaller flower. when the flower of a plant has been fertilised, the plant should receive special attention; if it is a cattleya, lælia, or one of the large-growing epiphytes, it should, after the pseudo-bulb bearing the flower has had a number attached to it corresponding to the number in the stock-book in which the crosses are recorded, be suspended from the roof in a comfortable and not draughty situation. if the plant is in a pot, the pot should be placed in a basket and suspended; or if a suitable position can be found on the stage, it could be placed on an inverted pot to bring it into prominence and secure for it careful attention. where there is a number of seed-bearing plants, they should be arranged together in the respective houses in which they are grown. early in its development, the seed capsule should be supported by ties, which, however, should not bring it into an unnatural position, or press tightly on the part supported. from this time failure may arise from the conflicting natures of the agents used, or from various causes. even the production of a fine and seemingly mature fruit is not a certain indication of good seeds, for seed capsules have been produced by irritation of the stigmatic surface by grit or dust, but no fertile seeds can be thus produced. on approaching maturity, a tie should be made round the middle of the capsule to prevent loss of seed when the splitting of the capsule takes place, and, when it is thoroughly mature, it should be removed, placed in a flower-pot lined with tissue-paper, and put on a shelf in a dry potting-shed until so thoroughly ripe that the seeds are being shed in the tissue-paper covering. at this stage it is possible for the first time to determine whether the seed, or any of it, is good or not. examination with a strong lens will show whether the minute seeds are good or not by the presence or absence of the embryo in the centre of the elongated covering, which in imperfectly developed specimens is chaff-like and not thickened in the middle as are good seeds. where no good seeds are found, it is the custom of some growers to discard it at once, and where but few good seeds appear, attempts are made to discard the chaff and to retain the supposed good ones for sowing. where space admits, however, especially with the beginner, it would be more prudent to sow a portion of the contents of the capsule, whether supposed to be good or not. seed sowing a number of the seeds of all seed capsules should be sown as soon as they are ready, the remainder being carefully stored for sowing later if required, the seeds sown and those retained being carefully marked with the number in the record book. the manner of sowing the seeds varies in different establishments, satisfactory results having been obtained under very dissimilar conditions. failure at first is the usual record of the amateur taking up orchid hybridisation, although some few get fairly good success from the commencement, while those who have had a run of bad luck usually conquer in the end if they persevere. a scientific reason for some failures has been given, namely, that an endophytic fungus said to be necessary to the development of the freshly germinated seeds is wanting in the early stages, but may be developed naturally after a time, and a better state of growth result. be that as it may, it is a curious fact that the line of demarcation between failure and success in the matter of raising seedling orchids is very narrow, and, when the operator succeeds in raising a fair proportion of the seeds sown, he is generally surprised at his former want of success, apparently under practically similar conditions. formerly the common practice was to sow the seeds on the surface of the material in which the parent plant was growing, or a plant of some kindred variety. this practice has been generally satisfactory and continues in most amateur collections to the present day. a plant in a basket, or suspended pan or pot, is best, the subject being chosen for the good quality of the peat, osmunda fibre, or whatever material the plant may be growing in. the sphagnum-moss on the surface should be clipped very short, the plant thoroughly watered with rain water, and allowed to drain for a few hours. the seeds should be sown a few at a time, on the point of a knife or thin strip of hard wood or ivory, and carefully and evenly distributed over the surface of the material in which the selected plant is growing. in all cases the number of the record in the stock-book should be attached, a small celluloid tablet fastened by a thin wire being the best label, as it is clean and durable. hybrids of lælia, cattleya, and other true epiphytes should be suspended in a warm, intermediate house, and cypripediums and terrestrial orchids may be sown in a similar manner in the pots of either the seed-bearing subject or similar kinds and placed in a moist, sheltered corner of a house, in which a genial warmth is maintained, the plants being elevated on inverted flower-pots. once the seeds are sown, the plants fostering them should never be allowed to get dry. odontoglossum seeds come up best when sown on the surface of established plants in the manner described. to ensure the best results two or three sowings of each should be made, and the plants bearing the freshly sown seeds placed in different parts of the house, some being suspended and others placed on the stage. the maintenance of a continual and even amount of moisture after sowing, and until the seedling plants send forth roots, is of the highest importance. to water either with a spouted or a rose pot overhead would wash the seeds away. to avoid this, some resort to the practice of dipping the plants on which the seeds are sown, allowing the water to reach only to within an inch of the surface of the compost. this is better than watering overhead. spraying with rain-water is an excellent means of securing uniform moisture, although it requires more care and attention than dipping. the sprayer is a great help in all stages of seedling orchid growth, not only as a means of conveying moisture direct, but by spraying around the plants and on the staging it is a great aid to maintaining a moist atmosphere. let the moisture be conveyed in whatever manner it may, it must not be forgotten that the seeds will perish soon after germination if allowed to get quite dry, either from failure of moisture in the material on which they are sown, or from an excessively dry air surrounding them. against the above-mentioned practice of sowing the seeds on established plants, it is urged that in that way there is no certain means of keeping the different crosses from being mixed, by reason of the seeds of one kind getting into the water-tank and being thus conveyed and mixed with others; and by seeds falling from plants suspended overhead and coming up on plants beneath, and in other unexpected places. such acquisitions, though often very acceptable, are puzzling, as there is no record of their origin, or if they come up amongst seeds which have a record, the chance introductions sometimes have a wrong parentage assigned to them. [illustration: plate vi cymbidium lowio-eburneum (this plant has been commended for its culture on two separate occasions by the r.h.s.)] to lessen such risks, it is the custom of some growers to arrange a seed-raising case, constructed like an ordinary propagating case, in form like a miniature lean-to, or span-roofed orchid house. this is arranged over a part of the staging where there is a slight warmth from the hot-water pipes. the staging has a few inches of cocoa-nut fibre, or chopped osmunda fibre, fine ballast, or other moisture-holding substance, and on this a number of inverted flower-pots are closely arranged to form stands for the pots or pans in which the material for sowing the seeds on is placed: or a light, open wood-work staging is arranged. the favourite surface for sowing the seeds on is prepared by stretching a small square of coarse calico or fine light muslin shading material over a ball of sphagnum-moss, and pressing it into a 60 or small 48 size flower-pot, so that the unwrinkled convex surface of the ball has the centre just below the level of the rim of the pots, the sides being lower. these are thoroughly soaked and allowed to drain before sowing the seeds on them, and they are then placed on the inverted pots in the case. the covering of the case is sometimes of the nature of hinged sashes to lift from the front, but the most convenient and best covering is that formed of sheets or panes of glass cut about one foot wide and of a length sufficient to cover the frame, by resting one end on a groove in the front side of the case, and the other on the top bar. a sufficient number of these sheets of glass should be provided to cover the frame; they are excellent, as they give a certain means of continual ventilation in some degree through the laps of the glass, even when closed, and they may be closely or openly arranged to regulate the amount of air admitted. such pieces of glass can easily be removed to inspect the seedlings. what is commonly called "coddling" causes great mortality among orchids, and in this particular the use of seedling cases, if not very carefully and sensibly worked is less likely to be satisfactory than sowing the seeds on plants growing in the houses. too much heat is very harmful. odontoglossums proved difficult to raise at first, and this was mainly because the seedlings were kept too warm and close. if the cultures are carried on in the odontoglossum house, success is generally attained, although the products are seldom so numerous as in cattleya, lælia, and cypripedium hybrids. another plan adopted by some growers, and with tolerable success, is to place squares of osmunda fibre in pans, and after soaking them, sow the seed on them. others have discs of soft wood, such as willow, cut across the grain and placed in flower-pots or pans with the fibre of the wood-grain uppermost; after soaking the discs, the seeds are sown on them. when not raised in glass cases, round or square pieces of glass are placed on the pots. indeed, there is ample evidence that, provided good seeds are sown and placed in a suitable temperature, orchid seeds germinate readily. the first sign of vitality is given by the good seeds assuming a green appearance; in time they become little spherical green bodies, which later produce a growing point; in due course the true root appears, and the little plants are ready for pricking off or transplanting into previously prepared store pots prepared with a good drainage of small crocks or broken charcoal in the bottom, some osmunda fibre or other orchid potting material, and an inch or so of very fine compost formed of decayed leaves, osmunda fibre, or good orchid peat and sphagnum-moss in equal parts, the whole rubbed together through a fine sieve. some add a proportion of sand to this compost. the whole should be thoroughly well watered before the tiny seedlings are placed a quarter of an inch or so apart in small holes in the surface of the compost and sprayed to settle them in position. up to this stage the greatest mortality is observed. wide crosses between species of dissimilar nature, and which have up to the production of the growth point or root appeared to be doing well, having shown that they did not belong to the unfertile, suddenly collapse. those which have taken a long time to germinate have fallen victims to the minute fungi, and other low forms of vegetable organism, which, commencing at one or two spots, have gradually overgrown the surface of the pot and destroyed them. the stronger are often destroyed by small insects, while drip, however carefully guarded against, claims its share of the spoil. these things are specially vexing to the amateur who is working in a small way. to the expert cultivator who has a multitude of subjects in hand, and whose methods and appliances mitigate the evils, the losses are not so serious, for when orchid seeds germinate freely they provide for losses when sown on a large scale. nothing is gained by removing the little seedlings from the seed pot or basket too early. if thriving, they should be left until they are large enough to be handled safely. but where there is overcrowding, or "damping off," or decay from fungus, it is best to remove some or all of the little seedlings in any stage of growth to the store-pots. the store-pots should be returned to the seedling case, or placed on a shelf near the glass in a warm, moist house, where the seedlings should increase in size until they are ready to remove to fresh store-pots, when they may be given more room; or if large enough, they may be placed singly in thimble pots, or three or four seedlings may be placed round the rims of thumb pots. seedling odontoglossums, when large enough to occupy thimble pots, are found to thrive well when the pots are fixed in pans or shallow seed-boxes in sphagnum-moss, and placed on a shelf near the glass in the odontoglossum house, where, like other seedling orchids, they should be lightly sprayed several times each day in fine, warm weather, and as often as may be deemed necessary in colder and dull weather. from the time the little plants are established in small pots until their flowering stage, it is only a matter of ordinary culture, although, as a rule, the small seedlings are safer with four or five degrees more heat than is afforded the established plants. in the matter of growth from the seedling stage to the flowering plant, there is but little need of a resting season, even with species such as are deciduous when mature, although a diminished supply of water may be given for a short time to any which, having completed a growth, show no sign of developing a fresh one. in most cases, a thorough drying, even if it does not destroy a seedling, causes the flowering season to be delayed by a year, or even longer. the careful shading of the seedling house is a very important matter. very young plants do best in a subdued light, and until they are quite strong plants they should not be exposed to direct sunlight. a hot summer often kills even the plants which have been brought satisfactorily through a long winter. it is, therefore, advisable to have on the seedling house, in addition to the lath roller blind, running on supports carrying it well above the glass of the roof, either a second lath roller blind running an inch or so above the glass and beneath the upper one, or a permanent thin cotton shading, which may be tacked on in spring and left until autumn; or, preferably, so fitted that it can be rolled up when it is not required. selection of subjects for hybridising the best varieties procurable should always be selected for hybridising, it having been proved that crosses originally made with indifferent varieties are much finer when raised again from more carefully selected varieties. there seems to be no certain limit to the possibility of crossing; even the most dissimilar genera may be crossed with some probability of getting a successful result. potting material for hybrid orchids from the time the little plants are well established in single pots, the same potting material used for all of their kind may be employed, the plants in the earlier stage having the potting material in a finer condition than that provided for the larger plants as they approach the flowering stage. as with other important operations, in orchid potting and in the material used the practice varies considerably, even in the best collections, and this points to the fact that if the accommodation is good, the houses properly heated, and other details of culture carefully carried out, the exact composition of the potting material is of minor importance. for cattleya and lælia hybrids and a large number of epiphytes grown with them the compost is made by tearing up the materials with the hand, or in some other way which will not break the fibres very much. osmunda fibre forms one-half to two-thirds of the compost, the other third being made up of good sphagnum-moss and oak leaves or other decayed, dryish leaves. we do not recommend leaf-soil or leaf-mould, which was formerly strongly advocated, especially by continental growers, who used it with disastrous results. the most that is done now is to mix a proportion of it with other potting material for lycastes, calanthes, phaius, and similar strong-growing terrestrial orchids. for mixing with the compost for hybrid orchids, some use crushed crocks, sand, charcoal, and a small proportion of each or either may be employed safely, although there is no real need for such materials. polypodium fibre may also be substituted for osmunda fibre, or a proportion of each may be used. orchid peat fibre, which used to be the chief potting material for orchids, is still perhaps as good as any of the other fibres, provided a really good quality can be obtained, a matter which has become increasingly difficult. for cypripediums, and especially selenipediums, a proportion of good, fibrous loam should be added to the compost recommended for epiphytal orchids, the proportion of loam being increased as the plants get larger. phaius, calanthes, zygopetalums, zygocolax, and other plants of a similar character should also have a proportion of loam-fibre in the compost, and in these cases orchid peat may be substituted for osmunda fibre, if it is of good quality. so far as it has been tested, osmunda fibre has an advantage over other fibres, in that it is more durable, retaining its fibre intact longer than any other. osmunda fibre and polypodium fibre in equal proportions, with an addition of leaves and sphagnum-moss, make an excellent material for all young, epiphytal orchids, the finer polypodium fibre, if well worked in, giving substance to the more open osmunda fibre. for very small plants it is well to rub the mixture through a coarse sieve, but after the early stages the use of the sieve should be discontinued, and the compost carefully mixed with the hands. chapter xx enumeration of the principal genera and species in cultivation ~acanthophippium.~--a small genus of terrestrial plants with oblong pseudo-bulbs, and broad, plicate leaves. scape erect, flowers ventricose, yellow and reddish-purple. warm house. pot in equal parts of turfy loam, peat, and leaves. rest dry after the leaves fade and growth is completed. the most familiar species are _a. bicolor_, _a. javanicum_, and _a. striatum_. ~acineta.~--the species of acineta are epiphytal orchids with stout pseudo-bulbs and broad, coriaceous leaves. the flowers are produced in pendulous racemes; they are fleshy, whitish, or yellow, and spotted with purple or brown. they should be grown in baskets suspended in the intermediate house. _a. barkeri_, _a. densa_, and _a. humboldtii_ are free-growing species. ~acropera.~ _see_ ~gongora~. ~ada.~--cool-house genus from colombia. leafy evergreen plants with racemes of orange-scarlet flowers. _ada aurantiaca_ is almost the sole representative of the genus in gardens, and should be grown even in the smallest collections. ~aëranthus.~ _see_ ~angræcum~. ~aërides.~--a large genus of evergreen orchids with distichously arranged, leathery, green leaves, the stem producing air-roots freely. natives of india, the malay archipelago, and other parts of that region, extending to japan. all the species of aërides may be grown in pots, crocked from one-half to two-thirds of the way up, the old stems of the plants, when long, being placed in the pots before the crocks are filled in. the surface should be of good living sphagnum-moss, and the plants should be liberally watered from the end of february or beginning of march until autumn, when the supply of water should be restricted according to the condition of growth of the plants. those which have finished their growth and are not showing new leaves in the centre should be given the least supply, but it is not advisable to dry any off completely, unless for some reason they have to be kept comparatively cool throughout the winter, when they are safest if kept tolerably dry. the smaller species may be grown in baskets with advantage when convenient--indeed, the true epiphytal character of the whole genus would suggest that method as the better, but experience has proved that they may be equally well grown in pots. the warm house, or warm end of the intermediate house, suits all the species, but _a. japonicum_ may be grown in the cool house. most of the species have white and rose-coloured flowers, and they are very fragrant. _a. odoratum_, one of the oldest of garden orchids, is one of the best and most free-growing species. _a. crispum_, _a. crassifolium_, _a. fieldingii_, _a. houlletianum_, _a. falcatum_, _a. lawrenciæ_, _a. multiflorum_ in its many forms, _a. quinquevulnera_, _a. suavissimum_, and _a. virens_ are the best for amateurs. _a. cylindricum_ and _a. vandarum_ have terete leaves like _vanda teres_, the former with white flowers, having a fleshy yellow and red lip, and the latter, which is more membraneous in substance, being white. although often confused with each other in gardens, there is little resemblance between these two species. ~aganisia.~--this genus thrives best in orchid pans in the intermediate house, in the ordinary compost used for epiphytal orchids, with an addition of leaves. place the plants in a moist situation. _a. cærulea_ is of trailing habit, and has blue and white flowers. _a. ionoptera_ is white and purple, and _a. lepida_ white. ~angræcum.~--a large genus chiefly from africa and madagascar, and requiring similar treatment to aërides. botanists have divided the genus into aëranthus, listrostachys, mystacidium, &c., but for garden purposes the one generic title suffices. the flowers of nearly all the species are white and fragrant, many of them being furnished with long, greenish spurs. a representative selection could be made with _a. arcuatum_, _a. ellisii_, _a. humblotii_, _a. infundibulare_, _a. kotschyi_, _a. modestum_, _a. scottianum_, _a. superbum_ (_eburneum_), and _a. sesquipedale_, the last-named madagascar species being the finest of the genus. ~anguloa.~--colombian and peruvian orchids of strong growth, and similar in habit to lycaste. the flowers are usually produced singly on upright stems. pot in two-thirds peat and one-third sphagnum-moss or osmunda fibre. when good loam fibre can be obtained, a small proportion may be added. intermediate house. rest tolerably dry and cool after growth is completed. _a. clowesii_, yellow; _a. ruckeri_, yellow and dark-red; _a. uniflora_ and its variety _eburnea_, white. ~anoectochilus.~--a dwarf genus with fleshy, creeping stems and very handsomely marked leaves. the plants should be grown in shallow orchid pots, using a mixture of one-third peat, and loam and leaves in equal parts well mixed together, adding some finely broken crocks. the plants should be placed in a moist corner, or suspended in a shady part of a warm, moist house. they root along the stems, and may be increased by cutting the leading portions with a root or two and leaving the bases to break into new growth. with the anoectochili, and often under the same generic title, are usually associated _dossinia marmorata_ (_a. lowii_), with broadly ovate, olive-green, veined leaves; _macodes petola_, emerald-green veined with gold; _hæmaria discolor_, dark bronzy-red veined with copper colour, often named _goodyera dawsoniana_, and plants of similar character. the flowers of most of the species are white. they are sometimes grown in plant cases, or under bell glasses, but if the proper position in a warm, moist house can be found, they are better without these coverings. propagation renews the vigour of the plants and prevents them degenerating, as they often do in cultivation if left undisturbed for too long a period. ~ansellia.~--a fine genus of some half-dozen species peculiar to natal and tropical africa, and growing from one to six feet in height, the leafy pseudo-bulbs having at the top fine, branched spikes of yellow flowers, more or less barred or spotted with purple. pot as for epiphytal orchids, and grow in the intermediate house. water the roots liberally until the flowering is past, and then rest the plants in cool and dry conditions. _a. africana_ is not only most commonly grown, but it is one of the finest species. others, some of which are mere varieties of _a. africana_, are _a. confusa_, _a. gigantea_, _a. nilotica_, and _a. congoensis_. ~arachnanthe.~--this is a small genus of warm-house plants possessing extraordinary habits, and including the bornean _a. lowii_ (_vanda lowii_), a very strong-growing species which bears drooping racemes of greenish-white flowers barred with red. the two basal blooms are dissimilar or dimorphic both in shape and colour, being tawny yellow spotted with purple. the plants should be grown in pots or baskets as aërides. other species are _a. cathcartii_ (himalaya) and _a. moschifera_ (malaya). _a. cathcartii_ will thrive in the intermediate house. ~barkeria.~--the barkerias form a section of epidendrums. they should be grown in baskets or suspending pans in the cool intermediate house. they require a dry and cool resting period. ~bartholina.~--the bartholinas are dwarf, terrestrial orchids of south africa. they should be potted in loam, peat, and sand, and cultivated on a greenhouse shelf. rest dry and cool. _b. pectinata_ is the only species in gardens. ~batemannia~ and ~bollea~. _see_ ~zygopetalum~. ~bifrenaria.~--pot these as recommended for epiphytal orchids, and grow them in the intermediate house. _b. harrisoniæ_ is the finest species. others worthy of cultivation are _b. aurantiaca_, _b. bicornaria_, _b. inodora_, _b. tyrianthina_, and _b. vitellina_. ~brassia.~--the brassias are epiphytal orchids of south america, and may be grown in the intermediate house. the most familiar species are _b. brachiata_, _b. caudata_, _b. lawrenceana_, and _b. verrucosa_. ~broughtonia.~--_b. sanguinea_ is a pretty, crimson-flowered species from jamaica. _b. lilacina_ is also a fine species, though rarely seen in gardens. broughtonias should be grown on bare rafts suspended in the warm or intermediate house. ~brassavola.~--a small genus with white, fragrant flowers. _b. digbyana_, a species with large, fringed-lipped flowers, has been much used by the hybridist. brassavolas may be grown with the cattleyas. ~bulbophyllum.~--a widely distributed genus which may be divided into two sections--the deciduous, chiefly burmese, requiring a dry resting season; and the evergreen, which should not be strictly dried off. all the species thrive in a warm, intermediate house, with cooler rest for the deciduous and highland species. the genus is one of the most varied and remarkable, and full collections of them are grown by some amateurs. ~calanthe.~--these are terrestrial orchids, which may be divided into two sections--the evergreen of the _c. veratrifolia_ class; and the deciduous, comprising _c. vestita_, _c. veitchii_, and numerous other species and hybrids which are extensively grown for flowering in winter. pot them in a compost of one-half fibrous loam, one-fourth sphagnum-moss, and one-fourth leaves, with a sprinkling of sand. rest the deciduous section dry after flowering, and repot them when growth commences in spring. water liberally with occasional applications of liquid manure, which should be withheld when the growth is completed. ~catasetum.~--the catasetums are curious, epiphytal orchids, which should be grown in baskets, or orchid pans, suspended in the intermediate house, and treated in a similar manner to the deciduous dendrobiums. they require a long, dry rest after the growths are completed. all the species are worthy of cultivation, _c. bungerothii_, _c. splendens_, and _c. macrocarpa_ being the more showy kinds. ~cattleya.~--one of the largest, most varied, and florally beautiful genera of orchids. the plants should be potted as recommended for epiphytal orchids, and they should be grown in the intermediate house. the _c. labiata_ section, including _c. gaskelliana_, _c. mossiæ_, _c. mendelii_, _c. dowiana_ and its variety _aurea_, _c warscewiczii_, _c. warneri_, and _c. schröderæ_ in succession, produce flowers for the greater part of the year. _c. citrina_ should be grown in the cool house, suspended from the roof. cattleyas and lælias are impatient of a close atmosphere, and therefore the proper ventilation of the house in which they are grown is an important matter. _c. trianæ_, var hydra, is illustrated in plate iv. ~chysis.~--a small genus of intermediate-house epiphytes, comprising _c. bractescens_, white; _c. aurea_ and _c. lævis_, yellow and red; _c. limminghei_, and several hybrids. ~cirrhopetalum.~--a section of bulbophyllum, of similar habit, and requiring similar treatment. the curiously formed flowers frequently have the upper segments fringed, and the lateral ones approached and continued into slender tails. ~cirrhæa.~--allied to gongora, and requiring similar treatment. ~cochlioda.~--a compact-growing genus to be grown with the odontoglossums. _c. noezliana_, scarlet, has been a fine species in the hands of the hybridiser, and in the future may give us "scarlet odontoglossums." _c. vulcanica_ has deep rose-coloured flowers. ~coelia.~--there are several species of coelia, and they require to be grown in the intermediate house. ~coelogyne.~--a very large genus of two distinct sections, that represented by _c. cristata_ being evergreen; the pleione or indian crocus section deciduous, and requiring to be treated as terrestrial orchids, while the larger section are epiphytal. the epiphytal sections are warm and intermediate house plants. the pleiones should be grown in a cool house, and rested quite dry after the leaves fade and until growth again commences. [illustration: plate vii oncidium marshallianum] ~comparettia.~--these are small-growing epiphytes. grow in small baskets or hanging pans in the intermediate house. _c. falcata_, red, _c. macroplectron_, pale rose; spotted; and _c. speciosa_, scarlet, are the best species. ~colax.~--a small genus of cool-house orchids allied to lycaste, and requiring similar treatment. _c. jugosus_ has been crossed with zygopetalums with good results. ~coryanthes.~--these are similar in habit to stanhopea. the plants should be grown in baskets suspended in the intermediate house. the structure of the large, fleshy flowers is most remarkable, and some interesting particulars relating to their fertilisation by insect aid have been recorded in the _gardeners' chronicle_ (july 17, 1897, p. 31). ~cycnoches.~--of similar habit and requirements to catasetum. the plants are best grown in baskets and suspended. they should be rested cool and dry with the deciduous dendrobiums. _c. chlorochilon_ (swan orchid), _c. egertonianum_, _c. loddigesii_, _c. maculatum_, _c. peruvianum_, and _c. pentadactylon_ are fine species. ~cymbidium.~--these are showy, large-growing orchids for the intermediate house or warm conservatory. pot the plants in equal proportions of fibrous loam, peat, and sphagnum-moss. _c. giganteum_, _c. lowianum_, _c. grandiflorum_, and _c. tracyanum_ are the most commonly grown. _c. eburneum_, _c. mastersii_, _c. insigne_, and _c. erythrostylum_ are fine, white species, the latter two with rose markings on the lip. there are numerous hybrids. _c. lowio-eburneum_, a cross from _c. lowianum_, and _c. eburneum_ is illustrated in plate vi. ~cynorchis.~--terrestrial orchids from tropical africa and madagascar, requiring to be grown in the warm house in moist and shady conditions. the flowers are generally of rose colour. ~cypripedium.~--this is one of the largest, most useful, and most prolific genera, which, although commonly known in gardens as cypripedium, may be divided into several distinct classes. most of those generally known in gardens as cypripediums have been termed paphiopedilum, including _c. barbatum_, and _c. rothschildianum_, and the green-leafed class, more commonly known in gardens as selenipedium, are now termed phragmopedilum. the name cypripedium, however, has so firm a hold on cultivators that it is convenient to retain it in gardening handbooks. the cypripediums have very numerous hybrids, and their numbers increase annually. an enumeration is therefore impossible within the scope of this work. all require to be treated as terrestrial orchids, a proportion of fibrous loam (see the chapter on potting terrestrial orchids) being added in proportion to the strength of the subject, the largest proportion being given to the strongest growers. the selenipedium, or green-leafed section, should be potted in fibrous loam, with a sprinkling of leaves and sphagnum-moss. _c. insigne_, _c. spicerianum_, _c. charlesworthii_, and others of the class, also hybrids of them, may be grown in the cool house. _c. rothschildianum_, _c. stonei_, and the whole of that section require the highest temperature, but all may be grown successfully in an intermediate house. _c. insigne sanderæ_ is illustrated in plate i. ~cyrtopodium.~--a strong-growing genus needing to be grown in the intermediate house. the plants should be potted as terrestrial orchids. _c. punctatum_ is the showiest and most easily grown species. ~dendrobium.~--one of the largest and most decorative genera of epiphytal orchids, comprising several hundred species and a large number of hybrids. primarily the genus may be divided into two classes--the evergreen; and the deciduous, which lose their leaves after the completion of the growths, and should have a protracted dry resting season. the evergreen species have a shorter and less rigorous resting season accorded them. the deciduous class is exemplified by _d. nobile_, _d. wardianum_, _d. crassinode_, and the plants associated with them, and their hybrids; and the evergreen species by _d. densiflorum_, _d. farmeri_, and _d. chrysotoxum_. _d. wardianum_, with 264 flowers, is illustrated in plate iii. next, the genus may be divided into two further classes--those requiring a high temperature, such as _d. phalænopsis_, _d. superbum_, _d. atro-violaceum_, &c.; and those which may be grown comparatively cool, which include _d. speciosum_ (an excellent plant for a sunny conservatory), _d. moniliforme_ from japan, _d. aggregatum_, _d. jenkinsii_, and many others. all the species require a high temperature, moist atmosphere, and an abundance of water during the growing season, but should be kept drier and cooler after the growth is completed to prepare them for flowering. the species with pendulous growths should be grown in baskets or suspended pans. ~diacrium.~--a section of epidendrum, with hollow pseudo-bulbs, and white, wax-like flowers. _d. bicornutum_ is a very fine species for the warm house. ~disa.~--a genus of terrestrial orchids from africa, best represented in gardens by the fine scarlet _disa grandiflora_, which, with the others of its section, _d. racemosa_ and _d. tripetaloides_, have produced many beautiful hybrids. these are cool-house plants, and should be potted in a mixture of peat, sphagnum-moss, sand, and loam fibre. they are increased by offsets, and, when repotted soon after the flowering season, the strong growths should be potted on for flowering, and the smaller ones placed together in store pans. free drainage should be provided, and the plants liberally watered until they flower. after this stage, cultivation in a cold frame for a few weeks before repotting and returning the plants to the cool house will benefit them. the _d. graminifolia_ or blue disa section do not increase by stolons. they are heath plants, and should be potted in sandy peat, and kept quite dry when they lose their leaves. ~epidendrum.~--there are over 400 known species of this genus. _e. vitellinum_ is a fine orange-coloured, cool-house species. all may be grown in the intermediate house. _e. o'brienianum_, _e. radicans_, and _e. boundii_ are fine plants for covering the ends of houses and back walls. ~eria.~--an interesting genus, comprising many curious, and some very pretty species. they are epiphytes, and should be grown in the intermediate house. the deciduous species need to be kept dry when at rest. ~eriopsis.~--these are epiphytal orchids from south america. they should be grown in the intermediate house, and they need moisture and shade. _e. biloba_ and _e. rutidobulbon_ are the best-known species. ~eulophia.~--a large genus in which both evergreen and terrestrial plants are represented. grow them in the intermediate house. ~eulophiella.~--the genus includes two species from madagascar, _e. elisabethæ_, white, and _e. peetersiana_, rose. grow them in a moist position of the warm house, giving them a liberal supply of rain-water. ~galeandra.~--these are deciduous epiphytes, needing similar cultivation to catasetum. ~gomeza.~--allied to odontoglossum. the flowers are yellowish, and are produced in racemes. intermediate-house plants. ~gongora.~--intermediate-house orchids, which should be grown in baskets or suspending pans to allow of the full production of their long flower-spikes. ~grammatophyllum.~--a genus of strong-growing epiphytal orchids for the warm house. _g. speciosum_ is a gigantic malayan species. ~grobya.~--brazilian orchids represented by _g. galeata_ and _g. amherstiæ_. intermediate house. ~habenaria.~--terrestrial orchids. _h. militaris_ and _h. rhodocheila_ are bright scarlet; _h. carnea_, flesh colour; _h. susannæ_, _h. bonatea_, and _h. ugandæ_, tall-growing, green and white. the two latter species will grow in a cool house; the others need greater warmth. the north american species are nearly hardy, and may be grown in a frame. ~houlletia.~--fragrant epiphytal orchids from south america. intermediate house. ~ionopsis.~--pretty, slender, white and lilac species. grow in small baskets in the intermediate house. ~lælia.~--one of the largest and showiest genera, great favourites in gardens, and fine subjects in the hands of the hybridiser. the mexican species _l. anceps_, _l. autumnalis_, _l. albida_, &c., used to be allotted a special dryish intermediate house, but they are now usually grown in the intermediate or cattleya house, and rested in a cooler vinery or corridor. all the species require the same treatment as cattleya. ~liparis.~--a genus of dwarf orchids chiefly of botanical interest. intermediate house. ~lissochilus.~--showy terrestrial orchids, chiefly from south and tropical africa. they should be grown in warm or cool conditions according to their habitats. _l. krebsii_ and _l. speciosus_ are two handsome, cool-house species; _l. giganteus_, _l. horsfallii_, and others of this class require a warm house. being marshy plants, they need weak, liquid manure when growing. ~lueddemannia.~--a fine genus of strong, acineta-like growth and pendulous racemes of bronzy-orange coloured flowers. the growths are three to five feet in length. the best species are _l. lehmannii_, _l. pescatorei_, and _l. triloba_. grow in baskets suspended in intermediate house. ~luisia.~--terete-leafed orchids that may be grown in the warm house with the aërides. ~lycaste.~--most of the species thrive in the cool end of the intermediate house. they have been grown successfully in a compost in which decayed leaves formed the principal ingredient, the remainder being either sphagnum-moss, loam fibre, or peat, with a little sand or fine crocks added. in some collections _l. skinneri_ and some of the other species are grown in the cool house. all the species require to be kept as cool as possible in summer. ~masdevallia.~--dwarf, tufted plants, with pretty and varied flowers, from high ranges in south america. they should be grown in the cool or odontoglossum house. pot them in equal proportions of sphagnum-moss and peat, with a little sand and fine crocks. the species of _m. chimæra_ section should be grown in suspending baskets or pans, and given a rather warmer situation than those of the showier _m. harryana_ (_coccinea_) and _m. veitchiana_ sections, being placed in the cool end of the intermediate house in winter. _m. tridactylites_, _m. o'brieniana_, _m. ionocharis_, and many others form an interesting section of dwarf orchids, with singular, insect-like flowers. the masdevallias require to be kept moist all the year, and are benefited by occasional division when being repotted in spring or late summer. ~maxillaria.~--an extensive genus, widely distributed in south america, and extending to the west indies. all the species are intermediate-house plants, requiring the ordinary potting material for epiphytes. the flowers are varied in form and colour from the white _m. grandiflora_ and _m. venusta_ to the large claret-blotched _m. sanderiana_. many of the species have fragrant flowers. ~megaclinium.~--a singular genus from tropical africa, closely allied to bulbophyllum, their chief characteristic being the singular flat rachis of the inflorescence, which bears a single row of insect-like, brownish flowers on each side. _m. bufo_, the type species, is probably not now in gardens. _m. falcatum_ is the commonest, and _m. purpureorachis_, _m. triste_, and several other species are sometimes seen. they should be grown in the warm house in baskets or pans. ~microstylis.~--the species of microstylis should be grown as terrestrial orchids in sphagnum-moss and peat, with fine crocks added. rest the deciduous species in dry and cooler conditions. ~miltonia.~--the miltonias are compact-growing south american epiphytes, to be grown in pans elevated in a sheltered corner of the intermediate house. pot the plants in ordinary material for epiphytal orchids, and surface the compost with living sphagnum-moss. _m. vexillaria_, _m. roezlii_, _m. warscewiczii_, formerly included in odontoglossum, form a section requiring to be grown like odontoglossums, but rather warmer. this section has been found to thrive well with a good proportion of leaves in the compost. _miltonia vexillaria_, "empress victoria," is illustrated in plate ii. ~mormodes.~--grow these with the catasetum and cycnoches, and treat them similarly by resting them dry. the genus is a singular one, the curiously formed, generally fragrant flowers being very attractive. ~neobenthamia.~--_n. gracilis_ is an elegant, white-flowered, slender species from tropical africa, and it should be grown in warm-intermediate temperature. ~nephelaphyllum.~--dwarf, terrestrial species for the warm house. grow with anoectochilus. ~notylia.~--graceful epiphytes for baskets and suspending pans. intermediate house. ~octomeria.~--a genus allied to pleurothallis. the flowers are usually white and rather small. ~odontoglossum.~--the odontoglossums are deservedly the most extensively grown genus of cool-house orchids, the larger proportion of those in gardens being represented by _o. crispum_ (illustrated in plate viii.), one of the most beautiful of orchids. the spotted forms often realise very high prices. cool, moist houses are provided for _o. crispum_ and its section of odontoglossum; in some gardens several houses are allotted to the species. given a suitable house and careful treatment, the odontoglossums are among the easiest orchids to grow, and the most certain to flower. all the species generally classed with _o. crispum_ should be grown in well-drained pots. the compost in which they are grown used to be formed exclusively of orchid peat and sphagnum-moss, and, where these materials can be obtained of good quality they have never been improved upon. there came a craze in some collections for putting the odontoglossums in leaf-soil, which ended in disaster, although it indicated that a proportion of dry leaves (not leaf-soil) may be used in the compost with advantage. scarcity of good orchid peat brought about the introduction of polypodium fibre and osmunda fibre, both excellent materials when prepared as recommended in the chapters on potting epiphytal orchids, and hybrid orchids. for the general repotting of those requiring it september is the best month, but in early spring the plants should be examined in order to repot those which need immediate attention. the odontoglossum house must be kept cool at all seasons, and the necessity to have lower night temperatures must be strictly recognised. free ventilation should be provided, but at all seasons when drying, east winds prevail, especially in winter and early spring, the bottom ventilators should be only opened slightly, the top ones being kept closed; the laps of the glass of the roof will admit sufficient air. moisture should be freely distributed about the house by syringing beneath the staging and between the pots in summer, but in winter the houses, if kept at the prescribed low temperature, will be moist without much water being distributed. _odontoglossum citrosmum_, _o. rossii_, _o. membranaceum_, and some other mexican species should be grown in baskets or pans; _o. coronarium_ and its varieties in oblong baskets; _o. londesboroughianum_ on rafts. odontoglossums require abundance of water, but are easily injured if allowed to get soddened. water should therefore be given systematically--a thorough watering, and no more until the effect of it is passing and the still moist material is sufficiently near the dry point. after flowering, a lessened supply should also be given for a time, but the plants must not be dried off. at this stage it is a good time to repot any requiring to be repotted. in the cool houses, and indeed all the orchid houses, observation should be made as to the rapidity of evaporation of water from the floors and staging. if the moisture evaporates too quickly and the floors and stages become dry rapidly, it must be remembered that the conditions are not favourable to sustaining the vitality of the plants in the house, for, where rapid evaporation takes place, a similar process affects the tissues of the plants. means should be taken, either by lowering the temperature or checking the ventilation, to sustain a lasting humidity in the houses. ~oncidium.~--this is a large genus, most of the members being suitable for cultivation in the intermediate house. _o. macranthum_ is a cool-house plant, and _o. crispum_, _o. forbesii_, _o. concolor_, _o. marshallianum_ (illustrated in plate vii.), _o. varicosum_, and others also do well in the cool house in baskets or suspended pans. _o. papilio_, _o. kramerianum_, _o. lanceanum_, and _o. ampliatum_ should have a position in the warmest end of the intermediate house. pot the plants as epiphytal orchids. withhold water for a time after growth is completed. ~paphinia.~--small-growing epiphytes. grow in baskets or pans in a warm, moist house. [illustration: plate viii odontoglossum crispum] ~phaius.~--strong-growing, terrestrial orchids for the intermediate house. pot them according to the directions in the chapter on the potting of terrestrial orchids. the species are evergreen, and require but a short resting season. they require shade. ~phalænopsis.~--these are warm-house species from the philippines, java, borneo, india, and other places. pot the plants in sphagnum-moss. they succeed best when suspended, but if they are grown on the stage they should be elevated on inverted pots. a moist atmosphere is essential. _p. amabilis rimestadiana_ will grow in the intermediate house; so will also most of the other species, if placed in a moist corner. ~peristeria.~--the genus is best known in gardens by _p. elata_ (dove orchid). the cultivation is similar to that for phaius. ~physosiphon.~--a small genus allied to stelis. _p. loddigesii_ has racemes of orange-coloured flowers. ~platyclinis.~--these are pretty, intermediate-house orchids, with pendulous racemes of white or yellow flowers, generally fragrant. ~pleione.~ _see_ ~coelogyne~. ~pleurothallis.~--a large genus of elegant, dwarf-growing orchids for the intermediate house. ~promenæa.~ _see_ ~zygopetalum~. ~renanthera.~--these showy species are natives of tropical asia and malaya. they should be grown like aërides and vandas. _r. imschootiana_ is a compact, free-growing species, with showy, crimson flowers. ~restrepia.~--a cool-house genus usually grown with the masdevallias, and requiring similar treatment. ~rodriguezia.~--this genus includes the species usually called burlingtonia in gardens. suspend the plants in the intermediate house. _r. secunda_ has rose-coloured flowers; most of the others are white, and they are generally fragrant. ~rhyncostylis.~--these are warm-house plants, which are known usually as saccolabiums in gardens. the commoner species is _r. retusa_, with fine racemes of blush-white flowers, spotted with purple; and the blue _r. coelestis_. the cultivation is similar to aërides. ~saccolabium.~--the saccolabiums should be grown in a warm house like aërides. _s. bigibbum_ and others of its class are pretty, dwarf species, with yellowish flowers spotted with purple and having a white lip. ~sarcanthus.~--allied to saccolabium, and having similar cultural requirements. ~sarcochilus.~--the species of sarcochilus need to be grown in sphagnum-moss in the intermediate house. ~satyrium.~--terrestrial orchids chiefly from south africa, needing greenhouse treatment. the plants must be kept dry during the resting period. ~schomburgkia.~--a strong-growing genus, requiring similar treatment to lælias and cattleyas. the best position for them is a sunny situation in the intermediate house. ~scuticaria.~--the scuticarias are handsome, bulbless species, with long, terete, pendulous leaves, and showy, yellowish flowers, blotched with purple. they should be grown on rafts, or in baskets suspended in the intermediate house. ~selenipedium.~ _see_ ~cypripedium~. ~sobralia.~--the species of sobralia are strong-growing, terrestrial orchids with reed-like stems, requiring abundance of water during the period of growth. intermediate house. _s. macrantha_ and its white variety are best known. ~sophronitis.~--a dwarf genus, best known by _s. grandiflora_, which has scarlet flowers, and has been used for crossing with lælias and cattleyas. all the species are cool-house plants, needing cultivation in pans or baskets suspended from the roof. the hybrids succeed best in the intermediate house. ~spathoglottis.~--terrestrial orchids of similar growth to bletia, requiring a pronounced resting period. intermediate house. rest dry. ~stanhopea.~--a fine genus, with large, pendulous, wax-like flowers of aromatic odour. they should be grown in baskets in the intermediate house. rest rather dry in a cool house or vinery. ~stauropsis.~--stauropsis should be grown with aërides and vandas. the genus is best known in gardens by _s. lissochiloides_ (_vanda batemanii_) and _s. gigantea_. ~stelis.~--the plants in this genus possess similar growth to the dwarf pleurothallis, and require the same treatment. ~stenoglottis.~--_s. fimbriata_ and _s. longifolia_ are south african terrestrial orchids, needing similar conditions to disa. ~tetramicra~ (_leptotes_).--dwarf species with white flowers, having rose labellums. intermediate house. ~thunia.~--a section of phaius with erect, terete stems and deciduous leaves. grow them in a warm and moist house, but keep them cool and dry during the resting period. ~trichocentrum.~--dwarf, evergreen south american orchids. grow in pans suspended in a shady part of the intermediate house. ~trichopilia.~--an ornamental, epiphytal genus, including pilumna, the white, fragrant _t. fragrans_, and its variety _nobilis_, representing that section. _t. suavis_ is one of the showiest species. all are worthy of a place in collections. intermediate house. ~trichosma.~--_trichosma suavis_ is a pretty, cool-house species, with white, fragrant flowers. ~trigonidium.~--there are several curious species of trigonidium, with the sepals usually developed and arranged differently to orchids generally. intermediate house. ~vanda.~--the genus is one of the largest and most interesting, and, like the other large genera, it may be divided into several sections. the largest-growing and best-known species are _v. tricolor_ and _v. suavis_, which have white or yellowish flowers, spotted with purple, and without any distinguishing botanical feature between them. _v. coerulea_ is one of the finest blue orchids; _v. sanderiana_ one of the handsomest; _v. insignis_, _v. lamellata_, _v. denisoniana_, _v. limbata_, and _v. bensonii_ are all desirable kinds. _v. kimballiana_, _v. amesiana_, and _v. watsonii_ form a distinct section, with fleshy leaves and erect spikes of pretty, white flowers, marked with rose in the two first, and requiring to be grown, where possible, in baskets suspended in the intermediate house. _v. teres_, _v. hookeriana_, and their hybrid _v. miss joaquim_, have erect stems, bearing terete leaves, and fine, rose-coloured flowers. _v. alpina_, _v. cristata_, and _v. pumila_ are pretty, dwarf species. all are generally grown together in the warm or east indian house, but it is an open question whether the keeping of these plants and the aërides and saccolabiums continuously in the same house is not the cause of the unsatisfactory condition of many of them in gardens. each section should be watched, and, when growth is completed, a change should be given to a cool, intermediate house for a couple of months. aërides, vandas, and saccolabiums suffer most from being kept too hot and close in winter. after spring opens the amount of heat and moisture should be gradually increased. directly they have flowered, the tall plants which have lost their bottom leaves should be lowered in the pots or baskets by being cut off at the base. dwarf-growing species should be brought well up to the light. _v. coerulea_ grows well under the most dissimilar conditions, and with it, as with many other orchids, there is more in finding a suitable place than in growing the plant. all require to be potted or basketed in sphagnum-moss. some growers add a sprinkling of leaves. the _v. teres_ section may be planted in sphagnum-moss in a warm corner of the house, or against the end of the house. if grown in pots, three or four should be potted together and trained to a stout stick or teak rod. ~zygopetalum.~--under zygopetalum, several distinct sub-genera are included. the largest-growing and showiest species include _z. mackayi_, _z. crinitum_, and other related species. these should be potted in peat, sphagnum-moss, and loam fibre in equal proportions, with a sprinkling of leaves, and fine broken crocks added. during the growing season occasional waterings with weak, liquid manure should be given; and, after flowering, a rest with restricted water supply. those that need repotting should be attended to before growth begins, but they will remain satisfactory for years in the same pots if carefully treated. there are many hybrids, especially of _z. maxillare_, which should be treated like the species. _z. rostratum_ requires a warm, moist house. the promenæas include _p. stapelioides_, _p. rollissoni_, and _p. xanthina_. these should be grown in shallow pans, either for suspending or placing on a shelf near the glass of the roof. ~bollea~, ~huntleya~, ~pescatorea~, ~batemannia~, ~and~ ~warscewiczella~.--these are sectional names for a leafy class, with rudimentary pseudo-bulbs. they are frequently mismanaged. the plants should be grown in the potting materials recommended for epiphytal orchids, and surfaced with sphagnum-moss. being evergreen, and with no superabundant vitality, they should be kept moist all the year, but liberally watered when growing. a moist corner of the intermediate house, or warm house, should be selected for them, each plant being raised on an inverted pan or pot. when grown in the warm house, a rest should be given in a cooler house after growth is completed, but the plants must not be dried off. they may be propagated by division. all require shade. botanically they are placed under zygopetalum. chapter xxi orchid hybrids it is impossible to enumerate the immense number of home-raised hybrids in the scope of this book. it must therefore suffice to name some of the principal genera which have been crossed, and a few of the best hybrids, from the garden point of view. too much cannot be said for the absorbing interest of raising hybrid orchids, which is referred to at length on p. 67. _brassavola digbyana_ has been one of the most satisfactory parents, crossing readily with cattleya and lælia, and imparting to the hybrids its large flowers and fringed lip. _b. glauca_ has also been useful. _brasso-cattleya digbyano-mossiæ_, "westonbirt variety," is illustrated in plate v. calanthes have been wonderfully improved, so far as the deciduous, winter-flowering kinds are concerned, by intercrossing, commencing with _c. veitchii_ (_rosea × vestita_) and now including all shades from pure white to blood-red. cattleya, lælia, sophronitis, and brassavola have produced by intercrossing numerous showy garden plants, some of them, as for example _c. iris_ (_c. bicolor × c. dowiana_) and _lælio-cattleya callistoglossa_ (_c. warscewiczii × l. purpurata_), exhibiting great variation in the colour of their beautiful flowers. cymbidium has been enriched by the hybridist, the section cyperorchis being merged in true cymbidium. _cymbidium lowio-eburneum_ is illustrated in plate vi. dendrobium hybrids are among the most numerous and useful as decorative flowers. epidendrum has produced some satisfactory results, including _e. o'brienianum_ and _epiphronitis veitchii_ (_sophronitis grandiflora × epidendrum radicans_). cypripedium has been so prolific that there are amateurs who cultivate them either exclusively or give the greater part of their accommodation to the genus and its hybrids, which may be numbered by the hundred. species of masdevallia, odontoglossum, lycaste, phaius, and zygopetalum have all been intercrossed, and the number of possible combinations admits of incalculable development, especially as the crossing is not confined to the same genus. plants of distinct genera have been crossed with each other, and in many cases the results have been unexpectedly good, as for example the pretty, scarlet _cochlioda noezliana_, which has been crossed successfully with several genera. such facts as these seem to indicate that there are but few combinations amongst the genera of orchideæ cross-breeders may not attempt with a reasonable hope of success. index acanthophippium, 81 acineta, 81 acropera, 82 adapting ordinary plant-house for orchid culture, 19 aëranthus, 83 aërides, 82 aganisia, 83 angræcum, 83 anguloa, 84 anoectochilus, 84 ansellia, 85 apostasieæ, 6 arachnanthe, 85 barkeria, 86 bartholina, 86 baskets and pots, culture in, 24 batemannia and bollea, 86, 108 bifrenaria, 86 bollea, 108 brassavola, 86 brassia, 86 _brasso-cattleya_ _digbyano-mossiæ_ (plate v.) broughtonia, 86 bulbophyllum, 86 calanthe, 87 calanthe dominyi, the first orchid hybrid, 5, 67 calanthes, deciduous, 38 catasetum, 87 cattleya, 87 _cattleya trianæ_, var. _hydra_ (plate iv.) cattleya fly, the, 48 chysis, 88 cirrhæa, 88 cirrhopetalum, 88 cochlioda, 88 cochlioda noezliana crosses, 110 cockroaches, how to entrap, 50 coelia, 88 coelogyne, 88 colax, 91 collecting wild orchids, 60 comparettia, 88 compost for seedlings, 76-80 conservatory, species for the, 52 coryanthes, 91 cut flowers, to preserve, 56 cycnoches, 91 cymbidium, 91 _cymbidium lowio-eburneum_ (plate vi.) cymbidiums for the conservatory, 54 cynorchis, 91 cypripedium, 91 _cypripedium insigne sanderæ_ (_frontispiece_) cypripediums, structure of, 6 cypripediums for the conservatory, 58 cyrtopodium, 92 dendrobium, 92 _dendrobium wardianum_ (plate iii.) dendrobium from cuttings, 35 diacrium, 93 difficulties to overcome, 8 disa, 93 diseases and insect pests, 47 dossinia marmorata, 84 durability of orchid flowers, 56 enumeration of principal genera, 81 epidendrum, 94 epidendrum boundii, 109 epidendrum o'brienianum, 109 epiphronitis veitchii, 109 eria, 94 eriopsis, 94 eulophia, 94 eulophiella, 94 evaporation from lower stage, 15 evaporation, test, 100 fertilising orchids, 68 floor of natural earth, 9, 15 floor of wood trellis, 9 galeandra, 95 genera and species, 81 glazing, 11 gomeza, 94 gongora, 95 goodyera dawsoniana, 85 grammatophyllum, 95 grobya, 95 habenaria, 95 hæmaria discolor, 84 heating orchid houses, 16 hot-water piping, 16 houlletia, 95 huntleya, 108 hybridising and raising seedlings, 67 importing of orchids, 59 insecticides, 48, 49 introduction, 1 ionopsis, 95 label, the best form of, 31 labelling the plants, 30 lælia, 95 leaves, removal of damaged, 32 leaves, use of, in potting compost, 24, 80, 99 leptotes, 105 liparis, 96 liquid manure, 43 lissochilus, 96 listrostachys, 83 lueddemannia, 96 luisia, 96 lycaste, 96 macodes petola, 84 manures for orchids, 39 masdevallia, 96 maxillaria, 97 megaclinium, 97 metal injurious, 29 microstylis, 97 miltonia, 97 _miltonia vexillaria_ (plate ii.) mormodes, 98 mystacidium, 83 neobenthamia, 98 nephelaphyllum, 98 night temperatures, 17, 18 notylia, 98 octomeria, 98 odontoglossum, 98 _odontoglossum crispum_ (plate viii.) odontoglossum, potting of, 99 odontoglossum seedlings, 71-78 odours of orchids, 65 oncidium, 100 _oncidium marshallianum_ (plate vii.) orchid-collecting, 108 orchid flowers, structure of, 6 orchid house, structure of, 9 orchid house, the single, 19 orchid hybrids, 108 orchid, the first hybrid, 5 orchids as cut flowers, 55 orchids for baskets, 27 orchids for the conservatory, 52 orchids for pans, 27 orchids for villa conservatory, 53 orchids, suspending of, 27 orchids, the earliest introductions of, 3, 4, 5 osmunda fibre, 23, 80, 99 packing, systems of, 61 painting interior of houses, 11 paphinia, 100 paraffin, need for avoiding use of, 49 paths, methods of making, 9 periodical inspection of plants, 50 peristeria, 103 pescatorea, 108 phaius, 100 phalænopsis, 103 physosiphon, 103 plant-houses adapted for orchids, 12-19 platyclinis, 103 pleione, 103 pleurothallis, 103 potting and basketing, methods of, 22 potting material for hybrids, 79 potting, old-time system of, 3 promenæa, 103, 108 propagation by division, 35 rain-water, the value of, 35 raising seedling orchids, 67 renanthera, 103 resting season, the, 37, 44 restrepia, 103 rhyncostylis, 104 rise of orchid culture, 3 rockeries in orchid house, 10 rodriguezia, 103 saccolabium, 104 sarcanthus, 104 sarcochilus, 104 satyrium, 104 scale insects, 49 schomburgkia, 104 scuticaria, 104 seed-raising, case for, 72-75 seed-sowing, 70 seed-storing, 169 seedlings, damping off, 77 seedlings in subdued light, 78 seedlings, affording water to, 72 seeds, orchid, 69 selection of subjects for cross-fertilisation, 79 selenipedium, 92, 104 shading, 21 shading of houses containing seedlings, 78 slugs and woodlice, 50 sobralia, 104 sophronitis, 104 spathoglottis, 105 spraying the plants, 37, 72 staging for the plants, 12 staking or fixing plants, 28 stanhopea, 105 stauropsis, 105 stelis, 105 stenoglottis, 105 structure of the flowers, 6, 67 structure of orchid house, 9 syringing, the need for, 37 tanks for storing water, 9 tar, injurious effects of, 51 tetramicra, 105 temperatures, 17-20 terrestrial species, packing of, 62 thrips, destructiveness of, 48 thunia, 105 treatment of imported plants, 63 trichocentrum, 105 trichopilia, 105 trichosma, 106 trigonidium, 106 useless leaves and pseudo-bulbs, removal of, 31 vanda, 106 vanda batemanii, 105 ventilation, 9 warscewiczella, 108 watering epiphytal species, 35 watering terrestrial species, 38 wire injurious to the plants, 29 zygopetalum, 107 zygopetalum, sections of, 108 the end printed by ballantyne, hanson & co. edinburgh & london file was produced from images generously made available by the digital & multimedia center, michigan state university libraries.) [illustration: vanda sanderiana reduced to one sixth.] about orchids _a chat_ by frederick boyle _with coloured illustrations_ london: chapman and hall, ltd. 1893 [_all rights reserved_] london: printed by gilbert and rivington, limited, st. john's house, clerkenwell, e.c. i inscribe this book to my guide, comforter and friend, joseph godseff. contents. page my gardening 1 an orchid sale 24 orchids 42 cool orchids 60 warm orchids 103 hot orchids 138 the lost orchid 173 an orchid farm 183 orchids and hybridizing 210 list of illustrations. page vanda sanderiana _frontispiece_ odontoglossum crispum alexandræ 67 oncidium macranthum 88 dendrobium brymerianum 127 coelogene pandurata 160 cattleya labiata 173 loelia anceps schroederiana 197 cypripedium (hybridum) pollettianum 210 preface. the purport of this book is shown in the letter following which i addressed to the editor of the _daily news_ some months ago:-"i thank you for reminding your readers, by reference to my humble work, that the delight of growing orchids can be enjoyed by persons of very modest fortune. to spread that knowledge is my contribution to philanthropy, and i make bold to say that it ranks as high as some which are commended from pulpits and platforms. for your leader-writer is inexact, though complimentary, in assuming that any 'special genius' enables me to cultivate orchids without more expense than other greenhouse plants entail, or even without a gardener. i am happy to know that scores of worthy gentlemen--ladies too--not more gifted than their neighbours in any sense, find no greater difficulty. if the pleasure of one of these be due to any writings of mine, i have wrought some good in my generation." with the same hope i have collected those writings, dispersed and buried more or less in periodicals. the articles in this volume are collected--with permission which i gratefully acknowledge--from _the standard_, _saturday review_, _st. james's gazette_, _national review_, and _longman's magazine_. with some pride i discover, on reading them again, that hardly a statement needs correction, for they contain many statements, and some were published years ago. but in this, as in other lore, a student still gathers facts. the essays have been brought up to date by additions--in especial that upon "hybridizing," a theme which has not interested the great public hitherto, simply because the great public knows nothing about it. there is not, in fact, so far as i am aware, any general record of the amazing and delightful achievements which have been made therein of late years. it does not fall within my province to frame such a record. but at least any person who reads this unscientific account, not daunted by the title, will understand the fascination of the study. these essays profess to be no more than chat of a literary man about orchids. they contain a multitude of facts, told in some detail where such attention seems necessary, which can only be found elsewhere in baldest outline if found at all. everything that relates to orchids has a charm for me, and i have learned to hold it as an article of faith that pursuits which interest one member of the cultured public will interest all, if displayed clearly and pleasantly, in a form to catch attention at the outset. savants and professionals have kept the delights of orchidology to themselves as yet. they smother them in scientific treatises, or commit them to dry earth burial in gardening books. very few outsiders suspect that any amusement could be found therein. orchids are environed by mystery, pierced now and again by a brief announcement that something with an incredible name has been sold for a fabulous number of guineas; which passing glimpse into an unknown world makes it more legendary than before. it is high time such noxious superstitions were dispersed. surely, i think, this volume will do the good work--if the public will read it. the illustrations are reduced from those delightful drawings by mr. moon admired throughout the world in the pages of "reichenbachia." the licence to use them is one of many favours for which i am indebted to the proprietors of that stately work. i do not give detailed instructions for culture. no one could be more firmly convinced that a treatise on that subject is needed, for no one assuredly has learned, by more varied and disastrous experience, to see the omissions of the text-books. they are written for the initiated, though designed for the amateur. naturally it is so. a man who has been brought up to business can hardly resume the utter ignorance of the neophyte. unconsciously he will take a certain degree of knowledge for granted, and he will neglect to enforce those elementary principles which are most important of all. nor is the writer of a gardening book accustomed, as a rule, to marshal his facts in due order, to keep proportion, to assure himself that his directions will be exactly understood by those who know nothing. the brief hints in "reichenbachia" are admirable, but one does not cheerfully refer to an authority in folio. messrs. veitch's "manual of orchidaceous plants" is a model of lucidity and a mine of information. repeated editions of messrs. b.s. williams' "orchid growers' manual" have proved its merit, and, upon the whole, i have no hesitation in declaring that this is the most useful work which has come under my notice. but they are all adapted for those who have passed the elementary stage. thus, if i have introduced few remarks on culture, it is not because i think them needless. the reason may be frankly confessed. i am not sure that my time would be duly paid. if this little book should reach a second edition, i will resume once more the ignorance that was mine eight years ago, and as a fellow-novice tell the unskilled amateur how to grow orchids. frederick boyle. north lodge, addiscombe, 1893. about orchids. my gardening. i. the contents of my bungalow gave material for some "legends" which perhaps are not yet universally forgotten. i have added few curiosities to the list since that work was published. my days of travel seem to be over; but in quitting that happiest way of life--not willingly--i have had the luck to find another occupation not less interesting, and better suited to grey hairs and stiffened limbs. this volume deals with the appurtenances of my bungalow, as one may say--the orchid-houses. but a man who has almost forgotten what little knowledge he gathered in youth about english plants does not readily turn to that higher branch of horticulture. more ignorant even than others, he will cherish all the superstitions and illusions which environ the orchid family. enlightenment is a slow process, and he will make many experiences before perceiving his true bent. how i came to grow orchids will be told in this first article. the ground at my disposal is a quarter of an acre. from that tiny area deduct the space occupied by my house, and it will be seen that myriads of good people dwelling in the suburbs, whose garden, to put it courteously, is not sung by poets, have as much land as i. the aspect is due north--a grave disadvantage. upon that side, from the house-wall to the fence, i have forty-five feet, on the east fifty feet, on the south sixty feet, on the west a mere _ruelle_. almost every one who works out these figures will laugh, and the remainder sneer. here's a garden to write about! that area might do for a tennis-court or for a general meeting of mr. frederic harrison's persuasion. you might kennel a pack of hounds there, or beat a carpet, or assemble those members of the cultured class who admire mr. gladstone. but grow flowers--roses--to cut by the basketful, fruit to make jam for a jam-eating household the year round, mushrooms, tomatoes, water-lilies, orchids; those indian jugglers who bring a mango-tree to perfection on your verandah in twenty minutes might be able to do it, but not a consistent christian. nevertheless i affirm that i have done all these things, and i shall even venture to make other demands upon the public credulity. when i first surveyed my garden sixteen years ago, a big cupressus stood before the front door, in a vast round bed one half of which would yield no flowers at all, and the other half only spindlings. this was encircled by a carriage-drive! a close row of limes, supported by more cupressus, overhung the palings all round; a dense little shrubbery hid the back door; a weeping-ash, already tall and handsome, stood to eastward. curiously green and snug was the scene under these conditions, rather like a forest glade; but if the space available be considered and allowance be made for the shadow of all those trees, any tiro can calculate the room left for grass and flowers--and the miserable appearance of both. beyond that dense little shrubbery the soil was occupied with potatoes mostly, and a big enclosure for hens. first i dug up the fine cupressus. they told me such a big tree could not possibly "move;" but it did, and it now fills an out-of-the-way place as usefully as ornamentally. i suppressed the carriage-drive, making a straight path broad enough for pedestrians only, and cut down a number of the trees. the blessed sunlight recognized my garden once more. then i rooted out the shrubbery; did away with the fowl-house, using its materials to build two little sheds against the back fence; dug up the potato-garden--made _tabula rasa_, in fact; dismissed my labourers, and considered. i meant to be my own gardener. but already, sixteen years ago, i had a dislike of stooping. to kneel was almost as wearisome. therefore i adopted the system of raised beds--common enough. returning home, however, after a year's absence, i found my oak posts decaying--unseasoned, doubtless, when put in. to prevent trouble of this sort in future, i substituted drain-pipes set on end; the first of those ideas which have won commendation from great authorities. drain-pipes do not encourage insects. filled with earth, each bears a showy plant--lobelia, pyrethrum, saxifrage, or what not, with the utmost neatness, making a border; and they last eternally. but there was still much stooping, of course, whilst i became more impatient of it. one day a remedy flashed through my mind: that happy thought which became the essence or principle of my gardening, and makes this account thereof worth attention perhaps. why not raise to a comfortable level all parts of the area over which i had need to bend? though no horticulturist, perhaps, ever had such a thought before, expense was the sole objection visible. called away just then for another long absence, i gave orders that no "dust" should leave the house; and found a monstrous heap on my return. the road-contractors supplied "sweepings" at a shilling a load. beginning at the outskirts of my property, i raised a mound three feet high and three feet broad, replanted the shrubs on the back edge, and left a handsome border for flowers. so well this succeeded, so admirably every plant throve in that compost, naturally drained and lifted to the sunlight, that i enlarged my views. the soil is gravel, peculiarly bad for roses; and at no distant day my garden was a swamp, not unchronicled had we room to dwell on such matters. the bit of lawn looked decent only at midsummer. i first tackled the rose question. the bushes and standards, such as they were, faced south, of course--that is, behind the house. a line of fruit-trees there began to shade them grievously. experts assured me that if i raised a bank against these, of such a height as i proposed, they would surely die; i paid no attention to the experts, nor did my fruit-trees. the mound raised is, in fact, a crescent on the inner edge, thirty feet broad, seventy feet between the horns, square at the back behind the fruit-trees; a walk runs there, between it and the fence, and in the narrow space on either hand i grow such herbs as one cannot easily buy--chervil, chives, tarragon. also i have beds of celeriac, and cold frames which yield a few cucumbers in the summer when emptied of plants. not one inch of ground is lost in my garden. the roses occupy this crescent. after sinking to its utmost now, the bank stands two feet six inches above the gravel path. at that elevation they defied the shadow for years, and for the most part they will continue to do so as long as i feel any interest in their well-being. but there is a space, the least important fortunately, where the shade, growing year by year, has got the mastery. that space i have surrendered frankly, covering it over with the charming saxifrage, _s. hypnoides_, through which in spring push bluebells, primroses, and miscellaneous bulbs, while the exquisite green carpet frames pots of scarlet geranium and such bright flowers, movable at will. that saxifrage, indeed, is one of my happiest devices. finding that grass would not thrive upon the steep bank of my mounds, i dotted them over with tufts of it, which have spread, until at this time they are clothed in vivid green the year round, and white as an untouched snowdrift in spring. thus also the foot-wide paths of my rose-beds are edged; and a neater or a lovelier border could not be imagined. with such a tiny space of ground the choice of roses is very important. hybrids take up too much room for general service. one must have a few for colour; but the mass should be teas, noisettes, and, above all, bengals. this day, the second week in october, i can pick fifty roses; and i expect to do so every morning till the end of the month in a sunny autumn. they will be mostly bengals; but there are two exquisite varieties sold by messrs. paul--i forget which of them--nearly as free flowering. these are camoens and mad. j. messimy. they have a tint unlike any other rose; they grow strongly for their class, and the bloom is singularly graceful. the tiny but vexatious lawn was next attacked. i stripped off the turf, planted drain-pipes along the gravel walk, filled in with road-sweepings to the level of their tops, and relaid the turf. it is now a little picture of a lawn. each drain-pipe was planted with a cutting of ivy, which now form a beautiful evergreen roll beside the path. thus as you walk in my garden, everywhere the ground is more or less above its natural level; raised so high here and there that you cannot look over the plants which crown the summit. any gardener at least will understand how luxuriantly everything grows and flowers under such conditions. enthusiastic visitors declare that i have "scenery," and picturesque effects, and delightful surprises, in my quarter-acre of ground! certainly i have flowers almost enough, and fruit, and perfect seclusion also. though there are houses all round within a few yards, you catch but a glimpse of them at certain points while the trees are still clothed. those mounds are all the secret. ii. i was my own gardener, and sixteen years ago i knew nothing whatever of the business. the process of education was almost as amusing as expensive; but that fashion of humour is threadbare. in those early days i would have none of your geraniums, hardy perennials, and such common things. diligently studying the "growers'" catalogues, i looked out, not novelties alone, but curious novelties. not one of them "did any good" to the best of my recollection. impatient and disgusted, i formed several extraordinary projects to evade my ignorance of horticulture. among others which i recollect was an idea of growing bulbs the year round! no trouble with bulbs! you just plant them and they do their duty. a patient friend at kew made me a list of genera and species which, if all went well, should flower in succession. but there was a woeful gap about midsummer--just the time when gardens ought to be brightest. still, i resolved to carry out the scheme, so far as it went, and forwarded my list to covent garden for an estimate of the expense. it amounted to some hundreds of pounds. so that notion fell through. but the patient friend suggested something for which i still cherish his memory. he pointed out that bulbs look very formal mostly, unless planted in great quantities, as may be done with the cheap sorts--tulips and such. an undergrowth of low brightly-coloured annuals would correct this disadvantage. i caught the hint, and i profit by it to this more enlightened day. spring bulbs are still a _spécialité_ of my gardening. i buy them fresh every autumn--but of messrs. protheroe and morris, in cheapside; not at the dealers'. thus they are comparatively inexpensive. after planting my tulips, narcissus, and such tall things, however, i clothe the beds with forget-me-not or _silene pendula_, or both, which keep them green through the winter and form a dense carpet in spring. through it the bulbs push, and both flower at the same time. thus my brilliant tulips, snowy narcissus poeticus, golden daffodils, rise above and among a sheet of blue or pink--one or the other to match their hue--and look infinitely more beautiful on that ground colour. i venture to say, indeed, that no garden on earth can be more lovely than mine while the forget-me-not and the bulbs are flowering together. this may be a familiar practice, but i never met with it elsewhere. another wild scheme i recollect. water-plants need no attention. the most skilful horticulturist cannot improve, the most ignorant cannot harm them. i seriously proposed to convert my lawn into a tank two feet deep lined with roman cement and warmed by a furnace, there to grow tropical nymphæa, with a vague "et cetera." the idea was not so absolutely mad as the unlearned may think, for two of my relatives were first and second to flower _victoria regia_ in the open-air--but they had more than a few feet of garden. the chances go, in fact, that it would have been carried through had i been certain of remaining in england for the time necessary. meanwhile i constructed two big tanks of wood lined with sheet-zinc, and a small one to stand on legs. the experts were much amused. neither fish nor plant, they said, could live in a zinc vessel. they proved to be right in the former case, but utterly wrong in the latter--which, you will observe, is their special domain. i grew all manner of hardy nymphæa and aquatics for years, until my big tanks sprung a leak. having learned by that time the abc, at least, of _terra-firma_ gardening, i did not trouble to have them mended. on the contrary, making more holes, i filled the centre with pampas grass and variegated eulalias, set lady-grass and others round, and bordered the whole with lobelia--renewing, in fact, somewhat of the spring effect. next year, however, i shall plant them with _anomatheca cruenta_--quaintest of flowering grasses, if a grass it must be called. this charming species from south africa is very little known; readers who take the hint will be grateful to me. they will find it decidedly expensive bought by the plant, as growers prefer to sell. but, with a little pressing seed may be obtained, and it multiplies fast. i find _anomatheca cruenta_ hardy in my sheltered garden. the small tank on legs still remains, and i cut a few _nymphæa odorata_ every year. but it is mostly given up to _aponogeton distachyon_--the "cape lily." they seed very freely in the open; and if this tank lay in the ground, long since their exquisite white flowers, so strange in shape and so powerful of scent, would have stood as thick as blades of grass upon it--such a lovely sight as was beheld in the garden of the late mr. harrison, at shortlands. but being raised two feet or so, with a current of air beneath, its contents are frozen to a solid block, soil and all, again and again, each winter. that a cape plant should survive such treatment seems incredible--contrary to all the books. but my established aponogeton do somehow; only the seedlings perish. here again is a useful hint, i trust. but evidently it would be better, if convenient, to take the bulbs indoors before frost sets in. having water thus at hand, it very soon occurred to me to make war upon the slugs by propagating their natural enemies. those banks and borders of _saxifraga hypnoides_, to which i referred formerly, exact some precaution of the kind. much as every one who sees admires them, the slugs, no doubt, are more enthusiastic still. therefore i do not recommend that idea, unless it be supplemented by some effective method of combating a grave disadvantage. my own may not commend itself to every one. each spring i entrust some casual little boy with a pail; he brings it back full of frog-spawn and receives sixpence. i speculate sometimes with complacency how many thousand of healthy and industrious batrachians i have reared and turned out for the benefit of my neighbours. enough perhaps, but certainly no more, remain to serve me--that i know because the slugs give very little trouble in spite of the most favourable circumstances. you can always find frogs in my garden by looking for them, but of the thousands hatched every year, ninety-nine per cent. must vanish. do blackbirds and thrushes eat young frogs? they are strangely abundant with me. but those who cultivate tadpoles must look over the breeding-pond from time to time. my whole batch was devoured one year by "devils"--the larvæ of _dytiscus marginalis_, the plunger beetle. i have benefited, or at least have puzzled my neighbours also by introducing to them another sort of frog. three years ago i bought twenty-five hyloe, the pretty green tree species, to dwell in my odontoglossum house and exterminate the insects. every ventilator there is covered with perforated zinc--to prevent insects getting in; but, by some means approaching the miraculous, all my hyloe contrived to escape. several were caught in the garden and put back, but again they found their way to the open-air; and presently my fruit-trees became vocal. so far, this is the experience of every one, probably, who has tried to keep green frogs. but in my case they survived two winters--one which everybody recollects, the most severe of this generation. my frogs sang merrily through the summer; but all in a neighbour's garden. i am not acquainted with that family; but it is cheering to think how much innocent diversion i have provided for its members. pleasant also it is, by the way, to vindicate the character of green frogs. i never heard them spoken of by gardeners but with contempt. not only do they persist in escaping; more than that, they decline to catch insects, sitting motionless all day long--pretty, if you like, but useless. the fact is, that all these creatures are nocturnal of habit. very few men visit their orchid-houses at night, as i do constantly. they would see the frogs active enough then, creeping with wondrous dexterity among the leaves, and springing like a green flash upon their prey. naturally, therefore, they do not catch thrips or mealy-bug or aphis; these are too small game for the midnight sports-man. wood-lice, centipedes, above all, cockroaches, those hideous and deadly foes of the orchid, are their victims. all who can keep them safe should have green frogs by the score in every house which they do not fumigate. i have come to the orchids at last. it follows, indeed, almost of necessity that a man who has travelled much, an enthusiast in horticulture, should drift into that branch as years advance. modesty would be out of place here. i have had successes, and if it please heaven, i shall win more. but orchid culture is not to be dealt with at the end of an article. iii. in the days of my apprenticeship i put up a big greenhouse: unable to manage plants in the open-air, i expected to succeed with them under unnatural conditions! these memories are strung together with the hope of encouraging a forlorn and desperate amateur here or there; and surely that confession will cheer him. however deep his ignorance, it could not possibly be more finished than mine some dozen years ago; and yet i may say, _je suis arrivé_! what that greenhouse cost, "chilled remembrance shudders" to recall; briefly, six times the amount, at least, which i should find ample now. and it was all wrong when done; not a trace of the original arrangement remains at this time, but there are inherent defects. nothing throve, of course--except the insects. mildew seized my roses as fast as i put them in; camellias dropped their buds with rigid punctuality; azaleas were devoured by thrips; "bugs," mealy and scaly, gathered to the feast; geraniums and pelargoniums grew like giants, but declined to flower. i consulted the local authority who was responsible for the well-being of a dozen gardens in the neighbourhood--an expert with a character to lose, from whom i bought largely. said he, after a thorough inspection: "this concrete floor holds the water; you must have it swept carefully night and morning." that worthy man had a large business. his advice was sought by scores of neighbours like myself. and i tell the story as a warning; for he represents no small section of his class. my plants wanted not less but a great deal more water on that villainous concrete floor. despairing of horticulture indoors as out, i sometimes thought of orchids. i had seen much of them in their native homes, both east and west--enough to understand that their growth is governed by strict law. other plants--roses and so forth--are always playing tricks. they must have this and that treatment at certain times, the nature of which could not be precisely described, even if gardening books were written by men used to carry all the points of a subject in their minds, and to express exactly what they mean. experience alone, of rather a dirty and uninteresting class, will give the skill necessary for success. and then they commit villanies of ingratitude beyond explanation. i knew that orchids must be quite different. each class demands certain conditions as a preliminary: if none of them can be provided, it is a waste of money to buy plants. but when the needful conditions are present, and the poor things, thus relieved of a ceaseless preoccupation, can attend to business, it follows like a mathematical demonstration that if you treat them in such and such a way, such and such results will assuredly ensue. i was not aware then that many defy the most patient analysis of cause and effect. that knowledge is familiar now; but it does not touch the argument. those cases also are governed by rigid laws, which we do not yet understand. therefore i perceived or suspected, at an early date, that orchid culture is, as one may say, the natural province of an intelligent and enthusiastic amateur who has not the technical skill required for growing common plants. for it is brain-work--the other mechanical. but i shared the popular notion--which seems so very absurd now--that they are costly both to purchase and to keep: shared it so ingenuously that i never thought to ask myself how or why they could be more expensive, after the first outlay, than azaleas or gardenias. and meanwhile i was laboriously and impatiently gathering some comprehension of the ordinary plants. it was accident which broke the spell of ignorance. visiting stevens' auction rooms one day to buy bulbs, i saw a _cattleya mossiæ_, in bloom, which had not found a purchaser at the last orchid sale. a lucky impulse tempted me to ask the price. "four shillings," said the invaluable charles. i could not believe it--there must be a mistake: as if charles ever made a mistake in his life! when he repeated the price, however, i seized that precious cattleya, slapped down the money, and fled with it along king street, fearing pursuit. since no one followed, and messrs. stevens did not write within the next few days reclaiming my treasure, i pondered the incident calmly. perhaps they had been selling bankrupt stock, and perhaps they often do so. presently i returned. "charles!" i said, "you sold me a _cattleya mossiæ_ the other day." charles, in shirt-sleeves of course, was analyzing and summing up half a hundred loose sheets of figures, as calm and sure as a calculating machine. "i know i did, sir," he replied, cheerfully. "it was rather dear, wasn't it?" i said. "that's your business, sir," he laughed. "could i often get an established plant of _cattleya mossiæ_ in flower for 4s.?" i asked. "give me the order, and i'll supply as many as you are likely to want within a month." that was a revelation; and i tell the little story because i know it will be a revelation to many others. people hear of great sums paid for orchids, and they fancy that such represent only the extreme limits of an average. in fact, they have no relation whatsoever to the ordinary price. one of our largest general growers, who has but lately begun cultivating those plants, tells me that half-a-crown is the utmost he has paid for cattleyas and dendrobes, one shilling for odontoglots and oncidiums. at these rates he has now a fine collection, many turning up among the lot for which he asks, and gets, as many pounds as the pence he gave. for such are imported, of course, and sold at auction as they arrive. this is not an article on orchids, but on "my gardening," or i could tell some extraordinary tales. briefly, i myself once bought a case two feet long, a foot wide, half-full of odontoglossums for 8s. 6d. they were small bits, but perfect in condition. of the fifty-three pots they made, not one, i think, has been lost. i sold the less valuable some years ago, when established and tested, at a fabulous profit. another time i bought three "strings" of _o. alexandræ_, the pacho variety, which is finest, for 15s. they filled thirty-six pots, some three to a pot, for i could not make room for them all singly. again--but this is enough. i only wish to demonstrate, for the service of very small amateurs like myself, that costliness at least is no obstacle if they have a fancy for this culture: unless, of course, they demand wonders and "specimens." that _cattleya mossiæ_, was my first orchid, bought in 1884. it dwindled away, and many another followed it to limbo; but i knew enough, as has been said, to feel neither surprised nor angry. first of all, it is necessary to understand the general conditions, and to secure them. books give little help in this stage of education; they all lack detail in the preliminaries. i had not the good fortune to come across a friend or a gardener who grasped what was wrong until i found out for myself. for instance, no one told me that the concrete flooring of my house was a fatal error. when, a little disheartened, i made a new one, by glazing that _ruelle_ mentioned in the preliminary survey of my garden, they allowed me to repeat it. ingenious were my contrivances to keep the air moist, but none answered. it is not easy to find a material trim and clean which can be laid over concrete, but unless one can discover such, it is useless to grow orchids. i have no doubt that ninety-nine cases of failure in a hundred among amateurs are due to an unsuitable flooring. glazed tiles, so common, are infinitely worst of all. may my experience profit others in like case! looking over the trade list of a man who manufactures orchid-pots one day, i observed, "sea-sand for garden walks," and the preoccupation of years was dissipated. sea-sand will hold water, yet will keep a firm, clean surface; it needs no rolling, does not show footprints nor muddy a visitor's boots. by next evening the floors were covered therewith six inches deep, and forthwith my orchids began to flourish--not only to live. long since, of course, i had provided a supply of water from the main to each house for "damping down." all round them now a leaden pipe was fixed, with pin-holes twelve inches apart, and a length of indiarubber hose at the end to fix upon the "stand-pipe." attaching this, i turn the cock, and from each tiny hole spurts forth a jet, which in ten minutes will lay the whole floor under water, and convert the house into a shallow pond; but five minutes afterwards not a sign of the deluge is visible. then i felt the joys of orchid culture. much remained to learn--much still remains. we have some five thousand species in cultivation, of which an alarming number demand some difference of treatment if one would grow them to perfection. the amateur does not easily collect nor remember all this, and he is apt to be daunted if he inquire too deeply before "letting himself go." such in especial i would encourage. perfection is always a noble aim; but orchids do not exact it--far from that! the dear creatures will struggle to fulfil your hopes, to correct your errors, with pathetic patience. give them but a chance, and they will await the progress of your education. that chance lies, as has been said, in the general conditions--the degree of moisture you can keep in the air, the ventilation, and the light. these secured, you may turn up the books, consult the authorities, and gradually accumulate the knowledge which will enable you to satisfy the preferences of each class. so, in good time, you may enjoy such a thrill of pleasure as i felt the other day when a great pundit was good enough to pay me a call. he entered my tiny odontoglossum house, looked round, looked round again, and turned to me. "sir," he said, "we don't call this an amateur's collection!" i have jotted down such hints of my experience as may be valuable to others, who, as juvenal put it, own but a single lizard's run of earth. that space is enough to yield endless pleasure, amusement, and indeed profit, if a man cultivate it himself. enthusiast as i am, i would not accept another foot of garden.[1] footnotes: [footnote 1: it is not inappropriate to record that when these articles were published in the _st. james' gazette_, the editor received several communications warning him that his contributor was abusing his good faith--to put it in the mild french phrase. happily, my friend was able to reply that he could personally vouch for the statements.] an orchid sale. shortly after noon on a sale day, the habitual customers of messrs. protheroe and morris begin to assemble in cheapside. on tables of roughest plank round the auction-rooms there, are neatly ranged the various lots; bulbs and sticks of every shape, big and little, withered or green, dull or shining, with a brown leaf here and there, or a mass of roots dry as last year's bracken. no promise do they suggest of the brilliant colours and strange forms buried in embryo within their uncouth bulk. on a cross table stand some dozens of "established" plants in pots and baskets, which the owners would like to part with. their growths of this year are verdant, but the old bulbs look almost as sapless as those new arrivals. very few are in flower just now--july and august are a time of pause betwixt the glories of the spring and the milder effulgence of autumn. some great dendrobes--_d. dalhousianum_--are bursting into untimely bloom, betraying to the initiated that their "establishment" is little more than a phrase. those garlands of bud were conceived, so to speak, in indian forests, have lain dormant through the long voyage, and began to show a few days since when restored to a congenial atmosphere. all our interest concentrates in the unlovely things along the wall. the habitual attendants at an auction-room are always somewhat of a family party, but, as a rule, an ugly one. it is quite different with the regular group of orchid-buyers. no black sheep there. a dispute is the rarest of events, and when it happens everybody takes for granted that the cause is a misunderstanding. the professional growers are men of wealth, the amateurs men of standing at least. all know each other, and a cheerful familiarity rules. we have a duke in person frequently, who compares notes and asks a hint from the authorities around; some clergymen; gentry of every rank; the recognized agents of great cultivators, and, of course, the representatives of the large trading firms. so narrow even yet is the circle of orchidaceans that almost all the faces at a sale are recognized, and if one wish to learn the names, somebody present can nearly always supply them. there is reason to hope that this will not be the case much longer. as the mysteries and superstitions environing the orchid are dispersed, our small and select throng of buyers will be swamped, no doubt; and if a certain pleasing feature of the business be lost, all who love the flower and their fellow-men alike will cheerfully submit. the talk is of orchids mostly, as these gentlemen stroll along the tables, lifting a root and scrutinizing it with practised glance that measures its vital strength in a second. but nurserymen take advantage of the gathering to show any curious or striking flower they chance to have at the moment. mr. bull's representative goes round, showing to one and another the contents of a little box--a lovely bloom of _aristolochia elegans_, figured in dark red on white ground like a sublime cretonne--and a new variety of impatiens; he distributes the latter presently, and gentlemen adorn their coats with the pale crimson flower. excitement does not often run so high as in the times, which most of those present can recall, when orchids common now were treasured by millionaires. steam, and the commercial enterprise it fosters, have so multiplied our stocks, that shillings--or pence, often enough--represent the guineas of twenty years back. there are many here, scarcely yet grey, who could describe the scene when _masdevallia tovarensis_ first covered the stages of an auction-room. its dainty white flowers had been known for several years. a resident in the german colony at tovar, new granada, sent one plant to a friend at manchester, by whom it was divided. each fragment brought a great sum, and the purchasers repeated this operation as fast as their morsels grew. thus a conventional price was established--one guinea per leaf. importers were few in those days, and the number of tovars in south america bewildered them. at length messrs. sander got on the track, and commissioned mr. arnold to solve the problem. arnold was a man of great energy and warm temper. legend reports that he threw up the undertaking once because a gun offered him was second-hand; his prudence was vindicated afterwards by the misfortune of a _confrère_, poor berggren, whose second-hand gun, presented by a belgian employer, burst at a critical moment and crippled him for life. at the very moment of starting, arnold had trouble with the railway officials. he was taking a quantity of sphagnum moss in which to wrap the precious things, and they refused to let him carry it by passenger train. the station-master at waterloo had never felt the atmosphere so warm, they say. in brief, this was a man who stood no nonsense. a young fellow-passenger showed much sympathy while the row went on, and arnold learned with pleasure that he also was bound for caraccas. this young man, whose name it is not worth while to cite, presented himself as agent for a manufacturer of birmingham goods. there was no need for secrecy with a person of that sort. he questioned arnold about orchids with a blank but engaging ignorance of the subject, and before the voyage was over he had learned all his friend's hopes and projects. but the deception could not be maintained at caraccas. there arnold discovered that the hardware agent was a collector and grower of orchids sufficiently well known. he said nothing, suffered his rival to start, overtook him at a village where the man was taking supper, marched in, barred the door, sat down opposite, put a revolver on the table, and invited him to draw. it should be a fair fight, said arnold, but one of the pair must die. so convinced was the traitor of his earnestness--with good reason, too, as arnold's acquaintances declare--that he slipped under the table, and discussed terms of abject surrender from that retreat. so, in due time, messrs. sander received more than forty thousand plants of _masdevallia tovarensis_--sent them direct to the auction-room--and drove down the price in one month from a guinea a leaf to the fraction of a shilling. other great sales might be recalled, as that of _phaloenopsis sanderiana_ and _vanda sanderiana_, when a sum as yet unparalleled was taken in the room; _cypripedium spicerianum_, _cyp. curtisii_, _loelia anceps alba_. rarely now are we thrilled by sensations like these. but 1891 brought two of the old-fashioned sort, the reappearance of _cattleya labiata autumnalis_ and the public sale of _dendrobium phaloenopsis schroderianum_. the former event deserves a special article, "the lost orchid;" but the latter also was most interesting. messrs. sander are the heroes of both. _dendrobium ph. schroederianum_ was not quite a novelty. the authorities of kew obtained two plants from an island in australasia a good many years ago. they presented a piece to mr. lee of leatherhead, and another to baron schroeder; when mr. lee's grand collection was dispersed, the baron bought his plant also, for £35, and thus possessed the only specimens in private hands. his name was given to the species. under these conditions, the man lucky and enterprising enough to secure a few cases of the dendrobium might look for a grand return. it seemed likely that new guinea would prove to be its chief habitat, and thither mr. micholitz was despatched. he found it without difficulty, and collected a great number of plants. but then troubles began. the vessel which took them aboard caught fire in port, and poor micholitz escaped with bare life. he telegraphed the disastrous news, "ship burnt! what do?" "go back," replied his employer. "too late. rainy season," was the answer. "go back!" mr. sander repeated. back he went. this was in dutch territory. "well," writes mr. micholitz, "there is no doubt these are the meanest people on earth. on my telling them that it was very mean to demand anything from a shipwrecked man, they gave me thirty per cent. deduction on my passage"--201 dollars instead of 280 dollars. however, he reached new guinea once more and tried fresh ground, having exhausted the former field. again he found the dendrobiums, of better quality and in greater number than before. but they were growing among bones and skeletons, in the graveyard of the natives. those people lay their dead in a slight coffin, which they place upon the rocks just above high tide, a situation which the dendrobes love. mr. micholitz required all his tact and all his most attractive presents before he could persuade the papuans to let him even approach. but brass wire proved irresistible. they not only suffered him to disturb the bones of their ancestors, but even helped him to stow the plunder. one condition they made: that a favourite idol should be packed therewith; this admitted, they performed a war dance round the cases, and assisted in transporting them. all went well this time, and in due course the tables were loaded with thousands of a plant which, before the consignment was announced, had been the special glory of a collection which is among the richest of the universe. there were two memorable items in this sale: the idol aforesaid and a skull to which one of the dendrobes had attached itself. both were exhibited as trophies and curiosities, not to be disposed of; but by mistake, the idol was put up. it fetched only a trifle--quite as much as it was worth, however. but hon. walter de rothschild fancied it for his museum, and on learning what had happened mr. sander begged the purchaser to name his own price. that individual refused. it was a great day indeed. very many of the leading orchid-growers of the world were present, and almost all had their gardeners or agents there. such success called rivals into the field, but new guinea is a perilous land to explore. only last week we heard that mr. white, of winchmore hill, has perished in the search for _dendrobium ph. schroederianum_. i mentioned the great sale of _cyp. curtisi_ just now. an odd little story attaches to it. mr. curtis, now director of the botanic gardens, penang, sent this plant home from sumatra when travelling for messrs. veitch, in 1882. the consignment was small, no more followed, and _cyp. curtisi_ became a prize. its habitat was unknown. mr. sander instructed his collector to look for it. five years the search lasted--with many intermissions, of course, and many a success in discovering other fine things. but mr. ericksson despaired at last. in one of his expeditions to sumatra he climbed a mountain--it has been observed before that one must not ask details of locality when collecting orchid legends. so well known is this mountain, however, that the government, dutch i presume, has built a shelter for travellers upon it. there mr. ericksson put up for the night. several europeans had inscribed their names upon the wall, with reflections and sentiments, as is the wont of people who climb mountains. among these, by the morning light, mr. ericksson perceived the sketch of a cypripedium, as he lay upon his rugs. it represented a green flower, white tipped, veined and spotted with purple, purple of lip. "_curtisi_, by jove!" he cried, in his native swedish, and jumped up. no doubt of it! beneath the drawing ran: "c.c.'s contribution to the adornment of this house." whipping out his pencil, mr. ericksson wrote: "contribution accepted. cypripedium collected!--c.e." but day by day he sought the plant in vain. his cases filled with other treasures. but for the hope that sketch conveyed, long since he would have left the spot. after all, mr. curtis might have chosen the flower by mere chance to decorate the wall. the natives did not know it. so orders were given to pack, and next day mr. ericksson would have withdrawn. on the very evening, however, one of his men brought in the flower. a curious story, if one think, but i am in a position to guarantee its truth. of another class, but not less renowned in its way, was the sale of march 11th last year. it had been heavily advertised. a leading continental importer announced the discovery of a new odontoglossum. no less than six varieties of type were employed to call public attention to its merits, and this was really no extravagant allowance under the circumstances alleged. it was a "grand new species," destined to be a "gem in the finest collections," a "favourite," the "most attractive of plants." its flowers were wholly "tinged with a most delicate mauve, the base of the segment and the lip of a most charming violet"--in short, it was "the blue odontoglossum" and well deserved the title _coeleste_. and the whole stock of two hundred plants would be offered to british enthusiasm. no wonder the crowd was thick at messrs. protheroe's room on that march morning. few leading amateurs or growers who could not attend in person were unrepresented. at the psychological moment, when eagerness had reached the highest pitch, an orchid was brought in and set before them. those experienced persons glanced at it and said, "very nice, but haven't you an _odontoglossum coeleste_ to show?" the unhappy agent protested that this was the divine thing. no one would believe at first; the joke was too good--to put it in that mild form. when at length it became evident that this grand new species, heavenly gem, &c., was the charming but familiar _odontoglossum ramossissimum_, such a tumult of laughter and indignation arose, that messrs. protheroe quashed the sale. a few other instances of the kind might be given but none so grand. the special interest of the sale to us lies in some novelties collected by mr. edward wallace in parts unknown, and he is probably among us. mr. wallace has no adventures in particular to relate this time, but he tells, with due caution, where and how his treasures were gathered in south america. there is a land which those who have geographical knowledge sufficient may identify, surrounded by the territories of peru, ecuador, colombia, venezuela, and brazil. it is traversed by some few indian tribes, and no collector hitherto had penetrated it. mr. wallace followed the central line of mountains from colombia for a hundred and fifty miles, passing a succession of rich valleys described as the loveliest ever seen by this veteran young traveller, such as would support myriads of cattle. league beyond league stretches the "pajadena grass," pasturage unequalled; but "the wild herds that never knew a fold" are its only denizens. here, on the mountain slopes, mr. wallace found _bletia sherrattiana_, the white form, very rare; another terrestrial orchid, unnamed and, as is thought, unknown, which sends up a branching spike two feet to three feet high, bearing ten to twelve flowers, of rich purple hue, in shape like a sobralia, three and four inches across; and yet another of the same family, growing on the rocks, and "looking like masses of snow on the hill-side." such descriptions are thrilling, but these gentlemen receive them placidly; they would like to know, perhaps, what is the reserve price on such fine things, and what the chance of growing them to a satisfactory result. dealers have a profound distrust of novelties, especially those of terrestrial genus; and their feeling is shared, for a like reason, by most who have large collections. mr. burbidge estimates roughly that we have fifteen hundred to two thousand species and varieties of orchid in cultivation; a startling figure, which almost justifies the belief of those who hold that no others worth growing will be found in countries already explored. but beyond question there are six times this number in existence, which collectors have not taken the trouble to gather. the chances, therefore, are against any new thing. many species well known show slight differences of growth in different localities. upon the whole, regular orchidaceans prefer that some one else should try experiments, and would rather pay a good price, when assured that it is worth their while, than a few shillings when the only certainty is trouble and the strong probability is failure. mr. wallace has nothing more to tell of the undiscovered country. the indians received him with composure, after he had struck up friendship with an old woman, and for the four days of his stay made themselves both useful and agreeable in their fashion. the auctioneer has been chatting among his customers. he feels an interest in his wares, as who would not that dealt in objects of the extremest beauty and fascination? to him are consigned occasionally plants of unusual class, which the owner regards as unique, and expects to sell at the fanciest of prices. unique indeed they must be which can pass unchallenged the ordeal of those keen and learned eyes. _plumeria alba_, for instance, may be laid before them, and by no inexperienced horticulturist, with such a "reserve" as befits one of the most exquisite flowers known, and the only specimen in england. but a quiet smile goes round, and a gentleman present offers, in an audible whisper, to send in a dozen of that next week at a fraction of the price. so pleasant chat goes on, until, at the stroke of half-past twelve, the auctioneer mounts his rostrum. first to come before him are a hundred lots of _odontoglossum crispum alexandræ_, described as of "the very best type, and in splendid condition." for the latter point everyone present is able to judge, and for the former all are willing to accept the statements of vendors. the glossy bulbs are clean as new pins, with the small "eye" just bursting among their roots; but nobody seems to want _odontoglossum alexandræ_ in particular. one neat little bunch is sold for 11s., which will surely bear a wreath of white flowers, splashed with red brown, in the spring--perhaps two. and then bidding ceases. the auctioneer exclaims, "does anybody want any _crispums_?" and instantly passes by the ninety-nine lots remaining. it would mislead the unlearned public, and would not greatly interest them, to go through the catalogue of an orchid sale and quote the selling price of every lot. from week to week the value of these things fluctuates--that is, of course, of bulbs imported and unestablished. various circumstances effect it, but especially the time of year. they sell best in spring, when they have months of light and sun before them, in which to recover from the effects of a long voyage and uncomfortable quarters. the buyer must make them grow strong before the dark days of an english winter are upon him; and every month that passes weakens his chance. in august it is already late; in september, the periodical auctions ceased until lately. some few consignments will be received, detained by accident, or forwarded by persons who do not understand the business. that instance of _odontoglossum alexandræ_ shows well enough the price of orchids this month, and the omission of all that followed illustrates it. the same lots would have been eagerly contested at twice the sum in april. but those who want that queenliest of flowers may get it for shillings at any time. the reputation of the importer, and his assurance that the plants belong to the very best type, give these more value than usual. he will try his luck once more perhaps this season; and then he will pot the bulbs unsold to offer them as "established" next year. _oncidium luridum_ follows the odontoglots, a broad-leaved, handsome orchid, which the untrained eye might think to have no pseudo-bulb at all. this species always commands a sale, if cheap, and ten shillings is a reasonable figure for a piece of common size. if all go well, it may throw out a branching spike six or seven feet long next summer, with--such a sight has been offered--several hundred blooms, yellow, brown and orange, _oncidium juncifolium_, which comes next, is unknown to us, and probably to others; no offer is made for its reed-like growths described as "very free blooming all the year round, with small yellow flowers." _epidendrum bicornutum_, on the other hand, is very well known and deeply admired, when seen; but this is an event too rare. the description of its exquisite white blossoms, crimson spotted on the lip, is still rather a legend than a matter of eye-witness. somebody is reported to have grown it for some years "like a cabbage;" but his success was a mystery to himself. at kew they find no trouble in certain parts of a certain house. most of these, however, are fine growths, and the average price should be 12s. 6d. to 15s. compare such figures with those that ruled when the popular impression of the cost of orchids was forming. i have none at hand which refer to the examples mentioned, but in the cases following, one may safely reckon shillings at the present day for pounds in 1846. that year, i perceive, such common species as _barkeria spectabilis_ fetched 5l. to 17l. each; _epidendrum stamfordianum_, five guineas; _dendrobium formosum_, fifteen guineas; _aerides maculosum_, _crispum_ and _odoratum_ 20l., 21l., and 16l., respectively. no one who understands orchids will believe that the specimens which brought such monstrous prices were superior in any respect to those we now receive, and he will be absolutely sure that they were landed in much worse condition. but the average cost of the most expensive at the present day might be 30s., and only a large piece would fetch that sum. it is astonishing to me that so few people grow orchids. every modern book on gardening tells how five hundred varieties at least, the freest to flower and assuredly as beautiful as any, may be cultivated without heat for seven or eight months of the year. it is those "legends," i have spoken of which deter the public from entertaining the notion. an afternoon at an orchid sale would dispel them. orchids. there is no room to deal with this great subject historically, scientifically, or even practically, in the space of a chapter. i am an enthusiast, and i hold some strong views, but this is not the place to urge them. it is my purpose to ramble on, following thoughts as they arise, yet with a definite aim. the skilled reader will find nothing to criticize, i hope, and the indifferent, something to amuse. those amiable theorists who believe that the resources of nature, if they be rightly searched, are able to supply every wholesome want the fancy of man conceives, have a striking instance in the case of orchids. at the beginning of this century, the science of floriculture, so far as it went, was at least as advanced as now. under many disadvantages which we escape--the hot-air flue especially, and imperfect means of ventilation--our fore-fathers grew the plants known to them quite as well as we do. many tricks have been discovered since, but for lasting success assuredly our systems are no improvement. men interested in such matters began to long for fresh fields, and they knew where to look. linnæus had told them something of exotic orchids in 1763, though his knowledge was gained through dried specimens and drawings. one bulb, indeed--we spare the name--showed life on arrival, had been planted, and had flowered thirty years before, as mr. castle shows. thus horticulturists became aware, just when the information was most welcome, that a large family of plants unknown awaited their attention; plants quite new, of strangest form, of mysterious habits, and beauty incomparable. their notions were vague as yet, but the fascination of the subject grew from year to year. whilst several hundred species were described in books, the number in cultivation, including all those gathered by sir joseph banks, and our native kinds, was only fifty. kew boasted no more than one hundred and eighteen in 1813; amateurs still watched in timid and breathless hope. gradually they came to see that the new field was open, and they entered with a rush. in 1830 a number of collections still famous in the legends of the mystery are found complete. at the orchid conference, mr. o'brien expressed a "fear that we could not now match some of the specimens mentioned at the exhibitions of the horticultural society in chiswick gardens between 1835 and 1850;" and extracts which he gave from reports confirm this suspicion. the number of species cultivated at that time was comparatively small. people grew magnificent "specimens" in place of many handsome pots. we read of things amazing to the experience of forty years later. among the contributions of mrs. lawrence, mother to our "chief," sir trevor, was an aerides with thirty to forty flower spikes; a cattleya with twenty spikes; an _epidendrum bicornutum_, difficult to keep alive, much more to bloom, until the last few years, with "many spikes;" an oncidium, "bearing a head of golden flowers four feet across." giants dwelt in our greenhouses then. so the want of enthusiasts was satisfied. in 1852 mr. b.s. williams could venture to publish "orchids for the million," a hand-book of world-wide fame under the title it presently assumed, "the orchid grower's manual." an occupation or amusement the interest of which grows year by year had been discovered. all who took trouble to examine found proof visible that these masterworks of nature could be transplanted and could be made to flourish in our dull climate with a regularity and a certainty unknown to them at home. the difficulties of their culture were found to be a myth--we speak generally, and this point must be mentioned again. the "million" did not yet heed mr. williams' invitation, but the ten thousand did, heartily. i take it that orchids meet a craving of the cultured soul which began to be felt at the moment when kindly powers provided means to satisfy it. people of taste, unless i err, are tiring of those conventional forms in which beauty has been presented in all past generations. it may be an unhealthy sentiment, it may be absurd, but my experience is that it exists and must be taken into account. a picture, a statue, a piece of china, any work of art, is eternally the same, however charming. the most one can do is to set it in different positions, different lights. théophile gautier declared in a moment of frank impatience that if the transfiguration hung in his study, he would assuredly find blemishes therein after awhile--quite fanciful and baseless, as he knew, but such, nevertheless, as would drive him to distraction presently. i entertain a notion, which may appear very odd to some, that gautier's influence on the æsthetic class of men has been more vigorous than that of any other teacher; thousands who never read a line of his writing are unconsciously inspired by him. the feeling that gave birth to his protest nearly two generations since is in the air now. those who own a collection of art, those who have paid a great sum for pictures, will not allow it, naturally. as a rule, indeed, a man looks at his fine things no more than at his chairs and tables. but he who is best able to appreciate good work, and loves it best when he sees it, is the one who grows restless when it stands constantly before him. "oh, that those lips had language!" cried cowper. "oh, that those lovely figures would combine anew--change their light--do anything, anything!" cries the æsthete after awhile. "oh, that the wind would rise upon that glorious sea; the summer green would fade to autumn yellow; that night would turn to day, clouds to sunshine, or sunshine to clouds." but the _littera scripta manet_--the stroke of the brush is everlasting. apollo always bends the bow in marble. one may read a poem till it is known by heart, and in another second the familiar words strike fresh upon the ear. painters lay a canvas aside, and presently come to it, as they say, with a new eye; but a purchaser once seized with this desperate malady has no such refuge. after putting his treasure away for years, at the first glance all his satiety returns. i myself have diagnosed a case where a fine drawing by gerôme grew to be a veritable incubus. it is understood that the market for pictures is falling yearly. i believe that the growth of this dislike to the eternal stillness of a painted scene is a chief cause of the disaster. it operates among the best class of patrons. for such men orchids are a blessed relief. fancy has not conceived such loveliness, complete all round, as theirs--form, colour, grace, distribution, detail, and broad effect. somewhere, years ago--in italy perhaps, but i think at the taylor institution, oxford--i saw the drawings made by rafaelle for leo x. of furniture and decoration in his new palace; be it observed in parenthesis, that one who has not beheld the master's work in this utilitarian style of art has but a limited understanding of his supremacy. among them were idealizations of flowers, beautiful and marvellous as fairyland, but compared with the glory divine that dwells in a garland of _odontoglossum alexandræ_, artificial, earthy. illustrations of my meaning are needless to experts, and to others words convey no idea. but on the table before me now stands a wreath of _oncidium crispum_ which i cannot pass by. what colourist would dare to mingle these lustrous browns with pale gold, what master of form could shape the bold yet dainty waves and crisps and curls in its broad petals, what human imagination could bend the graceful curve, arrange the clustering masses of its bloom? all beauty that the mind can hold is there--the quintessence of all charm and fancy. were i acquainted with an atheist who, by possibility, had brain and feeling, i would set that spray before him and await reply. if solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like a lily of the field, the angels of heaven have no vesture more ethereal than the flower of the orchid. let us take breath. many persons indifferent to gardening--who are repelled, indeed, by its prosaic accompaniments, the dirt, the manure, the formality, the spade, the rake, and all that--love flowers nevertheless. for such these plants are more than a relief. observe my oncidium. it stands in a pot, but this is only for convenience--a receptacle filled with moss. the long stem feathered with great blossoms springs from a bare slab of wood. no mould nor peat surrounds it; there is absolutely nothing save the roots that twine round their support, and the wire that sustains it in the air. it asks no attention beyond its daily bath. from the day i tied it on that block last year--reft from home and all its pleasures, bought with paltry silver at stevens' auction rooms--i have not touched it save to dip and to replace it on its hook. when the flowers fade, thither it will return, and grow and grow, please heaven, until next summer it rejoices me again; and so, year by year, till the wood rots. then carefully i shall transfer it to a larger perch and resume. probably i shall sever the bulbs without disturbing them, and in seasons following two spikes will push--then three, then a number, multiplying and multiplying when my remotest posterity is extinct. that is, so nature orders it; whether my descendants will be careful to allow her fair play depends on circumstances over which i have not the least control. for among their innumerable claims to a place apart among all things created, orchids may boast immortality. said sir trevor lawrence, in the speech which opened our famous congress, 1885: "i do not see, in the case of most of them, the least reason why they should ever die. the parts of the orchideæ are annually reproduced in a great many instances, and there is really no reason they should not live for ever unless, as is generally the case with them in captivity, they be killed by errors in cultivation." sir trevor was addressing an assemblage of authorities--a parterre of kings in the empire of botany--or he might have enlarged upon this text. the epiphytal orchid, to speak generally, and to take the simple form, is one body with several limbs, crowned by one head. its circulation pulsates through the whole, less and less vigorously, of course, in the parts that have flowered, as the growing head leaves them behind. at some age, no doubt, circulation fails altogether in those old limbs, but experience does not tell me distinctly as yet in how long time the worn-out bulbs of an oncidium or a cattleya, for example, would perish by natural death. one may cut them off when apparently lifeless, even beginning to rot, and under proper conditions--it may be a twelvemonth after--a tiny green shoot will push from some "eye," withered and invisible, that has slept for years, and begin existence on its own account. thus, i am not old enough as an orchidacean to judge through how many seasons these plants will maintain a limb apparently superfluous. their charming disposition is characterized above all things by caution and foresight. they keep as many strings to their bow, as many shots in their locker, as may be, and they keep them as long as possible. the tender young head may be nipped off by a thousand chances, but such mishaps only rouse the indomitable thing to replace it with two, or even more. beings designed for immortality are hard to kill. among the gentle forms of intellectual excitement i know not one to compare with the joy of restoring a neglected orchid to health. one may buy such for coppers--rare species, too--of a size and a "potentiality" of display which the dealers would estimate at as many pounds were they in good condition on their shelves. i am avoiding names and details, but it will be allowed me to say, in brief, that i myself have bought more than twenty pots for five shillings at the auction-rooms, not twice nor thrice either. one half of them were sick beyond recovery, some few had been injured by accident, but by far the greater part were victims of ignorance and ill-treatment which might still be redressed. orchids tell their own tale, whether of happiness or misery, in characters beyond dispute. mr. o'brien alleged, indeed, before the grave and experienced signors gathered in conference, that "like the domestic animals, they soon find out when they are in hands that love them. with such a guardian they seem to be happy, and to thrive, and to establish an understanding, indicating to him their wants in many important matters as plainly as though they could speak." and the laugh that followed this statement was not derisive. he who glances at the endless tricks, methods, and contrivances devised by one or other species to serve its turn may well come to fancy that orchids are reasoning things. at least, many keep the record of their history in form unmistakable. here is a cattleya which i purchased last autumn, suspecting it to be rare and valuable, though nameless; i paid rather less than one shilling. the poor thing tells me that some cruel person bought it five years ago--an imported piece, with two pseudo-bulbs. they still remain, towering like columns of old-world glory above an area of shapeless ruin. to speak in mere prose--though really the conceit is not extravagant--these fine bulbs, grown in their native land, of course, measure eight inches high by three-quarters of an inch diameter. in the first season, that _malheureux_ reduced their progeny to a stature of three and a half inches by the foot-rule; next season, to two inches; the third, to an inch and a half. by this time the patient creature had convinced itself that there was something radically wrong in the circumstances attending its normal head, and tried a fresh departure from the stock--a "back growth," as we call it, after the fashion i have described. in the third year then, there were two heads. in the fourth year, the chief of them had dwindled to less than one inch and the thickness of a straw, while the second struggled into growth with pain and difficulty, reached the size of a grain of wheat, and gave it up. needless to say that the wicked and unfortunate proprietor had not seen trace of a bloom. then at length, after five years' torment, he set it free, and i took charge of the wretched sufferer. forthwith he began to show his gratitude, and at this moment--the summer but half through--his leading head has regained all the strength lost in three years, while the back growth, which seemed dead, outtops the best bulb my predecessor could produce. and i have perhaps a hundred in like case, cripples regaining activity, victims rescued on their death-bed. if there be a placid joy in life superior to mine, as i stroll through my houses of a morning, much experience of the world in many lands and many circumstances has not revealed it to me. and any of my readers can attain it, for--in no conventional sense--i am my own gardener; that is to say, no male being ever touches an orchid of mine. one could hardly cite a stronger argument to demolish the superstitions that still hang around this culture. if a busy man, journalist, essayist, novelist, and miscellaneous _littérateur_, who lives by his pen, can keep many hundreds of orchids in such health that he is proud to show them to experts--with no help whatsoever beyond, in emergency, that which ladies of his household, or a woman-servant give--if he can do this, assuredly the pursuit demands little trouble and little expense. i am not to lay down principles of cultivation here, but this must be said: orchids are indifferent to detail. there lies a secret. secure the general conditions necessary for their well-doing, and they will gratefully relieve you of further anxiety; neglect those general conditions, and no care will reconcile them. the gentleman who reduced my cattleya to such straits gave himself vast pains, it is likely, consulted no end of books, did all they recommend; and now declares that orchids are unaccountable. it is just the reverse. no living things follow with such obstinate obedience a few most simple laws; no machine produces its result more certainly, if one comply with the rules of its being. this is shown emphatically by those cases which we do not clearly understand; i take for example the strangest, as is fitting. some irreverent zealots have hailed the phaloenopsis as queen of flowers, dethroning our venerable rose. i have not to consider the question of allegiance, but decidedly this is, upon the whole, the most interesting of all orchids in the cultivator's point of view. for there are some genera and many species that refuse his attentions more or less stubbornly--in fact, we do not yet know how to woo them. but the phaloenopsis is not among them. it gives no trouble in the great majority of cases. for myself, i find it grow with the calm complacency of the cabbage. yet we are all aware that our success is accidental, in a measure. the general conditions which it demands are fulfilled, commonly, in any stove where east indian plants flourish; but from time to time we receive a vigorous hint that particular conditions, not always forthcoming, are exacted by phaloenopsis. many legends on this theme are current; i may cite two, notorious and easily verified. the authorities at kew determined to build a special house for the genus, provided with every comfort which experience or scientific knowledge could suggest. but when it was opened, six or eight years ago, not a phaloenopsis of all the many varieties would grow in it; after vain efforts, mr. thiselton dyer was obliged to seek another use for the building, which is now employed to show plants in flower. sir trevor lawrence tells how he laid out six hundred pounds for the same object with the same result. and yet one may safely reckon that this orchid does admirably in nine well-managed stoves out of ten, and fairly in nineteen out of twenty. nevertheless, it is a maxim with growers that phaloenopsis should never be transferred from a situation where they are doing well. their hooks are sacred as that on which horace suspended his lyre. nor could a reasonable man think this fancy extravagant, seeing the evidence beyond dispute which warns us that their health is governed by circumstances more delicate than we can analyze at present. it would be wrong to leave the impression that orchid culture is actually as facile as market gardening, but we may say that the eccentricities of phaloenopsis and the rest have no more practical importance for the class i would persuade than have the terrors of the deep for a thames water-man. how many thousand householders about this city have a "bit of glass" devoted to geraniums and fuchsias and the like! they started with more ambitious views, but successive disappointments have taught modesty, if not despair. the poor man now contents himself with anything that will keep tolerably green and show some spindling flower. the fact is, that hardy plants under glass demand skilful treatment--all their surroundings are unnatural, and with insect pest on one hand, mildew on the other, an amateur stands betwixt the devil and the deep sea. under those circumstances common plants become really capricious--that is, being ruled by no principles easy to grasp and immutable in operation, their discomfort shows itself in perplexing forms. but such species of orchids as a poor man would think of growing are incapable of pranks. for one shilling he can buy a manual which will teach him what these species are, and most of the things necessary for him to understand besides. an expenditure of five pounds will set him up for life and beyond--since orchids are immortal. nothing else is needed save intelligence. not even heat, since his collection will be "cool" naturally; if frost be excluded, that is enough. i should not have ventured to say this some few years ago--before, in fact, i had visited st. albans. but in the cool house of that palace of enchantment with which mr. sander has adorned the antique borough, before the heating arrangements were quite complete though the shelves were occupied, often the glass would fall very low into the thirties. i could never learn distinctly that mischief followed, though mr. godseff did not like it at all. one who beheld the sight when those fields of odontoglossum burst into bloom might well entertain a doubt whether improvement was possible. there is nothing to approach it in this lower world. i cannot forbear to indicate one picture in the grand gallery. fancy a corridor four hundred feet long, six wide, roofed with square baskets hanging from the glass as close as they will fit. suspend to each of these--how many hundreds or thousands has never been computed--one or more garlands of snowy flowers, a thicket overhead such as one might behold in a tropic forest, with myriads of white butterflies clustering amongst the vines. but imagination cannot bear mortal man thus far. "upon the banks of paradise" those "twa clerks" may have seen the like; yet, had they done so their hats would have been adorned not with "the birk," but with plumes of _odontoglossum citrosmum_. i have but another word to say. if any of the class to whom i appeal incline to let "i dare not wait upon i would," hear the experience of a bold enthusiast, as recounted by mr. castle in his small brochure, "orchids." this gentleman had a fern-case outside his sitting-room window, six feet long by three wide. he ran pipes through it, warmed presumably by gas. more ambitious than i venture to recommend, "in this miniature structure," says mr. castle, "with liberal supplies of water, the owner succeeded in growing, in a smoky district of london"--i will not quote the amazing list of fine things, but it numbers twenty-five species, all the most delicate and beautiful of the stove kinds. if so much could be done under such circumstances, what may rightly be called difficult in the cultivation of orchids? cool orchids. this is a subject which would interest every cultured reader, i believe, every householder at least, if he could be brought to understand that it lies well within the range of his practical concerns. but the public has still to be persuaded. it seems strange to the expert that delusions should prevail when orchids are so common and so much talked of; but i know by experience that the majority of people, even among those who love their garden, regard them as fantastic and mysterious creations, designed, to all seeming, for the greater glory of pedants and millionaires. i try to do my little part, as occasion serves, in correcting this popular error, and spreading a knowledge of the facts. it is no less than a duty. if every human being should do what he can to promote the general happiness, it would be downright wicked to leave one's fellow-men under the influence of hallucinations that debar them from the most charming of quiet pleasures. i suspect also that the misapprehension of the public is largely due to the conduct of experts in the past. it was a rule with growers formerly, avowed among themselves, to keep their little secrets. when mr. b.s. williams published the first edition of his excellent book forty years ago, he fluttered his colleagues sadly. the plain truth is that no class of plant can be cultivated so easily, as none are so certain to repay the trouble, as the cool orchids. nearly all the genera of this enormous family have species which grow in a temperate climate, if not in the temperate zone. at this moment, in fact, i recall but two exceptions, vanda and phaloenopsis. many more there are, of course--half a dozen have occurred to me while i wrote the last six words--but in the small space at command i must cling to generalities. we have at least a hundred genera which will flourish anywhere if the frost be excluded; and as for species, a list of two thousand would not exhaust them probably. but a reasonable man may content himself with the great classes of odontoglossum, oncidium, cypripedium, and lycaste; among the varieties of these, which no one has ventured to calculate perhaps, he may spend a happy existence. they have every charm--foliage always green, a graceful habit, flowers that rank among the master works of nature. the poor man who succeeds with them in his modest "bit of glass" has no cause to envy dives his flaunting cattleyas and "fox-brush" aerides. i should like to publish it in capitals--that nine in ten of those suburban householders who read this book may grow the loveliest of orchids if they can find courage to try. odontoglossums stand first, of course--i know not where to begin the list of their supreme merits. it will seem perhaps a striking advantage to many that they burst into flower at any time, as they chance to ripen. i think that the very perfection of culture is discounted somewhat in this instance. the gardener who keeps his plants at the _ne plus ultra_ stage brings them all into bloom within the space of a few weeks. thus in the great collections there is such a show during april, may, and june as the gardens of paradise could not excel, and hardly a spike in the cool houses for the rest of the year. at a large establishment this signifies nothing; when the odontoglossums go off other things "come on" with equal regularity. but the amateur, with his limited assortment, misses every bloom. he has no need for anxiety with this genus. it is their instinct to flower in spring, of course, but they are not pedantic about it in the least. some tiny detail overlooked here and there, absolutely unimportant to health, will retard florescence. it might very well happen that the owner of a dozen pots had one blooming every month successively. and that would mean two spikes open, for, with care, most odontoglossums last above four weeks. another virtue, shared by others of the cool class in some degree, is their habit of growing in winter. they take no "rest;" all the year round their young bulbs are swelling, graceful foliage lengthening, roots pushing, until the spike demands a concentration of all their energy. but winter is the most important time. i think any man will see the peculiar blessing of this arrangement. it gives interest to the long dull days, when other plant life is at a standstill. it furnishes material for cheering meditations on a sunday morning--is that a trifle? and at this season the pursuit is joy unmixed. we feel no anxious questionings, as we go about our daily business, whether the _placens uxor_ forgot to remind mary, when she went out, to pull the blinds down; whether mary followed the instructions if given; whether those confounded patent ventilators have snapped to again. green fly does not harass us. one syringing a day, and one watering per week suffice. truly these are not grave things, but the issue at stake is precious: we enjoy the boon of relief proportionately. very few of those who grow odontoglossums know much about the "trade," or care, seemingly. it is a curious subject, however. the genus is american exclusively. it ranges over the continent from the northern frontier of mexico to the southern frontier of peru, excepting, to speak roughly, the empire of brazil. this limitation is odd. it cannot be due to temperature simply, for, upon the one hand, we receive sophronitis, a very cool genus, from brazil, and several of the coolest cattleyas; upon the other, _odontoglossum roezlii_, a very hot species, and _o. vexillarium_, most decidedly warm, flourish up to the boundary. why these should not step across, even if their mountain sisters refuse companionship with the sophronitis, is a puzzle. elsewhere, however, they abound. collectors distinctly foresee the time when all the districts they have "worked" up to this will be exhausted. but south america contains a prodigious number of square miles, and a day's march from the track carries one into _terra incognita_. still, the end will come. the english demand has stripped whole provinces, and now all the civilized world is entering into competition. we are sadly assured that odontoglossums carried off will not be replaced for centuries. most other genera of orchid propagate so freely that wholesale depredations are made good in very few years. for reasons beyond our comprehension as yet, the odontoglossum stands in different case. no one in england has raised a plant from seed--that we may venture to say definitely. mr. cookson and mr. veitch, perhaps others also, have obtained living germs, but they died incontinently. frenchmen, aided by the climate, have been rather more successful. mm. bleu and moreau have both flowered seedling odontoglots. m. jacob, who takes charge of m. edmund de rothschild's orchids at armainvilliers, has a considerable number of young plants. the reluctance of odontoglots to propagate is regarded as strange; it supplies a constant theme for discussion among orchidologists. but i think that if we look more closely it appears consistent with other facts known. for among importations of every genus but this--and cypripedium--a plant bearing its seed-capsules is frequently discovered; but i cannot hear of such an incident in the case of odontoglossums. they have been arriving in scores of thousands, year by year, for half a century almost, and scarcely anyone recollects observing a seed-capsule. this shows how rarely they fertilize in their native home. when that event happens, the odontoglossum is yet more prolific than most, and the germs, of course, are not so delicate under their natural conditions. but the moral to be drawn is that a country once stripped will not be reclothed. i interpolate here a profound observation of mr. roezl. that wonderful man remarked that odontoglossums grow upon branches thirty feet above the ground. it is rare to find them at thirty-five feet, rarer at twenty-five; at greater and less heights they do not exist. here, doubtless, we have the secret of their reluctance to fertilize; but i will offer no comments, because the more one reflects the more puzzling it becomes. evidently the seed must be carried above and must fall below that limit, under circumstances which, to our apprehension, seem just as favourable as those at the altitude of thirty feet. but they do not germinate. upon the other hand, odontoglossums show no such daintiness of growth in our houses. they flourish at any height, if the general conditions be suitable. mr. roezl discovered a secret nevertheless, and in good time we shall learn further. to the royal horticultural society of england belongs the honour of first importing orchids methodically and scientifically. messrs. weir and fortune, i believe, were their earliest employés. another was theodor hartweg, who discovered _odontoglossum crispum alexandræ_ in 1842; but he sent home only dried specimens. from these lindley described and classed the plant, aided by the sketch of a spanish or peruvian artist, tagala. a very curious mistake lindley fell into on either point. the scientific error does not concern us, but he represented the colouring of the flower as yellow with a purple centre. so tagala painted it, and his drawing survives. it is an odd little story. he certainly had hartweg's bloom before him, and that certainly was white. but then again yellow alexandræs have been found since that day. to the horticultural society we are indebted, not alone for the discovery of this wonder, but also for its introduction. john weir was travelling for them when he sent living specimens in 1862. it is not surprising that botanists thought it new after what has been said. as such mr. bateman named it after the young princess of wales--a choice most appropriate in every way. [illustration: odontoglossum crispum alexandrae flower reduced to one fourth flower stem to one sixth] then a few wealthy amateurs took up the business of importation, such as the duke of devonshire. but "the trade" came to see presently that there was money in this new fashion, and imported so vigorously that the society found its exertions needless. messrs. rollisson of tooting, messrs. veitch of chelsea, and messrs. low of clapton distinguished themselves from the outset. of these three firms one is extinct; the second has taken up, and made its own, the fascinating study of hybridization among orchids; the third still perseveres. twenty years ago, nearly all the great nurserymen in london used to send out their travellers; but they have mostly dropped the practice. correspondents forward a shipment from time to time. the expenses of the collector are heavy, even if he draw no more than his due--and the temptation to make up a fancy bill cannot be resisted by some weak mortals. then, grave losses are always probable--in the case of south american importations, certain. it has happened not once but a hundred times that the toil of months, the dangers, the sufferings, and the hard money expended go to absolute waste. twenty or thirty thousand plants or more an honest man collects, brings down from the mountains or the forests, packs carefully, and ships. the freight alone may reach from three to eight hundred pounds--i have personally known instances when it exceeded five hundred. the cases arrive in england--and not a living thing therein! a steamship company may reduce its charge under such circumstances, but again and again it will happen that the speculator stands out of a thousand pounds clean when his boxes are opened. he may hope to recover it on the next cargo, but that is still a question of luck. no wonder that men whose business is not confined to orchids withdrew from the risks of importation, returning to roses and lilies and daffodowndillies with a new enthusiasm. there is another point also, which has varying force with different characters. the loss of life among those men who "go out collecting" has been greater proportionately, than in any class of which i have heard. in former times, at least, they were chosen haphazard, among intelligent and trustworthy employés of the firm. trustworthiness was a grand point, for reasons hinted. the honest youth, not very strong perhaps in an english climate, went bravely forth into the unhealthiest parts of unhealthy lands, where food is very scarce, and very, very rough; where he was wet through day after day, for weeks at a time; where "the fever," of varied sort, comes as regularly as sunday; where from month to month he found no one with whom to exchange a word. i could make out a startling list of the martyrs of orchidology. among mr. sander's collectors alone, falkenberg perished at panama, klaboch in mexico, endres at rio hacha, wallis in ecuador, schroeder in sierra leone, arnold on the orinoco, digance in brazil, brown in madagascar. sir trevor lawrence mentions a case where the zealous explorer "waded for a fortnight up to his middle in mud," searching for a plant he had heard of. i have not identified this instance of devotion, but we know of rarities which would demand perseverance and sufferings almost equal to secure them. if employers could find the heart to tempt a fellow-creature into such risks, the chances are that it would prove bad business. for to discover a new or valuable orchid is only the first step in a commercial enterprise. it remains to secure the "article," to bring it safely into a realm that may be called civilized, to pack it and superintend its transport through the sweltering lowland to a shipping place. if the collector sicken after finding his prize, these cares are neglected more or less; if he die, all comes to a full stop. thus it happens that the importing business has been given up by one firm after another. odontoglossums, as i said, belong to america--to the mountainous parts of the continent in general. though it would be wildly rash to pronounce which is the loveliest of orchids, no man with eyes would dispute that _o. crispum alexandræ_ is the queen of this genus. she has her home in the states of colombia, and those who seek her make bogota their headquarters. if the collector wants the broad-petalled variety, he goes about ten days to the southward before commencing operations; if the narrow-petalled, about two days to the north--on mule-back of course. his first care on arrival in the neighbourhood--which is unexplored ground, if such he can discover--is to hire a wood; that is, a track of mountain clothed more or less with timber. i have tried to procure one of these "leases," which must be odd documents; but orchid-farming is a close and secret business. the arrangement concluded in legal form, he hires natives, twenty or fifty or a hundred, as circumstances advise, and sends them to cut down trees, building meantime a wooden stage of sufficient length to bear the plunder expected. this is used for cleaning and drying the plants brought in. afterwards, if he be prudent, he follows his lumber-men, to see that their indolence does not shirk the big trunks--which give extra trouble naturally, though they yield the best and largest return. it is a terribly wasteful process. if we estimate that a good tree has been felled for every three scraps of odontoglossum which are now established in europe, that will be no exaggeration. and for many years past they have been arriving by hundreds of thousands annually! but there is no alternative. an european cannot explore that green wilderness overhead; if he could, his accumulations would be so slow and costly as to raise the proceeds to an impossible figure. the natives will not climb, and they would tear the plants to bits. timber has no value in those parts as yet, but the day approaches when government must interfere. the average yield of _odontoglossum crispum_ per tree is certainly not more than five large and small together. once upon a time mr. kerbach recovered fifty-three at one felling, and the incident has grown into a legend; two or three is the usual number. upon the other hand, fifty or sixty of _o. gloriosum_, comparatively worthless, are often secured. the cutters receive a fixed price of sixpence for each orchid, without reference to species or quality. when his concession is exhausted, the traveller overhauls the produce carefully, throwing away those damaged pieces which would ferment in the long, hot journey home, and spoil the others. when all are clean and dry, he fixes them with copper wire on sticks, which are nailed across boxes for transport. long experience has laid down rules for each detail of this process. the sticks, for example, are one inch in diameter, fitting into boxes two feet three inches wide, two feet deep, neither more nor less. then the long file of mules sets out for bogota, perhaps ten days' march, each animal carrying two boxes--a burden ridiculously light, but on such tracks it is dimension which has to be considered. on arrival at bogota, the cases are unpacked and examined for the last time, restowed, and consigned to the muleteers again. in six days they reach honda, on the magdalena river, where, until lately, they were embarked on rafts for a voyage of fourteen days to savanilla. at the present time, an american company has established a service of flat-bottomed steamers which cover the distance in seven days, thus reducing the risks of the journey by one-half. but they are still terrible. not a breath of wind stirs the air at that season, for the collector cannot choose his time. the boxes are piled on deck; even the pitiless sunshine is not so deadly as the stewing heat below. he has a store of blankets to cover them, on which he lays a thatch of palm-leaves, and all day long he souses the pile with water; but too well the poor fellow knows that mischief is busy down below. another anxiety possesses him too. it may very well be that on arrival at savanilla he has to wait days in that sweltering atmosphere for the royal mail steamer. and when it comes in, his troubles do not cease, for the stowage of the precious cargo is vastly important. on deck it will almost certainly be injured by salt water. in the hold it will ferment. amidships it is apt to be baked by the engine fire. whilst writing i learn that mr. sander has lost two hundred and sixty-seven cases by this latter mishap, as is supposed. so utterly hopeless is their condition, that he will not go to the expense of overhauling them; they lie at southampton, and to anybody who will take them away all parties concerned will be grateful. the expense of making this shipment a reader may judge from the hints given. the royal mail company's charge for freight from manzanilla is 750l. i could give an incident of the same class yet more startling with reference to phaloenopsis. it is proper to add that the most enterprising of assurance companies do not yet see their way to accept any kind of risks in the orchid trade; importers must bear all the burden. to me it seems surprising that the plants can be sold so cheap, all things considered. many persons think and hope that prices will fall, and that may probably happen with regard to some genera. but the shrewdest of those very shrewd men who conduct the business all look for a rise. _od. harryanum_ always reminds me--in such an odd association of ideas as everyone has experienced--of a thunderstorm. the contrast of its intense brown blotches with the azure throat and the broad, snowy lip, affect me somehow with admiring oppression. very absurd; but _on est fait comme ça_, as nana excused herself. to call this most striking flower "harryanum" is grotesque. the public is not interested in those circumstances which give the name significance for a few, and if there be any flower which demands an expressive title, it is this, in my judgment. possibly it was some indian report which had slipped his recollection that led roezl to predict the discovery of a new odontoglot, unlike any other, in the very district where _od. harryanum_ was found after his death, though the story is quoted as an example of that instinct which guides the heaven-born collector. the first plants came unannounced in a small box sent by señor pantocha, of colombia, to messrs. horsman in 1885, and they were flowered next year by messrs. veitch. the dullest who sees it can now imagine the excitement when this marvel was displayed, coming from an unknown habitat. roezl's prediction occurred to many of his acquaintance, i have heard; but mr. sander had a living faith in his old friend's sagacity. forthwith he despatched a collector to the spot which roezl had named--but not visited--and found the treasure. the legends of orchidology will be gathered one day, perhaps; and if the editor be competent, his volume should be almost as interesting to the public as to the cognoscenti. i have been speaking hitherto of colombian odontoglossums, which are reckoned among the hardiest of their class. along with them, in the same temperature, grow the cool masdevallias, which probably are the most difficult of all to transport. there was once a grand consignment of _masdevallia schlimii_, which mr. roezl despatched on his own account. it contained twenty-seven thousand plants of this species, representing at that time a fortune. mr. roezl was the luckiest and most experienced of collectors, and he took special pains with this unique shipment. among twenty-seven thousand two bits survived when the cases were opened; the agent hurried them off to stevens's auction-rooms, and sold them forthwith at forty guineas each. but i must stick to odontoglossums. speculative as is the business of importing the northern species, to gather those of peru and ecuador is almost desperate. the roads of colombia are good, the population civilized, conveniences abound, if we compare that region with the orchid-bearing territories of the south. there is a fortune to be secured by anyone who will bring to market a lot of _o. noeveum_ in fair condition. its habitat is perfectly well known. i am not aware that it has a delicate constitution; but no collector is so rash or so enthusiastic as to try that adventure again, now that its perils are understood; and no employer is so reckless as to urge him. the true variety of _o. hallii_ stands in much the same case. to obtain it the explorer must march in the bed of a torrent and on the face of a precipice alternately for an uncertain period of time, with a river to cross about every day. and he has to bring back his loaded mules, or indians, over the same pathless waste. the roraima mountain begins to be regarded as quite easy travel for the orchid-hunter nowadays. if i mention that the canoe-work on this route demands thirty-two portages, thirty-two loadings and unloadings of the cargo, the reader can judge what a "difficult road" must be. ascending the roraima, mr. dressel, collecting for mr. sander, lost his herbarium in the essequibo river. savants alone are able to estimate the awful nature of the crisis when a comrade looses his grip of that treasure. for them it is needless to add that everything else went to the bottom.[2] one is tempted to linger among the odontoglots, though time is pressing. in no class of orchids are natural hybrids so mysterious and frequent. sometimes one can detect the parentage; in such cases, doubtless, the crossing occurred but a few generations back: as a rule, however, such plants are the result of breeding in and in from age to age, causing all manner of delightful complications. how many can trace the lineage of mr. bull's _od. delectabile_--ivory white, tinged with rose, strikingly blotched with red and showing a golden labellum? or mr. sander's _od. alberti-edwardi_, which has a broad soft margin of gold about its stately petals? another is rosy white, closely splashed with pale purple, and dotted round the edge with spots of the same tint so thickly placed that they resemble a fringe. such marvels turn up in an importation without the slightest warning--no peculiarity betrays them until the flowers open; when the lucky purchaser discovers that a plant for which he gave perhaps a shilling is worth an indefinite number of guineas. lycaste also is a genus peculiar to america, such a favourite among those who know its merits that the species _l. skinneri_ is called the "drawing-room flower." professor reichenbach observes in his superb volume that many people utterly ignorant of orchids grow this plant in their miscellaneous collection. i speak of it without prejudice, for to my mind the bloom is stiff, heavy, and poor in colour. but there are tremendous exceptions. in the first place, _lycaste skinneri alba_, the pure white variety, beggars all description. its great flower seems to be sculptured in the snowiest of transparent marble. that stolid pretentious air which offends one--offends me, at least--in the coloured examples, becomes virginal dignity in this case. then, of the normal type there are more than a hundred variations recognized, some with lips as deep in tone, and as smooth in texture, as velvet, of all shades from maroon to brightest crimson. it will be understood that i allude to the common forms in depreciating this species. how vast is the difference between them, their commercial value shows. plants of the same size and the same species range from 3s. 6d. to 35 guineas, or more indefinitely. lycastes are found in the woods, of guatemala especially, and i have heard no such adventures in the gathering of them as attend odontoglossums. easily obtained, easily transported, and remarkably easy to grow, of course they are cheap. a man must really "give his mind to it" to kill a lycaste. this counts for much, no doubt, in the popularity of the genus, but it has plenty of other virtues. _l. skinneri_ opens in the depth of winter, and all the rest, i think, in the dull months. then, they are profuse of bloom, throwing up half a dozen spikes, or, in some species, a dozen, from a single bulb, and the flowers last a prodigious time. their extraordinary thickness in every part enables them to withstand bad air and changes of temperature, so that ladies keep them on a drawing-room table, night and day, for months, without change perceptible. mr. williams names an instance where a _l. skinneri_, bought in full bloom on february 2, was kept in a sitting-room till may 18, when the purchaser took it back, still handsome. i have heard cases more surprising. of species somewhat less common there is _l. aromatica_, a little gem, which throws up an indefinite number of short spikes, each crowned with a greenish yellow triangular sort of cup, deliciously scented. i am acquainted with no flower that excites such enthusiasm among ladies who fancy messrs. liberty's style of toilette; sad experience tells me that ten commandments or twenty will not restrain them from appropriating it. _l. cruenta_ is almost as tempting. as for _l. leucanthe_, an exquisite combination of pale green and snow white, it ranks with _l. skinneri alba_ as a thing too beautiful for words. this species has not been long introduced, and at the moment it is dear proportionately. there is yet another virtue of the lycaste which appeals to the expert. it lends itself readily to hybridization. this most fascinating pursuit attracts few amateurs as yet, and the professionals have little time or inclination for experiments. they naturally prefer to make such crosses as are almost certain to pay. thus it comes about that the hybridization of lycastes has been attempted but recently, and none of the seedlings, so far as i can learn, have flowered. they have been obtained, however, in abundance, not only from direct crossing, but also from alliance with zygopetalum, anguloa, and maxillaria. the genus cypripedium, lady's slipper, is perhaps more widely scattered over the globe than any other class of plant; i, at least, am acquainted with none that approaches it. from china to peru--nay, beyond, from archangel to torres straits,--but it is wise to avoid these semi-poetic descriptions. in brief, if we except africa and the temperate parts of australia, there is no large tract of country in the world that does not produce cypripediums; and few authorities doubt that a larger acquaintance with those realms will bring them under the rule. we have a species in england, _c. calceolus_, by no means insignificant; it can be purchased from the dealers, but it is almost extinct in this country now. america furnishes a variety of species; which ought to be hardy. they will bear a frost below zero, but our winter damp is intolerable. mr. godseff tells me that he has seen _c. spectabile_ growing like any water-weed in the bogs of new jersey, where it is frozen hard, roots and all, for several months of the year; but very few survive the season in this country, even if protected. those fine specimens so common at our spring shows are imported in the dry state. from the united states also we get the charming _c. candidum_, _c. parviflorum_, _c. pubescens_, and many more less important. canada and siberia furnish _c. guttatum_, _c. macranthum_, and others. i saw in russia, and brought home, a magnificent species, tall and stately, bearing a great golden flower, which is not known "in the trade;" but they all rotted gradually. therefore i do not recommend these fine outdoor varieties, which the inexperienced are apt to think so easy. at the same cost others may be bought, which, coming from the highlands of hot countries, are used to a moderate damp in winter. foremost of these, perhaps the oldest of cool orchids in cultivation, is _c. insigne_, from nepal. everyone knows its original type, which has grown so common that i remarked a healthy pot at a window-garden exhibition some years ago in westminster. one may say that this, the early and familiar form, has no value at present, so many fine varieties have been introduced. a reader may form a notion of the difference when i state that a small plant of exceptional merit sold for thirty guineas a short time ago--it was _c. insigne_, but glorified. this ranks among the fascinations of orchid culture. you may buy a lot of some common kind, imported, at a price representing coppers for each individual, and among them may appear, when they come to bloom, an eccentricity which sells for a hundred pounds or more. the experienced collector has a volume of such legends. there is another side to the question, truly, but it does not personally interest the class which i address. to make a choice among numberless stories of this sort, we may take the instance of _c. spicerianum_. it turned up among a quantity of _cypripedium insigne_ in the greenhouse of mrs. spicer, a lady residing at twickenham. astonished at the appearance of this swan among her ducks, she asked mr. veitch to look at it. he was delighted to pay seventy guineas down for such a prize. cypripediums propagate easily, no more examples came into the market, and for some years this lovely species was a treasure for dukes and millionaires. it was no secret that the precious novelty came from mrs. spicer's greenhouse; but to call on a strange lady and demand how she became possessed of a certain plant is not a course of action that commends itself to respectable business men. the circumstances gave no clue. messrs. spicer were and are large manufacturers of paper; there is no visible connection betwixt paper and indian orchids. by discreet inquiries, however, it was ascertained that one of the lady's sons had a tea-plantation in assam. no more was needed. by the next mail mr. forstermann started for that vague destination, and in process of time reached mr. spicer's bungalow. there he asked for "a job." none could be found for him; but tea-planters are hospitable, and the stranger was invited to stop a day or two. but he could not lead the conversation towards orchids--perhaps because his efforts were too clever, perhaps because his host took no interest in the subject. one day, however, mr. spicer's manager invited him to go shooting, and casually remarked "we shall pass the spot where i found those orchids they're making such a fuss about at home." be sure mr. forstermann was alert that morning! thus put upon the track, he discovered quantities of it, bade the tea-planter adieu, and went to work; but in the very moment of triumph a tiger barred the way, his coolies bolted, and nothing would persuade them to go further. mr. forstermann was no shikari, but he felt himself called upon to uphold the cause of science and the honour of england at this juncture. in great agitation he went for that feline, and, in short, its skin still adorns mrs. sander's drawing-room. thus it happened that on a certain thursday a small pot of _c. spicerianum_ was sold, as usual, for sixty guineas at stevens's; on the thursday following all the world could buy fine plants at a guinea. cypripedium is the favourite orchid of the day. it has every advantage, except, to my perverse mind--brilliancy of colour. none show a whole tone; even the lovely _c. niveum_ is not pure white. my views, however, find no backing. at all other points the genus deserves to be a favourite. in the first place, it is the most interesting of all orchids to science.[3] then its endless variations of form, its astonishing oddities, its wide range of hues, its easy culture, its readiness to hybridize and to ripen seed, the certainty, by comparison, of rearing the proceeds, each of these merits appeals to one or other of orchid-growers. many of the species which come from torrid lands, indeed, are troublesome, but with such we are not concerned. the cool varieties will do well anywhere, provided they receive water enough in summer, and not too little in winter. i do not speak of the american and siberian classes, which are nearly hopeless for the amateur, nor of the hong-kong _cypripedium purpuratum_, a very puzzling example. on the roll of martyrs to orchidology, mr. pearce stands high. to him we owe, among many fine things, the hybrid begonias which are becoming such favourites for bedding and other purposes. he discovered the three original types, parents of the innumerable "garden flowers" now on sale--_begonia pearcii_, _b. veitchii_, and _b. boliviensis_. it was his great luck, and great honour, to find _masdevallia veitchii_--so long, so often, so laboriously searched for from that day to this, but never even heard of. to collect another shipment of that glorious orchid, mr. pearce sailed for peru, in the service, i think, of mr. bull. unhappily--for us all as well as for himself--he was detained at panama. somewhere in those parts there is a magnificent cypripedium with which we are acquainted only by the dried inflorescence, named _planifolium_. the poor fellow could not resist this temptation. they told him at panama that no white man had returned from the spot, but he went on. the indians brought him back, some days or weeks later, without the prize; and he died on arrival. oncidiums also are a product of the new world exclusively; in fact, of the four classes most useful to amateurs, three belong wholly to america, and the fourth in great part. i resist the temptation to include masdevallia, because that genus is not so perfectly easy as the rest; but if it be added, nine-tenths, assuredly, of the plants in our cool house come from the west. among the special merits of the oncidium is its colour. i have heard thoughtless persons complain that they are "all yellow;" which, as a statement of fact, is near enough to the truth, for about three-fourths may be so described roughly. but this dispensation is another proof of nature's kindly regard for the interests of our science. a clear, strong, golden yellow is the colour that would have been wanting in our cool houses had not the oncidium supplied it. shades of lemon and buff are frequent among odontoglossums, but, in a rough, general way of speaking, they have a white ground. masdevallias give us scarlet and orange and purple; lycastes, green and dull yellow; sophronitis, crimson; mesospinidium, rose, and so forth. blue must not be looked for. even counting the new utricularia for an orchid, as most people do, there are, i think, but five species that will live among us at present, in all the prodigious family, showing this colour; and every one of them is very "hot." thus it appears that the oncidium fills a gap--and how gloriously! there is no such pure gold in the scheme of the universe as it displays under fifty shapes wondrously varied. thus--_oncidium macranthum!_ one is continually tempted to exclaim, as one or other glory of the orchid world recurs to mind, that it is the supreme triumph of floral beauty. i have sinned thus, and i know it. therefore, let the reader seek an opportunity to behold _o. macranthum_, and judge for himself. but it seems to me that nature gives us a hint. as though proudly conscious what a marvel it will unfold, this superb flower often demands nine months to perfect itself. dr. wallace told me of an instance in his collection where eighteen months elapsed from the appearance of the spike until the opening of the first bloom. but it lasts a time proportionate. [illustration: oncidium macranthum reduced to one sixth] nature forestalled the dreams of æsthetic colourists when she designed _oncidium macranthum_. thus, and not otherwise, would the thoughtful of them arrange a "harmony" in gold and bronze; but nature, with characteristic indifference to the fancies of mankind, hid her _chef-d'oeuvre_ in the wilds of ecuador. hardly less striking, however, though perhaps less beautiful, are its sisters of the "small-lipped" species--_onc. serratum_, _o. superbiens_, and _o. sculptum_. this last is rarely seen. as with others of its class, the spike grows very long, twelve feet perhaps, if it were allowed to stretch. the flowers are small comparatively, clear bronze-brown, highly polished, so closely and daintily frilled round the edges that a fairy goffering-iron could not give more regular effects, and outlined by a narrow band of gold. _onc. serratum_ has a much larger bloom, but less compact, rather fly-away indeed, its sepals widening gracefully from a narrow neck. excessively curious is the disposition of the petals, which close their tips to form a circle of brown and gold around the column. the purpose of this extraordinary arrangement--unique among orchids, i believe--will be discovered one day, for purpose there is, no doubt; to judge by analogy, it may be supposed that the insect upon which _onc. serratum_ depends for fertilization likes to stand upon this ring while thrusting its proboscis into the nectary. the fourth of these fine species, _onc. superbiens_, ranks among the grandest of flowers--knowing its own value, it rarely consents to "oblige;" the dusky green sepals are margined with yellow, petals white, clouded with pale purple, lip very small, of course, purple, surmounted by a great golden crest. most strange and curious is _onc. fuscatum_, of which the shape defies description. seen from the back, it shows a floriated cross of equal limbs; but in front the nethermost is hidden by a spreading lip, very large proportionately. the prevailing tint is a dun-purple, but each arm has a broad white tip. dun-purple, also, is the centre of the labellum, edged with a distinct band of lighter hue, which again, towards the margin, becomes white. these changes of tone are not gradual, but as clear as a brush could make them. botanists must long to dissect this extraordinary flower, but the opportunity seldom occurs. it is desperately puzzling to understand how nature has packed away the component parts of its inflorescence, so as to resolve them into four narrow arms and a labellum. but the colouring of this plant is not always dull. in the small botanic garden at florence, by santa maria maggiore, i remarked with astonishment an _onc. fuscatum_, of which the lip was scarlet-crimson and the other tints bright to match. that collection is admirably grown, but orchids are still scarce in italy. the society did not know what a prize it had secured by chance. the genus oncidium has, perhaps, more examples of a startling combination in hues than any other--but one must speak thoughtfully and cautiously upon such points. i have not to deal with culture, but one hint may be given. gardeners who have a miscellaneous collection to look after, often set themselves against an experiment in orchid-growing because these plants suffer terribly from green-fly and other pests, and will not bear "smoking." to keep them clean and healthy by washing demands labour for which they have no time. this is a very reasonable objection. but though the smoke of tobacco is actual ruination, no plant whatever suffers from the steam thereof. an ingenious frenchman has invented and patented in england lately a machine called the thanatophore, which i confidently recommend. it can be obtained from messrs. b.s. williams, of upper holloway. the thanatophore destroys every insect within reach of its vapour, excepting, curiously enough, scaly-bug, which, however, does not persecute cool orchids much. the machine may be obtained in different sizes through any good ironmonger. to sum up: these plants ask nothing in return for the measureless enjoyment they give but light, shade from the summer sun, protection from the winter frost, moisture--and brains. * * * * * i am allowed to print a letter which bears upon several points to which i have alluded. it is not cheerful reading for the enthusiast. he will be apt to cry, "would that the difficulties and perils were infinitely graver--so grave that the collecting grounds might have a rest for twenty years!" _january 19th, 1893._ dear sir, i have received your two letters asking for _cattleya lawrenceana_, _pancratium guianense_, and _catasetum pileatum_. kindly excuse my answering your letters only to-day. but i have been away in the interior, and on my return was sick, besides other business taking up my time; i was unable to write until to-day. now let me give you some information concerning orchid-collecting in this colony. six or seven years ago, just when the gold industry was starting, very few people ever ventured in the far interior. boats, river-hands, and indians could be hired at ridiculously low prices, and travelling and bartering paid; wages for indians being about a shilling per day, and all found; the same for river-hands. captains and boatswains to pilot the boat through the rapids up and down for sixty-four cents a day. to-day you have got to pay sixty-four to eighty cents per day for indians and river-hands. captains and boatswains, $2 the former, and $1:50 the latter per day, and then you often cannot get them. boat-hire used to be $8 to $10 for a big boat for three to four months; to-day $5, $6, and $7 per day, and all through the rapid development of the gold industry. as you can calculate twenty-five days' river travel to get within reach of the savannah lands, you can reckon what the expenses must be, and then again about five to seven days coming down the river, and a couple of days to lay over. then you must count two trips like this, one to bring you up, and one to bring you down three months after, when you return with your collection. besides this, you run the risk of losing your boat in the rapids either way, which happens not very unfrequently either going or coming; and we have not only to record the loss of several boats with goods, etc., every month, but generally to record the loss of life; only two cases happening last month, in one case seven, in the other twelve men losing their lives. besides, river-hands and blacks will not go further than the boats can travel, and nothing will induce them to go among the indians, being afraid of getting poisoned by inds. (kaiserimas) or strangled. so you have to rely utterly on indians, which you often cannot get, as the district of roraima is very poorly inhabited, and most of the indians died by smallpox and measles breaking out among them four years ago, and those that survived left the district, and you will find whole districts nearly uninhabited. about five years ago i went up with mr. osmers to roraima, but he broke down before we reached the savannah. he lay there for a week, and i gave him up; he recovered, however, and dragged himself into the savannah near roraima, about three days distant from it, where i left him. here we found and made a splendid collection of about 3000 first-class plants of different kinds. while i was going up to roraima, he stayed in the savannah, still too sick to go further. at roraima i collected everything except _catt. lawrenceana_, which was utterly rooted out already by former collectors. on my return to osmers' camp, i found him more dead than alive, thrown down by a new attack of sickness; but not alone that, i also found him abandoned by most of our indians, who had fled on account of the kanaima having killed three of their number. so mr. osmers--who got soon better--and i, made up our baskets with plants, and made everything ready. our indians returning partly, i sent him ahead with as many loads as we could carry, i staying behind with the rest of baskets of plants. had all our indians come back, we would have been all right, but this not being the case i had to stay until the indians returned and fetched me off. after this we got back all right. this was before the sickness broke out among the indians. last year i went up with mr. kromer, who met me going up-river while i was coming down. so i joined him. we got up all right to the river's head, but here our troubles began, as we got only about eight indians to go on with us who had worked in the gold-diggings, and no others could be had, the district being abandoned. we had to pay them half a dollar a day to carry loads. so we pushed on, carrying part of our loads, leaving the rest of our cargo behind, until we reached the savannah, when we had to send them back several times to get the balance of our goods. from the time we reached the savannah we were starving, more or less, as we could procure only very little provisions. we hunted all about for _catt. lawrenceana_, and got only about 1500 or so, it growing only here and there. at roraima we did not hunt at all, as the district is utterly rubbed out by the indians. we were about fourteen days at roraima and got plenty of _utricularia campbelliana_, _u. humboldtii_, and _u. montana_. also _zygopetalum_, _cyp. lindleyanum_, _oncidium nigratum_ (only fifty--very rare now), _cypripedium schomburgkianum_, _zygopetalum burkeii_, and in fact, all that is to be found on and about roraima, except the _cattleya lawrenceana_. also plenty others, as sobralia, liliastrum, etc. so our collection was not a very great one; we had the hardest trouble now through the want of indians to carry the loads. besides this, the rainy weather set in and our loads suffered badly for all the care we took of them. besides, the indians got disagreeable, having to go back several times to bring the remaining baskets. nevertheless, we got down as far as the curubing mountains. up to this time we were more or less always starving. arrived at the curubing mountains, procured a scant supply of provisions, but lost nearly all of them in a small creek, and what was saved was spoiling under our eyes, it being then that the rainy season had fully started, drenching us from morning to night. it took us nine days to get our loads over the mountain, where our boat was to reach us to take us down river. and we were for two and a half days entirely without food. besides the plants being damaged by stress of weather, the indians had opened the baskets and thrown partly the loads away, not being able to carry the heavy soaked-through baskets over the mountains, so making us lose the best of our plants. arrived at our landing we had to wait for our boat, which arrived a week later in consequence of the river being high, and, of course, short of provisions. still, we got away with what we had of our loads until we reached the first gold places kept by a friend of mine, who supplied us with food. thereafter we started for town. halfway, at kapuri falls (one of the most dangerous), we swamped down over a rock, and so we lost some of our things; still saved all our plants, though they lay for a few hours under water with the boat. after this we reached town in safety. so after coming home we found, on packing up, that we had only about 900 plants, that is, _cattleya lawrenceana_, of which about one-third good, one-third medium, and one-third poor quality. this trip took us about three and a half months, and cost over 2500 dollars. besides, i having poisoned my leg on a rotten stump which i run up in my foot, lay for four months suffering terrible pain. you will, of course, see from this that orchid-hunting is no pleasure, as you of course know, but what i want to point out to you is that _cattleya lawrenceana_ is very rare in the interior now. the river expenses fearfully high, in fact, unreasonably high, on account of the gold-digging. labourers getting 64 c. to $1.00 per day, and all found. no indians to be got, and those that you can get at ridiculous prices, and getting them, too, by working on places where they build and thatch houses and clear the ground from underbush, and as huntsmen for gold-diggers. even if mr. kromer had succeeded to get 3000 or 4000 fine _cattleya lawrenceana_, it would have been of no value to us, as we could not have got anybody to carry them to the river where a boat could reach. besides this, i also must tell you that there is a license to be paid out here if you want to collect orchids, amounting to $100, which mr. kromer had to pay, and also an export tax duty of 2 cents per piece. so that orchid collecting is made a very expensive affair. besides its success being very doubtful, even if a man is very well acquainted with indian life and has visited the savannah reaches year after year. we spent something over $2500 to $2900, including mr. kromer's and steigfer's passage out, on our last expedition. if you want to get any _lawrenceana_, you will have to send yourself, and as i said before, the results will be very doubtful. as far as i myself am concerned, i am interested besides my baking business, in the gold-diggings, and shall go up to the savannah in a few months. i can give you first-class references if you should be willing to send an expedition, and we could come to some arrangement; at least, you would save the expenses of the passage of one of your collectors. i may say that i am quite conversant with the way of packing orchids and handling them as well for travel as shipment. kindly excuse, therefore, my lengthy letter and its bad writing. and if you should be inclined to go in for an expedition, just send me a list of what you require, and i will tell you whether the plants are found along the route of travel and in the savannah visited; as, for instance, _catt. superba_ does not grow at all in the district where _catt. lawrenceana_ is to be found, but far further south. before closing, i beg you to let me know the prices of about twenty-five of the best of and prettiest south american orchids, which i want for my own collection, as _catt. medellii_, _catt. trianæ_, _odontoglossum crispum_, _miltonia vexillaria_, _catt. labiata_, &c. i shall await your answer as soon as possible, and send you a list by last mail of what is to be got in this colony. we also found on our last visit something new--a very large bulbed oncidium, or may be catasetum, on the top of roraima, where we spent a night, but got only two specimens, one of which got lost, and the other one i left in the hands of mr. rodway, but so we tried our best. it decayed, having been too seriously damaged to revive and flower, and so enable us to see what it was, it not being in flower when found. awaiting your kind reply, yours truly, seyler. p.s.--if you should send out one of your collectors, or require any information, i shall be glad to give it. one of the most experienced collectors, m. oversluys, writes from the rio de yanayacca, january, 1893:-"here it is absolutely necessary that one goes himself into the woods ahead of the peons, who are quite cowards to enter the woods; and not altogether without reason, for the larger part of them get sick here, and it is very hard to enter--nearly impenetrable and full of insects, which make fresh-coming people to get cracked and mad. i have from the wrist down not a place to put in a shilling piece which is not a wound, through the very small red spider and other insects. also my people are the same. of the five men i took out, two have got fever already, and one ran back. to-morrow i expect other peons, but not a single one from mengobamba. it is a trouble to get men who will come into the woods, and i cannot have more than eight or ten to work with, because when i should not be continually behind them or ahead they do nothing. it is not a question of money to do good here, but merely luck and the way one treats people. the peons come out less for their salaries than for good and plenty of food, which is very difficult to find in these scarce times.... "the plants are here one by one, and we have got but one tree with three plants. they are on the highest and biggest trees, and these must be cut down with axes. below are all shrubs, full of climbers and lianas about a finger thick. every step must be cut to advance, and the ground cleared below the high trees in order to spy the branches. it is a very difficult job. nature has well protected this cattleya.... nobody can like this kind of work." the poor man ends abruptly, "i will write when i can--the mosquitos don't leave me a moment." footnotes: [footnote 2: see a letter at p. 92.] [footnote 3: _vide_ "orchids and hybridizing," _infra_, p. 210.] warm orchids. by the expression "warm" we understand that condition which is technically known as "intermediate." it is waste of time to ask, at this day, why a latin combination should be employed when there is an english monosyllable exactly equivalent; we, at least, will use our mother-tongue. warm orchids are those which like a minimum temperature, while growing, of 60°; while resting, of 55°. as for the maximum, it signifies little in the former case, but in the latter--during the months of rest--it cannot be allowed to go beyond 60°, for any length of time, without mischief. these conditions mean, in effect, that the house must be warmed during nine months of the twelve in this realm of england. "hot" orchids demand a fire the whole year round--saving a few very rare nights when the briton swelters in tropical discomfort. upon this dry subject of temperature, however, i would add one word of encouragement for those who are not willing to pay a heavy bill for coke. the cool-house, in general, requires a fire, at night, until june 1. under that condition, if it face the south, in a warm locality, very many genera and species classed as intermediate should be so thoroughly started before artificial heat is withdrawn that they will do excellently, unless the season be unusual. warm orchids come from a sub-tropic region, or from the mountains of a hotter climate, where their kinsfolk dwelling in the plains defy the thermometer; just as in sub-tropic lands warm species occupy the lowlands, while the heights furnish odontoglossums and such lovers of a chilly atmosphere. there are, however, some warm odontoglossums, notable among them _o. vexillarium_, which botanists class with the miltonias. this species is very fashionable, and i give it the place of honour; but not, in my own view, for its personal merits. the name is so singularly appropriate that one would like to hear the inventor's reasons for transfiguring it. _vexillum_ we know, and _vexillarius_, but _vexillarium_ goes beyond my latin. however, it is an intelligible word, and those acquainted with the appearance of "regimental colours" in old rome perceive its fitness at a glance. the flat bloom seems to hang suspended from its centre, just as the _vexillum_ figures in bas-relief--on the arch of antoninus, for example. to my mind the colouring is insipid, as a rule, and the general effect stark--fashion in orchids, as in other things, has little reference to taste. i repeat with emphasis, _as a rule_, for some priceless specimens are no less than astounding in their blaze of colour, the quintessence of a million uninteresting blooms. the poorest of these plants have merit, no doubt, for those who can accommodate giants. they grow fast and big. there are specimens in this country a yard across, which display a hundred and fifty or two hundred flowers open at the same time for months. a superb show they make, rising over the pale sea-green foliage, four spikes perhaps from a single bulb. but this is a beauty of general effect, which must not be analyzed, as i think. _odontoglossum vexillarium_ is brought from colombia. there are two forms: the one--small, evenly red, flowering in autumn--was discovered by frank klaboch, nephew to the famous roezl, on the dagua river, in antioquia. for eight years he persisted in despatching small quantities to europe, though every plant died; at length a safer method of transmission was found, but simultaneously poor klaboch himself succumbed. it is an awful country--perhaps the wettest under the sun. though a favourite hunting-ground of collectors now--for cattleyas of value come from hence, besides this precious odontoglot--there are still no means of transport, saving indians and canoes. _o. vexillarium_ would not be thought costly if buyers knew how rare it is, how expensive to get, and how terribly difficult to bring home. forty thousand pieces were despatched to mr. sander in one consignment--he hugged himself with delight when three thousand proved to have some trace of vitality. mr. watson, assistant curator at kew, recalls an amusing instance of the value and the mystery attached to this species so late as 1867. in that year professor reichenbach described it for the first time. he tells how a friend lent him the bloom upon a negative promise under five heads--"first, not to show it to any one else; (2) not to speak much about it; (3) not to take a drawing of it; (4) not to have a photograph made; (5) not to look oftener than three times at it." by-the-bye, mr. watson gives the credit of the first discovery to the late mr. bowman; but i venture to believe that my account is exact--in reference to the antioquia variety, at least. the other form occurs in the famous district of frontino, about two hundred and fifty miles due north of the first habitat, and shows--_savants_ would add "of course"--a striking difference. in the geographical distinctions of species will be found the key to whole volumes of mystery that perplex us now. i once saw three odontoglossums ranged side by side, which even an expert would pronounce mere varieties of the same plant if he were not familiar with them--_od. williamsi_, _od. grande_, and _od. schlieperianum_. the middle one everybody knows, by sight at least, a big, stark, spread-eagle flower, gamboge yellow mottled with red-brown, vastly effective in the mass, but individually vulgar. on one side was _od. williamsi_, essentially the same in flower and bulb and growth, but smaller; opposite stood _od. schlieperianum_, only to be distinguished as smaller still. but both these latter rank as species. they are separated from the common type, _o. grande_, by nearly ten degrees of latitude and ten degrees of longitude, nor--we might almost make an affidavit--do any intermediate forms exist in the space between; and those degrees are sub-tropical, by so much more significant than an equal distance in our zone. instances of the same class and more surprising are found in many genera of orchid. the frontino _vexillarium_ grows "cooler," has a much larger bloom, varies in hue from purest white to deepest red, and flowers in may or june. the most glorious of these things, however, is _o. vex. superbum_, a plant of the greatest rarity, conspicuous for its blotch of deep purple in the centre of the lip, and its little dot of the same on each wing. doubtless this is a natural hybrid betwixt the antioquia form and _odontoglossum roezlii_, which is its neighbour. the chance of finding a bit of _superbum_ in a bundle of the ordinary kind lends peculiar excitement to a sale of these plants. such luck first occurred to mr. bath, in stevens' auction rooms. he paid half-a-crown for a very weakly fragment, brought it round, flowered it, and received a prize for good gardening in the shape of seventy-two pounds, cheerfully paid by sir trevor lawrence for a plant unique at that time. i am reminded of another little story. among a great number of _cypripedium insigne_ received at st. albans, and "established," mr. sander noted one presently of which the flower-stalk was yellow instead of brown, as is usual. sharp eyes are a valuable item of the orchid-grower's stock-in-trade, for the smallest peculiarity among such "sportive" objects should not be neglected. carefully he put the yellow stalk aside--the only one among thousands, one might say myriads, since _c. insigne_ is one of our oldest and commonest orchids, and it never showed this phenomenon before. in due course the flower opened, and proved to be all golden! mr. sander cut his plant in two, sold half for seventy-five pounds to a favoured customer, and the other half, publicly, for one hundred guineas. one of the purchasers has divided his plant now and sold two bits at 100 guineas. another piece was bought back by mr. sander, who wanted it for hybridizing, at 250 guineas--not a bad profit for the buyer, who has still two plants left. another instance occurs to me while i write--such legends of shrewdness worthily rewarded fascinate a poor journalist who has the audacity to grow orchids. mr. harvey, solicitor, of liverpool, strolling through the houses at st. albans on july 24, 1883, remarked a plant of _loelia anceps_, which had the ring-mark on its pseudo-bulb much higher up than is usual. there might be some meaning in that eccentricity, he thought, paid two guineas for the little thing, and on december 1, 1888, sold it back to mr. sander for 200l. it proved to be _l. a. amesiana_, the grandest form of _l. anceps_ yet discovered--rosy white, with petals deeply splashed; thus named after f.l. ames, an american amateur. such pleasing opportunities might arise for you or me any day. the first name that arises to most people in thinking of warm orchids is cattleya, and naturally. the genus odontoglossum alone has more representatives under cultivation. sixty species of cattleya are grown by amateurs who pay special attention to these plants; as for the number of "varieties" in a single species, one boasts forty, another thirty, several pass the round dozen. they are exclusively american, but they flourish over all the enormous space between mexico and the argentine republic. the genus is not a favourite of my own, for somewhat of the same reason which qualifies my regard for _o. vexillarium_. cattleyas are so obtrusively beautiful, they have such great flowers, which they thrust upon the eye with such assurance of admiration! theirs is a style of effect--i refer to the majority--which may be called infantine; such as an intelligent and tasteful child might conceive if he had no fine sense of colour, and were too young to distinguish a showy from a charming form. but i say no more. the history of orchids long established is uncertain, but i believe that the very first cattleya which appeared in europe was _c. violacea loddigesi_, imported by the great firm whose name it bears, to which we owe such a heavy debt. two years later came _c. labiata_, of which more must be said; then _c. mossiæ_, from caraccas; fourth, _c. trianæ_ named after colonel trian, of tolima, in the united states of colombia. trian well deserved immortality, for he was a native of that secluded land--and a botanist! it is a natural supposition that his orchid must be the commonest of weeds in its home; seeing how all europe is stocked with it, and america also, rash people might say there are millions in cultivation. but it seems likely that _c. trianæ_ was never very frequent, and at the present time assuredly it is so scarce that collectors are not sent after it. probably the colonel, like many other _savants_, was an excellent man of business, and he established "a corner" when he saw the chance. _c. mossiæ_ stands in the same situation--or indeed worse; it can scarcely be found now. these instances convey a serious warning. in seventy years we have destroyed the native stock of two orchids, both so very free in propagating that they have an exceptional advantage in the struggle for existence. how long can rare species survive, when the demand strengthens and widens year by year, while the means of communication and transport become easier over all the world? other instances will be mentioned in their place. island species are doomed, unless, like _loelia elegans_, they have inaccessible crags on which to find refuge. it is only a question of time; but we may hope that governments will interfere before it is too late. already mr. burbidge has suggested that "some one" who takes an interest in orchids should establish a farm, a plantation, here and there about the world, where such plants grow naturally, and devote himself to careful hybridization on the spot. "one might make as much," he writes, "by breeding orchids as by breeding cattle, and of the two, in the long run, i should prefer the orchid farm." this scheme will be carried out one day, not so much for the purpose of hybridization as for plain "market-gardening;" and the sooner the better. the prospect is still more dark for those who believe--as many do--that no epiphytal orchid under any circumstances can be induced to establish itself permanently in our greenhouses as it does at home. doubtless, they say, it is possible to grow them and to flower them, by assiduous care, upon a scale which is seldom approached under the rough treatment of nature. but they are dying from year to year, in spite of appearances. that it is so in a few cases can hardly be denied; but, seeing how many plants which have not changed hands since their establishment, twenty or thirty or forty years ago, have grown continually bigger and finer, it seems much more probable that our ignorance is to blame for the loss of those species which suddenly collapse. sir trevor lawrence observed the other day: "with regard to the longevity of orchids, i have one which i know to have been in this country for more than fifty years, probably even twenty years longer than that--_renanthera coccinea_." the finest specimens of cattleya in mr. stevenson clarke's houses have been "grown on" from small pieces imported twenty years ago. if there were more collections which could boast, say, half a century of uninterrupted attention, we should have material for forming a judgment; as a rule, the dates of purchase or establishment were not carefully preserved till late years. but there is one species of cattleya which must needs have seventy years of existence in europe, since it had never been re-discovered till 1890. when we see a pot of _c. labiata_, the true, autumn-flowering variety, more than two years old, we know that the very plant itself must have been established about 1818, or at least its immediate parent--for no seedling has been raised to public knowledge.[4] in avowing a certain indifference to cattleyas, i referred to the bulk, of course. the most gorgeous, the stateliest, the most imperial of all flowers on this earth, is _c. dowiana_--unless it be _c. aurea_, a "geographical variety" of the same. they dwell a thousand miles apart at least, the one in colombia, the other in costa rica; and neither occurs, so far as is known, in the great intervening region. not even a connecting link has been discovered; but the atlantic coast of central america is hardly explored, much less examined. in my time it was held, from cape camarin to chagres, by independent tribes of savages--not independent in fact alone, but in name also. the mosquito indians are recognized by europe as free; the guatusos kept a space of many hundred miles from which no white man had returned; when i was in those parts, the talamancas, though not so unfriendly, were only known by the report of adventurous pedlars. i made an attempt--comparatively spirited--to organize an exploring party for the benefit of the guatusos, but no single volunteer answered our advertisements in san josé de costa rica; i have lived to congratulate myself on that disappointment. since my day a road has been cut through their wilds to limon, certain luckless britons having found the money for a railway; but an engineer who visited the coast but two years ago informs me that no one ever wandered into "the bush." collectors have not been there, assuredly. so there may be connecting links between _c. dowiana_ and _c. aurea_ in that vast wilderness, but it is quite possible there are none. words could not picture the glory of these marvels. in each the scheme of colour is yellow and crimson, but there are important modifications. yellow is the ground all through in _cattleya aurea_--sepals, petals, and lip; unbroken in the two former, in the latter superbly streaked with crimson. but _cattleya dowiana_ shows crimson pencillings on its sepals, while the ground colour of the lip is crimson, broadly lined and reticulated with gold. imagine four of these noble flowers on one stalk, each half a foot across! but it lies beyond the power of imagination. _c. dowiana_ was discovered by warscewicz about 1850, and he sent home accounts too enthusiastic for belief. steady-going britons utterly refused to credit such a marvel--his few plants died, and there was an end of it for the time. i may mention an instance of more recent date, where the eye-witness of a collector was flatly rejected at home. monsieur st. leger, residing at asuncion, the capital of paraguay, wrote a warm description of an orchid in those parts to scientific friends. the account reached england, and was treated with derision. monsieur st. leger, nettled, sent some dried flowers for a testimony; but the mind of the orchidaceous public was made up. in 1883 he brought a quantity of plants and put them up at auction; nobody in particular would buy. so those reckless or simple or trusting persons who invested a few shillings in a bundle had all the fun to themselves a few months afterwards, when the beautiful _oncidium jonesianum_ appeared, to confound the unbelieving. it must be added, however, that orchid-growers may well become an incredulous generation. when their judgment leads them wrong we hear of it, the tale is published, and outsiders mock. but these gentlemen receive startling reports continually, honest enough for the most part. much experience and some loss have made them rather cynical when a new wonder is announced. the particular case of monsieur st. leger was complicated by the extreme resemblance which the foliage of _onc. jonesianum_ bears to that of _onc. cibolletum_, a species almost worthless. unfortunately the beautiful thing declines to live with us--as yet. _cattleya dowiana_ was rediscovered by mr. arce, when collecting birds: it must have been a grand moment for warscewicz when the horticultural world was convulsed by its appearance in bloom. _cattleya aurea_ had no adventures of this sort. mr. wallis found it in 1868 in the province of antioquia, and again on the west bank of the magdalena; but it is very rare. this species is persecuted in its native home by a beetle, which accompanies it to europe not infrequently--in the form of eggs, no doubt. a more troublesome alien is the fly which haunts _cattleya mendellii_, and for a long time prejudiced growers against that fine species, until, in fact, they had made a practical and rather costly study of its habits. an experienced grower detects the presence of this enemy at a glance. it pierces an "eye"--a back one in general, happily--and deposits an egg in the very centre. presently this growth begins to swell in a manner that delights the ingenuous horticulturist, until he remarks that its length does not keep pace with its breadth. but one remedy has yet been discovered--cutting off any suspected growth. we understand now that _c. mendellii_ is as safe to import as any other species, unless it be gathered at the wrong time.[5] among the most glorious, rarest, and most valuable of cattleyas is _c. hardyana_, doubtless a natural hybrid of _c. aurea_ with _c. gigas sanderiana_. few of us have seen it--two-hundred-guinea plants are not common spectacles. it has an immense flower, rose-purple; the lip purple-magenta, veined with gold. _cattleya sanderiana_ offers an interesting story. mr. mau, one of mr. sander's collectors, was despatched to bogota in search of _odontoglossum crispum_. while tramping through the woods, he came across a very large cattleya at rest, and gathered such pieces as fell in his way--attaching so little importance to them, however, that he did not name the matter in his reports. four cases mr. mau brought home with his stock of odontoglossums, which were opened in due course of business. we can quite believe that it was one of the stirring moments of mr. sander's life. the plants bore many dry specimens of last year's inflorescence, displaying such extraordinary size as proved the variety to be new; and there is no large cattleya of indifferent colouring. to receive a plant of that character unannounced, undescribed, is an experience without parallel for half a century. mr. mau was sent back by next mail to secure every fragment he could find. meantime, those in hand were established, and mr. brymer, m.p., bought one--mr. brymer is immortalized by the dendrobe which bears his name. the new cattleya proved kindly, and just before mr. mau returned with some thousands of its like mr. brymer's purchase broke into bloom. that must have been another glorious moment for mr. sander, when the great bud unfolded, displaying sepals and petals of the rosiest, freshest, softest pink, eleven inches across; and a crimson labellum exquisitely shown up by a broad patch of white on either side of the throat. mr. brymer was good enough to lend his specimen for the purpose of advertisement, and messrs. stevens enthusiastically fixed a green baize partition across their rooms as a background for the wondrous novelty. what excitement reigned there on the great day is not to be described. i have heard that over 2000l. was taken in the room. most of the cattleyas with which the public is familiar--_mossiæ_, _trianæ_, _mendellii_, and so forth--have white varieties; but an example absolutely pure is so uncommon that it fetches a long price. loveliest of these is _c. skinneri alba_. for generations, if not for ages, the people of costa rica have been gathering every morsel they can find, and planting it upon the roofs of their mud-built churches. roezl and the early collectors had a "good time," buying these semi-sacred flowers from the priests, bribing the parishioners to steal them, or, when occasion served, playing the thief themselves. but the game is nearly up. seldom now can a piece of _cat. skinneri alba_ be obtained by honest means, and when a collector arrives guards are set upon the churches that still keep their decoration. no plant has ever been found in the forest, we understand. it is just the same case with _loelia anceps alba_. the genus loelia is distinguished from cattleya by a peculiarity to be remarked only in dissection; its pollen masses are eight as against four. to my taste, however, the species are more charming on the whole. there is _l. purpurata_. casual observers always find it hard to grasp the fact that orchids are weeds in their native homes, just like foxgloves and dandelions with us. in this instance, as i have noted, they flatly refuse to believe, and certainly "upon the face of it" their incredulity is reasonable. _loelia purpurata_ falls under the head of hot orchids. _l. anceps_, however, is not so exacting; many people grow it in the cool house when they can expose it there to the full blaze of sunshine. in its commonest form it is divinely beautiful. i have seen a plant in mr. eastey's collection with twenty-three spikes, the flowers all open at once. such a spectacle is not to be described in prose. but when the enthusiast has rashly said that earth contains no more ethereal loveliness, let him behold _l. a. alba_, the white variety. the dullest man i ever knew, who had a commonplace for all occasions, found no word in presence of that marvel. even the half-castes of mexico who have no soul, apparently, for things above horseflesh and cockfights, and love-making, reverence this saintly bloom. the indians adore it. like their brethren to the south, who have tenderly removed every plant of _cattleya skinneri alba_ for generations unknown, to set upon their churches, they collect this supreme effort of nature and replant it round their huts. so thoroughly has the work been done in either case that no single specimen was ever seen in the forest. every one has been bought from the indians, and the supply is exhausted; that is to say, a good many more are known to exist, but very rarely now can the owner be persuaded to part with one. the first example reached england nearly half a century ago, sent probably by a native trader to his correspondent in this country; but, as was usual at that time, the circumstances are doubtful. it found its way, somehow, to mr. dawson, of meadowbank, a famous collector, and by him it was divided. search was made for the treasure in its home, but vainly; travellers did not look in the indian gardens. no more arrived for many years. mr. sander once conceived a fine idea. he sent one of his collectors to gather _loelia a. alba_ at the season when it is in bud, with an intention of startling the universe by displaying a mass of them in full bloom; they were still more uncommon then than now, when a dozen flowering plants is still a show of which kings may be proud. mr. bartholomeus punctually fulfilled his instructions, collected some forty plants with their spikes well developed; attached them to strips of wood which he nailed across shallow boxes, and shipped them to san francisco. thence they travelled by fast train to new york, and proceeded without a moment's delay to liverpool on board the _umbria_; it was one of her first trips. all went well. confidently did mr. sander anticipate the sensation when a score of those glorious plants were set out in full bloom upon the tables. but on opening the boxes he found every spike withered. the experiment is so tempting that it has been essayed once more, with a like result. the buds of _loelia anceps_ will not stand sea air. catasetums do not rank as a genus among our beauties; in fact, saving _c. pileatum_, commonly called _c. bungerothi_, and _c. barbatum_, i think of none, at this moment, which are worthy of attraction on that ground. _c. fimbriatum_, indeed, would be lovely if it could be persuaded to show itself. i have seen one plant which condescended to open its spotted blooms, but only one. no orchids, however, give more material for study; on this account catasetum was a favourite with mr. darwin. it is approved also by unlearned persons who find relief from the monotony of admiration as they stroll round in observing its acrobatic performances. the "column" bears two horns; if these be touched, the pollen-masses fly as if discharged from a catapult. _c. pileatum_, however, is very handsome, four inches across, ivory white, with a round well in the centre of its broad lip, which makes a theme for endless speculation. the daring eccentricities of colour in this class of plant have no stronger example than _c. callosum_, a novelty from caraccas, with inky brown sepals and petals, brightest orange column, labellum of verdigris-green tipped with orange to match. schomburgkias are not often seen. having a boundless choice of fine things which grow and flower without reluctance, the practical gardener gets irritated in these days when he finds a plant beyond his skill. it is a pity, for the schomburgkias are glorious things--in especial _sch. tibicinis_. no description has done it justice, and few are privileged to speak as eye-witnesses. the clustering flowers hang down, sepals and petals of dusky mauve, most gracefully frilled and twisted, encircling a great hollow labellum which ends in a golden drop. that part of the cavity which is visible between the handsome incurved wings has bold stripes of dark crimson. the species is interesting, too. it comes from honduras, where the children use its great hollow pseudo-bulbs as trumpets--whence the name. at their base is a hole--a touch-hole, as we may say, the utility of which defies our botanists. had mr. belt travelled in those parts, he might have discovered the secret, as in the similar case of the bullthorn, one of the _gummiferæ_. the great thorns of that bush have just such a hole, and mr. belt proved by lengthy observations that it is designed, to speak roughly, for the ingress of an ant peculiar to that acacia, whose duty it is to defend the young shoots--_vide_ belt's "naturalist in nicaragua," page 218. importers are too well aware that _schomburgkia tibicinis_ also is inhabited by an ant of singular ferocity, for it survives the voyage, and rushes forth to battle when the case is opened. we may suppose that it performs a like service. dendrobiums are "warm" mostly; of the hot species, which are many, and the cool, which are few, i have not to speak here. but a remark made at the beginning of this chapter especially applies to dendrobes. if they be started early, so that the young growths are well advanced by june 1; if the situation be warm, and a part of the house sunny--if they be placed in that part without any shade till july, and freely syringed--with a little extra attention many of them will do well enough. that is to say, they will make such a show of blossom as is mighty satisfactory in the winter time. we must not look for "specimens," but there should be bloom enough to repay handsomely the very little trouble they give. among those that may be treated so are _d. wardianum_, _falconeri_, _crassinode_, _pierardii_, _crystallinum_, _devonianum_--sometimes--and _nobile_, of course. probably there are more, but these i have tried myself. _dendrobium wardianum_, at the present day, comes almost exclusively from burmah--the neighbourhood of the ruby mines is its favourite habitat. but it was first brought to england from assam in 1858, when botanists regarded it as a form of _d. falconeri_. this error was not so strange as its seems, for the assamese variety has pseudo-bulbs much less sturdy than those we are used to see, and they are quite pendulous. it was rather a lively business collecting orchids in burmah before the annexation. the roman catholic missionaries established there made it a source of income, and they did not greet an intruding stranger with warmth--not genial warmth, at least. he was forbidden to quit the town of bhamo, an edict which compelled him to employ native collectors--in fact, coolies--himself waiting helplessly within the walls; but his reverend rivals, having greater freedom and an acquaintance with the language, organized a corps of skirmishers to prowl round and intercept the natives returning with their loads. doubtless somebody received the value when they made a haul, but who, is uncertain perhaps--and the stranger was disappointed, anyhow. it may be believed that unedifying scenes arose--especially on two or three occasions when an agent had almost reached one of the four gates before he was intercepted. for the hapless collector--having nothing in the world to do--haunted those portals all day long, flying from one to the other in hope to see "somebody coming." very droll, but burmah is a warm country for jests of the kind. thus it happened occasionally that he beheld his own discomfiture, and rows ensued at the mission-house. at length mr. sander addressed a formal petition to the austrian archbishop, to whom the missionaries owed allegiance. he received a sympathetic answer, and some assistance. from the ruby mines also comes a dendrobium so excessively rare that i name it only to call the attention of employés in the new company. this is _d. rhodopterygium_. sir trevor lawrence has or had a plant, i believe; there are two or three at st. albans; but the lists of other dealers will be searched in vain. sir trevor lawrence had also a scarlet species from burmah; but it died even before the christening, and no second has yet been found. sumatra furnishes a scarlet dendrobe, _d. forstermanni_, but it again is of the utmost rarity. baron schroeder boasts three specimens--which have not yet flowered, however. from burmah comes _d. brymerianum_, of which the story is brief, but very thrilling if we ponder it a moment. for the missionaries sent this plant to europe without a description--they had not seen the bloom, doubtless--and it sold cheap enough. we may fancy mr. brymer's emotion, therefore, when the striking flower opened. its form is unique, though some other varieties display a long fringe--as that extraordinary object, _nanodes medusæ_, and also _brassavola digbyana_, which is exquisitely lovely sometimes. in the case of _d. brymerianum_ the bright yellow lip is split all round, for two-thirds of its expanse, into twisted filaments. we may well ask what on earth is nature's purpose in this eccentricity; but it is a question that arises every hour to the most thoughtless being who grows orchids. [illustration: dendrobium brymerianum. reduced to one fourth.] everybody knows _dendrobium nobile_ so well that it is not to be discussed in prose; something might be done in poetry, perhaps, by young gentlemen who sing of buttercups and daisies, but the rhyme would be difficult. _d. nobile nobilius_, however, is by no means so common--would it were! this glorified form turned up among an importation made by messrs. rollisson. they propagated it, and sold four small pieces, which are still in cultivation. but the troubles of that renowned firm, to which we owe so great a debt, had already begun. the mother-plant was neglected. it had fallen into such a desperate condition when messrs. rollisson's plants were sold, under a decree in bankruptcy, that the great dealers refused to bid for what should have been a little gold-mine. a casual market-gardener hazarded thirty shillings, brought it round so far that he could establish a number of young plants, and sold the parent for forty pounds at last. there are, however, several fine varieties of _d. nobile_ more valuable than _nobilius_. _d. n. sanderianum_ resembles that form, but it is smaller and darker. albinos have been found; baron schroeder has a beautiful example. one appeared at stevens' rooms, announced as the single instance in cultivation--which is not quite the fact, but near enough for the auction-room, perhaps. it also was imported originally by mr. sander, with _d. n. sanderianum_. biddings reached forty-three pounds, but the owner would not deal at the price. albinos are rare among the dendrobes. _d. nobile cooksoni_ was the _fons et origo_ of an unpleasant misunderstanding. it turned up in the collection of mr. lange, distinguished by a reversal of the ordinary scheme of colour. there is actually no end to the delightful vagaries of these plants. if people only knew what interest and pleasing excitement attends the inflorescence of an imported orchid--one, that is, which has not bloomed before in europe--they would crowd the auction-rooms in which every strange face is marked now. there are books enough to inform them, certainly; but who reads an orchid book? even the enthusiast only consults it. _dendrobium nobile cooksoni_, then, has white tips to petal and sepal; the crimson spot keeps its place; and the inside of the flower is deep red--an inversion of the usual colouring. mr. lange could scarcely fail to observe this peculiarity, but he seems to have thought little of it. mr. cookson, paying him a visit, was struck, however--as well he might be--and expressed a wish to have the plant. so the two distinguished amateurs made an exchange. mr. cookson sent a flower at once to professor reichenbach, who, delighted and enthusiastic, registered it upon the spot under the name of the gentleman from whom he received it. mr. lange protested warmly, demanding that his discovery should be called, after his residence, _heathfieldsayeanum_. but professor reichenbach drily refused to consider personal questions; and really, seeing how short is life, and how long _dendrobium nobile heathfield_, &c., true philanthropists will hold him justified. we may expect wondrous dendrobes from new guinea. some fine species have already arrived, and others have been sent in the dried inflorescence. of _d. phaloenopsis schroederi_ i have spoken elsewhere. there is _d. goldiei_; a variety of _d. superbiens_--but much larger. there is _d. albertesii_, snow-white; _d. broomfieldianum_, curiously like _loelia anceps alba_ in its flower--which is to say that it must be the loveliest of all dendrobes. but this species has a further charm, almost incredible. the lip in some varieties is washed with lavender blue, in some with crimson! another is nearly related to _d. bigibbum_, but much larger, with sepals more acute. its hue is a glorious rosy-purple, deepening on the lip, the side lobes of which curl over and meet, forming a cylindrical tube, while the middle lobe, prolonged, stands out at right angles, veined with very dark purple; this has just been named _d. statterianum_. it has upon the disc an elevated, hairy crest, like _d. bigibbum_, but instead of being white as always, more or less, in that instance, the crest of the new species is dark purple. i have been particular in describing this noble flower, because very, very few have beheld it. those who live will see marvels when the dutch and german portions of new guinea are explored. recently i have been privileged to see another, the most impressive to my taste, of all the lovely genus. it is called _d. atro-violaceum_. the stately flowers hang down their heads, reflexed like a "turban lily," ten or a dozen on a spike. the colour is ivory-white, with a faintest tinge of green, and green spots are dotted all over. the lobes of the lip curl in, making half the circumference of a funnel, the outside of which is dark violet-blue; with that fine colour the lip itself is boldly striped. they tell me that the public is not expected to "catch on" to this marvel. it hangs its head too low, and the contrast of hues is too startling. if that be so, we multiply schools of art and county council lectures perambulate the realm, in vain. the artistic sense is denied us. madagascar also will furnish some astonishing novelties; it has already begun, in fact--with a vengeance. imagine a scarlet cymbidium! that such a wonder existed has been known for some years, and three collectors have gone in search of it; two died, and the third has been terribly ill since his return to europe--but he won the treasure, which we shall behold in good time. those parts of madagascar which especially attract botanists must be death-traps indeed! m. léon humblot tells how he dined at tamatave with his brother and six compatriots, exploring the country with various scientific aims. within twelve months he was the only survivor. one of these unfortunates, travelling on behalf of mr. cutler, the celebrated naturalist of bloomsbury street, to find butterflies and birds, shot at a native idol, as the report goes. the priests soaked him with paraffin, and burnt him on a table--perhaps their altar. m. humblot himself has had awful experiences. he was attached to the geographical survey directed by the french government, and ten years ago he found _phajus humblotii_ and _phajus tuberculosus_ in the deadliest swamps of the interior. a few of the bulbs gathered lived through the passage home, and caused much excitement when offered for sale at stevens' auction rooms. m. humblot risked his life again, and secured a great quantity for mr. sander, but at a dreadful cost. he spent twelve months in the hospital at mayotte, and on arrival at marseilles with his plants the doctors gave him no hope of recovery. _p. humblotii_ is a marvel of beauty--rose-pink, with a great crimson labellum exquisitely frilled, and a bright green column. everybody who knows his "darwin" is aware that madagascar is the chosen home of the angræcums. all, indeed, are natives of africa, so far as i know, excepting the delightful _a. falcatum_, which comes, strangely enough, from japan. one cannot but suspect, under the circumstances, that this species was brought from africa ages ago, when the japanese were enterprising seamen, and has been acclimatized by those skilful horticulturists. it is certainly odd that the only "cool" aerides--the only one found, i believe, outside of india and the eastern tropics--also belongs to japan, and a cool dendrobe, _a. arcuatum_, is found in the transvaal; and i have reason to hope that another or more will turn up when south africa is thoroughly searched. a pink angræcum, very rarely seen, dwells somewhere on the west coast; the only species, so far as i know, which is not white. it bears the name of m. du chaillu, who found it--he has forgotten where, unhappily. i took that famous traveller to st. albans in the hope of quickening his recollection, and i fear i bored him afterwards with categorical inquiries. but all was vain. m. du chaillu can only recall that once on a time, when just starting for europe, it occurred to him to run into the bush and strip the trees indiscriminately. mr. sander was prepared to send a man expressly for this angræcum. the exquisite _a. sanderianum_ is a native of the comorro islands. no flower could be prettier than this, nor more deliciously scented--when scented it is! it grows in a climate which travellers describe as paradise, and, in truth, it becomes such a scene. those who behold young plants with graceful garlands of snowy bloom twelve to twenty inches long are prone to fall into raptures; but imagine it as a long-established specimen appears just now at st albans, with racemes drooping two and a half feet from each new growth, clothed on either side with flowers like a double train of white long-tailed butterflies hovering! _a. scottianum_ comes from zanzibar, discovered, i believe, by sir john kirk; _a. caudatum_, from sierra leone. this latter species is the nearest rival of _a. sesquipedale_, showing "tails" ten inches long. next in order for this characteristic detail rank _a. leonis_ and _kotschyi_--the latter rarely grown--with seven-inch "tails;" _scottianum_ and _ellisii_ with six-inch; that is to say, they ought to show such dimensions respectively. whether they fulfil their promise depends upon the grower. with the exceptions named, this family belongs to madagascar. it has a charming distinction, shared by no other genus which i recall, save, in less degree, cattleya--every member is attractive. but i must concentrate myself on the most striking--that which fascinated darwin. in the first place it should be pointed out that _savants_ call this plant _æranthus sesquipedalis_, not _angræcum_--a fact useful to know, but unimportant to ordinary mortals. it was discovered by the rev. mr. ellis, and sent home alive, nearly thirty years ago; but civilized mankind has not yet done wondering at it. the stately growth, the magnificent green-white flowers, command admiration at a glance, but the "tail," or spur, offers a problem of which the thoughtful never tire. it is commonly ten inches long, sometimes fourteen inches, and at home, i have been told, even longer; about the thickness of a goose-quill, hollow, of course, the last inch and a half filled with nectar. studying this appendage by the light of the principles he had laid down, darwin ventured on a prophecy which roused special mirth among the unbelievers. not only the abnormal length of the nectary had to be considered; there was, besides, the fact that all its honey lay at the base, a foot or more from the orifice. accepting it as a postulate that every detail of the apparatus must be equally essential for the purpose it had to serve, he made a series of experiments which demonstrated that some insect of madagascar--doubtless a moth--must be equipped with a proboscis long enough to reach the nectar, and at the same time thick enough at the base to withdraw the pollinia--thus fertilizing the bloom. for, if the nectar had lain so close to the orifice that moths with a proboscis of reasonable length and thickness could get at it, they would drain the cup without touching the pollinia. darwin never proved his special genius more admirably than in this case. he created an insect beyond belief, as one may say, by the force of logic; and such absolute confidence had he in his own syllogism that he declared, "if such great moths were to become extinct in madagascar, assuredly this angræcum would become extinct." i am not aware that darwin's fine argument has yet been clinched by the discovery of that insect. but cavil has ceased. long before his death a sphinx moth arrived from south brazil which shows a proboscis between ten and eleven inches long--very nearly equal, therefore, to the task of probing the nectary of _angræcum sesquipidale_. and we know enough of orchids at this time to be absolutely certain that the madagascar species must exist. footnotes: [footnote 4: _vide_ "the lost orchid," _infra_, p. 173.] [footnote 5: i have learned by a doleful experience that this fly, commonly called "the weavil," is quite at home on _loelia purpurata_; in fact, it will prey on any cattleya.] hot orchids. in former chapters i have done my best to show that orchid culture is no mystery. the laws which govern it are strict and simple, easy to define in books, easily understood, and subject to few exceptions. it is not with odontoglossums and dendrobes as with roses--an intelligent man or woman needs no long apprenticeship to master their treatment. stove orchids are not so readily dealt with; but then, persons who own a stove usually keep a gardener. coming from the hot lowlands of either hemisphere, they show much greater variety than those of the temperate and sub-tropic zones; there are more genera, though not so many species, and more exceptions to every rule. these, therefore, are not to be recommended to all householders. not everyone indeed is anxious to grow plants which need a minimum night heat of 60° in winter, 70° in summer, and cannot dispense with fire the whole year round. the hottest of all orchids probably is _peristeria elata_, the famous "spirito santo," flower of the holy ghost. the dullest soul who observes that white dove rising with wings half spread, as in the very act of taking flight, can understand the frenzy of the spaniards when they came upon it. rumours of peruvian magnificence had just reached them at panama--on the same day, perhaps--when this miraculous sign from heaven encouraged them to advance. the empire of the incas did not fall a prey to that particular band of ruffians, nevertheless. _peristeria elata_ is so well known that i would not dwell upon it, but an odd little tale rises to my mind. the great collector roezl was travelling homeward, in 1868, by panama. the railway fare to colon was sixty dollars at that time, and he grudged the money. setting his wits to work, roezl discovered that the company issued tickets from station to station at a very low price for the convenience of its employés. taking advantage of this system, he crossed the isthmus for five dollars--such an advantage it is in travelling to be an old campaigner! at one of the intermediate stations he had to wait for his train, and rushed into the jungle of course. _peristeria_ abounded in that steaming swamp, but the collector was on holiday. to his amazement, however, he found, side by side with it, a masdevallia--that genus most impatient of sunshine among all orchids, flourishing here in the hottest blaze! snatching up half a dozen of the tender plants with a practised hand, he brought them safe to england. on the day they were put up to auction news of livingstone's death arrived, and in a flash of inspiration roezl christened his novelty _m. livingstoniana_. few, indeed, even among authorities, know where that rarest of masdevallias has its home; none have reached europe since. a pretty flower it is--white, rosy tipped, with yellow "tails." and it dwells by the station of culebras, on the panama railway. of genera, however, doubtless the vandas are hottest; and among these, _v. sanderiana_ stands first. it was found in mindanao, the most southerly of the philippines, by mr. roebelin when he went thither in search of the red phaloenopsis, as will be told presently. _vanda sanderiana_ is a plant to be described as majestic rather than lovely, if we may distinguish among these glorious things. its blooms are five inches across, pale lilac in their ground colour, suffused with brownish yellow, and covered with a network of crimson brown. twelve or more of such striking flowers to a spike, and four or five spikes upon a plant make a wonder indeed. but, to view matters prosaically, _vanda_ _sanderiana_ is "bad business." it is not common, and it grows on the very top of the highest trees, which must be felled to secure the treasure; and of those gathered but a small proportion survive. in the first place, the agent must employ natives, who are paid so much per plant, no matter what the size--a bad system, but they will allow no change. it is evidently their interest to divide any "specimen" that will bear cutting up; if the fragments bleed to death, they have got their money meantime. then, the manilla steamers call at mindanao only once a month. three months are needed to get together plants enough to yield a fair profit. at the end of that time a large proportion of those first gathered will certainly be doomed--vandas have no pseudo-bulbs to sustain their strength. steamers run from manilla to singapore every fortnight. if the collector be fortunate he may light upon a captain willing to receive his packages; in that case he builds structures of bamboo on deck, and spends the next fortnight in watering, shading, and ventilating his precious _trouvailles_, alternately. but captains willing to receive such freight must be waited for too often. at singapore it is necessary to make a final overhauling of the plants--to their woeful diminution. this done, troubles recommence. seldom will the captain of a mail steamer accept that miscellaneous cargo. happily, the time of year is, or ought to be, that season when tea-ships arrive at singapore. the collector may reasonably hope to secure a passage in one of these, which will carry him to england in thirty-five days or so. if this state of things be pondered, even without allowance for accident, it will not seem surprising that _v. sanderiana_ is a costly species. the largest piece yet secured was bought by sir trevor lawrence at auction for ninety guineas. it had eight stems, the tallest four feet high. no consignment has yet returned a profit, however. the favoured home of vandas is java. they are noble plants even when at rest, if perfect--that is, clothed in their glossy, dark green leaves from base to crown. if there be any age or any height at which the lower leaves fall of necessity, i have not been able to identify it. in mr. sander's collection, for instance, there is a giant plant of _vanda suavis_, eleven growths, a small thicket, established in 1847. the tallest stem measures fifteen feet, and every one of its leaves remain. they fall off easily under bad treatment, but the mischief is reparable at a certain sacrifice. the stem may be cut through and the crown replanted, with leaves perfect; but it will be so much shorter, of course. the finest specimen i ever heard of is the _v. lowii_ at ferrières, seat of baron alphonse de rothschild, near paris. it fills the upper part of a large greenhouse, and year by year its twelve stems produce an indefinite number of spikes, eight to ten feet long, covered with thousands of yellow and brown blooms.[6] vandas inhabit all the malayan archipelago; some are found even in india. the superb _v. teres_ comes from sylhet; from burmah also. this might be called the floral cognizance of the house of rothschild. at frankfort, vienna, ferrières, and gunnersbury little meadows of it are grown--that is, the plants flourish at their own sweet will, uncumbered with pots, in houses devoted to them. rising from a carpet of palms and maidenhair, each crowned with its drooping garland of rose and crimson and cinnamon-brown, they make a glorious show indeed. a pretty little coincidence was remarked when the queen paid a visit to waddesdon the other day. _v. teres_ first bloomed in europe at syon house, and a small spray was sent to the young princess, unmarried then and uncrowned. the incident recurred to memory when baron ferdinand de rothschild chose this same flower for the bouquet presented to her majesty; he adorned the luncheon table therewith besides. this story bears a moral. the plant of which one spray was a royal gift less than sixty years ago has become so far common that it may be used in masses to decorate a room. thousands of unconsidered subjects of her majesty enjoy the pleasure which one great duke monopolized before her reign began. there is matter for an essay here. i hasten back to my theme. _v. teres_ is not such a common object that description would be superfluous. it belongs to the small class of climbing orchids, delighting to sun itself upon the rafters of the hottest stove. if this habit be duly regarded, it is not difficult to flower by any means, though gardeners who do not keep pace with their age still pronounce it a hopeless rebel. sir hugh low tells me that he clothed all the trees round government house at pahang with _vanda teres_, planting its near relative, _v. hookeri_, more exquisite still, if that were possible, in a swampy hollow. his servants might gather a basket of these flowers daily in the season. so the memory of the first president for pahang will be kept green. a plant rarely seen is _v. limbata_ from the island of timor--dusky yellow, the tip purple, outlined with white, formed like a shovel. i may cite a personal reminiscence here, in the hope that some reader may be able to supply what is wanting. in years so far back that they seem to belong to a "previous existence," i travelled in borneo, and paid a visit to the antimony-mines of bidi. the manager, mr. bentley, showed me a grand tapong-tree at his door from which he had lately gathered a "blue orchid,"--we were desperately vague about names in the jungle at that day, or in england for that matter. in a note published on my return, i said, "as mr. bentley described it, the blossoms hung in an azure garland from the bough, more gracefully than art could design." this specimen is, i believe, the only one at present known, and both malays and dyaks are quite ignorant of such a flower! what was this? there is no question of the facts. mr. bentley sent the plant, a large mass to the chairman of the company, and it reached home in fair condition. i saw the warm letter, enclosing cheque for 100l., in which mr. templar acknowledged receipt. but further record i have not been able to discover. one inclines to assume that a blue orchid which puts forth a "garland" of bloom must be a vanda. the description might be applied to _v. coerulea_, but that species is a native of the khasya hills; more appropriately, as i recall mr. bentley's words, to _v. coerulescens_, which, however, is burmese. furthermore, neither of these would be looked for on the branch of a great tree. possibly someone who reads this may know what became of mr. templar's specimen. both the species of renanthera need great heat. among "facts not generally known" to orchid-growers, but decidedly interesting for them, is the commercial habitat, as one may say, of _r. coccinea_. the books state correctly that it is a native of cochin china. orchids coming from such a distance must needs be withered on arrival. accordingly, the most experienced horticulturist who is not up to a little secret feels assured that all is well when he beholds at the auction-room or at one of the small dealer's a plant full of sap, with glossy leaves and unshrivelled roots. it must have been in cultivation for a year at the very least, and he buys with confidence. too often, however, a disastrous change sets in from the very moment his purchase reaches home. instead of growing it falls back and back, until in a very few weeks it has all the appearance of a newly-imported piece. the explanation is curious. at some time, not distant, a quantity of _r. coccinea_ must have found its way to the neighbourhood of rio. there it flourishes as a weed, with a vigour quite unparalleled in its native soil. unscrupulous persons take advantage of this extraordinary accident. from a country so near and so readily accessible they can get plants home, pot them up, and sell them, before the withering process sets in. may this revelation confound such knavish tricks! the moral is old--buy your orchids from one of the great dealers, if you do not care to "establish" them yourself. _r. coccinea_ is another of the climbing species, and it demands, even more urgently than _v. teres_, to reach the top of the house, where sunshine is fiercest, before blooming. under the best conditions, indeed, it is slow to produce its noble wreaths of flower--deep red, crimson, and orange. upon the other hand, the plant itself is ornamental, and it grows very fast. the duke of devonshire has some at chatsworth which never fail to make a gorgeous show in their season; but they stand twenty feet high, twisted round birch-trees, and they have occupied their present quarters for half a century or near it. there is but one more species in the genus, so far as the unlearned know, but this, generally recognized as _vanda lowii_, as has been already mentioned, ranks among the grand curiosities of botanic science. like some of the catasetums and cycnoches, it bears two distinct types of flower on each spike, but the instance of _r. lowii_ is even more perplexing. in those other cases the differing forms represent male and female sex, but the microscope has not yet discovered any sort of reason for the like eccentricity of this renanthera. its proper inflorescence, as one may put it, is greenish yellow, blotched with brown, three inches in diameter, clothing a spike sometimes twelve feet long. the first two flowers to open, however--those at the base--present a strong contrast in all respects--smaller, of different shape, tawny yellow in colour, dotted with crimson. it would be a pleasing task for ingenious youth with a bent towards science to seek the utility of this arrangement. orchids are spreading fast over the world in these days, and we may expect to hear of other instances where a species has taken root in alien climes like _r. coccinea_ in brazil. i cannot cite a parallel at present. but mr. sander informs me that there is a growing demand for these plants in realms which have their own native orchids. we have an example in the letter which has been already quoted.[7] among customers who write to him direct are magnates of china and siam, an indian and a javanese rajah. orders are received--not unimportant, nor infrequent--from merchants at calcutta, singapore, hong kong, rio de janeiro, and smaller places, of course. it is vastly droll to hear that some of these gentlemen import species at a great expense which an intelligent coolie could gather for them in any quantity within a few furlongs of their go-down! but for the most part they demand foreigners. the plants thus distributed will be grown in the open air; naturally they will seed; at least, we may hope so. even _angræcum sesquipedale_, of which i wrote in the preceding chapter, would find a moth able to impregnate it in south brazil. such species as recognize the conditions necessary for their existence will establish themselves. it is fairly safe to credit that in some future time, not distant, cattleyas may flourish in the jungles of india, dendrobiums on the amazons, phaloenopsis in the coast lands of central america. those who wish well to their kind would like to hasten that day. mr. burbidge suggested at the orchid conference that gentlemen who have plantations in a country suitable should establish a "farm," or rather a market-garden, and grow the precious things for exportation. it is an excellent idea, and when tea, coffee, sugar-cane, all the regular crops of the east and west indies, are so depreciated by competition, one would think that some planters might adopt it. perhaps some have; it is too early yet for results. upon inquiry i hear of a case, but it is not encouraging. one of mr. sander's collectors, marrying when on service in the united states of colombia, resolved to follow mr. burbidge's advice. he set up his "farm" and began "hybridizing" freely. no man living is better qualified as a collector, for the hero of this little tale is mr. kerbach, a name familiar among those who take interest in such matters; but i am not aware that he had any experience in growing orchids. to start with hybridizing seems very ambitious--too much of a short cut to fortune. however, in less than eighteen months mr. kerbach found it did not answer, for reasons unexplained, and he begged to be reinstated in mr. sander's service. it is clear, indeed, that the orchid-farmer of the future, in whose success i firmly believe, will be wise to begin modestly, cultivating the species he finds in his neighbourhood. it is not in our greenhouses alone that these plants sometimes show likes and dislikes beyond explanation. for example, many gentlemen in costa rica--a wealthy land, and comparatively civilized--have tried to cultivate the glorious _cattleya dowiana_. for business purposes also the attempt has been made. but never with success. in those tropical lands a variation of climate or circumstances, small perhaps, but such as plants that subsist mostly upon air can recognize, will be found in a very narrow circuit. we say that trichopilias have their home at bogota. as a matter of fact, however, they will not live in the immediate vicinity of that town, though the woods, fifteen miles away, are stocked with them. the orchid-farmer will have to begin cautiously, propagating what he finds at hand, and he must not be hasty in sending his crop to market. it is a general rule of experience that plants brought from the forest and "established" before shipment do less well than those shipped direct in good condition, though the public, naturally, is slow to admit a conclusion opposed by _à priori_ reasoning. the cause may be that they exhaust their strength in that first effort, and suffer more severely on the voyage. i hear of one gentleman, however, who appears to be cultivating orchids with success. this is mr. rand, dwelling on the rio negro, in brazil, where he has established a plantation of _hevia brazilienses_, a new caoutchouc of the highest quality, indigenous to those parts. some years ago mr. rand wrote to mr. godseff, at st. albans, begging plants of _vanda sanderiana_ and other oriental species, which were duly forwarded. in return he despatched some pieces of a new epidendrum, named in his honour _e. randii_, a noble flower, with brown sepals and petals, the lip crimson, betwixt two large white wings. this and others native to the rio negro mr. rand is propagating on a large scale in shreds of bamboo, especially a white _cattleya superba_ which he himself discovered. it is pleasing to add that by latest reports all the oriental species were thriving to perfection on the other side of the atlantic. vandas, indeed, should flourish where _cattleya superba_ is at home, or anything else that loves the atmosphere of a kitchen on washing-day at midsummer. though all the cattleyas, or very nearly all, will "do" in an intermediate house, several prefer the stove. of two among them, _c. dowiana_ and _c. aurea_, i spoke in the preceding chapter with an enthusiasm that does not bear repetition. _cattleya guttata leopoldi_ grows upon rocks in the little island of sta. catarina, brazil, in company with _loelia elegans_ and _l. purpurata_. there the four dwelt in such numbers only twenty years ago that the supply was thought inexhaustible. it has come to an end already, and collectors no longer visit the spot. cliffs and ravines which men still young can recollect ablaze with colour, are as bare now as a stone-quarry. nature had done much to protect her treasures; they flourished mostly in places which the human foot cannot reach--_loelia elegans_ and _cattleya g. leopoldi_ inextricably entwined, clinging to the face of lofty rocks. the blooms of the former are white and mauve, of the latter chocolate-brown, spotted with dark red, the lip purple. a wondrous sight that must have been in the time of flowering. it is lost now, probably for ever. natives went down, suspended on a rope, and swept the whole circuit of the island, year by year. a few specimens remain in nooks absolutely inaccessible, but those happy mortals who possess a bit of _l. elegans_ should treasure it, for more are very seldom forthcoming. _loelia elegans statteriana_ is the finest variety perhaps; the crimson velvet tip of its labellum is as clearly and sharply-defined upon the snow-white surface as pencil could draw; it looks like painting by the steadiest of hands in angelic colour. _c. g. leopoldi_ has been found elsewhere. it is deliciously scented. i observed a plant at st. albans lately with three spikes, each bearing over twenty flowers; many strong perfumes there were in the house, but that overpowered them all. the _loelia purpurata_ of sta. catarina, to which the finest varieties in cultivation belong, has shared the same fate. it occupied boulders jutting out above the swamps in the full glare of tropic sunshine. many gardeners give it too much shade. this species grows also on the mainland, but of inferior quality in all respects; curiously enough it dwells upon trees there, even though rocks be at hand, while the island variety, i believe, was never found on timber. another hot cattleya of the highest class is _c. acklandiæ_ it belongs to the dwarf section of the genus, and inexperienced persons are vastly surprised to see such a little plant bearing two flowers on a spike, each larger than itself. they are four inches in diameter, petals and sepals chocolate-brown, barred with yellow, lip large, of colour varying from rose to purple. _c. acklandiæ_ is found at bahia, where it grows side by side with _c. amethystoglossa_, also a charming species, very tall, leafless to the tip of its pseudo-bulbs. thus the dwarf beneath is seen in all its beauty. as they cling together in great masses the pair must make a flower-bed to themselves--above, the clustered spikes of _c. amethystoglossa_, dusky-lilac, purple-spotted, with a lip of amethyst; upon the ground the rich chocolate and rose of _c. acklandiæ_. _cattleya superba_, as has been said, dwells also on the rio negro in brazil; it has a wide range, for specimens have been sent from the rio meta in colombia. this species is not loved by gardeners, who find it difficult to cultivate and almost impossible to flower, probably because they cannot give it sunshine enough. i have heard that baron hruby, a hungarian enthusiast in our science, has no sort of trouble; wonders, indeed, are reported of that admirable collection, where all the hot orchids thrive like weeds. the briton may find comfort in assuming that cool species are happier beneath his cloudy skies; if he be prudent, he will not seek to verify the assumption. the assistant curator of kew assures us, in his excellent little work, "orchids," that the late mr. spyers grew _c. superba_ well, and he details his method. i myself have never seen the bloom. mr. watson describes it as five inches across, "bright rosy-purple suffused with white, very fragrant, lip with acute side lobes folding over the column,"--making a funnel, in short--"the front lobe spreading, kidney-shaped, crimson-purple, with a blotch of white and yellow in front." in the same districts with _cattleya superba_ grows _galleandra devoniana_ under circumstances rather unusual. it clings to the very tip of a slender palm, in swamps which the indians themselves regard with dread as the chosen home of fever and mosquitoes. it was discovered by sir robert schomburgk, who compared the flower to a foxglove, referring especially, perhaps, to the graceful bend of its long pseudo-bulbs, which is almost lost under cultivation. the tube-like flowers are purple, contrasting exquisitely with a snow-white lip, striped with lilac in the throat. phaloenopsis, of course, are hot. this is one of our oldest genera which still rank in the first class. it was drawn and described so early as 1750, and a plant reached messrs. rollisson in 1838; they sold it to the duke of devonshire for a hundred guineas. many persons regard phaloenopsis as the loveliest of all, and there is no question of their supreme beauty, though not everyone may rank them first. they come mostly from the philippines, but java, borneo, cochin china, burmah, even assam contribute some species. colonel berkeley found _ph. tetraspis_, snow-white, and _ph. speciosa_, purple, in the andamans, when he was governor of that settlement, clinging to low bushes along the mangrove creeks. so far as i know, all the species dwell within breath of the sea, as it may be put, where the atmosphere is laden with salt; this gives a hint to the thoughtful. mr. partington, of cheshunt, who was the most renowned cultivator of the genus in his time, used to lay down salt upon the paths and beneath the stages of his phaloenopsis house. lady howard de walden stands first, perhaps, at the present day, and her gardener follows the same system. these plants, indeed, are affected, for good or ill, by influences too subtle for our perception as yet. experiment alone will decide whether a certain house, or a certain neighbourhood even, is agreeable to their taste. it is a waste of money in general to make alterations; if they do not like the place they won't live there, and that's flat! it is probable that maidstone, where lady howard de walden resides, may be specially suited to their needs, but her ladyship's gardener knows how to turn a lucky chance to the best account. some of his plants have ten leaves!--the uninitiated may think that fact grotesquely undeserving of a note of exclamation, but to explain would be too technical. it may be observed that the famous swan orchid, _cycnoches chlorochilon_, flourishes at maidstone as nowhere else perhaps in england. phaloenopsis were first introduced by messrs. rollisson, of tooting, a firm that vanished years ago, but will live in the annals of horticulture as the earliest of the great importers. in 1836 they got home a living specimen of _ph. amabilis_, which had been described, and even figured, eighty years before. a few months later the duke of devonshire secured _ph. schilleriana_. the late mr. b.s. williams told me a very curious incident relating to this species. it comes from the philippines, and exacts a very hot, close atmosphere of course. once upon a time, however, a little piece was left in the cool house at holloway, and remained there some months unnoticed by the authorities. when at length the oversight was remarked, to their amaze this stranger from the tropics, abandoned in the temperate zone, proved to be thriving more vigorously than any of his fellows who enjoyed their proper climate!--so he was left in peace and cherished as a "phenomenon." four seasons had passed when i beheld the marvel, and it was a picture of health and strength, flowering freely; but the reader is not advised to introduce a few phaloenopsis to his odontoglossums--not by any means. mr. williams himself never repeated the experiment. it was one of those delightfully perplexing vagaries which the orchid-grower notes from time to time. there are rare species of this genus which will not be found in the dealers' catalogues, and amateurs who like a novelty may be pleased to hear some names. _ph. manni_, christened in honour of mr. mann, director of the indian forest department, is yellow and red; _ph. cornucervi_, yellow and brown; _ph. portei_, a natural hybrid, of _ph. rosea_ and _ph. aphrodite_, white, the lip amethyst. it is found very, very rarely in the woods near manilla. above all, _ph. sanderiana_, to which hangs a little tale. so soon as the natives of the philippines began to understand that their white and lilac weeds were cherished in europe, they talked of a scarlet variety, which thrilled listening collectors with joy; but the precious thing never came to hand, and, on closer inquiry, no responsible witness could be found who had seen it. years passed by and the scarlet phaloenopsis became a jest among orchidaceans. the natives persisted, however, and mr. sander found the belief so general, if shadowy, that when a service of coasting steamers was established, he sent mr. roebelin to make a thorough investigation. his enterprise and sagacity were rewarded, as usual. after floating round for twenty-five years amidst derision, the rumour proved true in part. _ph. sanderiana_ is not scarlet but purplish rose, a very handsome and distinct species. to the same collector we owe the noblest of aerides, _a. lawrenciæ_, waxy white tipped with purple, and deep purple lip. besides the lovely colouring it is the largest by far of that genus. mr. roebelin sent two plants from the far east; he had not seen the flower, nor received any description from the natives. mr. sander grew them in equal ignorance for three years, and sent one to auction in blossom; it fell to sir trevor lawrence's bid for 235 guineas. [illustration: coelogene pandurata. reduced to one sixth] many of the coelogenes classed as cool, which, indeed, rub along with odontoglossums, do better in the stove while growing. _coel. cristata_ itself comes from nepaul, where the summer sun is terrible, and it covers the rocks most exposed. but i will only name a few of those recognized as hot. amongst the most striking of flowers, exquisitely pretty also, is _coel. pandurata_, from borneo. its spike has been described by a person of fine fancy as resembling a row of glossy pea-green frogs with black tongues, each three inches in diameter. the whole bloom is brilliantly green, but several ridges clothed with hairs as black and soft as velvet run down the lip, seeming to issue from a mouth. it is strange to see that a plant so curious, so beautiful, and so sweet should be so rarely cultivated; i own, however, that it is very unwilling to make itself at home with us. _coel. dayana_, also a native of borneo, one of our newest discoveries, is named after mr. day, of tottenham. i may interpolate a remark here for the encouragement of poor but enthusiastic members of our fraternity. when mr. day sold his collection lately, an american "syndicate" paid 12,000l. down, and the remaining plants fetched 12,000l. at auction; so, at least, the uncontradicted report goes. _coel. dayana_ is rare, of course, and dear, but mr. sander has lately imported a large quantity. the spike is three feet long sometimes, a pendant wreath of buff-yellow flowers broadly striped with chocolate. _coel. massangeana_, from assam, resembles this, but the lip is deep crimson-brown, with lines of yellow, and a white edge. newest of all the coelogenes, and supremely beautiful, is _coel. sanderiana_, imported by the gentleman whose name it bears. he has been called "the orchid king." this superb species has only flowered once in europe as yet; baron ferdinand rothschild is the happy man. its snow-white blooms, six on a spike generally, each three inches across, have very dark brown stripes on the lip. it was discovered in borneo by mr. forstermann, the same collector who happed upon the wondrous scarlet dendrobe, mentioned in a former chapter. there i stated that baron schroeder had three pieces; this was a mistake unfortunately. mr. forstermann only secured three, of which two died on the journey. baron schroeder bought the third, but it has perished. no more can be found as yet. of oncidiums there are many that demand stove treatment. the story of _onc. splendidum_ is curious. it first turned up in france some thirty years ago. a ship's captain sailing from st. lazare brought half a dozen pieces, which he gave to his "owner," m. herman. the latter handed them to mm. thibaut and ketteler, of sceaux, who split them up and distributed them. two of the original plants found their way to england, and they also appear to have been cut up. a legend of the king street auction room recalls how perfervid competitors ran up a bit of _onc. splendidum_, that had only one leaf, to thirty guineas. the whole stock vanished presently, which is not surprising if it had all been divided in the same ruthless manner. from that day the species was lost until mr. sander turned his attention to it. there was no record of its habitat. the name of the vessel, or even of the captain, might have furnished a clue had it been recorded, for the shipping intelligence of the day would have shown what ports he was frequenting about that time. i could tell of mysterious orchids traced home upon indications less distinct. but there was absolutely nothing. mr. sander, however, had scrutinized the plant carefully, while specimens were still extant, and from the structure of the leaf he formed a strong conclusion that it must belong to the central american flora; furthermore, that it must inhabit a very warm locality. in 1882 he directed one of his collectors, mr. oversluys, to look for the precious thing in costa rica. year after year the search proceeded, until mr. oversluys declared with some warmth that _onc. splendidum_ might grow in heaven or in the other place, but it was not to be found in costa rica. but theorists are stubborn, and year after year he was sent back. at length, in 1882, riding through a district often explored, the collector found himself in a grassy plain, dotted with pale yellow flowers. he had beheld the same many times, but his business was orchids. on this occasion, however, he chanced to approach one of the masses, and recognized the object of his quest. it was the familiar case of a man who overlooks the thing he has to find, because it is too near and too conspicuous. but mr. oversluys had excuse enough. who could have expected to see an oncidium buried in long grass, exposed to the full power of a tropic sun? _oncidium lanceanum_ is, perhaps, the hottest of its genus. those happy mortals who can grow it declare they have no trouble, but unless perfectly strong and healthy it gets "the spot," and promptly goes to wreck. in the houses of the "new plant and bulb company," at colchester--now extinct--_onc. lanceanum_ flourished with a vigour almost embarrassing, putting forth such enormous leaves, as it hung close to the glass, as made blinds quite superfluous at midsummer. but this was an extraordinary case. certainly it is a glorious spectacle in flower--yellow, barred with brown; the lip violet. the spikes last a month in full beauty--sometimes two. an oncidium which always commands attention from the public and grateful regard from the devotee is _onc. papilio_. its strange form fascinated the duke of devonshire, grandfather to the present, who was almost the first of our lordly amateurs, and tempted him to undertake the explorations which introduced so many fine plants to europe. the "butterfly orchid" is so familiar that i do not pause to describe it. but imagine that most interesting flower all blue, instead of gold and brown! i have never been able to learn what was the foundation of the old belief in such a marvel. but the great lindley went to his grave in unshaken confidence that a blue _papilio_ exists. once he thought he had a specimen; but it flowered, and his triumph had to be postponed. i myself heard of it two years back, and tried to cherish a belief that the news was true. a friend from natal assured me that he had seen one on the table of the director of the gardens at durban; but it proved to be one of those terrestrial orchids, so lovely and so tantalizing to us, with which south africa abounds. very slowly do we lengthen the catalogue of them in our houses. there are gardeners, such as mr. cook at loughborough, who grow _disa grandiflora_ like a weed. mr. watson of kew demonstrated that _disa racemosa_ will flourish under conditions easily secured. i had the good fortune to do as much for _disa cooperi_, though not by my own skill. one supreme little triumph is mine, however. in very early days, when animated with the courage of utter ignorance, i bought eight bulbs of _disa discolor_, and flowered them, every one! no mortal in europe had done it before, nor has any tried since, i charitably hope, for a more rubbishing bloom does not exist. but there it was--_ego feci_! and the specimen in the herbarium at kew bears my name. but legends should not be disregarded when it is certain that they reach us from a native source. some of the most striking finds had been announced long since by observant savages. i have told the story of _phaloenopsis sanderiana_. it was a zulu who put the discoverer of the new yellow calla on the track. the blue utricularia had been heard of and discredited long before it was found--utricularias are not orchids indeed, but only botanists regard the distinction. the natives of assam persistently assert that a bright yellow cymbidium grows there, of supremest beauty, and we expect it to turn up one day; the malagasy describe a scarlet one. but i am digressing. epidendrums mostly will bear as much heat as can be given them while growing; all demand more sunshine than they can get in our climate. amateurs do not seem to be so well acquainted with the grand things of this genus as they should be. they distrust all imported epidendrums. many worthless species, indeed, bear a perplexing resemblance to the finest; so much so, that the most observant of authorities would not think of buying at the auction-room unless he had confidence enough in the seller's honesty to accept his description of a "lot." gloriously beautiful, however, are some of those rarely met with; easy to cultivate also, in a sunny place, and not dear. _epid. rhizophorum_ has been lately rechristened _epid. radicans_--a name which might be confined to the mexican variety. for the plant recurs in brazil, practically the same, but with a certain difference. the former grows on shrubs, a true epiphyte; the latter has its bottom roots in the soil, at foot of the tallest trees, and runs up to the very summit, perhaps a hundred and fifty feet. the flowers also show a distinction, but in effect they are brilliant orange-red, the lip yellow, edged with scarlet. forty or fifty of them hanging in a cluster from the top of the raceme make a show to remember. mr. watson "saw a plant a few years ago, that bore eighty-six heads of flowers!" they last for three months. _epid. prismatocarpum_, also, is a lovely thing, with narrow dagger-like sepals and petals, creamy-yellow, spotted black, lip mauve or violet, edged with pale yellow. of the many hot dendrobiums, australia supplies a good proportion. there is _d. bigibbum_, of course, too well known for description; it dwells on the small islands in torres straits. this species flowered at kew so early as 1824, but the plant died. messrs. loddiges, of hackney, re-introduced it thirty years later. _d. johannis_, from queensland, brown and yellow, streaked with orange, the flowers curiously twisted. _d. superbiens_, from torres straits, rosy purple, edged with white, lip crimson. handsomest of all by far is _d. phaloenopsis_. it throws out a long, slender spike from the tip of the pseudo-bulb, bearing six or more flowers, three inches across. the sepals are lance-shaped, and the petals, twice as broad, rosy-lilac, with veins of darker tint; the lip, arched over by its side lobes, crimson-lake in the throat, paler and striped at the mouth. it was first sent home by mr. forbes, of kew gardens, from timor laüt, in 1880. but mr. fitzgerald had made drawings of a species substantially the same, some years before, from a plant he discovered on the property of captain bloomfield, balmain, in queensland, nearly a thousand miles south of timor. mr. sander caused search to be made, and he has introduced mr. fitzgerald's variety under the name of _d. ph. statterianum_. it is smaller than the type, and crimson instead of lilac. bulbophyllums rank among the marvels of nature. it is a point comparatively trivial that this genus includes the largest of orchids and, perhaps, the smallest. _b. beccarii_ has leaves two feet long, eighteen inches broad. it encircles the biggest tree in one clasp of its rhizomes, which travellers mistake for the coil of a boa constrictor. furthermore, this species emits the vilest stench known to scientific persons, which is a great saying. but these points are insignificant. the charm of bulbophyllums lies in their machinery for trapping insects. those who attended the temple show last year saw something of it, if they could penetrate the crush around _b. barbigerum_ on sir trevor lawrence's stand. this tiny but amazing plant comes from sierra leone. the long yellow lip is attached to the column by the slenderest possible joint, so that it rocks without an instant's pause. at the tip is set a brush of silky hairs, which wave backwards and forwards with the precision of machinery. no wonder that the natives believe it a living thing. the purpose of these arrangements is to catch flies, which other species effect with equal ingenuity if less elaboration. very pretty too are some of them, as _b. lobbii_. its clear, clean, orange-creamy hue is delightful to behold. the lip, so delicately balanced, quivers at every breath. if the slender stem be bent back, as by a fly alighting on the column, that quivering cap turns and hangs imminent; another tiny shake, as though the fly approached the nectary, and it falls plump, head over heels, like a shot, imprisoning the insect. thus the flower is impregnated. if we wished to excite a thoughtful child's interest in botany--not regardless of the sense of beauty either--we should make an investment in _bulbophyllum lobbii_. _bulbophyllum dearei_ also is pretty--golden ochre spotted red, with a wide dorsal sepal, very narrow petals flying behind, lower sepals broadly striped with red, and a yellow lip, upon a hinge, of course; but the gymnastic performances of this species are not so impressive as in most of its kin. a new bulbophyllum, _b. godseffianum_, has lately been brought from the philippines, contrived on the same principle, but even more charming. the flowers, two inches broad, have the colour of "old gold," with stripes of crimson on the petals, and the dorsal sepal shows membranes almost transparent, which have the effect of silver embroidery. until _b. beccarii_ was introduced, from borneo, in 1867, the grammatophyllums were regarded as monsters incomparable. mr. arthur keyser, resident magistrate at selangor, in the straits settlement, tells of one which he gathered on a durian tree, seven feet two inches high, thirteen feet six inches across, bearing seven spikes of flower, the longest eight feet six inches--a weight which fifteen men could only just carry. mr. f.w. burbidge heard a tree fall in the jungle one night when he was four miles away, and on visiting the spot, he found, "right in the collar of the trunk, a grammatophyllum big enough to fill a pickford's van, just opening its golden-brown spotted flowers, on stout spikes two yards long." it is not to be hoped that we shall ever see monsters like these in europe. the genus, indeed, is unruly. _g. speciosum_ has been grown to six feet high, i believe, which is big enough to satisfy the modest amateur, especially when it develops leaves two feet long. the flowers are--that is, they ought to be--six inches in diameter, rich yellow, blotched with reddish purple. they have some giants at kew now, of which fine things are expected. _g. measureseanum_, named after mr. measures, a leading amateur, is pale buff, speckled with chocolate, the ends of the sepals and petals charmingly tipped with the same hue. within the last few months mr. sander has obtained _g. multiflorum_ from the philippines, which seems to be not only the most beautiful, but the easiest to cultivate of those yet introduced. its flowers droop in a garland of pale green and yellow, splashed with brown, not loosely set, as is the rule, but scarcely half an inch apart. the effect is said to be lovely beyond description. we may hope to judge for ourselves in no long time, for mr. sander has presented a wondrous specimen to the royal gardens, kew. this is assuredly the biggest orchid ever brought to europe. its snakey pseudo-bulbs measure nine feet, and the old flower spikes stood eighteen feet high. it will be found in the victoria regia house, growing strongly. footnotes: [footnote 6: _vanda lowii_ is properly called _renanthera lowii_.] [footnote 7: _vide_ page 100.] the lost orchid. not a few orchids are "lost"--have been described that is, and named, even linger in some great collection, but, bearing no history, cannot now be found. such, for instance, are _cattleya jongheana_, _cymbidium hookerianum_, _cypripedium fairianum_. but there is one to which the definite article might have been applied a very few days ago. this is _cattleya labiata vera_. it was the first to bear the name of cattleya, though not absolutely the first of that genus discovered. _c. loddigesii_ preceded it by a few years, but was called an epidendrum. curious it is to note how science has returned in this latter day to the views of a pre-scientific era. professor reichenbach was only restrained from abolishing the genus cattleya, and merging all its species into epidendrum, by regard for the weakness of human nature. _cattleya labiata vera_ was sent from brazil to dr. lindley by mr. w. swainson, and reached liverpool in 1818. so much is certain, for lindley makes the statement in his _collectanea botanica_. but legends and myths encircle that great event. it is commonly told in books that sir w. jackson hooker, regius professor of botany at glasgow, begged mr. swainson--who was collecting specimens in natural history--to send him some lichens. he did so, and with the cases arrived a quantity of orchids which had been used to pack them. less suitable material for "dunnage" could not be found, unless we suppose that it was thrust between the boxes to keep them steady. paxton is the authority for this detail, which has its importance. the orchid arriving in such humble fashion proved to be _cattleya labiata_; lindley gave it that name--there was no need to add _vera_ then. he established a new genus for it, and thus preserved for all time the memory of mr. cattley, a great horticulturist dwelling at barnet. there was no ground in supposing the species rare. a few years afterwards, in fact, mr. gardner, travelling in pursuit of butterflies and birds, sent home quantities of a cattleya which he found on the precipitous sides of the pedro bonita range, and also on the gavea, which our sailors call "topsail" mountain, or "lord hood's nose." these orchids passed as _c. labiata_ for a while. paxton congratulated himself and the world in his _flower garden_ that the stock was so greatly increased. those were the coaching days, when botanists had not much opportunity for comparison. it is to be observed, also, that gardner's cattleya was the nearest relative of swainson's;--it is known at present as _c. labiata warneri_. the true species, however, has points unmistakable. some of its kinsfolk show a double flower-sheath;--very, very rarely, under exceptional circumstances. but _cattleya labiata vera_ never fails, and an interesting question it is to resolve why this alone should be so carefully protected. one may cautiously surmise that its habitat is even damper than others'. in the next place, some plants have their leaves red underneath, others green, and the flower-sheath always corresponds; this peculiarity is shared by _c. l. warneri_ alone. thirdly--and there is the grand distinction, the one which gives such extreme value to the species--it flowers in the late autumn, and thus fills a gap. those who possess a plant may have cattleyas in bloom the whole year round--and they alone. accordingly, it makes a section by itself in the classification of _reichenbachia_, as the single species that flowers from the current year's growth, after resting. section ii. contains the species that flower from the current year's growth before resting. section iii., those that flower from last year's growth after resting. all these are many, but _c. l. vera_ stands alone. [illustration: cattleya labiata. reduced to one sixth.] we have no need to dwell upon the contest that arose at the introduction of _cattleya mossiæ_ in 1840, which grew more and more bitter as others of the class came in, and has not yet ceased. it is enough to say that lindley declined to recognize _c. mossiæ_ as a species, though he stood almost solitary against "the trade," backed by a host of enthusiastic amateurs. the great botanist declared that he could see nothing in the beautiful new cattleya to distinguish it as a species from the one already named, _c. labiata_, except that most variable of characteristics, colour. modes of growth and times of flowering do not concern science. the structure of the plants is identical, and to admit _c. mossiæ_ as a sub-species of the same was the utmost concession lindley would make. this was in 1840. fifteen years later came _c. warscewiczi_, now called _gigas_; then, next year, _c. trianæ_; _c. dowiana_ in 1866; _c. mendellii_ in 1870--all _labiatas_, strictly speaking. at each arrival the controversy was renewed; it is not over yet. but sir joseph hooker succeeded lindley and reichenbach succeeded hooker as the supreme authority, and each of them stood firm. there are, of course, many cattleyas recognized as species, but lindley's rule has been maintained. we may return to the lost orchid. as time went on, and the merits of _c. labiata vera_ were understood, the few specimens extant--proceeding from mr. swainson's importation--fetched larger and larger prices. those merits, indeed, were conspicuous. besides the season of flowering, this proved to be the strongest and most easily grown of cattleyas. its normal type was at least as charming as any, and it showed an extraordinary readiness to vary. few, as has been said, were the plants in cultivation, but they gave three distinct varieties. van houtte shows us two in his admirable _flore des serres; c. l. candida_, from syon house, pure white excepting the ochrous throat--which is invariable--and _c. l. picta_, deep red, from the collection of j.j. blandy, esq., reading. the third was _c. l. pescatorei_, white, with a deep red blotch upon the lip, formerly owned by messrs. rouget-chauvier, of paris, now by the duc de massa. under such circumstances the dealers began to stir in earnest. from the first, indeed, the more enterprising had made efforts to import a plant which, as they supposed, must be a common weed at rio, since men used it to "pack" boxes. but that this was an error they soon perceived. taking the town as a centre, collectors pushed out on all sides. probably there is not one of the large dealers, in england or the continent, dead or living, who has not spent money--a large sum, too--in searching for _c. l. vera_. probably, also, not one has lost by the speculation, though never a sign nor a hint, scarcely a rumour, of the thing sought rewarded them. for all secured new orchids, new bulbs--eucharis in especial--dipladenias, bromeliaceæ, calladiums, marantas, aristolochias, and what not. in this manner the lost orchid has done immense service to botany and to mankind. one may say that the hunt lasted seventy years, and led collectors to strike a path through almost every province of brazil--almost, for there are still vast regions unexplored. a man might start, for example, at para, and travel to bogota, two thousand miles or so, with a stretch of six hundred miles on either hand which is untouched. it may well be asked what mr. swainson was doing, if alive, while his discovery thus agitated the world. alive he was, in new zealand, until the year 1855, but he offered no assistance. it is scarcely to be doubted that he had none to give. the orchids fell in his way by accident--possibly collected in distant parts by some poor fellow who died at rio. swainson picked them up, and used them to stow his lichens. not least extraordinary, however, in this extraordinary tale is the fact that various bits of _c. l. vera_ turned up during this time. lord home has a noble specimen at bothwell castle, which did not come from swainson's consignment. his gardener told the story five years ago. "i am quite sure," he wrote, "that my nephew told me the small bit i had from him"--forty years before--"was off a newly-imported plant, and i understood it had been brought by one of messrs. horsfall's ships." lord fitzwilliam seems to have got one in the same way, from another ship. but the most astonishing case is recent. about seven years ago two plants made their appearance in the zoological gardens at regent's park--in the conservatory behind mr. bartlett's house. how they got there is an eternal mystery. mr. bartlett sold them for a large sum; but an equal sum offered him for any scrap of information showing how they came into his hands he was sorrowfully obliged to refuse--or, rather, found himself unable to earn. they certainly arrived in company with some monkeys; but when, from what district of south america, the closest search of his papers failed to show. in 1885, dr. regel, director of the imperial gardens at st. petersburg, received a few plants. it may be worth while to name those gentlemen who recently possessed examples of _c. l. vera_, so far as our knowledge goes. they were sir trevor lawrence, lord rothschild, duke of marlborough, lord home, messrs. j. chamberlain, t. statten, j.j. blandy, and g. hardy, in england; in america, mr. f.l. ames, two, and mr. h.h. hunnewell; in france, comte de germiny, duc de massa, baron alphonse and baron adolf de rothschild, m. treyeran of bordeaux. there were two, as is believed, in italy. and now the horticultural papers inform us that the lost orchid is found, by mr. sander of st. albans. assuredly he deserves his luck--if the result of twenty years' labour should be so described. it was about 1870, we believe, that mr. sander sent out arnold, who passed five years in exploring venezuela. he had made up his mind that the treasure must not be looked for in brazil. turning next to colombia, in successive years, chesterton, bartholomeus, kerbach, and the brothers klaboch overran that country. returning to brazil, his collectors, oversluys, smith, bestwood, went over every foot of the ground which swainson seems, by his books, to have traversed. at the same time clarke followed gardner's track through the pedro bonita and topsail mountains. then osmers traced the whole coast-line of the brazils from north to south, employing five years in the work. finally, digance undertook the search, and died this year. to these men we owe grand discoveries beyond counting. to name but the grandest, arnold found _cattleya percevaliana_; from colombia were brought _odont. vex. rubellum_, _bollea coelestis_, _pescatorea klabochorum_; smith sent _cattleya o'brieniana_; clarke the dwarf cattleyas, _pumila_ and _præstans_; lawrenceson _cattleya schroederæ_; chesterton _cattleya sanderiana_; digance _cattleya diganceana_, which received a botanical certificate from the royal horticultural society on september 8th, 1890. but they heard not a whisper of the lost orchid. in 1889 a collector employed by m. moreau, of paris, to explore central and north brazil in search of insects, sent home fifty plants--for m. moreau is an enthusiast in orchidology also. he had no object in keeping the secret of its habitat, and when mr. sander, chancing to call, recognized the treasure so long lost, he gave every assistance. meanwhile, the international horticultural society of brussels had secured a quantity, but they regarded it as new, and gave it the name of _catt. warocqueana_; in which error they persisted until messrs. sander flooded the market. an orchid farm. my articles brought upon me a flood of questions almost as embarrassing as flattering to a busy journalist. the burden of them was curiously like. three ladies or gentlemen in four wrote thus: "i love orchids. i had not the least suspicion that they may be cultivated so easily and so cheaply. i am going to begin. will you please inform me"--here diversity set in with a vengeance! from temperature to flower-pots, from the selection of species to the selection of peat, from the architecture of a greenhouse to the capabilities of window-gardening, with excursions between, my advice was solicited. i replied as best i could. it must be feared, however, that the most careful questioning and the most elaborate replies by post will not furnish that ground-work of knowledge, the abc of the science, which is needed by a person utterly unskilled; nor will he find it readily in the hand-books. written by men familiar with the alphabet of orchidology from their youth up, though they seem to begin at the beginning, ignorant enthusiasts who study them find woeful gaps. it is little i can do in this matter; yet, believing that the culture of these plants will be as general shortly as the culture of pelargoniums under glass--and firmly convinced that he who hastens that day is a real benefactor to his kind--i am most anxious to do what lies in my power. considering the means by which this end may be won, it appears necessary above all to avoid boring the student. he should be led to feel how charming is the business in hand even while engaged with prosaic details; and it seems to me, after some thought, that the sketch of a grand orchid nursery will best serve our purpose for the moment. there i can show at once processes and results, passing at a step as it were from the granary into the harvest-field, from the workshop to the finished and glorious production. "an orchid farm" is no extravagant description of the establishment at st. albans. there alone in europe, so far as i know, three acres of ground are occupied by orchids exclusively. it is possible that larger houses might be found--everything is possible; but such are devoted more or less to a variety of plants, and the departments are not all gathered beneath one roof. i confess, for my own part, a hatred of references. they interrupt the writer, and they distract the reader. at the place i have chosen to illustrate our theme, one has but to cross a corridor from any of the working quarters to reach the showroom. we may start upon our critical survey from the very dwelling-house. pundits of agricultural science explore the sheds, i believe, the barns, stables, machine-rooms, and so forth, before inspecting the crops. we may follow the same course, but our road offers an unusual distraction. it passes from the farmer's hall beneath a high glazed arch. some thirty feet beyond, the path is stopped by a wall of tufa and stalactite which rises to the lofty roof, and compels the traveller to turn right or left. water pours down it and falls trickling into a narrow pool beneath. its rough front is studded with orchids from crest to base. coelogenes have lost those pendant wreaths of bloom which lately tipped the rock as with snow. but there are cymbidiums arching long sprays of green and chocolate; thickets of dendrobe set with flowers beyond counting--ivory and rose and purple and orange; scarlet anthuriums: huge clumps of phajus and evergreen calanthe, with a score of spikes rising from their broad leaves; cypripediums of quaint form and striking half-tones of colour; oncidiums which droop their slender garlands a yard long, golden yellow and spotted, purple and white--a hundred tints. the crown of the rock bristles all along with cattleyas, a dark-green glossy little wood against the sky. the _trianæs_ are almost over, but here and there a belated beauty pushes through, white or rosy, with a lip of crimson velvet. _mossiæs_ have replaced them generally, and from beds three feet in diameter their great blooms start by the score, in every shade of pink and crimson and rosy purple. there is _loelia elegans_, exterminated in its native home, of such bulk and such luxuriance of growth that the islanders left forlorn might almost find consolation in regarding it here. over all, climbing up the spandrils of the roof in full blaze of sunshine, is _vanda teres_, round as a pencil both leaves and stalk, which will drape those bare iron rods presently with crimson and pink and gold.[8] the way to our farmyard is not like others. it traverses a corner of fairyland. we find a door masked by such a rock as that faintly and vaguely pictured, which opens on a broad corridor. through all its length, four hundred feet, it is ceilinged with baskets of mexican orchid, as close as they will fit. upon the left hand lie a series of glass structures; upon the right, below the level of the corridor, the workshops; at the end--why, to be frank, the end is blocked by a ponderous screen of matting just now. but this dingy barrier is significant of a work in hand which will not be the least curious nor the least charming of the strange sights here. the farmer has already a "siding" of course, for the removal of his produce; he finds it necessary to have a station of his own also for the convenience of clients. beyond the screen at present lies an area of mud and ruin, traversed by broken walls and rows of hot-water piping swathed in felt to exclude the chill air. a few weeks since, this little wilderness was covered with glass, but the ends of the long "houses" have been cut off to make room for a structure into which visitors will step direct from the train. the platform is already finished, neat and trim; so are the vast boilers and furnaces, newly rebuilt, which would drive a cotton factory. a busy scene that is which we survey, looking down through openings in the wall of the corridor. here is the composing-room, where that magnificent record of orchidology in three languages, the "reichenbachia," slowly advances from year to year. there is the printing-room, with no steam presses or labour-saving machinery, but the most skilful craftsmen to be found, the finest paper, the most deliberate and costly processes, to rival the great works of the past in illustrating modern science. these departments, however, we need not visit, nor the chambers, lower still, where mechanical offices are performed. the "importing room" first demands notice. here cases are received by fifties and hundreds, week by week, from every quarter of the orchid world, unpacked, and their contents stored until space is made for them up above. it is a long apartment, broad and low, with tables against the wall and down the middle, heaped with things which to the uninitiated seem, for the most part, dry sticks and dead bulbs. orchids everywhere! they hang in dense bunches from the roof. they lie a foot thick upon every board, and two feet thick below. they are suspended on the walls. men pass incessantly along the gangways, carrying a load that would fill a barrow. and all the while fresh stores are accumulating under the hands of that little group in the middle, bent and busy at cases just arrived. they belong to a lot of eighty that came in from burmah last night--and while we look on, a boy brings a telegram announcing fifty more from mexico, that will reach waterloo at 2.30 p.m. great is the wrath and great the anxiety at this news, for some one has blundered; the warning should have been despatched three hours before. orchids must not arrive at unknown stations unless there be somebody of discretion and experience to meet them, and the next train does not leave st. albans until 2.44 p.m. dreadful is the sense of responsibility, alarming the suggestions of disaster, that arise from this incident. the burmese cases in hand just now are filled with dendrobiums, _crassinode_ and _wardianum_, stowed in layers as close as possible, with _d. falconerii_ for packing material. a royal way of doing things indeed to substitute an orchid of value for shavings or moss, but mighty convenient and profitable. for that packing will be sent to the auction-rooms presently, and will be sold for no small proportion of the sum which its more delicate charge attains. we remark that the experienced persons who remove these precious sticks, layer by layer, perform their office gingerly. there is not much danger or unpleasantness in unpacking dendrobes, compared with other genera, but ship-rats spring out occasionally and give an ugly bite; scorpions and centipedes have been known to harbour in the close roots of _d. falconerii_; stinging ants are by no means improbable, nor huge spiders; while cockroaches of giant size, which should be killed, may be looked for with certainty. but men learn a habit of caution by experience of cargoes much more perilous. in those masses of _arundina bambusæfolia_ beneath the table yonder doubtless there are centipedes lurking, perhaps even scorpions, which have escaped the first inspection. happily, these pests are dull, half-stupefied with the cold, when discovered, and no man here has been stung, circumspect as they are; but ants arrive as alert and as vicious as in their native realm. distinctly they are no joke. to handle a consignment of _epidendrum bicornutum_ demands some nerve. a very ugly species loves its hollow bulbs, which, when disturbed, shoots out with lightning swiftness and nips the arm or hand so quickly that it can seldom be avoided. but the most awkward cases to deal with are those which contain _schomburghkia tibicinis_. this superb orchid is so difficult to bloom that very few will attempt it; i have seen its flower but twice. packers strongly approve the reluctance of the public to buy, since it restricts importation. the foreman has been laid up again and again. but they find pleasing curiosities also, tropic beetles, and insects, and cocoons. dendrobiums in especial are favoured by moths; _d. wardianum_ is loaded with their webs, empty as a rule. hitherto the men have preserved no chrysalids, but at this moment they have a few, of unknown species. the farmer gets strange bits of advice sometimes, and strange offers of assistance. talking of insects reminds him of a letter received last week. here it is:- sirs,--i have heard that you are large growers of orchids; am i right in supposing that in their growth or production you are much troubled with some insect or caterpillar which retards or hinders their arrival at maturity, and that these insects or caterpillars can be destroyed by small snakes? i have tracts of land under my occupation, and if these small snakes can be of use in your culture of orchids you might write, as i could get you some on knowing what these might be worth to you. yours truly ---thence we mount to the potting-rooms, where a dozen skilled workmen try to keep pace with the growth of the imported plants; taking up, day by day, those which thrust out roots so fast that postponement is injurious. the broad middle tables are heaped with peat and moss and leaf-mould and white sand. at counters on either side unskilled labourers are sifting and mixing, while boys come and go, laden with pots and baskets of teak-wood and crocks and charcoal. these things are piled in heaps against the walls; they are stacked on frames overhead; they fill the semi-subterranean chambers of which we get a glimpse in passing. our farm resembles a factory in this department. ascending to the upper earth again, and crossing the corridor, we may visit number one of those glass-houses opposite. i cannot imagine, much more describe, how that spectacle would strike one to whom it was wholly unfamiliar. these buildings--there are twelve of them, side by side--measure one hundred and eighty feet in length, and the narrowest has thirty-two feet breadth. this which we enter is devoted to _odontoglossum crispum_, with a few _masdevallias_. there were twenty-two thousand pots in it the other day; several thousand have been sold, several thousand have been brought in, and the number at this moment cannot be computed. our farmer has no time for speculative arithmetic; he deals in produce wholesale. telegraph an order for a thousand _crispums_ and you cause no stir in the establishment. you take it for granted that a large dealer only could propose such a transaction. but it does not follow at all. nobody would credit, unless he had talked with one of the great farmers, on what enormous scale orchids are cultivated up and down by private persons. our friend has a client who keeps his stock of _o. crispum_ alone at ten thousand; but others, less methodical, may have more. opposite the door is a high staging, mounted by steps, with a gangway down the middle and shelves descending on either hand. those shelves are crowded with fine plants of the glorious _o. crispum_, each bearing one or two spikes of flower, which trail down, interlace, arch upward. not all are in bloom; that amazing sight may be witnessed for a month to come--for two months, with such small traces of decay as the casual visitor would not notice. so long and dense are the wreaths, so broad the flowers, that the structure seems to be festooned from top to bottom with snowy garlands. but there is more. overhead hang rows of baskets, lessening in perspective, with pendent sprays of bloom. and broad tables which edge the walls beneath that staging display some thousands still, smaller but not less beautiful. a sight which words could not portray. i yield in despair. the tillage of the farm is our business, and there are many points here which the amateur should note. observe the bricks beneath your feet. they have a hollow pattern which retains the water, though your boots keep dry. each side of the pathway lie shallow troughs, always full. beneath that staging mentioned is a bed of leaves, interrupted by a tank here, by a group of ferns there, vividly green. slender iron pipes run through the house from end to end, so perforated that on turning a tap they soak these beds, fill the little troughs and hollow bricks, play in all directions down below, but never touch a plant. under such constant drenching the leaf-beds decay, throwing up those gases and vapours in which the orchid delights at home. thus the amateur should arrange his greenhouse, so far as he may. but i would not have it understood that these elaborate contrivances are essential. if you would beat nature, as here, making invariably such bulbs and flowers as she produces only under rare conditions, you must follow this system. but orchids are not exacting. the house opens, at its further end, in a magnificent structure designed especially to exhibit plants of warm species in bloom. it is three hundred feet long, twenty-six wide, eighteen high--the piping laid end to end, would measure as nearly as possible one mile: we see a practical illustration of the resources of the establishment, when it is expected to furnish such a show. here are stored the huge specimens of _cymbidium lowianum_, nine of which astounded the good people of berlin with a display of one hundred and fifty flower spikes, all open at once. we observe at least a score as well furnished, and hundreds which a royal gardener would survey with pride. they rise one above another in a great bank, crowned and brightened by garlands of pale green and chocolate. other cymbidiums are here, but not the beautiful _c. eburneum_. its large white flowers, erect on a short spike, not drooping like these, will be found in a cool house--smelt with delight before they are found. further on we have a bank of dendrobiums, so densely clothed in bloom that the leaves are unnoticed. lovely beyond all to my taste, if, indeed, one may make a comparison, is _d. luteolum_, with flowers of palest, tenderest primrose, rarely seen unhappily, for it will not reconcile itself to our treatment. then again a bank of cattleyas, of vandas, of miscellaneous genera. the pathway is hedged on one side with _begonia coralina_, an unimproved species too straggling of growth and too small of flower to be worth its room under ordinary conditions; but a glorious thing here, climbing to the roof, festooned at every season of the year with countless rosy sprays. beyond this show-house lie the small structures devoted to "hybridization," but i deal with them in another chapter. here also are the phaloenopsis, the very hot vandas, bolleas, pescatoreas, anæctochili, and such dainty but capricious beauties. we enter the second of the range of greenhouses, also devoted to odontoglossums, masdevallias, and "cool" genera, as crowded as the last; pass down it to the corridor, and return through number three, which is occupied by cattleyas and such. there is a lofty mass of rock in front, with a pool below, and a pleasant sound of splashing water. many orchids of the largest size are planted out here--cypripedium, cattleya, sobralia, phajus, loelia, zygopetalum, and a hundred more, "specimens," as the phrase runs--that is to say, they have ten, twenty, fifty, flower spikes. i attempt no more descriptions; to one who knows, the plain statement of fact is enough, one who does not is unable to conceive that sight by the aid of words. but the sobralias demand attention. they stand here in clumps two feet thick, bearing a wilderness of loveliest bloom--like irises magnified and glorified by heavenly enchantment. nature designed a practical joke perhaps when she granted these noble flowers but one day's existence each, while dingy epidendrums last six months, or nine. i imagine that for stateliness and delicacy combined there are no plants that excel the sobralia. at any single point they may be surpassed--among orchids, be it understood, by nothing else in nature's realm--but their magnificence and grace together cannot be outshone. i must not dwell upon the marvels here, in front, on either side, and above--a hint is enough. there are baskets of _loelia anceps_ three feet across, lifted bodily from the tree in their native forest where they had grown perhaps for centuries. one of them--the white variety, too, which æsthetic infidels might adore, though they believed in nothing--opened a hundred spikes at christmas time; we do not concern ourselves with minute reckonings here. but an enthusiastic novice counted the flowers blooming one day on that huge mass of _loelia albida_ yonder, and they numbered two hundred and eleven--unless, as some say, this was the quantity of "spikes," in which case one must have to multiply by two or three. such incidents maybe taken for granted at the farm. [illustration: loelianceps schroederiana. reduced to one sixth] but we must not pass a new orchid, quite distinct and supremely beautiful, for which professor reichenbach has not yet found a name sufficiently appreciative. only eight pieces were discovered, whence we must suspect that it is very rare at home; i do not know where the home is, and i should not tell if i did. such information is more valuable than the surest tip for the derby, or most secrets of state. this new orchid is a cyrrhopetalun, of very small size, but, like so many others, its flower is bigger than itself. the spike inclines almost at a right angle, and the pendent half is hung with golden bells, nearly two inches in length. beneath it stands the very rare scarlet utricularia, growing in the axils of its native vriesia, as in a cup always full; but as yet the flower has been seen in europe only by the eyes of faith. it may be news to some that utricularias do not belong to the orchid family--have, in fact, not the slightest kinship, though associated with it by growers to the degree that mr. sander admits them to his farm. a little story hangs to the exquisite _u. campbelli_. all importers are haunted by the spectral image of _cattleya labiata_, which, in its true form, had been brought to europe only once, seventy years ago, when this book was written. some time since, mr. sander was looking through the drawings of sir robert schomburgk, in the british museum, among which is a most eccentric cattleya named--for reasons beyond comprehension--a variety of _c. mossiæ_. he jumped at the conclusion that this must be the long-lost _c. labiata_. so strong indeed was his confidence that he despatched a man post-haste over the atlantic to explore the roraima mountain; and, further, gave him strict injunctions to collect nothing but this precious species. for eight months the traveller wandered up and down among the indians, searching forest and glade, the wooded banks of streams, the rocks and clefts, but he found neither _c. labiata_ nor that curious plant which sir robert schomburgk described. upon the other hand, he came across the lovely _utricularia campbelli_, and in defiance of instructions brought it down. but very few reached england alive. for six weeks they travelled on men's backs, from their mountain home to the river essequibo; thence, six weeks in canoe to georgetown, with twenty portages; and, so aboard ship. the single chance of success lies in bringing them down, undisturbed, in the great clumps of moss which are their habitat, as is the vriesia of other species. i will allow myself a very short digression here. it may seem unaccountable that a plant of large growth, distinct flower, and characteristic appearance, should elude the eye of persons trained to such pursuits, and encouraged to spend money on the slightest prospect of success, for half a century and more. but if we recall the circumstances it ceases to astonish. i myself spent many months in the forests of borneo, central america, and the west african coast. after that experience i scarcely understand how such a quest, for a given object, can ever be successful unless by mere fortune. to look for a needle in a bottle of hay is a promising enterprise compared with the search for an orchid clinging to some branch high up in that green world of leaves. as a matter of fact, collectors seldom discover what they are specially charged to seek, if the district be untravelled--the natives, therefore, untrained to grasp and assist their purpose. this remark does not apply to orchids alone; not by any means. few besides the scientific, probably, are aware that the common _eucharis amasonica_ has been found only once; that is to say, but one consignment has ever been received in europe, from which all our millions in cultivation have descended. where it exists in the native state is unknown, but assuredly this ignorance is nobody's fault. for a generation at least skilled explorers have been hunting. mr. sander has had his turn, and has enjoyed the satisfaction of discovering species closely allied, as _eucharis mastersii_ and _eucharis sanderiana_; but the old-fashioned bulb is still to seek. in this third greenhouse is a large importation of _cattleya trianæ_, which arrived so late last year that their sheaths have opened contemporaneously with _c. mossiæ_. i should fear to hazard a guess how many thousand flowers of each are blooming now. as the odontoglossums cover their stage with snow wreaths, so this is decked with upright plumes of _cattleya trianæ_, white and rose and purple in endless variety of tint, with many a streak of other hue between. suddenly our guide becomes excited, staring at a basket overhead beyond reach. it contains a smooth-looking object, very green and fat, which must surely be good to eat--but this observation is alike irrelevant and disrespectful. why, yes! beyond all possibility of doubt that is a spike issuing from the axil of its fleshy leaf! three inches long it is already, thick as a pencil, with a big knob of bud at the tip. such pleasing surprises befall the orchidacean! this plant came from borneo so many years ago that the record is lost; but the oldest servant of the farm remembers it, as a poor cripple, hanging between life and death, season after season. cheerful as interesting is the discussion that arises. more like a vanda than anything else, the authorities resolve, but not a vanda! commending it to the special care of those responsible, we pass on. here is the largest mass of catasetum ever found, or even rumoured, lying in ponderous bulk upon the stage, much as it lay in a guatemalan forest. it is engaged in the process of "plumping up." orchids shrivel in their long journey, and it is the importer's first care to renew that smooth and wholesome rotundity which indicates a conscience untroubled, a good digestion, and an assurance of capacity to fulfil any reasonable demand. beneath the staging you may see myriads of withered sticks, clumps of shrunken and furrowed bulbs by the thousand, hung above those leaf-beds mentioned; they are "plumping" in the damp shade. the larger pile of catasetum--there are two--may be four feet long, three wide, and eighteen inches thick; how many hundreds of flowers it will bear passes computation. i remarked that when broken up into handsome pots it would fill a greenhouse of respectable dimensions; but it appears that there is not the least intention of dividing it. the farmer has several clients who will snap at this natural curiosity, when, in due time, it is put on the market. at the far end of the house stands another piece of rockwork, another little cascade, and more marvels than i can touch upon. in fact, there are several which would demand all the space at my disposition, but, happily, one reigns supreme. this is a _cattleya mossiæ_, the pendant of the catasetum, by very far the largest orchid of any kind that was ever brought to europe. for some years mr. sander, so to speak, hovered round it, employing his shrewdest and most diplomatic agents. for this was not a forest specimen. it grew upon a high tree beside an indian's hut, near caraccas, and belonged to him as absolutely as the fruit in his compound. his great-grandfather, indeed, had "planted" it, so he declared, but this is highly improbable. the giant has embraced two stems of the tree, and covers them both so thickly that the bare ends of wood at top alone betray its secret; for it was sawn off, of course, above and below. i took the dimensions as accurately as may be, with an object so irregular and prickly. it measures--the solid bulk of it, leaves not counted--as nearly as possible five feet in height and four thick--one plant, observe, pulsating through its thousand limbs from one heart; at least, i mark no spot where the circulation has been checked by accident or disease, and the pseudo-bulbs beyond have been obliged to start an independent existence. in speaking of _loelia elegans_, i said that those brazilian islanders who have lost it might find solace could they see its happiness in exile. the gentle reader thought this an extravagant figure of speech, no doubt, but it is not wholly fanciful. indians of tropical america cherish a fine orchid to the degree that in many cases no sum, and no offer of valuables, will tempt them to part with it. ownership is distinctly recognized when the specimen grows near a village. the root of this feeling, whether superstition or taste, sense of beauty, rivalry in magnificence of church displays, i have not been able to trace. it runs very strong in costa rica, where the influence of the aborigines is scarcely perceptible, and there, at least, the latter motive is sufficient explanation. glorious beyond all our fancy can conceive, must be the show in those lonely forest churches, which no european visits save the "collector," on a feast day. mr. roezl, whose name is so familiar to botanists, left a description of the scene that time he first beheld the flor de majo. the church was hung with garlands of it, he says, and such emotions seized him at the view that he choked. the statement is quite credible. those who see that wonder now, prepared for its transcendent glory, find no words to express their feeling: imagine an enthusiast beholding it for the first time, unwarned, unsuspecting that earth can show such a sample of the flowers that bloomed in eden! and not a single branch, but garlands of it! mr. roezl proceeds to speak of bouquets of _masdevallia harryana_ three feet across, and so forth. the natives showed him "gardens" devoted to this species, for the ornament of their church; it was not cultivated, of course, but evidently planted. they were acres in extent. the indian to whom this _cattleya mossiæ_ belonged refused to part with it at any price for years; he was overcome by a rifle of peculiar fascination, added to the previous offers. a magic-lantern has very great influence in such cases, and the collector provides himself with one or more nowadays as part of his outfit. under that charm, with 47l. in cash, mr. sander secured his first _c. mossiæ alba_, but it has failed hitherto in another instance, though backed by 100l., in "trade" or dollars, at the indian's option. thence we pass to a wide and lofty house which was designed for growing _victoria regia_ and other tropic water-lilies. it fulfilled its purpose for a time, and i never beheld those plants under circumstances so well fitted to display their beauty. but they generate a small black fly in myriads beyond belief, and so the culture of _nymphæa_ was dropped. a few remain, in manageable quantities, just enough to adorn the tank with blue and rosy stars; but it is arched over now with baskets as thick as they will hang--dendrobium, coelogene, oncidium, spathoglottis, and those species which love to dwell in the neighbourhood of steaming water. my vocabulary is used up by this time. the wonders here must go unchronicled. we have viewed but four houses out of twelve, a most cursory glance at that! the next also is intermediate, filled with cattleyas, warm oncidiums, lycastes, cypripediums--the inventory of names alone would occupy all my space remaining. at every step i mark some object worth a note, something that recalls, or suggests, or demands a word. but we must get along. the sixth house is cool again--odontoglossums and such; the seventh is given to dendrobes. but facing us as we enter stands a _lycaste skinneri_, which illustrates in a manner almost startling the infinite variety of the orchid. i positively dislike this species, obtrusive, pretentious, vague in colour, and stiff in form. but what a royal glorification of it we have here!--what exquisite veining and edging of purple or rose; what a velvet lip of crimson darkening to claret! it is merely a sport of nature, but she allows herself such glorious freaks in no other realm of her domain. and here is a new brassia just named by the pontiff of orchidology, professor reichenbach. those who know the tribe of brassias will understand why i make no effort to describe it. this wonderful thing is yet more "all over the shop" than its kindred. its dorsal sepal measures three inches in length, its "tail," five inches, with an enormous lip between. they term it the squid flower, or octopus, in mexico; and a good name too. but in place of the rather weakly colouring habitual it has a grand decision of character, though the tones are like--pale yellow and greenish; its raised spots, red and deep green, are distinct as points of velvet upon muslin. in the eighth house we return to odontoglossums and cool genera. here are a number of hybrids of the "natural class," upon which i should have a good deal to say if inexorable fate permitted; "natural hybrids" are plants which seem species, but, upon thoughtful examination and study, are suspected to be the offspring of kindred and neighbours. interesting questions arise in surveying fine specimens side by side, in flower, all attributed to a cross between _odontoglossum lindleyanum_ and _odontoglossum crispum alexandræ_, and all quite different. but we must get on to the ninth house, from which the tenth branches. here is the stove, and twilight reigns over that portion where a variety of super-tropic genera are "plumping up," making roots, and generally reconciling themselves to a new start in life. such dainty, delicate souls may well object to the apprenticeship. it must seem very degrading to find themselves laid out upon a bed of cinders and moss, hung up by the heels above it, and even planted therein; but if they have as much good sense as some believe, they may be aware that it is all for their good. at the end, in full sunshine, stands a little copse of _vanda teres_, set as closely as their stiff branches will allow. still we must get on. there are bits of wood hanging here so rotten that they scarcely hold together; faintest dots of green upon them assure the experienced that presently they will be draped with pendant leaves, and presently again, we hope, with blue and white and scarlet flowers of utricularia. from the stove opens a very long, narrow house, where cool genera are "plumping," laid out on moss and potsherds; many of them have burst into strong growth. pleiones are flowering freely as they lie. this farmer's crops come to harvest faster than he can attend to them. things beautiful and rare and costly are measured here by the yard--so many feet of this piled up on the stage, so many of the other, from all quarters of the world, waiting the leisure of these busy agriculturists. nor can we spare them more than a glance. the next house is filled with odontoglossums, planted out like "bedding stuff" in a nursery, awaiting their turn to be potted. they make a carpet so close, so green, that flowers are not required to charm the eye as it surveys the long perspective. the rest are occupied just now with cargoes of imported plants. my pages are filled--to what poor purpose, seeing how they might have been used for such a theme, no one could be so conscious as i. footnotes: [footnote 8: i was too sanguine. _vanda teres_ refused to thrive.] orchids and hybridizing. in the very first place, i declare that this is no scientific chapter. it is addressed to the thousands of men and women in the realm who tend a little group of orchids lovingly, and mark the wonders of their structure with as much bewilderment as interest. they read of hybridization, they see the result in costly specimens, they get books, they study papers on the subject. but the deeper their research commonly, the more they become convinced that these mysteries lie beyond their attainment. i am not aware of any treatise which makes a serious effort to teach the uninitiated. putting technical expressions on one side--though that obstacle is grave enough--every one of those which have come under my notice takes the mechanical preliminaries for granted. all are written by experts for experts. my purpose is contrary. i wish to show how it is done so clearly that a child or the dullest gardener may be able to perform the operations--so very easy when you know how to set to work. [illustration: cypripedium (hybridum) pollettianum. reduced to one sixth.] after a single lesson, in the genus _cypripedium_ alone, a young lady of my household amused herself by concerting the most incredible alliances--_dendrobium_ with _odontoglossum_, _epidendrum_ with _oncidium_, _oncidium_ with _odontoglossum_, and so forth. it is unnecessary to tell the experienced that in every case the seed vessel swelled; that matter will be referred to presently. i mention the incident only to show how simple are these processes if the key be grasped. amateur hybridizers of an audacious class are wanted because, hitherto, operators have kept so much to the beaten paths. the names of veitch and dominy and seden will endure when those of great _savants_ are forgotten; but business men have been obliged to concentrate their zeal upon experiments that pay. fantastic crosses mean, in all probability, a waste of time, space, and labour; in fact, it is not until recent years that such attempts could be regarded as serious. so much the more creditable, therefore, are messrs. veitch's exertions in that line. but it seems likely to me that when hybridizing becomes a common pursuit with those who grow orchids--and the time approaches fast--a very strange revolution may follow. it will appear, as i think, that the enormous list of pure species--even genera--recognized at this date may be thinned in a surprising fashion. i believe--timidly, as becomes the unscientific--that many distinctions which anatomy recognizes at present as essential to a true species will be proved, in the future, to result from promiscuous hybridization through æons of time. "proved," perhaps, is the word too strong, since human life is short; but such a mass of evidence will be collected that reasonable men can entertain no doubt. of course the species will be retained, but we shall know it to be a hybrid--the offspring, perhaps, of hybrids innumerable. i incline more and more to think that even genera may be disturbed in a surprising fashion, and i know that some great authorities agree with me outright, though they are unprepared to commit themselves at present. a very few years ago this suggestion would have been absurd, in the sense that it wanted facts in support. as our ancestors made it an article of faith that to fertilize an orchid was impossible for man, so we imagined until lately that genera would not mingle. but this belief grows unsteady. though bi-generic crosses have not been much favoured, as offering little prospect of success, such results have been obtained already that the field of speculation lies open to irresponsible persons like myself. when cattleya has been allied with sophronitis, sophronitis with epidendrum, odontoglossum with zygopetalum, coelogene with calanthe, one may credit almost anything. what should be stated on the other side will appear presently. how many hybrids have we now, established, and passing from hand to hand as freely as natural species? there is no convenient record; but in the trade list of a french dealer those he is prepared to supply are set apart with gallic precision. they number 416; but imagination and commercial enterprise are not less characteristic of the gaul than precision. in the excellent "manual" of messrs. veitch, which has supplied me with a mass of details, i find ten hybrid calanthes; thirteen hybrid cattleyas, and fifteen loelias, besides sixteen "natural hybrids"--species thus classed upon internal evidence--and the wondrous sophro-cattleya, bi-generic; fourteen dendrobiums and one natural; eighty-seven cypripediums--but as for the number in existence, it is so great, and it increases so fast, that messrs. veitch have lost count; phajus one, but several from alliance with calanthe; chysis two; epidendrum one; miltonia one, and two natural; masdevallia ten, and two natural; and so on. and it must be borne in mind that these amazing results have been effected in one generation. dean herbert's achievements eighty years ago were not chronicled, and it is certain that none of the results survive. mr. sander of st. albans preserves an interesting relic, the only one as yet connected with the science of orchidology. this is _cattleya hybrida_, the first of that genus raised by dominy, manager to messrs. veitch, at the suggestion of mr. harris of exeter, to the stupefaction of our grandfathers. mr. harris will ever be remembered as the gentleman who showed mr. veitch's agent how orchids are fertilized, and started him on his career. this plant was lost for years, but mr. sander found it by chance in the collection of dr. janisch at hamburg, and he keeps it as a curiosity, for in itself the object has no value. but this is a digression. dominy's earliest success, actually the very first of garden hybrids to flower--in 1856--was _calanthe dominii_, offspring of _c. masuca_ × _c. furcata_;--be it here remarked that the name of the mother, or seed parent, always stands first. another interest attaches to _c. dominii_. both its parents belong to the _veratræfolia_ section of calanthe, the terrestrial species, and no other hybrid has yet been raised among them. we have here one of the numberless mysteries disclosed by hybridization. the epiphytal calanthes, represented by _c. vestita_, will not cross with the terrestrial, represented by _c. veratræfolia_, nor will the mules of either. we may "give this up" and proceed. in 1859 flowered _c. veitchii_, from _c. rosea_, still called, as a rule, _limatodes rosea, × c. vestita_. no orchid is so common as this, and none more simply beautiful. but although the success was so striking, and the way to it so easy, twenty years passed before even messrs. veitch raised another hybrid calanthe. in 1878 seden flowered _c. sedeni_ from _c. veitchii × c. vestita_. others entered the field then, especially sir trevor lawrence, mr. cookson, and mr. charles winn. but the genus is small, and they mostly chose the same families, often giving new names to the progeny, in ignorance of each other's labour. the mystery i have alluded to recurs again and again. large groups of species refuse to inter-marry with their nearest kindred, even plants which seem identical in the botanist's point of view. there is good ground for hoping, however, that longer and broader experience will annihilate some at least of the axioms current in this matter. thus, it is repeated and published in the very latest editions of standard works that south american cattleyas, which will breed, not only among themselves, but also with the brazilian loelias, decline an alliance with their mexican kindred. but baron schroeder possesses a hybrid of such typical parentage as _catt. citrina_, mexican, and _catt. intermedia_, brazilian. it was raised by miss harris, of lamberhurst, kent, one single plant only; and it has flowered several times. messrs. sander have crossed _catt. guttata leopoldii_, brazil, with _catt. dowiana_, costa rica, giving _catt. chamberliana_; _loelia crispa_, brazil, with the same, giving _loelio-cattleya pallas_; _catt. citrina_, mexico, with _catt. intermedia_, brazil, giving _catt. citrina intermedia_ (lamberhurst hybrid); _loelia flava_, brazil, with _catt. skinneri_, costa rica, giving _loelio-catt. marriottiana_; _loelia pumila_, brazil, with _catt. dowiana_, costa rica, giving _loelio-catt. normanii_; _loelia digbyana_, central america, with _catt. mossiæ_, venezuela, giving _loelio-catt. digbyana-mossiæ_; _catt. mossiæ_, venezuela, with _loelia cinnabarina_, brazil, giving _loelio-catt. phoebe_. not yet flowered and unnamed, raised in the nursery, are _catt. citrina_, mexico, with _loelia purpurata_, brazil; _catt. harrisoniæ_, brazil, with _catt. citrina_, mexico; _loelia anceps_, mexico, with _epidendrum ciliare_, u.s. colombia. in other genera there are several hybrids of mexican and south american parentage; as _l. anceps_ × _epid. ciliare_, _sophronitis grandiflora_ × _epid. radicans_, _epid. xanthinum_ × _epid. radicans_. but among cypripediums, the easiest and safest of all orchids to hybridize, east indian and american species are unfruitful. messrs. veitch obtained such a cross, as they had every reason to believe, in one instance. for sixteen years the plants grew and grew until it was thought they would prove the rule by declining to flower. i wrote to messrs. veitch to obtain the latest news. they inform me that one has bloomed at last. it shows no trace of the american strain, and they have satisfied themselves that there was an error in the operation or the record. again, the capsules secured from very many by-generic crosses have proved, time after time, to contain not a single seed. in other cases the seed was excellent to all appearance, but it has resolutely refused to germinate. and further, certain by-generic seedlings have utterly ignored one parent. _zygopetalum mackayi_ has been crossed by mr. veitch, mr. cookson, and others doubtless, with various odontoglossums, but the flower has always turned out _zygopetalum mackayi_ pure and simple--which becomes the more unaccountable more one thinks of it. hybrids partake of the nature of both parents, but they incline generally, as in the extreme cases mentioned, to resemble one much more strongly than the other. when a cattleya or loelia of the single-leaf section is crossed with one of the two-leaf, some of the offspring, from the same capsule, show two leaves, others one only; and some show one and two alternately, obeying no rule perceptible to us at present. so it is with the charming _loelia maynardii_ from _l. dayana_ × _cattleya dolosa_, just raised by mr. sander and named after the superintendent of his hybridizing operations. _catt. dolosa_ has two leaves, _l. dayana_ one; the product has two and one alternately. sepals and petals are alike in colour, rosy crimson, veined with a deeper hue; lip brightest crimson-lake, long, broad and flat, curving in handsomely above the column, which is closely depressed after the manner of _catt. dolosa_. the first bi-generic cross deserves a paragraph to itself if only on that account; but its own merits are more than sufficient. _sophro-cattleya batemaniana_ was raised by messrs. veitch from _sophronitis grandiflora_ × _catt. intermedia_. it flowered in august, 1886; petals and sepals rosy scarlet, lip pale lilac bordered with amethyst and tipped with rosy purple. but one natural hybrid has been identified among dendrobes--the progeny doubtless of _d. crassinode_ × _d. wardianum_. messrs. j. laing have a fine specimen of this; it shows the growth of the latter species with the bloom of the former, but enlarged and improved. several other hybrid crosses are suspected. of artificial we have not less than fifty. phaius--it is often spelt phajus--is so closely allied with calanthe that for hybridizing purposes at least there is no distinction. dominy raised _ph. irroratus_ from _ph. grandifolius_ × _cal. vestita_; seden made the same cross, but, using the variety _cal. v. rubro-occulata_, he obtained _ph. purpureus_. the success is more interesting because one parent is evergreen, the other, calanthe, deciduous. on this account probably very few seedlings survive; they show the former habit. mr. cookson alone has yet raised a cross between two species of phajus--_ph. cooksoni_ from _ph. wallichii_ × _ph. tuberculosus_. one may say that this is the best hybrid yet raised, saving _calanthe veitchii_, if all merits be considered--stateliness of aspect, freedom in flowering, striking colour, ease of cultivation. one bulb will throw up four spikes--twenty-eight have been counted in a twelve-inch pot--each bearing perhaps thirty flowers. seden has made two crosses of chysis, both from the exquisite _ch. bractescens_, one of the loveliest flowers that heaven has granted to this world, but sadly fleeting. nobody, i believe, has yet been so fortunate as to obtain seed from _ch. aurea_. this species has the rare privilege of self-fertilization--we may well exclaim, why! why?--and it eagerly avails itself thereof so soon as the flower begins to open. thus, however watchful the hybridizer may be, hitherto he has found the pollen masses melted in hopeless confusion before he can secure them. one hybrid epidendrum has been obtained--_epi. o'brienianum_ from _epi. evectum × epi. radicans_; the former purple, the latter scarlet, produce ×a bright crimson progeny. miltonias show two natural hybrids, and one artificial--_mil. bleuiana_ from _mil. vexillaria × mil. roezlii_; both of these are commonly classed as odontoglots, and i refer to them elsewhere under that title. m. bleu and messrs. veitch made this cross about the same time, but the seedlings of the former flowered in 1889, of the latter, in 1891. here we see an illustration of the advantage which french horticulturists enjoy, even so far north as paris; a clear sky and abundant sunshine made a difference of more than twelve months. when italians begin hybridizing, we shall see marvels--and greeks and egyptians! masdevallias are so attractive to insects, by striking colour, as a rule, and sometimes by strong smell--so very easily fertilized also--that we should expect many natural hybrids in the genus. they are not forthcoming, however. reichenbach displayed his scientific instinct by suggesting that two species submitted to him might probably be the issue of parents named; since that date seden has produced both of them from the crosses which reichenbach indicated. we have three natural hybrids among phaloenopsis. _ph. intermedia_ made its appearance in a lot of _ph. aphrodite_, imported 1852. m. porte, a french trader, brought home two in 1861; they were somewhat different, and he gave them his name. messrs. low imported several in 1874, one of which, being different again, was called after mr. brymer. three have been found since, always among _ph. aphrodite_; the finest known is possessed by lord rothschild. that these were natural hybrids could not be doubted; seden crossed _ph. aphrodite_ with _ph. rosea_, and proved it. our garden hybrids are two: _ph. f.l. ames_, obtained from _ph. amabilis × ph. intermedia_, and _ph. harriettæ_ from _ph. amabilis × ph. violacea_, named after the daughter of hon. erastus corning, of albany, u.s.a. oncidiums yield only two natural hybrids at present, and those uncertain; others are suspected. we have no garden hybrids, i believe, as yet. so it is with odontoglossums, as has been said, but in the natural state they cross so freely that a large proportion of the species may probably be hybrids. i allude to this hereafter. i have left cypripediums to the last, in these hasty notes, because that supremely interesting genus demands more than a record of dry facts. darwin pointed out that cypripedium represents the primitive form of orchid. he was acquainted with no links connecting it with the later and more complicated genera; some have been discovered since that day, but it is nevertheless true that "an enormous extinction must have swept away a multitude of intermediate forms, and left this single genus as the record of a former and more simple state of the great orchidacean order." the geographical distribution shows that cypripedium was more common in early times--to speak vaguely--and covered an area yet more extensive than now. and the process of extermination is still working, as with other primitive types. messrs. veitch point out that although few genera of plants are scattered so widely over the earth as cypripedium, the species have withdrawn to narrow areas, often isolated, and remote from their kindred. some are rare to the degree that we may congratulate ourselves upon the chance which put a few specimens in safety under glass before it was too late, for they seem to have become extinct even in this generation. messrs. veitch give a few striking instances. all the plants of _cyp. fairieanum_ known to exist have sprung from three or four casually imported in 1856. two bits of _cyp. superbiens_ turned up among a consignment of _cyp. barbatum_; none have been found since, and it is doubtful whether the species survives in its native home. only three plants of _cyp. marstersianium_ have been discovered. they reached mr. bull in a miscellaneous case of cypripediums forwarded to him by the director of the botanic gardens at buitzenzorze, in java; but that gentleman and his successors in office have been unable to find another plant. these three must have reached the gardens by an accident--as they left it--presented perhaps by some dutchman who had been travelling. _cyp. purpuratum_ is almost extinct at hong kong, and is vanishing fast on the mainland. it is still found occasionally in the garden of a peasant, who, we are told, resolutely declines to sell his treasure. this may seem incredible to those who know the chinaman, but mr. roebelin vouches for the fact; it is one more eccentricity to the credit of that people, who had quite enough already. collectors expect to find a new habitat of _cyp. purpuratum_ in formosa when they are allowed to explore that realm. even our native _cyp. calceolus_ has almost disappeared; we get it now from central europe, but in several districts where it abounded the supply grows continually less. the same report comes from north america and japan. fortunate it is, but not surprising to the thoughtful observer, that this genus grows and multiplies with singular facility when its simple wants are supplied. there is no danger that a species which has been rescued from extinction will perish under human care. this seems contradictory. how should a plant thrive better under artificial conditions than in the spot where nature placed it? the reason lies in that archaic character of the cypriped which darwin pointed out. its time has passed--nature is improving it off the face of the earth. a gradual change of circumstances makes it more and more difficult for this primitive form of orchid to exist, and, conscious of the fate impending, it gratefully accepts our help. one cause of extermination is easily grasped. cypripeds have not the power of fertilizing themselves, except a single species, _cyp. schlimii_, which--accordingly, as we may say--is most difficult to import and establish; moreover, it flowers so freely that the seedlings are always weak. in all species the sexual apparatus is so constructed that it cannot be impregnated by accident, and few insects can perform the office. dr. hermann muller studied _cyp. calceolus_ assiduously in this point of view. he observed only five species of insect which fertilize it. _cyp. calceolus_ has perfume and honey, but none of the tropical species offer those attractions. their colour is not showy. the labellum proves to be rather a trap than a bait. large insects which creep into it and duly bear away the pollen masses, are caught and held fast by that sticky substance when they try to escape through the lateral passages, which smaller insects are too weak to force their way through. natural hybrids occur so rarely, that their existence is commonly denied. the assertion is not quite exact; but when we consider the habits of the genus, it ceases to be extraordinary that cypripeds rarely cross in their wild state. different species of cattleya, odontoglots, and the rest live together on the same tree, side by side. but those others dwell apart in the great majority of cases, each species by itself, at a vast distance perhaps from its kindred. the reason for this state of things has been mentioned--natural laws have exterminated them in the spaces between, which are not so well fitted to maintain a doomed race. doubtless cypripeds rarely fertilize--by comparison, that is, of course--in their native homes. the difficulty that insects find in performing that service has been mentioned. mr. godseff points out to me a reason far more curious and striking. when a bee displaces the pollen masses of a cattleya, for instance, they cling to its head or thorax by means of a sticky substance attached to the pollen cases; so, on entering the next flower, it presents the pollen _outwards_ to the stigmatic surface. but in the case of a cypriped there is no such substance, the adhesive side of the pollen itself is turned outward, and it clings to any intruding substance. but this is the fertilizing part. therefore, an insect which by chance displaces the pollen mass carries it off, as one may say, the wrong side up. on entering the next flower, it does not commonly present the surface necessary for impregnation, but a sterile globule which is the backing thereof. we may suppose that in the earlier age, when this genus flourished as the later forms of orchid do now, it enjoyed some means of fertilization which have vanished. under such disadvantages it is not to be expected that seed capsules would be often found upon imported cypripeds. messrs. veitch state that they rarely observed one among the myriads of plants that have passed through their hands. with some species, however, it is not by any means so uncommon. when messrs. thompson, of clovenfords, bought a quantity of the first _cyp. spicerianum_ which came upon the market, they found a number of capsules, and sowed them, obtaining several hundred fine plants. pods are often imported on _cyp. insigne_ full of good seed. in the circumstances enumerated we have the explanation of an extraordinary fact. hybrids or natural species of cypripediums artificially raised are stronger than their parents, and they produce finer flowers. the reason is that they get abundance of food in captivity, and all things are made comfortable for them; whilst nature, anxious to be rid of a form of plant no longer approved, starves and neglects them. the same argument enables us to understand why cypripeds lend themselves so readily to the hybridizer. darwin taught us to expect that species which can rarely hope to secure a chance of reproduction will learn to make the process as easy and as sure as the conditions would admit--that none of those scarce opportunities may be lost. and so it proves. orchidaceans are apt to declare that "everybody" is hybridizing cypripeds nowadays. at least, so many persons have taken up this agreeable and interesting pursuit that science has lost count of the less striking results. briefly, the first hybrid cypripedium was raised by dominy, in 1869, and named after mr. harris, who, as has been said, suggested the operation to him. seden produced the next in 1874--_cyp. sedeni_ from _cyp. schlimii × cyp. longiflorum_; curious as the single instance yet noted in which seedlings turn out identical, whichever parent furnish the pollen-masses. in every other case they vary when the functions of the parents are exchanged. for a long time after 1853, when serious work begun, messrs. veitch had a monopoly of the business. it is but forty years, therefore, since experiments commenced, in which time hundreds of hybrids have been added to our list of flowers; but--this is my point--nature has been busy at the same task for unknown ages, and who can measure the fruits of her industry? i do not offer the remark as an argument; our observations are too few as yet. it may well be urged that if nature had been thus active, the "natural hybrids" which can be recognized would be much more numerous than they are. i have pointed out that many of the largest genera show very few; many none at all. but is it impossible that the explanation appears to fail only because we cannot yet push it far enough? when the hybridizer causes by force a fruitful union betwixt two genera, he seems to triumph over a botanical law. but suppose the genera themselves are artificial, only links in a grand chain which nature has forged slowly, patiently, with many a break and many a failure, in the course of ages? she would finish her work bit by bit, and at every stage the new variety may have united with others in endless succession. few natural hybrids can be identified among cattleyas, for instance. but suppose cattleyas are all hybrids, the result of promiscuous intercourse among genera during cycles of time--suppose, that is, the genus itself sprang from parents widely diverse, crossing, returning, intercrossing from age to age? it is admitted that cypripedium represents a primeval form--perhaps _the_ primeval form--of orchid. suppose that we behold, in this nineteenth century, a mere epoch, or stage, in the ceaseless evolution? only an irresponsible amateur could dare talk in this way. it would, in truth, be very futile speculation if experiments already successful did not offer a chance of proof one day, and others, hourly ripening, did not summon us to think. i may cite, with the utmost brevity, two or three facts which--to me unscientific--appear inexplicable, unless species of orchid were developed on the spot; or the theory of special local creations be admitted. _oncidium cucullatum_ flourishes in certain limited areas of peru, of ecuador, of colombia, and of venezuela. it is not found in the enormous spaces between, nor are any oncidiums which might be accepted as its immediate parents. can we suppose that the winds or the birds carried it over mountain ranges and broad rivers more than two thousand miles, in four several directions, to establish it upon a narrow tract? it is a question of faith; but, for my own part, i could as soon believe that æsthetic emigrants took it with them. but even winds and birds could not bear the seed of _dendrobium heterocarpum_ from ceylon to burmah, and from burmah to luzon in the philippines; at least, i am utterly unable to credit it. if the plants were identical, or nearly, in their different habitats, this case would be less significant. but the _d. heterocarpum_ of ceylon has a long, thin pseudo-bulb, with bright yellow flowers; that of burmah is short and thick, with paler colouring; that of luzon is no less than three feet high, exaggerating the stature of its most distant relative while showing the colour of its nearest; but all, absolutely, the same botanic plant. i have already mentioned other cases. experience hitherto suggests that we cannot raise odontoglossum seedlings in this climate; very, very few have ever been obtained. attempts in france have been rather more successful. baron adolf de rothschild has four different hybrids of odontoglossum in bud at this present moment in his garden at armainvilliers, near paris. m. moreau has a variety of seedlings. authorities admit now that a very great proportion of our odontoglossums are natural hybrids; so many can be identified beyond the chance of error that the field for speculation has scarcely bounds. _o. excellens_ is certainly descended from _o. pescatorei_ and _o. triumphans_, _o. elegans_ from _o. cirrhosum_ and _o. hallii_, _o. wattianum_ from _o. harryanum_ and _o. hystrix_. and it must be observed that we cannot trace pedigree beyond the parents as yet, saving a very, very few cases. but unions have been contracting during cycles of time; doubtless, from the laws of things the orchid is latest born of nature's children in the world of flora, but mighty venerable by this time, nevertheless. we can identify the mixed offspring of _o. crispum alexandræ_ paired with _o. gloriosum_, with _o. luteopurpureum_, with _o. lindleyanum_; these parents dwell side by side, and they could not fail to mingle. we can already trace with assurance a few double crosses, as _o. lanceans_, the result of an alliance between _o. crispum alexandræ_ and _o. ruckerianum_, which latter is a hybrid of the former with _o. gloriosum_. when we observe _o. roezlii_ upon the bank of the river cauca and _o. vexillarium_ on the higher ground, whilst _o. vexillarium superbum_ lives between, we may confidently attribute its peculiarity of a broad dark blotch upon the lip to the influence of _o. roezlii_. so, taking station at manaos upon the amazons, we find, to eastward, _cattleya superba_, to westward _c. eldorado_, and in the midst _c. brymeriana_, which, it is safe to assume, represents the union of the two; for that matter, the theory will very soon be tested, for m. alfred bleu has "made the cross" of _c. superba_ and _c. eldorado_, and its flower is expected with no little interest. these cases, and many more, are palpable. we see a variety in the making at this date. a thousand years hence, or ten thousand, by more distant alliances, by a change of conditions, the variety may well have developed into a species, or, by marriage excursions yet wider, it may have founded a genus. i have named mr. cookson several times; in fact, to discourse of hybridization for amateurs without reference to his astonishing "record" would be grotesque. one sunday afternoon, ten years ago, he amused himself with investigating the structure of a few cypripeds, after reading darwin's book; and he impregnated them. to his astonishment the seed-vessel began to swell, and so did mr. cookson's enthusiasm simultaneously. he did not yet know, and, happily, these experiments gave him no reason to suspect, that pseudo-fertilization can be produced, actually, by anything. so intensely susceptible is the stigmatic surface of the cypriped that a touch excites it furiously. upon the irritation caused by a bit of leaf, it will go sometimes through all the visible processes of fecundation, the ovary will swell and ripen, and in due time burst, with every appearance of fertility; but, of course, there is no seed. beginners, therefore, must not be too sanguine when their bold attempts promise well. from that day mr. cookson gave his leisure to hybridization, with such results as, in short, are known to everybody who takes an interest in orchids. failures in abundance he had at first, but the proportion has grown less and less until, at this moment, he confidently looks for success in seventy-five per cent. of his attempts; but this does not apply to bi-generic crosses, which hitherto have not engaged his attention much. beginning with cypripedium, he has now ninety-four hybrids--very many plants of each--produced from one hundred and forty capsules sown. of calanthe, sixteen hybrids from nineteen capsules; of dendrobium, thirty-six hybrids from forty-one capsules; of masdevallia, four hybrids from seventeen capsules; of odontoglossum, none from nine capsules; of phajus, two from two capsules; of vanda, none from one capsule; of bi-generic, one from nine capsules. there may be another indeed, but the issue of an alliance so startling, and produced under circumstances so dubious, that mr. cookson will not own it until he sees the flower. it does not fall within the scope of this chapter to analyze the list of this gentleman's triumphs, but even _savants_ will be interested to hear a few of the most remarkable crosses therein, for it is not published. i cite the following haphazard:- phajus wallichii × phajus tuberculosus. loelia præstans. × cattleya dowiana. " purpurata × cattleya dowiana. " " × loelia grandis tenebrosa. " " × cattleya mendellii. " marginata × loelia elegans cooksoni. cattleya mendellii × " purpurata. " trianæ × " harpophylla. " percivalliana × " " lawrenceana × cattleya mossiæ. " gigas × " gaskelliana. " crispa × " " " dowiana × " " " schofieldiana × " gigas imperialis. " leopoldii × " dowiana. cypripedium stonei × cypripedium godefroyæ. " " × " spicerianum. " sanderianum × " veitchii. " spicerianum × " sanderianum. " io × " vexillarium. dendrobium nobile nobilus × dendrobium falconerii. " " × " nobile cooksonianum. " wardianum × " aureum. " " × " linawianum. " luteolum × " nobile nobilius. masdevallia tovarensis × masdevallia bella. " shuttleworthii × " tovarensis. " " × " rosea. of these, and so many more, mr. cookson has at this moment fifteen thousand plants. since my object is to rouse the attention of amateurs, that they may go and do likewise, i may refer lightly to a consideration which would be out of place under other circumstances. professional growers of orchids are fond of speculating how much the wylam collection would realize if judiciously put on the market. i shall not mention the estimates i have heard; it is enough to say they reach many, many thousands of pounds; that the difference between the highest and the lowest represents a handsome fortune. and this great sum has been earned by brains alone, without increase of expenditure, by boldness of initiative, thought, care, and patience; without special knowledge also, at the beginning, for ten years ago mr. cookson had no more acquaintance with orchids than is possessed by every gentleman who takes an interest in them, while his gardener the early time was both ignorant and prejudiced. this should encourage enterprise, i think--the revelation of means to earn great wealth in a delightful employment. but amateurs must be quick. almost every professional grower of orchids is preparing to enter the field. they, however, must needs give the most of their attention to such crosses as may be confidently expected to catch the public fancy, as has been said. i advise my readers to be daring, even desperate. it is satisfactory to learn that mr. cookson intends to make a study of bi-generic hybridization henceforward.[9] the common motive for crossing orchids is that, of course, which urges the florist in other realms of botany. he seeks to combine tints, forms, varied peculiarities, in a new shape. orchids lend themselves to experiment with singular freedom, within certain limits, and their array of colours seems to invite our interference. taking species and genera all round, yellow dominates, owing to its prevalence in the great family of oncidium; purples and mauves stand next by reason of their supremacy among the cattleyas. green follows--if we admit the whole group of epidendrums--the great majority of which are not beautiful, however. of magenta, the rarest of natural hues, we have not a few instances. crimson, in a thousand shades, is frequent; pure white a little rare, orange much rarer; scarlet very uncommon, and blue almost unknown, though supremely lovely in the few instances that occur. thus the temptation to hybridize with the object of exchanging colours is peculiarly strong. it becomes yet stronger by reason of the delightful uncertainty which attends one's efforts. so far as i have heard or read, no one has yet been able to offer a suggestion of any law which decides the result of combination. in a general way, both parents will be represented in the offspring, but how, to what degree either will dominate, in what parts, colours, or fashions a hybrid will show its mixed lineage, the experienced refuse to conjecture, saving certain easy classes. after choosing parents thoughtfully, with a clear perception of the aim in view, one must "go it blind." very often the precise effect desired appears in due time; very often something unlooked for turns up; but nearly always the result is beautiful, whether or no it serve the operator's purpose. besides effect, however, there is an utility in hybridization which relates to culture. thus, for example, the lovely _cypripedium fairieanum_ is so difficult to grow that few dealers keep it in their stock; by crossing it with _cyp. barbatum_, from mount ophir, a rough-and-ready cool species, we get _cyp. vexillarium_, which takes after the latter in constitution while retaining much of the beauty of the former. or again, _cypripedium sanderianum_, from the malay archipelago, needs such swampy heat as few even of its fellows appreciate; it has been crossed with _cyp. insigne_, which will flourish anywhere, and though the seedlings have not yet bloomed, there is no reasonable doubt that they will prove as useful and beautiful as in the other case. _cypripedium insigne_, of the fine varieties, has been employed in a multitude of such instances. there is the striking _cyp. hirsutissimum_, with sepals of a nameless green, shaded yellow, studded with spiculæ, exquisitely frilled, and tipped, by a contrast almost startling, with pale purple. it is very "hot" in the first place, and, in the second, its appearance would be still more effective if some white could be introduced; present it to _cyp. niveum_ and confidently expect that the progeny will bear cooler treatment, whilst their "dorsal sepal" will be blanched. so the charming _masdevallia tovarensis_, warm, white and lowly, will take to itself the qualities, in combination, of _mas. bella_, tall, cool, and highly coloured red and yellow, as mr. cookson has proved; so _phaloenopsis wightii_, delicate of growth and small of flower, will become strong and generous by union with _phal. grandiflora_, without losing its dainty tones. it is worth mention that the first flora medal offered by the royal horticultural society for a seedling--a hybrid--in open competition was won by _loelia arnoldiana_ in 1891; the same variety took the first prize in 1892. it was raised by messrs. sander from _l. purpurata_ × _catt. labiata_; seed sown 1881, flowered 1891. and now for the actual process by which these most desirable results, and ten thousand others, may be obtained. i shall not speak upon my own authority, which the universe has no reason to trust. let us observe the methods practised in the great establishment of mr. sander at st. albans. remark, in the first place, the low, unshaded range of houses devoted to hybridization, a contrast to those lofty structures, a hundred yards long or more, where plants merely flourish and bloom. their span roofs one may touch with the hand, and their glass is always newly cleaned. the first and last demand of the hybridizer is light--light--eternally light. want of it stands at the bottom of all his disappointments, perhaps. the very great majority of orchids, such as i refer to, have their home in the tropics; even the "cool" odontoglots and masdevallias owe that quality to their mountaineering habit, not to latitude. they live so near the equator that sunshine descends almost perpendicularly--and the sun shines for more than half the year. but in this happy isle of ours, upon the very brightest day of midsummer, its rays fall at an angle of 28°, declining constantly until, at midwinter, they struggle through the fogs at an inclination of 75°. the reader may work out this proportion for himself, but he must add to his reckoning the thickness of our atmosphere at its best, and the awful number of cloudy days. we cannot spare one particle of light. the ripening seed must stand close beneath the glass, and however fierce the sunshine no blind may be interposed. it is likely that the mother-plant will be burnt up--quite certain that it will be much injured. this house is devoted to the hybridizing of cypripediums; i choose that genus for our demonstration, because, as has been said, it is so very easy and so certain that an intelligent girl mastered all its eccentricities of structure after a single lesson, which made her equally proficient in those of dendrobes, oncidiums, odontoglots, epidendrums, and i know not how many more. the leaves are green and smooth as yet, with many a fantastic bloom, and many an ovary that has just begun to swell, rising amidst the verdure. each flower spike which has been crossed carries its neat label, registering the father's name and the date of union. mr. maynard takes the two first virgin blooms to hand: _cypripedium sanderianum_, and _cypripedium godefroyæ_, as it chances. let us cut off the lip in order to see more clearly. looking down now upon the flower, we mark two wings, the petals, which stood on either side of the vanished lip. from the junction of these wings issues a round stalk, about one quarter of an inch long, and slightly hairy, called the "column." it widens out at the tip, forming a pretty table, rather more than one-third of an inch long and wide. this table serves no purpose in our inquiry; it obstructs the view, and we will remove it; but the reader understands, of course, that these amputations cannot be performed when business is intended. now--the table snipped off--we see those practical parts of the flower that interest us. beneath its protection, the column divides into three knobbly excrescences, the central plain, those on either side of it curling back and down, each bearing at its extremity a pad, the size of a small pin's head, outlined distinctly with a brown colour. it is quite impossible to mistake these things; equally impossible, i hope, to misunderstand my description. the pads are the male, the active organs. but the column does not finish here. it trends downward, behind and below the pads, and widens out, with an exquisitely graceful curve, into a disc one-quarter of an inch broad. this is the female, the receptive part; but here we see the peculiarity of orchid structure. for the upper surface of the disc is not susceptible; it is the under surface which must be impregnated, though the imagination cannot conceive a mere accident which would throw those fertilizing pads upon their destined receptacle. they are loosely attached and adhesive, when separated, to a degree actually astonishing, as is the disc itself; but if it were possible to displace them by shaking, they could never fall where they ought. some outside impulse is needed to bring the parts together. in their native home insects perform that service--sometimes. here we may take the first implement at hand, a knife, a bit of stick, a pencil. we remove the pads, which yield at a touch, and cling to the object. we lay them one by one on the receptive disc, where they seem to melt into the surface--and the trick is done. write out your label--_"cyp. sanderianum × cyp. godefroyæ_, maynard." add the date, and leave nature to her work. she does not linger. one may almost say that the disc begins to swell instantly. that part which we term the column is the termination of the seed-purse, the ovary, which occupies an inch, or two, or three, of the stalk, behind the flower. in a very few days its thickening becomes perceptible. the unimpregnated bloom falls off at its appointed date, as everybody knows; but if fertilized it remains entire, saving the labellum, until the seed is ripe, perhaps half a year afterwards--but withered, of course. very singular and quite inexplicable are the developments that arise in different genera, or even species, after fertilization. in the warscewiczellas, for example, not the seed-purse only, but the whole column swells. _phaloenopsis luddemanniana_ is specially remarkable. its exquisite bars and mottlings of rose, brown, and purple begin to take a greenish hue forthwith. a few days later, the lip jerks itself off with a sudden movement, as observers declare. then the sepals and petals remaining take flesh, thicken and thicken, while the hues fade and the green encroaches, until, presently, they assume the likeness of a flower, abnormal in shape but perfect, of dense green wax. this cypripedium of ours will ripen its seed in about twelve months, more or less. then the capsule, two inches long and two-thirds of an inch diameter, will burst. mr. maynard will cut it off, open it wide, and scatter the thousands of seeds therein, perhaps 150,000, over pots in which orchids are growing. after experiments innumerable, this has been found the best course. the particles, no bigger than a grain of dust, begin to swell at once, reach the size of a mustard-seed, and in five or six weeks--or as many months--they put out a tiny leaf, then a tiny root, presently another leaf, and in four or five years we may look for the hybridized flower. long before, naturally, they have been established in their own pots. strange incidents occur continually in this pursuit, as may be believed. nine years since, mr. godseff crossed _catasetum macrocarpum_ with _catasetum callosum_. the seed ripened, and in due time it was sown; but none ever germinated in the proper place. a long while afterwards mr. godseff remarked a tiny little green speck in a crevice above the door of this same house. it grew and grew very fast, never receiving water unless by the rarest accident, until those experts could identify a healthy young catasetum. and there it has flourished ever since, receiving no attention; for it is the first rule in orchid culture to leave a plant to itself where it is doing well, no matter how strange the circumstances may appear to us. this catasetum, wafted by the wind, when the seed was sown, found conditions suitable where it lighted, and quickened, whilst all its fellows, carefully provided for, died without a sign. it thrives upon the moisture of the house. in a very few years it will flower. in another case, when all hope of the germination of a quantity of seed had long been lost, it became necessary to take up the wooden trellis that formed the flooring of the path; a fine crop of young hybrids was discovered clinging to the under side. the amateur who has followed us thus far with interest, may inquire how long it will be before he can reasonably expect to see the outcome of our proceedings? in the first place, it must be noted that the time shortens continually as we gain experience. the statements following i leave unaltered, because they are given by messrs. veitch, our oldest authority, in the last edition of their book. but at the temple show this year norman c. cookson, esq., exhibited _catt. william murray_, offspring of _catt. mendellii × catt. lawrenceana_, a lovely flower which gained a first class certificate. it was only four years old. the quickest record as yet is _calanthe alexanderii_, with which mr. cookson won a first-class certificate of the royal horticultural society. it flowered within three years of fertilizing. as a genus, perhaps, dendrobiums are readiest to show. plants have actually been "pricked out" within two months of sowing, and they have bloomed within the fourth year. phajus and calanthe rank next for rapid development. masdevallia, chysis, and cypripedium require four to five years, lycaste seven to eight, loelia and cattleya ten to twelve. these are mr. veitch's calculations in a rough way, but there are endless exceptions, of course. thus his _loelia triophthalma_ flowered in its eighth season, whilst his _loelia caloglossa_ delayed till its nineteenth. the genus _zygopetalum_, which plays odd tricks in hybridizing, as i have mentioned, is curious in this matter also. _z. maxillare_ crossed with _z. mackayi_ demands five years to bloom, but _vice versâ_ nine years. there is a case somewhat similar, however, among the cypripeds. _c. schlimii_ crossed with _c. longifolium_ flowers in four years, but _vice versâ_ in six. it is not to be disputed, therefore, that the hybridizer's reward is rather slow in coming; the more earnestly should he take measures to ensure, so far as is possible, that it be worth waiting for. footnotes: [footnote 9: mr. cookson writes to me: "give some of the credit to my present gardener, william murray, who is entitled to a large proportion, at least."] index. page aerides lawrenciæ 160 angræcum arcuatum 134 " caudatum 135 " duchailluianum 134 " ellisii 135 " falcatum 133 " kotschyi 135 " leonis 135 " sanderianum 134 " scottianum 135 " sesquipedale (æranthus sesquipedalis) 135 anomatheca cruenta 11 begonia coralina 195 begonias 86 brassias 207 brassavola digbyana 128 bulbophyllum barbigerum 169 " beccarii 169 " dearei 170 " godseffianum 170 " lobbii 170 bullthorn acacia 124 calanthe alexanderii 246 " dominii 214 " sedeni 215 " veitchii 215 catasetum barbatum 123 " bungerothi (c. pileatum) 123 " callosum 123 " fimbriatum 123 cattleya acklandiæ 154 " amethystoglossa 154 " aurea 115 " brymeriana 232 " dowiana 115, 151 " hardyana 118 " hybrida 214 " labiata 111 " lawrenceana 92 " mendellii 117 " " fly 117 " mossiæ 111 " sanderiana 118 " skinneri alba 119 " superba 152 " trianæ 111, 201 " violacea 110 coelogene cristata 160 " dayana 161 " pandurata 160 " sanderiana 161 cookson, norman, esq. 22433 collectors:- arnold 27, 28, 70, 180, 181 bartholomeus 122, 180 bestwood 180 chaillu, m. du 134 chesterton 180, 181 clarke 181 digance 181 dressel 77 endres 70 ericksson 32, 33 falkenberg 69 forstermann 162 gardner 174, 175, 181 hartweg 67 humblot 133 kerbach 72, 180 klaboch 70, 105, 180 kromer 95, 98, 99 lawrenceson 181 micholitz 30, 31 osmers 94, 181 oversluys 163, 180 roebelin 140, 160 roezl 66, 75, 76, 105, 139, 204, 205 schroeder 70 seyler 100 smith 180, 181 steigfers 99 swainson 173-175, 177, 179, 181 wallace 35 wallis 70 weir 67 cypripedium calceolus 82, 224, 225 " candidum 82 " curtisi 32 " fairieanum 223 " guttatum 82 " insigne 83, 84, 108 " macranthum 82 " niveum 85 " parviflorum 82 " planifolium 87 " pubescens 82 " purpuratum 223 " sedeni 228 " spectabile 82 " spicerianum 83, 85 " vexillarium 238 cymbidium lowianum 195 " albertesii 131 dendrobium atro-violaceum 131 " bigibbum 168 " broomfieldianum 131 " brymerianum 127 " forstermanni 127 " goldiei 130 " heterocarpum 230 " johannis 168 " luteolum 195 " nobile nobilius 128 " " cooksoni 129 " " sanderianum 129 " phaloenopsis 168 " " schroederianum 29 " rhodopterygium 127 " superbiens 168 " wardianum 125 disa cooperi 166 " discolor 166 " grandiflora 165 " racemosa 165 epidendrum bicornutum 40 " o'brienianum 220 " prismatocarpum 167 " radicans 167 " randii 152 " rhizophorum 167 frogs, green, value of 13 galleandra devoniana 156 grammatophyllum speciosum 171 " measureseanum 171 " multiflorum 172 hybridizing 210 lycaste skinneri 79-81, 206 " " alba 79, 81 " aromatica 80 " cruenta 81 loelia anceps 109, 120, 122 " elegans 153 " maynardii 218 " purpurata 153, 154 " guttata leopoldi 152, 153, 154 " anceps alba 122 " " amesiana 109 masdevallia livingstoniana 140 " schlimii 76 " tovarensis 27 odontoglossum alexandræ 39, 67, 71 " citrosmum 58 " grande 107 " hallii 77 " harryanum 75 " hybrids 64, 78, 108, 231 " noeveum 77 " ramossissimum (coeleste) 34 " roezlii (miltonia roezlii) 64 " schlieperianum 107 " vexillarium (miltonia vexillaria) 104 " williamsi 107 oncidium cibolletum 116 " crispum 47 " cucullatum 230 " fuscatum 90 " jonesianum 116 " juncifolium 39 " lanceanum 164 " luridum 39 " macranthum 88 " papilio 164 " sculptum 89 " serratum 89 " splendidum 162, 163 " superbiens 89 peristeria elata 138 phajus cooksoni 219 " humblotii 133 " irroratus 219 " purpureus 219 " tuberculosus 133 phaloenopsis 54 " amabilis 158 " cornucervi 159 " f.l. ames 221 " harriettæ 221 " intermedia 221 " luddemanniana 244 " manni 159 " portei 159 " sanderiana 159 " schilleriana 158 " speciosa 157 " tetraspis 156 renanthera coccinea 113, 146, 147 roraima mountain 77, 94 schomburgkia tibicinis 124 sobralias 196 sophro-cattleya batemaniana 218 thanatophore 92 utricularia campbelli 199 vanda limbata 144 " lowii 143, 148 " teres 143, 144 file was produced from images generously made available by biodiversity heritage library.) the woodlands orchids [illustration: zygo-colax × woodlandsense.] the woodlands orchids described and illustrated _with stories of orchid-collecting_ by frederick boyle author of 'camp notes,' 'legends of my bungalow,' 'about orchids, a chat,' etc, etc, etc. _coloured plates by j. l. macfarlane, f.r.h.s._ london macmillan and co., limited new york: the macmillan company 1901 _all rights reserved_ this work is not of the class which needs a preface. but to the editors of the _pall mall gazette_, _sunday times_, _black and white_, _chambers's journal_, _wide wide world_, and _badminton magazine_ i am indebted for license to republish my stories of orchid-seeking, and it is pleasant to acknowledge their courtesy. if those tales amuse the general reader, i trust that other portions of the work will be found not uninteresting, nor even unprofitable, by orchid-growers. plain descriptions of scarce species and varieties are not readily accessible. a mere list of the hybrids in the woodlands collection would be found useful, pending the issue of that international catalogue which must be undertaken shortly; but beyond this i have noted the peculiarities of colour and form in such of the progeny as seemed most curious. no doubt many experts will wish that i had described some which are passed over and omitted some described--without agreeing among themselves in either case perhaps. but i have done my best. contents page how the collection was formed 1 the cattleya house 7 a legend of roezl 17 the cattleya house--_continued_ 25 a story of cattleya bowringiana 37 a story of cattleya mossiae 45 cypripedium insigne 53 story of cattleya skinneri alba 59 the phalaenopsis house 67 story of vanda sanderiana 71 story of phalaenopsis sanderiana 79 hybrid cattleyas and laelias 87 a legend of madagascar 99 laelia purpurata 107 story of dendrobium schröderianum 113 story of dendrobium lowii 121 calanthe house 129 story of coelogyne speciosa 135 cattleya labiata house 143 a story of brassavola digbyana 151 lycastes, sobralias, and anguloas 159 story of sobralia kienastiana 163 the cypripedium house 171 story of cypripedium curtisii 183 cypripediums--_continued_ 191 story of cypripedium platytaenium 205 story of cypripedium spicerianum 213 the cool house 221 story of odontoglossum harryanum 229 masdevallias 237 oncidiums 239 story of oncidium splendidum 241 laelia jongheana 249 story of bulbophyllum barbigerum 253 index 261 list of illustrations zygo-colax, woodlands variety _frontispiece_ laelia elegans cyanthus _to face page_ 16 " " macfarlanei " 24 cattleya trianae measuresiae " 35 " schroderae miss mary measures " 52 cypripedium insigne sanderae " 57 laelia grandis tenebrosa, walton grange var. " 86 cattleya labiata measuresiana " 142 lycaste skinneri r. h. measures " 160 cypripedium william lloyd " 182 " rothwellianum " 190 " reticulatum, var. bungerothi " 204 " dr. ryan " 219 odontoglossum rossii, woodlands variety " 228 " × harryano-crispum " 240 " coronarium " 256 how the collection was formed this question may be answered shortly; it was formed--at least the beginning of it--under compulsion. after fifteen years of very hard work, mr. measures broke down. the doctor prescribed a long rest, and insisted on it; but the patient was equally determined not to risk the career just opening, with an assurance of success, by taking a twelve-months' holiday. reluctantly the doctor sought an alternative. yachting he proposed--hunting--shooting; at length, in despair, horse-racing! zealously and conscientiously undertaken, that pursuit yields a good deal of employment for the mind. and one who follows it up and down the country must needs spend several hours a day in the open air. such was the argument; we may suspect that the good man had a sporting turn and hoped to get valuable tips from a grateful client. but nothing would suit. after days of cogitation, at his wits' end, the doctor conceived an idea which might have occurred to some at the outset. 'take a house in the suburbs,' he advised, 'with a large garden. cultivate some special variety of plant and make a study of it.' this commended itself. as a boy mr. measures loved gardening. in the lincolnshire hamlet where he was born, the vicar took pride in his roses and things, as is the wont of vicars who belong to the honest old school. it was an hereditary taste with the measures' kin. forthwith a house, with seven acres of land about it, was purchased at streatham--'the woodlands,' destined to win renown in the annals of orchidology. but the special variety of plant had still to be selected. it was to be something with a flower, as mr. measures understood; hardy, and so interesting in some way, no matter what, that a busy man could find distraction in studying it. such conditions are not difficult for one willing to spend hours over the microscope; but in that case, if the mind were relieved, the body would suffer. at the present day orchids would suggest themselves at once; but twenty or twenty-five years ago they were not so familiar to the public at large. one friend proposed roses, another carnations, a third chrysanthemums, and a fourth, fifth, and sixth proposed chrysanthemums, carnations, and roses. though the house and the large garden had been provided, mr. measures did not see his way. i am tempted to quote some remarks of my own, published in october 1892. 'i sometimes think that orchids were designed at their inception to comfort the elect of human beings in this anxious age--the elect, i say, among whom the rich may or may not be included. consider! to generate them must needs have been the latest "act of creation," as the ancient formula goes--in the realm of plants and flowers at least. the world was old already when orchids took place therein; for they could not have lived in those ages which preceded the modern order. doubtless this family sprang from some earlier and simpler organisation, like all else. but the duke of argyll's famous argument against the "origin of man" applies here: that organisation could not have been an orchid. its anatomy forbids fertilisation by wind, or even, one may say, by accident. insects are necessary; in many cases insects of peculiar structure. great was the diversion of the foolish--eminent savants may be very foolish indeed--when darwin pronounced that if a certain moth, which he had never seen nor heard of, were to die out in madagascar, the noblest of the angraecums must cease to exist. to the present day no one has seen or heard of that moth, but the humour of the assertion is worn out. only admiring wonder remains, for we know now that the induction is unassailable. upon such chances does the life of an orchid depend. it follows that insects must have been well established before those plants came into being; and insects in their turn could not live until the earth had long "borne fruit after its kind." 'but from the beginning of things until this century, until this generation, one might almost say--civilised man could not enjoy the boon.... we may fancy the delight of the greeks and the rivalry of millionaires at rome had these flowers been known. "the ancients" were by no means unskilful in horticulture--witness that astonishing report of the display at the coronation of ptolemy philadelphus, given by athenaeus. but of course they could not have known how to begin growing orchids, even though they obtained them--i speak of epiphytes and foreign species, naturally. from the date of the creation--which we need not fix--till the end of the eighteenth century, ships were not fast enough to convey them alive; a fact not deplorable since they would have been killed forthwith on landing. '... so i return to the argument. it has been seen that orchids are the latest and most finished work of the creator; that the blessing was withheld from civilised man until, step by step, he gained the conditions necessary to receive it. order and commerce in the first place; mechanical invention next, such as swift ships and easy communications; glass-houses, and a means of heating them which could be regulated with precision and maintained with no excessive care; knowledge both scientific and practical; the enthusiasm of wealthy men; the thoughtful and patient labour of skilled servants--all these were needed to secure for us the delights of orchid culture. what boon granted to mankind stands in like case? i think of none. is it unreasonable then to believe, as was said, that orchids were designed at their inception to comfort the elect in this anxious age?'[1] mr. measures, however, was quite unconscious of his opportunities. it was mere chance which put him on the right track. tempted by the prospect of obtaining something, forgotten now, in the way of roses or carnations or chrysanthemums, he attended a local sale. presently some pots of cypripedium barbatum were put up, in bud and flower. they seemed curious and pretty--he bought them. it was a relief to find that his gardener did not show any surprise or embarrassment at the sight--appeared to be familiar with the abnormal objects indeed. but it would have been subversive of discipline to ask how they were called. so mr. measures worked round and round the secret, putting questions--what heat did the things require, what soil, would the green-house already built suit them, and so forth? finally, in talking, the gardener pronounced the name--cypripedium. planting this long word deep and firm in his memory mr. measures hurried to the house, looked it out in the multitudinous books on gardening already stored there, and discovered that cypripedium is an orchid. pursuing the investigation further, he learned that orchids are the choicest of flowers, that several thousand species of them, all beautiful and different, may be cultivated, that some are easy and some difficult. it dawned upon him then that this might well be the special variety of plant which would answer his purpose. but he was not the man to choose a hobby without grave deliberation and experiment. the very next essay, only three days afterwards, suggested a doubt. he saw a plant of dendrobium thyrsiflorum in flower, and carried it home in a whirl of astonishment and delight; but next morning every bloom had faded, and the gardener assured him that no more could be expected for twelve months. this was a damper. evidently a prudent person should think twice before accumulating plants which flower but once a year, and then last only four days. but just at that time, by good fortune, he made acquaintance with mr. godseff who, in short, explained things--not too hastily, but in a long course of instruction. and so, making sure of every step as he advanced, mr. measures gradually formed the woodlands collection. * * * * * perhaps it would be logical to describe the arrangement of our treasures. but an account which might be useful would demand much space, and it could interest very few readers. it may suffice, therefore, to note that there are thirty-one 'houses,' distributed in nine groups, or detached buildings. all through, the health and happiness of the plants are consulted in the first place, the convenience of visitors in the second, and show not at all; which is to say that the roofs are low, and the paths allow two persons to walk abreast in comfort but no more. the charge of these thirty-one houses is committed to mr. j. coles, with thirteen subordinates regularly employed. mr. coles was bred if not born among orchids, when his father had charge of the late mr. smee's admirable garden, at wallington. after rising to the post of foreman there, he entered the service of captain terry, peterborough house, fulham, as foreman of the orchid houses; but two years afterwards this fine collection was dispersed, at captain terry's death. then mr. coles went to enlarge his experience in messrs. sander's vast establishment at st. albans. in due time the office of orchid and principal foreman in the duke of marlborough's houses was offered to him, and at blenheim he remained eight years. thence he proceeded to the woodlands. [illustration: mr. j. coles.] the cattleya house our cattleya house is 187 feet long, 24 feet wide; glass screens divide it into seven compartments. the roof, of a single span, is 11 feet high in the centre, 4 feet at the sides. the compartment we enter first is devoted to laelia elegans mostly. on the big block of tufa in front, blooms of cattleya and laelia are displayed nearly all the year in small tubes among the ferns and moss; for we do not exhaust our plants by leaving the flowers on them when fully open. scarlet anthuriums crown the block, and among these, on the bare stone, is a laelia purpurata, growing strongly, worth observation. for this plant was deadly sick last year, beyond hope of recovery; as an experiment mr. coles set it on the tufa, wired down, and forthwith it began to pick up strength. but in fact the species loves to fix itself on limestone when at home in santa catarina, as does l. elegans. it may be desirable to point out that the difference between cattleyas and laelias as genera is purely 'botanical'--serious enough in that point of view, but imperceptible to the eye. a special glory of woodlands is the collection of l. elegans. in this house, where only the large plants are stored, we count five hundred; seven hundred more are scattered up and down. nowhere in the world can be seen so many examples of this exquisite variety--certainly not in its birthplace, for there it is very nearly exterminated. in such a multitude, rare developments of form and colour must needs abound, for no orchid is so variable. in fact, elegans is merely a title of convenience, with no scientific value. it dwells--soon we must say it dwelt--in the closest association with laelia purpurata, cattleya intermedia, and cattleya guttata leopoldii; by the intermingling of these three it was assuredly created. mr. rolfe has satisfied himself that the strain of laelia purpurata is always present. by alliance with catt. leopoldii the dark forms were produced; by alliance with catt. intermedia the white. since that misty era, of course, cross-fertilisation has continued without ceasing, and the combinations are endless. evidently this suggestion is reasonable, but if an unscientific person may venture to say so, it does not appear to be sufficient. among six flowers of l. elegans five will have sepals and petals more or less rosy, perhaps only a shade, perhaps a tint so deep that it approaches crimson, like blenheimensis or turneri. could one of the three parents named supply this colour? two of them, indeed, are often rosy; in some rare instances the hue of l. purpurata may be classed as deep rose. but these are such notable exceptions that they would rather suggest a fourth parent, a red cattleya or laelia, which has affected not elegans alone but purpurata and intermedia also. nothing of the sort exists now, i believe, in the island of santa catarina. but we are contemplating aeons of time, and changes innumerable may have occurred. the mainland is but a few miles away; once santa catarina was attached to it. and there, a short distance to the north, lives laelia pumila, which might supply the rosy tinge. several artificial hybrids of catt. guttata leopoldii have been raised. by alliance with catt. dowiana it produces catt. chamberlainiana; with catt. superba, feuillata; with catt. hardyana, fowlerii; with catt. loddigesii, gandii; with catt. mendelii, harrisii; with laelio-cattleya marion, c. h. harrington; with catt. quadricolor, mitchelii; with catt. warcewiczii, atalanta. catt. victoria regina also is assumed to be a natural hybrid of leopoldii with catt. labiata. there may be other crosses probably, since no official record of hybridisation exists as yet. curiously enough, however, no one seems to have mated cattleya leopoldii with lælia purpurata so far as i can learn. thus it is not yet proved that l. elegans sprang from that alliance. but the hybridisers have an opening here not less profitable than interesting. for the natural supply is exhausted--if any stickler for accuracy object that some still arrive every year, they may overhaul their boswell and make a note. sir, said his hero, if i declare that there is no fruit in an orchard, i am not to be charged with speaking falsely because a man, examining every tree, finds two apples and three pears--i have not the book at hand to quote the very words. when l. elegans was discovered, in 1847, it must have been plentiful in its native home beyond all other species on record. the first collectors so described it. but that home was a very small island, where it clung to the rocks. every plant within reach has long since been cleared away; those remaining dwell in perilous places on the cliffs. to gather them a man must be let down from above, or he must risk his life in climbing from below. but under these conditions the process of extermination still proceeds, and in a time to be counted by months it will be complete. in describing a few of the most precious varieties at woodlands, i may group them in a manner to display by contrast the striking diversities which an orchid may assume while retaining the essential points that distinguish it from others. one form, however, i must mention here, for it is too common to be classed among peculiarities, yet to my mind its colouring is the softest and most dainty of all. petal and sepal are 'stone-colour,' warmed, one cannot say even tinged, with crimson. nature has no hue more delicate or sweeter. _adonis._--bright rosy petals--sepals paler--lip and edges of lobes carmine. _f. sander._--the latest pseudo-bulb measures 2 feet 3 inches--topping the best growth of its native forest by six inches; from base to top of the spike, 4 feet less 1 inch, and as thick as a walking-cane. this grand plant has been in cultivation for three years. the sepals and petals are those of l. e. turneri; the lip resembles a fine l. purpurata. the plant next to this, unnamed, has pseudo-bulbs almost as long, but scarcely thicker than straws. _empress._--a very dark form of turneri. _medusa._--tall, slender pseudo-bulbs--very dark. _neptune_, on the contrary, has pseudo-bulbs short and fat, whilst the colouring is pale. _h. e. moojen._--doubtless a natural hybrid with l. purpurata, which takes equally after both parents. _godseffiana._--nearly white; the broad lip carmine--lobes of the same hue, widely expanded. _mrs. f. sander._--a round flower, very dark rose; sepals and petals dotted all over, as in cattleya leopoldii. _red king._--yellowish throat. lip good colour and round, but narrow, without the prolongation of some or the lateral extension of others. curiously like the shape of l. perrinii. _stella._--dusky rose and similarly spotted, but different in shape--sepals and petals much thinner. _boadicea._--sepals and petals deep rose. long shovel lip crimson-lake. _h. g. gifkins._--the sepals are palest green, with a rosy tinge; petals pale mauve. the lip, maroon-crimson, spreads out broadly from a neck almost half an inch long, and its deep colour stretches right up the throat. _mrs. r. h. measures._--pure white, even the lip, except a touch of purple-crimson in the centre and slender crimson veins. _l.-c. harold measures._--a fine hybrid of l.e. blenheimensis and catt. superba splendens, which takes mostly after the former in colouring, the latter in shape. it is a round flower, with a crimson lip immensely broad; two small yellow spots are half concealed beneath the tube. sepals greenish tawny, petals dull pink with crimson lines. _sade lloyd._--a very pretty form. sepals and petals rosy, tinted with fawn colour. the crimson lip is edged with a delicate white line, as are the lobes, which fold completely over the tube. _doctor ryan_ is distinguished by a very long protruding lip. _ophelia._--as big and as round as catt. mossiae. tube very thick and wide. _macfarlanei._--we have two so named. in this grand example the pseudo-bulbs are more than 2 feet high, proportionately thick. eight or nine flowers on the spike. sepals and petals glaucous green. long lip of brightest crimson. _leucotata._--sepals and petals white with rosy tips--lip white, saving rosy lines and a rosy stain. _nyleptha._--sepals and petals fawn colour, edged with rose. very wide lip of deepest crimson. _haematochila._--sepals stone-colour flushed with pink, petals dusky pink. lip carmine-purple, rather narrow, shaped like a highly ornamental spade. _paraleuka._--all snowy white save the carmine lip, the form of which is curiously neat and trim. _tenebrosa._--in this specially dark variety the tube is long, closely folded, rose-white, with lines of crimson proceeding from the back. as they meet at the lower edge they form a border as deep in hue as the lip. but our darkest elegans, eighteen years in the collection, has not bloomed for six seasons past. _schilleriana splendens._--sepals and petals white, with a faintest rosy tinge and a yellow stain on the midrib. lip long, straight, forked at the tip, liveliest crimson-purple. _stelzneriana._--rosy-white. the crimson of the lip does not spread all over but lies in a triangular blotch. _measuresiana._--sepals greenish-yellow, the leaf-like petals similar, pink towards the edges, lined with rose. both spotted at the tip with crimson. the lip is that of catt. bicolor, short comparatively, straight, and darkest crimson. _ladymead._--the white sepals and petals have a palest tinge of rose. on the lip are two broad yellow eyes after the fashion of catt. gigas. _venus._--almost white. petals veined, sepals dotted, with crimson--the underside of both heavily stained. lip almost fawn-colour at the edges, with veins widening and deepening into crimson at the throat. _luculenta._--a very pretty hybrid of messrs. sander's raising, palest mauve. lip rather narrow but grand in colour. shovel-shaped. _frederico._--a very odd variety--small. the stone-coloured sepals are outlined with rose, the petals with purplish pink. both are speckled with brown. lip brightest maroon-crimson, prettily scalloped. _platychila._--pale purple. remarkable for its immense crimson lip. _luciana._--green petals, curling strongly towards the tip; petals widening from the stalk like a leaf, pink with a green midrib. the lobes white, narrow, square, and deepest crimson, the lip that of catt. bicolor. _monica._--snow-white. petals broad, sepals strongly depressed. in the middle of the spreading crimson lip is a patch almost white. _tautziana._--sepals mauve, petals violet, somewhat darker, lip almost maroon. it is singular in shape also, forked like a bird's tail. _blenheimensis._--sepals and petals rose with a violet tinge; very broad labellum with a distinct neck, emerging from a short tawny tube--carmine in the throat, purplish at the edges. _macroloba._--the lobes here are white and enormous. enormous also is the lip, and singularly beautiful, deepest crimson at the throat, with a broad purple margin netted over with crimson lines. _juno._--this also has a very large white tube. sepals and petals rosy, rather slender, fine crimson lip. _matuta._--large, broad and shapely. sepals greenish, with a pink tinge, petals rosy-tawny. tube very short, lip brightest crimson, standing out clear as a flag. _minerva._--one of the most spreading, but thin. colour rose, the petals darker. narrow sepals. tube white. lip carmine. _princess stephanie._--sepals bright green, petals slightly green, edged with pale purple, and crimson lines. bright lip after the model of catt. bicolor. _amphion._--a dark variety. the long lip has two eyes like catt. gigas. _beatrice._--a hybrid of l.e. schilleriana and l. purpurata, remarkable for its lip, long and shovel-shaped, nearly the same breadth throughout. _morreniana._--sepals dullish red purple--the lower strongly bowed, as are the wide petals of similar hue. the lip spreads on either side of the white tube like the wings of a purple-crimson butterfly. _mrs. mahler._--a hybrid--catt. leop. × catt. bicolor. very small but very pretty. sepals palest green, petals almost white, tinged with pink at the edges. the shovel-shaped lip pinkish crimson. _euracheilas._--sepals dusky stone-colour, edged with pink, petals all dusky pink. very large but narrow. the maroon-crimson lip extends at right angles from the tube, without any neck. _schilleriana._--the variety most clearly allied to l. purpurata. white or palest rose of sepal and petal, the latter marked with purplish lines at the base. lip a grand purple-crimson, fading sharply towards the edges. _weathersiana._--sepals palest tawny suffused with rose, petals mauve. the broad lip of fine colour is so strongly indented that it resembles the bipennis of the amazons. _euspatha._--reichenbach suggested that this is a hybrid of l. boothiana or l. purpurata with some cattleya--probably intermedia. it is white, with broad, sepals and petals. the tube is open nearly all its length, and the wide lip of crimson, fading to purplish edges, shows scarcely an indentation. _hallii._--crimson-purple sepals--petals darker; the lip approaches maroon. _oweniae._--in this case the sepals and petals--which are leaf-shaped--stand out boldly, straight on end--rosy with mauve shading, more pronounced in the latter; lip round, of a charming carmine. _incantans._--a very large and stately bloom. sepals of the tender warm stone so often mentioned, petals broad and waved, of the same colour down the middle, flushing to rosy purple on each side. a fine crimson-velvet lip. _melanochites_ is a very symmetrical flower, though not 'compact,' as the phrase goes. all lively rose-lake, the petals a darker tone. the grand broad lip of purple crimson has a pretty yellow blotch on either side beneath the tube. it is sharply forked. _pyramus._--sepals of the flushed stone-colour which i, at least, admire so much; but the flush is more conspicuous than usual. petals clear rose. lip vivid crimson, with the same yellow blotches under the white tube. _bella._--the purplish crimson sepals and petals are tipped with buff. lip shovel-shaped, dark crimson. _sappho._--here the pale purple sepals only are tipped with buff, while the petals, which curl over, are rose. the carmine of the lip is very pretty. _macfarlanei ii._--sepals of the same colour, but greenish, strongly marked with the distinctive spots of catt. leopoldii, edged with rose; petals rose, lined with crimson on either side of the white midrib. the long tube opening shows a strongly yellow throat. the labellum is short, but superb in colour. _myersiana._--a large form. sepals dusky, tinged with crimson at the edges. petals softly crimson. very long tube. the crimson lip has a pale margin, and a pale blotch in the front. _cleopatra._--one of the very best. like that above in petal and sepal, but paler. the broad tube, however, is snow-white, saving a touch of magenta-crimson, bright as a ruby, at the tip of the lobes. and the lip, finely frilled, is all magenta-crimson, with not a mark upon it from throat to edge. _wolstenholmae._--white, the sepals tinted with purple. petals broad, with a purple outline. lip narrow and long, of a colour unique, which may be described as crimson-purple. in the throat are two curious white bars; between them run arching purple lines close set, which, on the outer side of the bars, extend to the edge of the lip. a very remarkable flower. _eximia._--also very remarkable--not to say uncanny. the narrow sepals and petals, almost white, have a mottling of rosy mauve along the edges, which looks unwholesome, as if caused by disease. but the long paddle-shaped lip, crimson, changing to purple as it expands, is very fine. it has two pale yellow 'eyes' elongated in an extraordinary manner. _lord roberts._--very handsome and peculiar. the colour of the sepals, strongly folded back, is warm grey, tinged and faintly lined with crimson; this tinge is much more pronounced in the petals. the large tubular lip, finely opened, is uniform crimson-magenta, not so dark as usual. [illustration: lælio-cattleya × elegans var. cyanthus.] a legend of roezl so soon as i began to take interest in orchids i was struck with the number of odd facts and incidents in that field of botany. one gains but a glimpse of them, as a rule, in some record of travel or some scientific treatise; and at an early date it occurred to me that if the stories to which these fragments belong could be recovered, they would prove to be not only curious and interesting but amusing--sometimes terrible. i began to collect, therefore, and in the pages following i offer some of the results. it is right to begin with a legend of roezl, if only because his name will often recur; but also he was incomparably the greatest of those able and energetic men who have roamed the savage world in search of new plants for our study and enjoyment. almost any other mortal who had gone through adventures and experiences such as his in our time would have made a book and a sensation; but the great collector never published anything, i believe, beyond a statement of scientific facts from time to time. this is not the place to deal with his career; i am only telling stories. but it is not to be dismissed without a word. roezl will be gratefully remembered so long as science and horticulture survive the triumph of democracy. i have heard it alleged that he discovered eight hundred new species of plant or tree. it is credible. in the memoir published by the _gardeners' chronicle_, which was brief of necessity, fourscore were enumerated, with the addition, here, of 'many others,' there, of 'etc.' roezl was no specialist. a wise regard for his own interest confined him almost to orchids in the later years. but in his catalogue of achievements i find new lilies, new conifers, fuchsias, agaves, cacti, begonias, saxifrage, dahlias, convolvuli, tropaeolums, tacsonias--a multitude, in fact, beyond reckoning. in one expedition he sent eight tons of orchids to europe; in another ten tons of cacti, agaves, dion, and orchids! the record of his travels is startling; and it must be observed that roezl's first aim always was to escape from the beaten track. his journeyings were explorations. many an indian tribe never saw a white man before, and some, perhaps, have never seen one since. mexico was his first hunting-ground, and thither he returned more than once; cuba the second. thence he was drawn to the rocky mountains, california, and sierra nevada. then in succession he visited panama, new granada, sierra nevada again, california again, washington territory, panama again, bonaventura, the cauca valley, antioquia, northern peru, crossed the andes, returned to bonaventura, and thence to europe. starting again he searched colorado territory, new mexico, california, the sierra madre; worked his way to caracas, thence through venezuela, crossed to cuba, to vera cruz, explored the state of oajaca in mexico, sailed to lima, crossed the andes again to tarma and changamaga, back into southern peru, wandered as far as the lake of titicaca, searched bolivia, traversed the snowy mountains to yungas, back to lima and arica, crossed the andes a third time, visited ecuador, and made his way back to the valley of the cauca. how many thousand miles of journeying this chronicle represents is a problem for laborious youth. and the botanist uses roads, railways, and horses only to get him from one scene of operations to another. he works afoot. it is good to know that roezl had his reward. eighteen years ago he died, full of years and honours, in his native bohemia. and the kaiser himself was represented by a high dignitary at the unveiling of his statue in prague. the experiences i am about to tell were made in the course of that long march through the woods from la guayra in venezuela to ocaña in new granada. among the special trophies of it was cattleya roezlii, a variety of cattleya speciosissima; but i am not aware that the secluded tribe whose habits interested roezl so much had any immediate connection with this plant. perhaps before going further it may be well to note that any assertion of the great collector might be admitted not only as an honest report, but also as a fact which he had verified, so far as was possible. dr. johnson was not more careful to speak the whole truth and nothing but the truth. it was somewhere round the sources of the amazons that roezl sojourned for a while in a village of those strange people whom the spaniards call pintados--'painted' indians. their colour, in fact, is piebald--light brown, dark brown, and a livid tint commonly described as red, in blotches. they are seen occasionally in guiana, more rarely in venezuela and brazil. the colouring is ascribed to disease, rather because it is so hideous and abnormal, perhaps, than for a solid reason. roezl thought it 'natural.' he was making his way through those endless forests by compass, with two mestizos from columbia who had served him on a former journey, and a negro boy. for guides and carriers he depended on the indians, who passed him from settlement to settlement. it is fitting to observe here that roezl never carried firearms of any sort at any time--so he used to say. of great stature and prodigious muscle, utterly fearless, never unprepared, happen what might, he passed forty years in such wandering as i have outlined, and never had occasion to strike a blow. several times he found himself between contending factions, the armed mobs of spanish america, and lost everything; many times was he robbed, but never, i believe, assaulted. nerve and humour protected him. as for the wild indians, i fancy that they were overawed by his imposing appearance; and especially by an iron hook which occupied the place of his left hand, smashed by an accident. this system of travelling at leisure from settlement to settlement enabled him to pick up a few necessary words of each language, and to give warning of his approach to the next tribe. the pintados welcomed him in a quiet fashion--that is, the chiefs did not object when he repaired an empty hut and took possession. it was at the end of a long 'street,' parallel to the river. the rude dwellings were not scattered. each stood opposite to its fellow across the way, and roezl noticed a large flat stone in the middle between every pair. towards nightfall the indians trooped back from their fields; but all the women and grown girls entered at one end of the village, the men at the other. this was curious. as they marched up, the former dispersed in huts to the right hand, the latter to the left, each sex keeping to its own side of the stones. after depositing their tools the men came out and gathered silently around the strangers' quarters--only very young children ran to and fro. after a time the women reappeared with steaming calabashes, which they bore half across the road, and set, each of them, on the stone before her dwelling. then they returned. forthwith the males strolled back, carried the supper to their respective huts, and in due time replaced the empty calabash upon the stone, whence the women removed it. it will be understood that these strange ceremonies interested roezl. evidently the husbands lived on one side of the street, the wives and young children on the other. the moon was full and he watched for hours. after supper the males returned to squat and smoke around his hut, scarcely speaking; but one after another they withdrew presently, each to his own abode. so long as the moonlight enabled roezl to observe, not one crossed the way. and afterwards he discovered that this is an eternal rule--a husband never enters his wife's dwelling. the separation of the sexes is complete. long before satisfying himself on this point roezl saw enough to convince him that the usages of this secluded people must be well worth study. he remained among them as long as he could, and even made memoranda--the first and only time, i believe, that he kept records other than botanical or scientific. it may be hoped that they survive and will come to light, since his papers are now stored in the museum at prague. i am dependent on the memory of those whom he amused with curt stories of adventure over pipe and glass on his visits to england. they are many, and they preserve the liveliest remembrance of one to whom johnson's remarks on the greatest of modern orators are peculiarly applicable. 'if a man were to go by chance at the same time with burke under a shed to escape a shower, he would say, "this is an extraordinary man."' unfortunately, it is the most striking observations alone which they recall, with but a vague impression of others. every hearer asked, of course, how the race could avoid extinction under such circumstances? but it appears that the separation is only public--an exaggerated prudery, one might describe it, though we may be sure that the sentiment lies infinitely deeper. the sexes work apart, as has been said; after the men have cleared a piece of ground they leave it to the women, and clear another for themselves. but when a youth has a mind to marry, in the first place he builds a hut in the forest. then he awaits the train of women returning, steps gently among them, and takes the maiden of his fancy by the hand. she throws him off at once if disinclined, and there is an end of it; otherwise she suffers him to lead her a step before freeing herself. day after day in that case the invitation is repeated, and the maiden takes two steps, then three, until at length she quits the procession entirely and surrenders. there is no ceremony of marriage, but, so far as roezl could gather, the bond is absolutely sacred; in fact, if we think of it, those conditions of life forbid intrigue. it should be added that the other women and girls studiously ignore these proceedings, and that till the last moment a damsel may change her mind, repulsing the lover favoured hitherto. a bride remains in the woodland hut for several weeks, not a soul visiting her except the husband. meantime he builds a 'town house' for himself, and the mother or female relatives build one opposite for his wife. in fixing the stone between them there is a ceremony, as roezl gathered, but the nature of it he was unable to understand. though the pair never meet again in public as long as they live, they spend as much time as they please together in the forest. and really, after due consideration, i cannot but think that the system shows remarkable sagacity. truth compels me to add, however, that roezl suspected infanticide. we may hope he was mistaken. why should a people living as do these restrict the number of their children? the battle for existence is not desperate with them apparently, since they till the soil, and their territory, in effect, is boundless. no indian race of south america feels the pride of caste; if these do, they are a notable exception in that as in other respects. girls receive no dower; the expense of marriage, as has been seen, is _nil_. why should they limit the family? we know that obvious reason does not always guide the savage in his habits. but when a painful fact is not assured we may allow ourselves the comfort of doubting it. this is all i have been able to collect about a most extraordinary people. my informants do not recollect, if they heard, whether the separation of the sexes was peculiar to this clan or general among the pintado indians. in fact, i have nothing more to say about them. it was here, however, that roezl met with an adventure which he often told. his hut, as has been mentioned, was the last of the row--a ruin patched up to keep the baggage dry. he always carried a folding tressle and a light board to fix upon it, which made a sort of desk, with a camp-stool to match. one evening he set himself as usual to write labels and memoranda for his herbarium. the description of a curious plant secured that day proved difficult, and darkness had long set in. so absorbed was the enthusiast in dissecting its anatomy that he gave no attention to a loud purr, though conscious of the sound for some moments. at length he raised his eyes. by the open doorway stood a creature whose dusky fur glistened like silk in the lamplight, and great yellow eyes stared into his. it was a black jaguar, rarest and most savage of all felines. so they remained, staring. roezl felt his hour had come. he could not have moved a limb; his hair rose and the sweat poured down. the jaguar also kept still, purring louder and louder. its velvet lips were slightly raised, showing a gleam of the huge fangs. presently it drew nearer, still purring--came up to the tressle--arched his back like a cat, and pressed against it. crash fell desk, lamp, specimen box, camp-stool and enthusiast--a clattering overthrow! the servants rushed in. no jaguar was there. roezl used to attribute his escape to the practice of never carrying arms. when the brute was approaching, he must have fired had a weapon been handy--no man could resist the impulse. and then, whatever the issue of the shot, he would certainly have died. [illustration: lælio-cattleya, × elegans var. macfarlanei.] the cattleya house with l. elegans are lodged fine examples of cattleyas gigas and aurea, with some of their varieties; generated, as we may assume, by natural hybridisation. these rank among the supreme treasures of the orchidist, unequalled for size and rarity--perhaps for beauty. to those who have not seen the offspring it might seem impossible that the stately loveliness of the parents could be excelled. but by a very simple process nature achieves the feat--she combines their charms. of cattleya gigas we have some two hundred specimens. it is the largest of the genus, saving its own hybrids, a native of new granada, discovered by warcewicz in 1848. he sent no plants home, and though a few were despatched afterwards, roezl practically introduced the species in 1870. conscious of supreme merit, it is far from eager to bloom; but at woodlands we do not personally feel this drawback. of course there are many varieties of cattleya gigas, for it is truly said that two blooms of orchid exactly alike cannot be found. but i shall mention only two. _imschootiana_ is huge even above its fellows, for a flower may be nine inches across; the colour of sepal and petal mauve, with a crimson-purple lip of splendour beyond conception. the golden throat under a crimson-purple tube is lined with bright crimson; the characteristic 'eyes' gamboge, fading to white. _sanderae._--some may well think this the loveliest of all its lovely kin. probably it is a foreign strain, though remote, which gives such supreme softness to the magenta of the lip. on that ground the golden 'eyes' shine forth with an abruptness positively startling. the broad sepals and petals are sweetest rosy-mauve. even the tube is deep crimson. here also is cattleya bicolor measuresiana, an exquisite example of a species always charming to my taste. in this instance the sepals and petals are purest and smoothest olive green; the very long shovel-shaped labellum magenta-crimson, outlined and tipped with white. of cattleya aurea again the varieties are many. it was brought from antioquia, new granada, by wallis, in 1868. if crimson and yellow, tastefully disposed, make the most gorgeous combination possible, as all human beings agree, this and its sister dowiana are the most gorgeous of flowers. the ordinary form of cattleya aurea is nankin yellow, but in the variety _r. h. measures_, sepal and petal are gamboge. the glorious lip, opening wide from the very base, has long brownish blurs descending from the throat, on a golden ground which fades to yellow towards the edge. there are two clear crimson patches in the front, and the margin is clear crimson, whilst the whole expanse is covered with fine stripes of crimson and gold alternately. we come to the hybrids of these two which, dwelling side by side, have been intermarrying for ages; and their offspring again have intermarried, forming endless combinations. cattleya sanderiana was first discovered under circumstances rather odd. one of messrs. sander's collectors, mr. mau, was hunting for odontoglossum crispum by bogota. he came upon a number of cattleyas--none of them in bloom--and gathered any that came in his way, taking no trouble, nor even mentioning the incident in his letters. in due course he brought them to st. albans along with his odontoglossums. mr. mau said nothing even while the cases were being unpacked. apparently he had forgotten them. 'what are these cattleyas?' asked mr. sander, in surprise. 'oh, i don't know! i found them in the woods.' old spikes still remained upon the plants, and bunches of withered rags at the end. mr. sander perceived, first, that the flower must be gigantic beyond belief; next, that it was red. 'go back by next mail!' he cried. 'search the woods--gather every one!' and mr. mau did actually return by next mail. this was cattleya sanderiana--sometimes as much as eleven inches across; in colour, a tender rosy-mauve. the vast lip is almost square, with a throat of gold, lined and netted over with bright crimson. it has the charming 'eyes' of gigas in perfection, and the enormous disc, superbly frilled, is of the liveliest magenta crimson. _chrysotoxa_, another of these wondrous hybrids, 'favours' its aurea parent; with buff-yellow petals and sepals, the lower of which hang in a graceful bunch surrounding the huge lip of dark orange ground, with an edging of maroon-crimson, narrow above, widening to a stately breadth below; the whole closely covered with branching lines of crimson. _mrs. fred hardy_ is a third--divinely beautiful. white of sepal and petal, with the vast magenta-crimson lip of hardyana. the glorious effect may be in part imagined. we have yet a fourth of this amazing group--trismegistris--most nearly allied to sanderiana. i have not seen this variety in bloom; it was introduced only three years ago. but the name signifies that it is the quintessence of all. individual taste may not always allow that claim, but no one disputes that it is at least equal to the finest. but the thoughtful cannot contemplate these wondrous things with satisfaction unalloyed. unless some wealthy and intelligent persons in south america undertake to cultivate them in a regular way, it is too probable that in a generation or two they will be utterly lost; for we cannot hope that the specimens in europe will endure so long, however vigorous they may be at present. here is the letter which accompanied the last consignment--sad reading, as i think:- medellin, _january 27, 1896_. messrs. f. sander and co., st. albans. gentlemen--i arrived here yesterday from alba gumara and received your much honoured letter of november 11, 1895. i shall despatch to-morrow thirty boxes, twelve of which contain the finest of all the aureas, the monte coromee form, and eighteen cases contain the grand sanderiana type, all collected from the spot where these grow mixed, and i shall clear them all out. they are now nearly extinguished in this spot, and this will surely be the last season. i have finished all along the rio dagua, where there are no plants left; the last days i remained in that spot the people brought in two or three plants a day and some came back without a single plant. i left my boy with the señor altados to explore while i despatched the boxes and get funds, when i shall return for the var. papilio which altados promised to secure for me, and go on up to the spot called the parama san sausa. in the boxes containing the aureas you will find about 300 seedlings which have not flowered; these are from a grove of trees where no plants have previously been gathered from, and where the finest sanderianas and aureas grow intermingled in one family. these cattleyas only flower once in a year--that is, from march to the end of july, and both kinds together. some of the flowers measure upwards of 10 inches--and on a spike you can have nine flowers. i cannot wait in that fearful region longer than the flowering time; the awfully wild aspect of everything and scarcity of wholesome food and help for the work is simply maddening. if i shall find the other orchids you want i do not know. my boy is gone with altados for the oncidium. you may believe me that many more of these fine cattleyas do not exist, and i can, after all, perhaps not find so good as may be in those you will now receive. in the last years i have seen these plants in bloom, when i was so ill with fever, and in no other place can you get such a fine type. the plants that i planted when i was taken ill no one found; no one has been here, and the plants had grown well and some of them very much rooted. trusting that all will arrive in good order, i remain, gentlemen, your very obedient servant, carl johannsen. cattleya mendelii the next division is styled the mendelii house; more than three hundred large examples of this species--to be accurate and pedantic, it should be called a variety--occupy the centre, a hundred and eighty the stand to right. cattleya mendelii lives in the neighbourhood of ocaña, new granada, at an altitude of 3500 feet. it was introduced by messrs. backhouse in 1870, and named in honour of mr. sam mendel, a great personage at manchester in his day. distinctions of colour are very frequent. some pronounce it the loveliest of cattleyas. among the noble specimens here, many of them chosen for individual peculiarities, not half a dozen are named; the rest bear only letters showing their class, and certain marks understood by the initiated. it will be a relief when this system, or something like it, becomes general. and the time is not distant; at least, the privilege of granting new names at will must be restricted among those who obey the authorities. the few plants here which enjoy a special designation are:-_monica measures._--petals rose, with a broad streak of purple down the centre from base to point. sepals also rose, tipped with purple. lip of darkest crimson, fringed. _lily measures._--a very large flower, white of sepal and petal. on the lip, somewhat pale, as if to show it off, is a splash of purple-crimson, sharply defined. _r. h. measures._--sepals and petals tinted with rose. enormous lip, very dark crimson, fringed. _william lloyd._--for this i can only repeat the last description, yet the eye perceives a difference not inconsiderable. _mrs. r. h. measures._--all white saving the yellow throat and two small touches of purple in the front. _duke of marlborough._--this variety moved the great reichenbach, as he said, to 'religious admiration.' no doubt it is the grandest of all mendeliis--which is much to say; very large, perfectly graceful in form, exquisitely frilled. the colour of sepal and petal pink, the throat yellow, the spreading disc magenta-crimson. the left side of the house is filled with large plants--some two hundred--of cattleya schroderae, which the learned recognise as a variety of cattleya trianae. it has the great advantage, however, of flowering in april, and thus, when discovered in 1884 by arnold, collecting for messrs. sander, it filled a gap in the succession of cattleyas. henceforward the careful amateur might have one variety at least in bloom the year round. named of course after baroness schröder. all cattleyas are scented more or less at certain times of the day, but none so strongly as this, nor so persistently. it does not vary so much as most of its kin, but it shows perhaps a greater tendency to albinism than any--as seems natural when its colours are so much paler. among these grand plants we have three white, notably-_miss mary measures_, of which the picture is given. overhead hang smaller plants of cattleya mossiae, trianae, mendelii, and laelia lucasiana; among them no less than five cattleya speciosissima alba. speciosissima dawsonii is here also, finest of the coloured varieties--purplish rose of sepal and petal, lip large, yellow in the upper part, rosy crimson below, with margin finely fringed; and laelia pumila marginata.--in its ordinary form l. pumila is one of the loveliest flowers that blow, and admiration is enhanced by surprise when we observe how small and slender is the plant that bears such a handsome bloom. but this rare variety is lovelier still--its broad, rosy-crimson sepals and petals and its superb crimson lip all outlined with white. cattleya bowringiana the third division of the cattleya house contains, in the centre, some hundreds of mendeliis; cattleya bowringiana on the right hand, cattleyas mossiae and wageneri on the left; all 'specimen' plants, for health and vigour as for size. cattleya bowringiana was imported fifteen years ago from british honduras, but it has since been found in other parts of central america. in colour--rosy purple, with deep purple lip, white in the throat--it does not vary much, nor in shape; at least i have not heard of any named varieties. but cattleya bowringiana in good health is always a cheering spectacle; its young growths push with such a demonstration of sturdiness--having to rise much beyond the ordinary stature--and its bunch of eight or ten flowers stands so high above the foliage. nowhere may that pleasant spectacle be enjoyed with more satisfaction than at woodlands. cattleya mossiae since cattleya mossiae was introduced more than two generations ago, and remains perhaps the commonest of the species, i need not describe it. mrs. moss of ottersfoot, by liverpool, conferred the name in 1856. love of orchids is a heritage in that family--so is the love of rowing. the lady's grandson, sir j. edwardes moss, now living, was stroke of the o.u.b.c. and at eton, as were his father and his uncle. and the ancestral collection of orchids is still maintained. white mossiaes are not uncommon, though their exquisite beauty makes them precious in all meanings of the term. _mrs. r. h. measures_ is best of all--a famous variety--white of sepal and petal. deep and graceful frilling on the lip is always characteristic of this species; it reaches absolute perfection here. the yellow of the throat is much subdued, but purple lines issuing from it spread over all the white lip, with a very curious effect. purple also is the frilling. _grandiflora._--deep rose. petals very broad, lip immense, finely mottled and veined with purple. _excelsior._--blush-rose. lip rosy purple, with a white margin. _gilbert measures._--a superb variety. white with a faint flush. sepals and petals unusually solid. lip very widespread, with purple lines and splashes of magenta-purple. _gigantea._--biggest of all. rosy pink. the orange of the enormous lip and the frilling specially fine. catt. wageneri, though granted a specific title, is a variety of cattleya mossiae, from caracas, discovered by wagener in 1851; white, excepting a yellow blotch on the lip. from the roof, among a hundred smaller plants of cattleya, hangs a specimen of laelia praestans alba, as rare as lovely--all purest white, except the lip of brilliant purple with yellow throat. like many other orchids from the high lands of brazil, this will grow equally well in the cool house. it is, in truth, a variety of l. pumila; its normal colour rosy purple. cattleya gaskelliana the fourth compartment is given up to cattleya gaskelliana, a species from venezuela, not showy, as a rule--though striking exceptions can be found, as here--but always useful. like cattleya schroderae it filled a gap when discovered in 1883, for there was no species at the time which flowered in july. its normal colour is mauve; the lip has a big yellow blotch and a mottling of purple in the front. about four hundred plants are accommodated in this house, among them four albinos--one with eight pseudo-bulbs and two flowering growths. but the finest flower is _miss clara measures._--snowy white, of course, but with a lip like cattleya mossiae. among others notable are:-_dellensis._--a noble variety. mauve-pink--the petals immensely broad. the great spreading lip has a gamboge throat fading to chrome-yellow, intersected with lines of bright crimson. the crimson of the front is defined as sharply as if by the stroke of a paint-brush. _godseffiana._--pale rosy mauve. petals immense. lip a curious dusky crimson, with a narrow dusky-yellowish outline. _duke of marlborough._--gigantic. sepals and petals bright rose; the broad lip has the same dusky outline. _measuresiana._--very pale. the crimson of the lip, which is long but comparatively narrow, runs far up the throat, but leaving two clear yellow 'eyes' as distinct as in cattleya gigas. _sanderiana._--pale. the lip, of excellent colour, spreads so suddenly as to form a perfect circle. _herbertiana._--mauve. a very compact flower. the bright yellow of the throat extends downwards and to either side of the lip in a very remarkable manner. the dusky margin surrounds a purple-crimson stain, scored with lines of deeper hue. _woodlandsensis._--here the same oddity--due to natural hybridisation doubtless--is carried much further. the whole disc of the lip is buff, with only the merest touch of purple on either side the central line, and another, scarcely perceptible, at the tip. along the roof hang small plants of cattleya gigas and others. fifth division the fifth division is a resting-place, where one may sit beneath a grand specimen of kentia forsteri, surrounded by palms as in a nook of the jungle, to compare notes and talk of orchids. after such refreshment we enter the last compartment. cattleya trianae to left here are more mendeliis, to right more bowringianas, labiatas, and trianaes mixed; rows of labiata overhead. specimen trianaes occupy the centre--some two hundred. this again is a species so old and so familiar that i need not describe it. but there is none more variable, and we have some of the most striking diversities here. _macfarlanei._--an immense flower, white, with the faintest possible flush. the great lip, vivid orange beneath the tube, changes to white above the disc. to this succeeds a blaze of purple-crimson, outlined in two semicircles as clear as brush could draw. [illustration: cattleya trianæ, var. measuresiæ.] _robert measures._--lively mauve. the broad petals have three purple lines at the base and a mottling of purple on either side. lip not large but of the grandest crimson, darker towards the throat. _measuresiana._--petals clear mauve, sepals a paler hue, lip very compact. its carmine rises far up the throat, surrounding the yellow and white 'eyes' with the happiest effect. _woodlandsensis._--sepals and petals lilac flushed. the great lip beautifully striped with rosy magenta. _tyrianthina_ takes its name from the tyrian purple or wine-coloured tips of the petals--a singular development. the labellum shows the same tint, even darker. here also i note catt. harrisoniae _r. h. measures_. it cannot be said that this differs from the normal type in any respect; but one may venture to assert that it is the finest example thereof--at least, a finer could not be. upon the mauve sepals and petals, much larger than usual and more lively in colour, the great labellum, primrose and gamboge, with mauve tip, stands out superbly. there is no more striking cattleya than harrisoniae in this form. a story of catteleya bowringiana no tale hangs upon the discovery of cattleya bowringiana, so far as i have heard. a planter named turkheim sent it from british honduras to mr. bowring of forest farm, windsor, in 1884. the species has a wide range. mr. oversluys came upon it in guatemala very shortly afterwards, and curious incidents followed. this admirable collector was hunting for oncidium splendidum, a stately flower not very uncommon once, but long extinct in europe. no man knew its home, but mr. sander, after close inquiry and profound deliberation, resolved that it must be a native of costa rica. thither he despatched mr. oversluys, who roamed the wilderness up and down five years, seeking a prize within his grasp all the time, so conspicuous that it escaped notice--as sharp boys select the biggest names upon a map instead of the smallest, to puzzle a comrade. but that is another story. irritated and despairing as time went by, but not permitted to abandon the search, the collector found diversion now and again in a gallop through the neighbouring states. and once he pushed as far as guatemala. all these forays were profitable, of course; such a shrewd and experienced hunter finds game in every forest. but mr. oversluys was not equipped for the wholesale business, as one may put it, on these expeditions. they were reconnaissances. in guatemala, at the moment which interests us, he had only two servants and three mules. i do not know exactly where he came across cattleya bowringiana; it might be anywhere almost, apparently, in the central american republics. the species was rare and very precious at the time--to be secured, though in the smallest quantity. when oversluys came upon it, he threw away the miscellaneous rarities he had collected, hired two more mules--all he could obtain--loaded as many as they could carry of the very finest plants, specimens such as we dare not dream of now, and started for the nearest port, meaning to return for more so soon as he was 'shut of your confounded oncidium splendidum.' in such disrespectful terms he wrote to st. albans. at the house where oversluys slept one night was a boisterous young guatemalan, one of the tippling, guitar-strumming, all-round-love-making sort so common in spanish america. but this youth was an indian or almost--betrayed by his lank hair and narrow shining eyes. such a character would seem impossible for one of that blood beyond the confines of guatemala. but the supremacy of the indians under rafael carrera's despotism has worked a change there. it lasted long enough to train a portentous generation. when a pig-driver of their race conquered and ruled the descendants of the conquerors as absolutely as a turkish bashaw of old, indians might well abandon the timid subservience of their forefathers. this young fellow insisted upon playing cards with oversluys, who declined. then he began to quarrel. but a good-looking daughter of the landlord intervened, and he promptly struck the light guitar. after supper he felt the warmest friendship for oversluys, and dropped off to sleep while babbling a serenade to the landlord's daughter. the friendship had not evaporated next morning. don hilario--he allowed himself the title and a most aristocratic surname--was returning to his native village, through which oversluys must pass; there to remain, as he admitted cheerfully, until his friends at the capital had suppressed certain proceedings at law. these friends, it appeared, were dames of high position, and the proceedings related to a serious deficiency in his accounts as clerk in the financial department. but it was all great fun. don hilario could not think of his appearance in the dock without peals of laughter. no apprehension marred his enjoyment. those great personages named, of the female sex, would take very good care he was not prosecuted--or they had best look out. in short, we recognise the type of a cynical half-caste don juan. as they journeyed on together, don hilario noticed the orchids, which were simply slung across the mules. he knew, of course, that such weeds are valued in europe; every child in those realms is familiar with collectors nowadays. 'ah!' said he, 'those are poor things compared with the great bushes on the roof of our church.' oversluys was roused at once. since roezl made the discovery, fifteen years before, every one had come to know that rarities may be expected on an indian church. the pious aborigines collect any orchid of exceptional beauty which they notice in the woods and carefully replant it on the sacred building. it was the custom of their heathen forefathers. 'are there any white ones among them?' oversluys asked. an albino form of cattleya bowringiana had never been heard of, but he thought it might exist. and if so the roof of an indian church would be the place to look for such a treasure. 'as many white as red! i say, what will you give for a dozen?' this was a difficult question under any circumstances, since the plants could hardly be flowering then; and there is no difference in growth betwixt the white varieties and the red. besides, oversluys had not the very slightest confidence in this youth. 'how will you get them?' he asked. 'never mind that. pay me half the money down and i'll bring the plants to-morrow. you know, our indians are suspicious of collectors. you mustn't be seen in the village.' that was reasonable enough in one point of view, but preposterous in the other. 'oh,' said oversluys, 'i must see the orchids at any risk--that's flat! and i must hear how you mean to work.' 'why?' 'because if you take them without the padre's consent you know as well as i that the indians will be after me at daylight, and--h'm! there would be work for the doctor! what sort of man is your padre?' 'a sort of pig, of course,' laughed don hilario. 'a fat old boar, ready for the knife. and my knife is ready, too! patience, friend, patience!' his eyes still laughed, but he made the significant gesture so common in those lands--a sudden stealthy grip of the machete at his waist. this was not an unimportant revelation. 'you are on bad terms with the cura?' oversluys asked. 'not now. he thinks i have forgotten. it's years ago. i was a boy. but the castilian never forgets! i will tell you.' the story was not edifying. it related to a young woman in whom the cura felt interest. he surprised her in company with don hilario and beat the lad. 'well,' said oversluys, 'i'm sorry you and the padre are not friends, because i will have nothing to do with removing orchids from the church unless he bears part in it.' 'but the pig will want all the money.' 'you need not tell him how much i am to give you.' don hilario argued, however, until, finding oversluys immovable, he grew sulky. the fact is that to strip their church against the indians' wish would be not a little perilous even though the cura were implicated; to ignore him would be madness. collectors have risked it, they say, before and since, but never assuredly unless quite certain that the prize was worth a deadly hazard. in this instance there was no security at all. as they approached the village don hilario brightened up. 'well,' he said, 'what will you give me?' oversluys had no money, but he offered a sum--the amount of which i have not heard--payable in guatemala city; to be doubled if the orchids should prove white. don hilario declined this proposal with oaths; he dared not go to guatemala city, and he could not trust a friend. the negotiations came to an end. grumbling and swearing he rode for a while by himself; then fell into silence, and presently rejoined oversluys quite cheerful. the houses were close by. 'it's a bargain, friend,' he said. 'your hand! it's a bargain!' 'good! now i won't take my mules with the orchids into the village. can you lead us round to the other side? there is a hut there, i daresay, where i can leave my men and return with you.' don hilario declared that such precautions were unnecessary, but when oversluys insisted he led the way through by-paths. they did not meet a soul. upon the edge of a broad savannah beyond was a corral, or enclosure, and a shed, used by the _vaqueros_ for slaughtering, branding, and so forth in the season, empty now. hundreds of cattle browsed slowly towards the corral, for evening approached and the woods were full of jaguars doubtless. though unwatched at this time of year, they took refuge nightly in the enclosure. it was just such a spot as oversluys sought. his men had food, and he told them to remain with the animals. then he returned with don hilario. it is usual to ask the cura for lodgings in a strange place; he himself puts up a traveller who can pay. this was a rotund and masterful priest. they found him alighting from his mule, with soutane rolled up to the waist, showing a prodigious breadth of pea-green trousers. he wore a triple string of blue beads round his neck, and flourished a whip of cowhide. oversluys looked like a traveller who could pay, and he received a greeting as warm as foreigner can expect; a foreigner in those lands is presumed to be no 'christian.' they entered the parsonage. don hilario was to broach the business, but first oversluys would satisfy himself that the orchids were worth negotiation. he slipped away. a glance settled that. the church was a low building of mud, as usual. on either side the doorway, looking down the street, stood an ancient idol, buried to the waist, but still five feet high. the features were battered, but the round eyes, with pupils cut deep in a half circle, glared in hideous threat, and the mouth gaped for blood; no need of an interpreter there--one saw and felt the purpose. but oversluys was not interested in these familiar objects. he looked up. his comrade had not exaggerated the size of the orchids, at least. they were noble specimens. but as for their colour he could see no trace to guide him. don hilario had gone to greet his parents; it was comparatively late when he returned, but then he got to business forthwith. the cura was startled. he showed no indignation, but after pondering declined. before going further, oversluys asked whether the orchids were white? impatiently the cura replied that he never looked at them--very likely they were. people decked the church with white flowers, and perhaps they got them from the roof. he had other things to think about. oversluys guessed that the man was eager to sell but afraid, and fretful accordingly. he raised his price, whilst don hilario taunted the cura with fearing his parishioners. that decided him. loudly he declared that the church was his own, and consented. the deed must be done that night. but who would climb the church roof in the dark? don hilario was prepared for that difficulty. he knew half a dozen fellows of his own age and stamp who would enjoy the mischief. and he went to collect them. it was long past midnight when the band appeared--a set of lively young ruffians. so vivacious were they, in fact, though not noisy, and so disrespectful to their pastor as they drank a glass for luck, standing round the board, that oversluys thought it well to prepare for a 'row.' he slipped out, saddled his mule and tied it by the door. then the young indians filed off in high spirits, chuckling low and nudging one another. the cura followed to the door, commended them to heaven and stopped. don hilario would not have that--he must take his share of the enterprise. the others returned and remonstrated warmly. in short, there was such hubbub, though all in low tones, that oversluys grew more and more alarmed. the cura gave way savagely, however, and they started again; but oversluys kept well behind, leading his mule. it was a dark night, though not dark as in a northern climate. he could follow the little group with his eyes, a blurred mass stealing over the plaza. the church itself was faintly visible a hundred yards away. all remained still and silent. he advanced. a low wall encircled the church. the indians did not think it prudent to use the entrance--of which those idols were the gate-posts, as it may be said. oversluys, reassured, had drawn close enough now to see them creep up to the wall. suddenly there was a roar! a multitude of figures leapt up the other side of the wall, yelling! that was 'boot and saddle' for oversluys. off he set full gallop, for the risk of a broken neck is not worth counting when vengeful indians are on one's trail. but though all the village must have heard him thudding past, no one pursued. very extraordinary, but the whole incident was mysterious. after fifteen years' experience the collector--a shrewd man at the beginning--knew indians well, but he could never explain this adventure. sometimes he thought it might have been a trick from beginning to end, devised by don hilario to get the cura into a scrape. i have no suggestion to offer, but the little story seems worth note as an illustration of manners. oversluys had good reason to remember it. uncomfortably enough he waited for dawn in the dank wood, holding his mule by the bridle, not daring to advance. as soon as the path could be faintly traced he started, and happily found the corral where his mules and servants had been left. the cattle were streaming out already, bulls in advance. they blocked the gateway, and with the utmost promptitude oversluys withdrew into the bush. making his way to the fence he shouted for his mozos--in vain; climbed over with no small difficulty and entered the shed. his mules were safe enough but both mozos had vanished, having found or made friends in the neighbourhood. and all his precious cattleyas, left defenceless, had been munched or trampled flat by the cattle! he never ceased to mourn that loss. a story of cattleya mossiae since orchids never die, unless by accident, and never cease to grow, there is no limit to the bulk they may attain. mishap alone cuts their lives short--commonly the fall or the burning of the tree to which they cling. mr. burbidge secured one, a grammatophyllum, 'as big as a pickford's van,' which a corvée of dyaks could not lift. some old collections even in europe show prodigious monsters; in especial, i am told, that of the duke of northumberland at alnwick. mr. astor has two peristeria elata at cliveden of which the bulbs are as large as an ostrich egg, and the flower stems rise to a height of nine feet! the most striking instance of the sort i myself have observed, if not quite the biggest, was a cattleya mossiae sent home by mr. arnold. it enclosed two great branches of a tree, rising from the fork below which it was sawn off--a bristling mass four feet thick and five feet high; two feet more must be added if we reckon the leaves. as for the number of flower-scapes it bore last season, to count them would have been the work of hours; roughly i estimated a thousand, bearing not less than three blooms, each six inches across. fancy cannot rise to the conception of that gorgeous display. i doubt not that the forest would be scented for a hundred yards round. such giant cattleyas are very rare in the 'wild state.' an orchid, though immortal, is subject to so many accidents that only species of very quick growth attain great age; these are less exposed to the perils of youth, naturally. from time to time, however, an indian removes some plant which strikes him for its beauty or its size, and starts it afresh on a tree not too tall--and therefore young--in view of his hut. thus it takes a new lease of life and grows indefinitely. i have not heard that 'white' peons are so aesthetic. this cattleya mossiae had been rescued by an indian. mr. arnold first saw it on his memorable search for masdevallia tovarensis. i must tell that episode to begin with. more than thirty years ago a german resident at tovar sent a white masdevallia to a friend in england. there were very few species of the genus, few plants indeed, under cultivation at that time, and all scarlet. the novelty made a vast sensation. for a good many years the owner kept dividing his single specimen, and putting fragments on the market, where they fetched a very long price. under such circumstances a man is not inclined to tell where his treasure comes from. at an earlier date this gentleman had published the secret so far as the name 'tovar' went. but there are several places so called in spanish america, and importers hesitated. at length mr. sander made up his mind. he sent mr. arnold to tovar in new grenada. masdevallias are reckoned among the most difficult of orchids to import. from their home in cool uplands they must be transported through some of the hottest regions on the globe, and they have no pseudo-bulbs to sustain them; a leaf and a root, one may say, compose each tiny plant. mr. arnold, therefore, was provided with some sacks of sphagnum moss in which to stow his finds. these sacks he registered among his personal baggage. at waterloo, however, the station-master demurred. moss, said he, must travel by goods train. arnold had not allowed himself time to spare. the royal mail steamer would leave within an hour of his arrival at southampton; to go without his moss was useless; and a pig-headed official refused to pass it! mr. arnold does not profess to be meek. he remonstrated with so much energy that the station-master fled the scene. there was just time enough to load up the article in dispute and jump into a carriage, helped by a friendly stranger. the stranger had showed his friendliness before that. standing at the open door, he supported arnold's cause with singular warmth and vociferation. the latter was grateful, of course, and when he learned that his ally was a fellow-passenger to caracas he expressed the hope that they might share a cabin. there was no difficulty about that. in short, they chummed. this young man announced himself as mr. thompson, a traveller in the hardware line, but he showed an intelligent curiosity about things in general--about orchids, for instance, when he learned that such was arnold's business. would it be possible for an ignoramus to make a few pounds that way?--how should he set about it?--which is the class of article most in demand just now, and where is it found? before the voyage ended, that traveller in the hardware line knew as much about masdevallia tovarensis as arnold could tell him. he bade goodbye aboard ship, for pressing business obliged him to start up country forthwith. late in the afternoon arnold, who was to stay some days at caracas, met his agent on the plaza. 'by the bye,' said that gentleman, 'are you aware that mr. blank started this morning in the direction of tovar?' now mr. blank was a man of substance who began orchid-growing as an amateur, but of late had turned professional. 'bless me!' cried arnold, 'is he here?' the agent stared. 'why, as i understood, he travelled in the same ship with you.' arnold seized him by the wrist, while in his mind's eye he reviewed all the passengers; they were not many. the only one who could possibly be mr. blank was--mr. thompson! 'get me a horse, sir!' he sputtered. 'which way has the villain gone? and a guide--with another horse! i'll pay anything! i'll go with you to hire them! come along!' ten minutes afterwards he was on the track, full gallop, stopping only at the hotel to get his pistol. at a roadside posada, fifteen miles beyond, mr. blank was supping in peace. the door opened. arnold stalked in. he was in that mood of intensest passion when a man's actions are stiff though he trembles--all his muscles rigid with the effort of self-restraint. quietly he barred the door and quietly he sat down opposite to mr. blank, putting his revolver on the board. 'get your pistol, sir,' said he, scarcely above a whisper, 'we're going to settle this business.' but mr. blank, after a frenzied stare, had withdrawn beneath the table. arnold hauled him out by the legs, demanding instant combat. but this was not the man to fight. he preferred to sign a confession and a promise, guaranteed by most impressive oaths, not to revisit those parts for six months. then arnold started him back, supperless, in the dark. it may be added that the gentleman whom i have named mr. blank lost his life in 1892, when seeking the habitat of dendrobium schröderianum, under circumstances not wholly dissimilar. as in this case he sought to reap where he had not sown. but peace be with him! without more adventures arnold found masdevallia tovarensis. of the first consignment he despatched, forty thousand arrived in good health. this quest completed in shorter time than had been allowed, he looked for another 'job.' one is only embarrassed by the choice in that region. upon the whole it seemed most judicious to collect cattleya mossiae. and arnold set off for the hunting-grounds. on this journey he saw the monster i have described. it grew beside the dwelling of an indian--not properly to be termed a 'hut,' nor a 'house.' the man was a coffee-planter in a very small way. nothing that arnold could offer tempted him in the least. his grandfather 'planted' the cattleya, and from that day it had been a privilege of the family to decorate one portion of the neighbouring church with its flowers when a certain great feast came round. arnold tried to interest the daughter--a very pretty girl: the indian type there is distinctly handsome. then he tried her lover, who seemed willing to exert his influence for the consideration of a real english gun. arnold could not spare his own; he had no other, and the young indian would not accept promises. so the matter fell through. three years afterwards arnold was commissioned to seek cattleya mossiae again. not forgetting the giant, he thought it worth while to take a 'real english gun' with him, though doubtless the maiden was a wife long since, and her husband might ask for a more useful present. in due course he reached the spot--a small indian village in the mountains, some fifteen miles from caracas. the cattleya was still there, perched aloft, as big as a hogshead. arnold's first glance was given to it; then he looked at the owner's hospitable dwelling. it also was still there, but changed. tidy it had never been, but now it was ruinous. none of the village huts could be seen, standing as they did each in its 'compound'--a bower of palm and plantains, fruit-trees, above all, flowers. afterwards he perceived that they had all been lately rebuilt. the old indian survived, but it was not from him that arnold learned the story. the cura told it. there had been a pronunciamiento somewhere in the country, and the government sent small bodies of troops--pressgangs, in fact--to enlist 'volunteers.' one of these came to the village. the officer in command, a good-looking young man, took up his abode in the indian's house and presently made it his headquarters, whence to direct the man-hunts. upon that pretext he stayed several weeks, to the delight of the villagers, who were spared. but one evening there was an outbreak. the lover rushed along the street, dripping with blood--the officer, his sword drawn, pursuing. he ran into his hut and snatched a gun from the wall. but it was too late; the other cut him down. the day's field work was over--all the indians had returned. they seized their machetes, yelling vengeance, and attacked the officer. but his soldiers also were close by. they ran up, firing as they ran. some villagers were killed, more wounded; the place was sacked. next morning early the detachment moved off. when the fugitives returning counted their loss, the pretty daughter of old josé was missing. the dead lay where they fell, and she was not among them. the cura, an amiable veteran, did not doubt that she had been carried off by force; was not this girl the most devout and dutiful in the parish? he saddled his mule forthwith and rode into caracas. the officer had delivered his report, which may be easily imagined. governments in spanish america at this day resent any kind of interference from the clergy. had a layman complained, doubtless there would have been an inquiry; in venezuela, as elsewhere, maidens are not to be carried off by young aristocrats and no word said. but the authorities simply called on the accused for an explanation, accepted his statement that the girl followed him of her free-will, and recommended him to marry her. this he did, as arnold ascertained. as for the rest--_quien sabe_? these sad events account for the old indian's behaviour. arnold found him at home, and with him a young man not to be recognised at first, who proved to be the lover. the muscles of his neck had been severed, causing him to hold his head awry, and a slash had partially disabled his right arm. arnold was told abruptly that he could not lodge there, and he withdrew. but on a sudden the lover whispered eagerly. they called him back. 'will you buy the cattleya?' asked old josé. 'how much?' 'fifty dollars and a good gun.' 'it's a bargain.' he paid there and then, nor quitted the spot, though very hungry, until his followers had sawn through the branch and lowered its burden to the ground. carrying his spoil in triumph, suspended on a pole, arnold sought the cura's house. there he heard the tale i have unfolded. not until evening did the padre chance to see the giant cattleya. he was vexed, naturally, since his church lost its accustomed due. but when arnold told what he had paid for it, the good man was deeply moved. 'holy virgin and all saints!' he cried, 'there will be murder!' and he set off running to the indian's house. it was empty. josé and the lover had been seen on the road to caracas hours before--with the gun. i am sorry that i cannot finish the story; too often we miss the dénoûment in romances of actual life. but the cura felt no doubt. it may be to-night, or next year, or ten years hence, he said, but the captain is doomed. our indians never forget nor forgive, nor fail when at length they strike. the murder was not announced whilst arnold remained in the country. but all whom he questioned gave the same forecast. unless the indians were seized or died they would surely have vengeance. [illustration: cattleya schroderæ var. miss mary measures.] cypripedium insigne here is a house full of cypripedium insigne; nothing else therein save a row of big cymbidiums in vases down the middle, odontoglossum citrosmum and cattleya citrina hanging on wires overhead. every one knows this commonest of cypripeds, though many may be unacquainted with the name. once i looked into a show of window-gardening in the precincts of westminster abbey, and among the poor plants there, treasures of the poorest, i found a cypripedium insigne--very healthy and well-grown too. but when i called the judges' attention, they politely refused to believe me, though none of them could say what the mysterious vegetable was--not the least curious detail of the incident. the flower cannot be called beautiful, but undeniably it is quaint, and the honest unsophisticated public loves it. moreover the bloom appears in november, lasting till christmas, if kept quite cool. the species was introduced from sylhet so long ago as 1820, but it flourishes in many districts on the southern slope of the himalayas. new habitats are constantly discovered. there are 505 plants in this house, and if individual flowers be not striking commonly--that is, flowers of the normal type--the spectacle is as pretty as curious when hundreds are open at once, apple-green, speckled with brown and tipped with white. but to my taste, as a 'grower,' the sight is pleasant at all seasons, for the green and glossy leaves encircle each pot so closely that they form a bank of foliage without a gap all round. but besides this house we have one much larger elsewhere, containing no less than 2500 examples of the same species. if no two flowers of an orchid on the same plant be absolutely similar, as experts declare--and i have often proved the rule--one may fancy the sum of variation among three thousand. individually, however, it is so minute in the bulk of cypripedium insigne that a careless observer sees no difference among a hundred blooms. i note some of the prominent exceptions. _clarissimum._--large, all white, except a greenish tinge at base of the dorsal, and the broad yellow shield of the column. _laura kimball_, on the other hand, is all ochreous yellow, save the handsome white crown of the dorsal and a narrow white margin descending from it. _statterianum_ is much like this, but spotted in the usual way. _bohnhoffianum_ has a dorsal of curious shape. the crest rises sharply between square shoulders which fold over, displaying the reverse. it has no spots, but at the base is a chestnut blotch, changing to vivid green, which again vanishes abruptly, leaving a broad white margin. vivid green also are the petals, with brown lines; the slipper paler. this example is unique. _macfarlanei_ is all yellowish green, with a white crest. _amesiae._--the dorsal has a broad white outline and a drooping crest. to white succeeds a brilliant green, and to that, in the middle, bright chestnut. chestnut lines also, and dots, mount upward. the green petals are similarly lined, and the slipper is greenish, tinged with chestnut. _longisepalum_ is flesh-colour, with a greenish tinge and pink spots on the very long dorsal. the pink spots change to lines upon the petals. slipper ruddy green. _dimmockianum._--the broad and handsome dorsal is green, with white margin. a red stain at the base is continued in lines of spots upwards. the petals are scored with the same colour. _measuresiae._--big, with a grand dorsal, pale grass-green below, broadly whitening as it swells. petals the same green, with a dark midrib and fainter lines. slipper yellow. _rona_ is an example of the common type in its utmost perfection--large, symmetrical, its green tinge the liveliest possible, its white both snowy and broad, and its spots so vigorously imprinted that they rise above the surface like splashes of solid chocolate. _majesticum_ is another of the same class, but distinguished by the enormous size of its dorsal. _dorothy._--dorsal greenish yellow, with faint spots of chestnut and a broad white margin. petals and slipper the same greenish-yellow tone. _r. h. measures._--for size as for colour this variety is astonishing. its gigantic dorsal is white, prettily stained at base with pale green, in which are enormous red spots, irregularly set. petals tawny greenish, with lines and dots of red. the slipper matches. _harefield hall_ variety resembles this, but smaller. the great spots of the dorsal are more crimson, the petals and slipper a darker hue. _frederico._--within a broad white outline the dorsal is all yellow, heavily spotted and splashed with chestnut. the reddish tawny petals are lined and spotted with chestnut, and the tawny slipper shows a chestnut network. _corrugatum._--the name refers to a peculiarity unique and inexplicable. the slipper, so smooth in every other case, has a strong breastbone, so to say, and five projecting ribs on either side, arching round diagonally from the back--pale brown on a darker ground. the dorsal is all yellow, spotted with brown, but the crest overhangs, showing its white underside. _drewett's variety._--dorsal white, with a green base and huge blotches of red-brown; greenish petals lined with the same; ruddy greenish slipper. _eximium._--a natural hybrid doubtless, though we cannot guess what its other parent may be; it came among a lot of the ordinary form. very small. the funny little dorsal is yellow, spotted throughout with red. the small petals have a crimson tinge, much darker in the upper length. slipper dull crimson; the yellow shield of the column is very conspicuous on that ground. _hector._--the dorsal is pale grass-green, with a white crest and margin and large chestnut spots; petals and slipper reddish ochre. _punctatum_ is a title very commonly bestowed when the usual spots run together, making small blotches, arranged in lines; often the petals have a white margin, more or less broad, which shows them off. here also i should mention the famous cyp. ins. sanderae, though, as a matter of fact, it is lodged elsewhere. the story of this wonderful orchid has often been told, but not every one has heard it. i may be allowed to quote my own version, published in _about orchids--a chat_ (chapman and hall, 1893). 'among a great number of cypripedium insigne received at st. albans, and "established" there, mr. sander noted one presently of which the flower-stalk was yellow instead of brown, as is usual. sharp eyes are a valuable item of the orchid-growers' stock-in-trade, for the smallest peculiarity among such "sportive" objects should not be neglected. carefully he put the yellow-stalk aside. in due course the flower opened and proved to be all golden. mr. sander cut his plant in two, sold half for seventy-five guineas at protheroe's auction rooms, and the other half to mr. r. h. measures. one of the purchasers divided his plant and sold two bits at a hundred guineas each. another piece was bought back by mr. sander, who wanted it for hybridising, at two hundred and fifty guineas.' not less than forty exist perhaps at the present time, for as soon as a morsel proves big enough to be divided, divided it is. here we have two fine plants and a healthy young fragment. [illustration: cypripedium insigne, var. sanderæ.] to describe the flower is an ungrateful task. tints so exquisitely soft are not to be defined in words; it is pleasanter to sum them up in the phrase 'all golden,' as i did formerly, when there was no need for precision. but here i must be specific, and in truth cypripedium insigne sanderae is not to be so described. the dorsal, beautifully waved, has a broad white margin and a cloud of the tenderest grass-green in the midst, covered with a soft green network. there are a few tiniest specks of brown on either side the midrib. the petals might be termed palest primrose, but when compared with the pure yellow slipper a pretty tinge of green declares itself. a marvel of daintiness and purity. in this house hang catt. citrina, odont. citrosmum, and laelia jongheana--five rows. of the first, so charming but so common, it is enough to say that the owner of this collection has contrived to secure the very biggest examples, in their native growth, that a sane imagination could conceive--so big that i should not have credited a report of their dimensions. the ordinary form of citrosmum also demands no comment, and i deal with the interesting laelia jongheana elsewhere. but we have a number of citrosmum roseum, which has white sepals and petals and a pink lip; of citrosmum album, all purest white, save the yellow crest; and of the cream-coloured variety, which to my mind is loveliest of all. sir trevor lawrence collects these at every opportunity, and i remember the charming display he made once at the temple show, when their long pendulous garlands formed the backing to his stand. story of cattleya skinneri alba the annals of botany are full of incident and adventure, especially that branch which deals with orchids. all manner of odd references and associations one finds there. i myself, having studied the subject, was not much surprised to meet with a tale of orchids and cock-fighting lately; but others may like to hear how such an odd connection arose. the name of the orchid was cattleya skinneri alba, one of the rarest and most beautiful we have; the name of the hero, benedict roezl, greatest of all collectors. this experience gives some notion of his ready wit, cool daring, and resource. but i could tell some even more characteristic. it is necessary to say that cattleya skinneri _tout court_--a charming rosy flower--was discovered by mr. skinner long before this date--in 1836; but no white cattleya had yet been heard of. it was in 1870. roezl had made a very successful foray in the neighbourhood of tetonicapan, guatemala, and with a long train of mules he was descending towards the coast. his head mozo could be trusted; the perils of the road--streams, mud, precipices, and brigands--had been left behind; roezl, rejoicing in the consciousness of good work well done, pushed on by himself towards the village where they were to spend the night. he had not been there before, but the road--rather, the trail--was plain enough. unfortunately it led him, after a while, into a jicara-grove. this tree, which supplies the calabash used throughout central america, has some very odd peculiarities. its leaves grow by fours, making a cross, and on that account, doubtless, the indians esteem it sacred; their pagan forefathers reverenced the cross. the trunks spring at equal distances, as if planted by rule, but such is their natural habit; i have the strongest impression that mr. belt found a cause for this eccentricity, but the passage i cannot discover. thirdly, jicara-trees always stand in a low-lying savannah, across which they are marshalled in lines and 'spaced' like soldiers on parade in open order--at least, i never saw them in another situation. such spots are damp, and the herbage grows strong; thus the half-wild cattle are drawn thither, and before the wet season comes to an end they have trampled the whole surface, obliterating all signs of a path, if one there be, and confounding the confusion by making tracks innumerable through the jungle round. upon such a waste roezl entered, and he paused forthwith to deliberate. the compass would not help him much, for if it told the direction of the village, the indian trail which led thither might open to right or left anywhere on the far side of the grove. travellers in those wilds must follow the beaten course. at length he took bearings, so as to go straight at least, and rode on. presently an indian lad came out from the forest behind him, but stopped at sight of the tall stranger. roezl shouted--he spoke every patois of spanish america with equal fluency. the boy advanced at length. he could only talk his native quiché, but roezl made out that he was going to the village--sent him ahead, and followed rejoicing. so he crossed the jicara-ground. but in the forest beyond, it was not easy to keep up with an indian boy trotting his fastest. in a few minutes the guide had vanished and roezl hurried along after him. suddenly a ragged rascal sprang out from the bushes ahead with levelled gun. roezl glanced back. two others barred his retreat. not unfamiliar with such incidents, he laughed and offered his purse--never well filled. good humour and wit had carried him through several adventures of the kind without grave annoyance; once in mexico, when he had not one silver coin to ransom himself, a party of bandits kept him twenty-four hours simply to enjoy his drolleries, and dismissed him with ten dollars--which was a godsend, said roezl. but these fellows only spoke quiché, and they were sullen dogs. the purse did not satisfy them by any means. they made their prisoner dismount and enter the forest, marching behind him. the camp was close by, and here roezl found his guide, hitched to a tree by the neck. the brigand officer and some of the men talked spanish, and they appreciated roezl's 'chaff,' treating him with boisterous familiarity; but they would not hear of letting him go until the captain's arrival. he sat upon the ground, exchanging jokes with the ruffians, drinking their aguardiente and smoking their best cigars, like a jovial comrade. meantime the indian members of the band were out of the fun, and they attended to business. what they wanted of the lad roezl did not understand, but when he persisted in refusing they beat him savagely. at length it went so far that roezl could not bear to hear the poor fellow's cries. putting the matter humorously, he begged the lieutenant to interfere, and that worthy commanded the indians to desist. after an hour or so the captain appeared, and roezl's case was put before him; at the same moment, however, the scouts brought in a priest. he had resisted probably, for they had bound and beaten him. such treatment was novel, doubtless. it had taken all spirit out of the holy man, who walked as humbly as could be till he set eyes on the captain. then his courage returned. they were old acquaintances, evidently, and the padre claimed satisfaction. he did not get it; but the captain set him free, with apologies. the boy proved to be his servant, and he also was released. roezl asserted a claim to equal consideration as defender of that youth, and at length it was ungraciously allowed. remembering, however, that his precious orchids would soon arrive and fall into the brigands' hands, to be smashed in spite probably, he ransomed them by a bill drawn on himself at the capital. then he rode on to overtake the priest, who was cura of the village which he sought. not prepossessing at all was that ecclesiastic. none of the bandits had a more stupid expression or one less amiable. but roezl found presently that he had some reason for ill-humour. six cocks had he taken to a grand match at tetonicapan the day before--three his own, three belonging to parishioners; and every one was killed! the boy had been sent in advance to break the news. cock-fighting is the single amusement of that population, besides drink, of course, and the single interest of its ministers--most of them, at least. this padre could talk of nothing else. it was not a subject that amused roezl, but he knew something of that as of all else that pertains to life in those countries. the dullest of mortals could not help gathering information about cocks and their ways in a lifetime of travel up and down spanish america; the most observant, such as this, must needs collect a vast deal of experience. but roezl was not interested in his companion. not, that is, until he reached the village. the cura had invited him to his house--so to call an adobe building of two rooms, without upper floor. it stood beside the church, hardly less primitive. roezl glanced at the roof of this structure in passing. it has been mentioned that the indians have a pleasant custom of removing any orchid they find, notable for size or beauty, to set on the church roof or on trees around it. in the course of his long wanderings roezl had bought or begged several fine plants from a padre, but only when the man was specially reckless or specially influential with his parishioners. the practice dates from heathen times, and the indians object to any desecration of their offerings. it was with curiosity rather than hope, therefore, that roezl scrutinised the airy garden. there were handsome specimens of cattleya--skinneri most frequent, of course--lycaste, oncidium, and masdevallia. they had done blooming mostly, but a belated flower showed here and there. in one big clump he saw something white--looked more closely--paused. the plant was cattleya skinneri certainly. how should a white flower be there? all other collectors, perhaps, at that time, would have passed on, taking it for granted that some weed had rooted itself amid the clump. but for many years roezl had been preaching that all cattleyas of red or violent tint, so to class them roughly, must make albino 'sports.' i believe he had not one instance to cite in proof of his theory, which is a commonplace now. a wondrous instinct guided him--the same which predicted that an odontoglossum of extraordinary character would be found in a province he had never entered, where, years afterwards, the striking odont. harryanum was discovered. men talked of roezl's odd fancy with respect, but very few heeded it. he tried various points of view, but nowhere could the flower be seen distinctly. after grumbling and fuming a while the cura left him, and presently he followed. that reverend person was an object of interest now. at the first opportunity roezl mentioned that he was seeking a white flor de san sebastian, as they name cattleya skinneri, for which he would pay a good sum, and asked if there were any in the neighbourhood. the cura replied at once, 'you won't get one here. many years ago my people found one in the forest, but they never saw another before or since.' 'what did they do with it?' roezl asked breathlessly. 'fixed it on the church, of course.' the man was stupid, but in those parts an idiot can see any opening for trade. to suppose that a cock-fighting guatemalan priest could have scruples about stripping his church would be grotesque. if he did not snatch at the chance to make money, when told that the stranger would pay for his whim, it must be because the removal of that plant would be so hazardous that he did not even think of it. roezl dropped the subject. they ate--more especially, they drank. the leading men of the village came in to hear the sad story of the cock-fight. not one word on any other topic was spoken until they withdrew to bed. but roezl was not bored after a while. so soon as he grasped the situation, his quick wits began speculating and contriving means to tempt the padre. and as he listened to the artless if not innocent discourse of these rustics, gradually a notion formed itself. the issue of the great match had been a disaster all round. in the first place, there was an antique feud with the victors. secondly, their cocks had been defeated so often that for two years past they had lain low, saving their money to buy champion birds at the capital. and this was the result! in the assurance of triumph they had staked all they could raise upon the issue. that money was lost, and the cocks besides. utter rout and bankruptcy! no wonder the priest sent his boy ahead to break the awful news. despairingly they speculated on the causes of their bad luck from year to year, and it was in listening to this discussion that roezl perceived a gleam of hope. the mules arrived with his orchids, and started again in the morning; but he stayed behind. the cura was more than willing to explain the local system of feeding, keeping, training, and in general of managing cocks. roezl went into it thoroughly without comment; but when the leading parishioners assembled at night, as usual, he lifted up his voice. 'my friends,' said he, 'you are always beaten because you do not understand the tricks of these wily townsmen. what you should import from guatemala is not champion cocks, but a good cock-master, up to date. i'm afraid he would sell you indeed, but there is no other way.' they looked at one another astounded, but the cura broke out, 'rubbish! what do we do wrong?' 'only a fool gives away valuable secrets. if you want my information you must pay for it. but i will tell you one thing. you keep your cocks tied up in a cupboard'--i am giving the sense of his observations--'by themselves, where they get spiritless and bored. you have been to tetonicapan. is that how they do there? in every house you see the cocks tied in a corner of the living room, where people come and go, often bringing their own birds with them. hens enter too sometimes. so they are always lively and eager. this you have seen! is it not so?' 'it is,' they muttered with thoughtful brows. 'well, i make you a present of that hint. if you want any more valuable, you must pay.' and he withdrew. weighty was the consultation doubtless. presently they went in search of him, the whole body, and asked his terms. 'you shall not buy on speculation,' said roezl. 'is there a village in the neighbourhood where they treat their cocks as you do, and could you make a match for next sunday? yes? well, then, you shall tie up your birds in a public room, follow my directions in feeding, and so forth. if you conquer, you shall pay me; if not, not.' 'what shall we pay?' asked the cura. 'your reverence and all these caballeros shall swear on the altar to give me the white flor de san sebastian which grows on the church roof.' the end is foreseen. roezl carried off his white cattleya and sold it to mr. george hardy of manchester for 280 guineas. the phalaenopsis house phalaenopsis are noted for whimsicality. they flourish in holes and corners where no experienced gardener would put them, and they flatly refuse to live under all the conditions most approved by science. most persons who grow them have such adventures to tell, their own or reported. sir trevor lawrence mentioned at the orchid conference that he once built a phalaenopsis house at the cost of £600; after a few months' trial he restored his plants to their old unsatisfactory quarters and turned this beautiful building to another purpose. the authorities at kew tell the same story with rueful merriment. in both cases, the situation, the plan, every detail, had been carefully and maturely weighed, with intimate knowledge of the eccentricities to be dealt with and profound respect for them. upon the other hand, i could name a 'grower' of the highest standing who used to keep his phalaenopsis in a ramshackle old greenhouse belonging to a rough market-gardener of the neighbourhood--perhaps does still. how he came to learn that they would thrive there as if under a blessed spell i have forgotten. but once i paid the market-gardener a visit and there, with my own eyes, beheld them flourishing under conditions such that i do not expect a plain statement of the facts to be believed. in the midst of the rusty old ruin was a stand with walls of brick; above this wires had been fixed along the roof. the big plants hung lowest. upon the edges of their baskets smaller plants were poised, and so they stood, one above another, like a child's house of cards--i am afraid to say how high. a labouring man stood first at one end, then at the other, and cheerfully plied the syringe. they were not taken down nor touched from month to month. seeing and hearing all this, i cried--but the reader can imagine what i cried. 'well,' replied the market-gardener, 'i don't understand your orchids. but i shouldn't ha' thought they was looking poorly.' poorly! under these remarkable circumstances some scores of phalaenopsis were thriving as i never saw them elsewhere. in this house they do very well, growing and flowering freely, giving no trouble by mysterious ailments. we have most of the large species--amabilis, stuartiana, schilleriana, sanderiana, etc. no description of these is required. hybrids of phalaenopsis are few as yet. here is hebe, the product of rosea × sanderiana, rosy white of sepal and petal, bright pink of lip, yellow at the base. on the left is a 'rockery' of tufa, planted with the hybrid anthuriums which messrs. sander have been producing so industriously of late years. to my mind, an infant could make flowers as good as anthuriums, if equipped with a sufficient quantity of sealing-wax, red and pink and white. their form is clumsy, and grace they have none. but when they recognise a fashion, the wise cease to protest. anthuriums are the fashion. since that is so, and many worthy persons will be interested, i name the hybrids here. of the andreeanum type, raised by crossing its various forms:--_lawrenciae_, pure white; _goliath_, blood-red; _salmoniae_, flesh-colour; _lady godiva_, white faintly tinged with flesh-colour; _albanense_, deep red, spadix vermilion--this was one of the twelve 'new plants' which won the first prize at the international exhibition 1892. of the rothschildianum type:--_saumon_, salmon-colour; _niveum_, very large, whitish, with orange-red markings; _aurantiacum_, coloured like the yolk of egg; _the queen_, evenly marked in red, orange, and white. overhead hang small plants of phalaenopsis and dendrobium; on a shelf above the anthuriums, against the glass, two large specimens of the noble cyp. bellatulum album--which with a despairing effort i have tried to sketch elsewhere--and no less than 380 plants of cyp. godefroyae, and its variety, cyp. leucochilum, both white, heavily spotted with brownish purple. the vanda house lies beyond. only the tall species are here, for such gems as v. kimballiana and amesiana would be lost among these giants. but there is little to say about our vandas beyond a general commendation of their fine stature and glossy leaves. it is not a genus which we study, and the plants belong to ordinary species--the best of their class, however. for the benefit of experts i may mention, among specimens of vanda suavis, the dalkeith variety, rollison's, veitch's, wingate, and manchester; among vanda tricolor, planilabris--grandest of all--dalkeith, aurea, pattison's, insignis, rohaniana. but _miss joaquim_ must be mentioned (v. teres × v. hookeriana), sepals and petals of a pretty rose colour, lip orange; a flower charming in itself, but still more notable as the product of a young lady's enthusiasm. miss agnes joaquim is the daughter of a consul at singapore, residing at mount narcis in the vicinity. story of vanda sanderiana there are those who pronounce vanda sanderiana the stateliest of all orchids. to compare such numberless and varied forms of beauty is rather childish. but it will be allowed that a first view of those enormous flowers, ten or more upon a stalk--lilac above, pale cinnamon below, covered with a network of crimson lines--is a memorable sensation for the elect. we may fancy the emotions of mr. roebelin on seeing it--the earliest of articulate mortals so favoured. his amazement and delight were not alloyed by anticipation, for no rumour of the marvel had gone forth. roebelin was travelling 'on spec' for once. in 1879 mr. sander learned that the philippine government was about to establish a mail service from manila to mindanao. often had he surveyed that great island longingly, from his arm-chair at st. albans, assured that treasures must await the botanist there. but although the spaniards had long held settlements upon the coast, and, of course, claimed sovereignty over the whole, there had hitherto been no regular means of communication with a port whence steamers sailed for europe. a collector would be at the mercy of chance for transmitting his spoil, after spending assuredly a thousand pounds. it was out of the question. but the establishment of a line of steamers to manila transformed the situation. forthwith roebelin was despatched, to find what he could. he landed, of course, at the capital, mindanao; and the spaniards--civil, military, even ecclesiastic--received him cordially. any visitor was no less than a phenomenon to them. it is a gay and pleasant little town, for these people, having neither means nor opportunity, as a rule, to revisit europe, make their home in the east. and roebelin found plenty of good things round the glorious bay of illana. but he learned with surprise that the spaniards did not even profess to have authority beyond a narrow strip here and there upon the coast. the interior is occupied by savages, numerous and warlike, papuan by race, or crossed with the philippine malay. though they are not systematically hostile to white men, roebelin saw no chance of exploring the country. then he heard of a 'red phalaenopsis,' on the north coast, a legendary wonder, which must have its own chronicle by and by. seduced especially by this report, roebelin sailed in a native craft to surigao, a small but very thriving settlement, which ranks next to the capital. people there were well acquainted with phalaenopsis, but they knew nothing of a red one; some of them, however, talked in vague ecstasy of an orchid with flowers as big as a dinner-plate to be found on the banks of lake magindanao, a vast sheet of water in the middle of the island. they did not agree about the shape, or colour, or anything else relating to it; but such a plant must be well worth collecting anyhow. it was not dangerous to ascend the river, under due precautions, nor to land at certain points of the lake. such points are inhabited by the subano tribe, who live in hourly peril from their neighbours the bagabos, against whom they beg spanish protection. accordingly white men are received with enthusiasm. the expedition, therefore, would be comparatively safe, if a guide and interpreter could be found. and here roebelin was lucky. a small trader who had debts to collect among the subanos offered his sampan, with its crew, on reasonable terms, and proposed to go himself. he was the son of a chinaman from singapore, by a native wife, and spoke intelligible english. the crew also had mostly some chinese blood, and roebelin gathered that they were partners of sam choon, his dragoman, in a very small way. the number of celestials and half-breeds of that stock in mindanao had already struck him, in comparison with manila. presently he learned the reason. the energetic and tenacious chinaman is hated by all classes of spaniards--by the clergy because he will not be converted, by the merchants because he intercepts their trade, by the military because he will not endure unlimited oppression, and by the public at large because he is hard-working, thrifty, and successful. he is dangerous, too, when roused by ill-treatment beyond the common, and his secret societies provide machinery for insurrection at a day's notice. but in mindanao the chinaman is indispensable. white traders could not live without his assistance. they do not love him the better, but they protect him so far as they may from the priests and the military. i have no adventures to tell on the journey upwards. it lasted a good many days. roebelin secured few plants, for this part is inhabited by bagabos, or some race of their kidney, and sam choon would not land in the forest. at length they reached lake magindanao; the day was fine, and they pushed across. but presently small round clouds began to mount over the blue hills. thicker and thicker they rose. a pleasant wind swelled the surface of the lake, but those clouds far above moved continually faster. roebelin called attention to them. but the chinaman is the least weatherwise of mortals. always intent on his own business or pleasure--the constitution of mind which gives him such immense advantage above all other men in the struggle for existence--he does not notice his surroundings much. briefly, a tremendous squall caught them in sight of port--one of those sudden outbursts which make fresh-water sailing so perilous in the tropics. the wind swooped down like a hurricane from every quarter at once, as it seemed. for a moment the lake lay still, hissing, beaten down by the blow; then it rose in solid bulk like waves of the ocean. in a very few minutes the squall passed on; but it had swamped the sampan. they were so near the land, however, that the subanos, hastening to the rescue, met them half way in the surf, escorted them to shore, laughing and hallooing, and returned to dive for the cargo. it was mostly recovered in time. these people do not build houses in the water, like so many of their kin. they prefer the safety of high trees; it is not by any means so effectual, but such, they would say, was the custom of their ancestors. at this village the houses were perched not less than fifty feet in air, standing on a solid platform. but if the inhabitants are thus secured against attack, on the other hand--each family living by itself up aloft--an enemy on the ground would be free to conduct his operations at leisure. so the unmarried men and a proportion of the warriors occupy a stout building raised only so far above the soil as to keep out reptiles. here also the chief sits by day, and public business is done. the visitors were taken thither. when roebelin had dried his clothes the afternoon was too far advanced for exploration. the crew of the prau chattered and disputed at the top of their shrill voices as case after case was brought in, dripping, and examined. but sam choon found time in the midst of his anxieties to warn roebelin against quitting the cleared area. 'bagabos come just now, they say,' he shouted. but the noise and the fuss and the smell were past bearing. roebelin took his arms and strolled out till supper was ready. i do not know what he discovered. on returning he found a serious palaver, the savages arguing coolly, the chinamen raving. sam choon rushed up, begging him to act as umpire; and whilst eating his supper roebelin learned the question in dispute. sam choon, as we know, had debts to collect in this village, for cloth and european goods, to be paid in jungle produce--honey, wax, gums, and so forth. the subanos did not deny their liability--the natural man is absolutely truthful and honest. nor did they assert that they could not pay. their contention was simply that the merchandise had been charged at a figure beyond the market rate. another chinaman had paid them a visit, and sold the same wares at a lower price. they proposed to return sam choon's goods unused, and to pay for anything they could not restore on this reduced scale. it was perfectly just in the abstract, and the natural man does not conceive any other sort of justice. sam choon could not dispute that his rival's cloth was equally good; it bore the same trademark, and those keen eyes were as well able to judge of quality as his own. but the trader everywhere has his own code of morals. those articles for which the subanos were indebted had been examined, and the price had been discussed, at leisure; an honest man cannot break his word. such diverse views were not to be reconciled. roebelin took a practical course. he asked whether it could possibly be worth while to quarrel with these customers for the sake of a very few dollars? at the lower rate there would be a profit of many hundreds per cent. but the chinaman, threatened with a loss in business, is not to be moved, for a while at least, by demonstrations of prudence. meantime the dispute still raged at the council fire, for the crew also were interested. suddenly there was a roar. several of them rushed across to sam choon and shouted great news. roebelin understood afterwards. the caitiff who had undersold them was in the village at that moment! whilst they jabbered in high excitement another roar burst out. one of the men, handling the rival's cloth, found a private mark--the mark of his 'hoey.' and it was that to which they all belonged. the hoey may be described as a trade guild; but it is much more. each of these countless associations is attached to one of the great secret societies, generally the t'ien t'i hung, compared with which, for numbers and power, freemasonry is but a small concern. by an oath which expressly names father, son, and brother, the initiated swear to kill any of their fellows who shall wrong a member of the hoey. this unspeakable villain who sold cheap had wronged them all! he must die! they pressed upon the chief in a body, demanding the traitor. all had arms and brandished them. probably the savages would not have surrendered a guest on any terms; but this demonstration provoked them. in howling tumult they dispersed, seized their ready weapons, and formed line. the war-cry was not yet raised, but spears were levelled by furious hands. the issue depended on any chance movement. suddenly from a distance came the blast of a cow-horn--a muffled bellow, but full of threat. the savages paused, turned, and rushed out, shouting. roebelin caught a word, familiar by this time--'bagabos.' he followed; but sam choon seized his arm. 'they put _ranjows_,' he said breathlessly. 'you cut foot, you die!' and in the moonlight roebelin saw boys running hither and thither with an armful of bamboo spikes sharp as knives at each end, which they drove into the earth. men unacquainted with the plan of this defence can only stand aside when ranjows are laid down. roebelin waited with the chinamen, tame and quiet enough now. the subanos had all vanished in the forest, which rose, misty and still, across the clearing. hours they watched, expecting each moment to hear the yell of savage fight. but no sound reached them. at length a long line of dusky figures emerged, with arms and ornaments sparkling in the moonlight. it was half the warriors returning. they still showed sullenness towards the chinamen; but the chief took roebelin by the hand, led him to the foot of a tree upon which stood the largest house, and smilingly showed him the way up. it was not a pleasant climb. the ladder, a notched trunk, dripped with dew; it was old and rotten besides. roebelin went up gingerly; the chief returned with a torch to light his steps before he had got half way. but the interior was comfortable enough--far above the mosquito realm anyhow. roebelin felt that an indefinite number of eyes were watching from the darkness as he made his simple preparations for turning in; but he saw none of them, and heard only a rustling. 'what a day i've had!' he thought, and fell asleep. it was a roar and a rush like the crack of doom which woke him; shrieking and shouting, clang of things that fell, boom of great waves, and thunder such as mortal never heard dominating all. a multitude of naked bodies stumbled over him and fell, a struggling, screaming heap. in an instant they were gone. he started up, but pitched headlong. the floor rolled elastic as a spring-board. it was black night. dimly he saw clearer patches where a flying wretch, tossed against the wall of sticks, had broken it down. but the dust veiled them like a curtain. gasping, on hands and knees, roebelin sought the doorway. again and again, even thus, he fell upon his side. and all the while that thundering din resounded. he understood now. it was a great earthquake! at length the doorway was found; holding on cautiously, roebelin felt for the ladder. it was gone--broken in the rush. of the time that followed i do not speak. there were no more shocks. slowly the sky whitened. he turned over the wreck--not a creature was there, dead or living. great gaps showed in the floor and in the roof. through one of these, against the rosy clouds, he saw a wreath of giant flowers, lilac and cinnamon, clinging to the tree above. it was vanda sanderiana! * * * * * but that plant and the others collected at the same time never reached europe. upon returning to surigao with his treasures, roebelin found little beyond heaps of rubbish on the site. earthquakes have a home in mindanao. but that of 1880 was the most awful on record as yet. two years later he returned and brought home the prize. story of phalaenopsis sanderiana the discovery of phalaenopsis sanderiana was an interesting event; nor for botanists alone. some thoughtful persons always incline to credit a legend or an assertion current among savages, so long as it deals with facts within the limits of their knowledge. human beings are truthful by instinct; and if we can assure ourselves that no motive tempts them to falsehood, it is more likely than not that even an improbable story will prove correct. the rule applies in all matters of natural history. numberless are the reports concerning beasts and birds and reptiles accepted now which were a mock for generations; numberless, also, one must add, are the reports too grotesque for discussion. for imagination asserts itself in the case of animals, and gives a motive, though unconscious, for the wildest inventions. but it is rarely excited by plants. when a savage describes some flower he has seen, the statement may be trusted, 'barring errors'; and they will probably be slight, for his power of observation, and his memory in matters of this sort, are alike wonderful. a collector of plants who knows his business encourages the natives to talk; often enough they give him valuable information. the first hint of calla pentlandii, the yellow egyptian lily or 'arum,' was furnished by a zulu who came from a great distance to visit a relative in the service of captain allison. i may venture to tell secrets which will be common property soon. a blue calla and a scarlet have been found--both of them on report of kaffirs. the story of phalaenopsis sanderiana is a striking instance. its allied species, grandiflora and amabilis, reached europe in 1836 and 1847 respectively. their snowy whiteness and graceful habit prepared the world for a burst of enthusiasm when phalaenopsis schilleriana, the earliest of the coloured species, was brought from the philippines in 1860. the duke of devonshire paid messrs. rollison a hundred guineas for the first plant that flowered. such a price was startling then. reported at manila, it set the spaniards talking and inquiring. messrs. rollison had sent an agent to collect phalaenopsis there, who presently reported a scarlet species! no one he could find had seen it, but the natives spoke confidently, and he hoped to forward a consignment without delay. but years and years passed. the great firm of rollison flourished, decayed, and vanished, but that blessed consignment was never shipped. other collectors visited the philippines. they also reported the wonder, on hearsay, and every mail brought them reiterated instructions to find and send it at any cost. now here, now there, the pursuers hunted it to a corner; but when they closed, it was elsewhere. meantime the settled islands had been explored gradually. many fine things escaped attention, as we know at this day; but a flower so conspicuous, so eagerly demanded and described, could not have been missed. as years went by, the red phalaenopsis became a joke. interest degenerated into mockery. as a matter of fact, it is very improbable that the plant had ever been in manila, or that a white man had beheld it. for it is found only in an islet to the west of mindanao, the most southerly of the philippine group. mindanao itself is not yet explored, much less occupied, though the spaniards pushed farther and farther inland year by year. seafaring tagalas may have visited that islet, and seen the red phalaenopsis. when they heard, at manila, how an english duke had paid some fabulous amount for a flower of the same genus, they would naturally mention it. and so the legend grew. in 1881, a score of years afterwards, the conquest of mindanao was so far advanced that the spanish mail steamers called there. when mr. sander of st. albans heard this intelligence he thrilled with hope, as has been told. mr. roebelin had instructions, of course, to inquire for the red phalaenopsis; mr. sander's experience teaches him that local rumours should never be disregarded. but the search had been very close and very long. perhaps there was not another man in europe who thought it possible that the marvel could exist. mr. roebelin is still living, i believe, and he could tell of some lively adventures on that first visit to mindanao. constantly he heard of the red phalaenopsis; it was _en l'air_, he wrote, using the expression in two senses. at the northern settlements they directed him south, at the eastern, west, and so round the compass. but he had other matters in hand, and contented himself with inquiries. i do not learn whether it was accident or information which led him to the little island davao on his second visit, in 1883. he may have sailed thither on chance, for a traveller is absolutely certain of finding new plants on an untrodden shore in those seas. anyhow roebelin knew the quest was over, the riddle solved triumphantly, before landing. the half-breed chinaman, sam choon, was personally conducting him on this occasion also; he found the vessel (a native prau, of course), boatmen, provisions, and the rest. everything was at the collector's disposal; but sam choon took a cargo of 'notions' on his own account, to trade when opportunity arose. davao lies, i understand, some sixty miles from mindanao. its inhabitants are papuan thorough-bred, of the brown variety. roebelin was deeply struck with the appearance of the warriors who swarmed to the beach when his intention of landing was understood. a body of men so tall and stalwart can scarcely be found elsewhere, and for graceful carriage or activity they could not be surpassed. a red clout was their only wear, besides ornaments and weapons. they had the kinkled hair of the race (not wool), bleached with lime, and dyed yellow. very strange and pleasing is the effect of these golden mops, lustrous if not clean, decked with plumes and fresh flowers. but admiration came afterwards. when roebelin saw the big fellows mustering in haste, armed with spears and bows, stoneheaded maces which the european soldier could scarcely wield, great swords set with sharks' teeth, and outlandish tools of every sort for smashing and tearing, he regarded the spectacle from another point of view. they ran and leapt, brandishing their weapons, halloed and roared and sang, with papuan vivacity. the vessel approaching was too small to alarm them. laughter predominated in the uproar. but this was no comfort. men are cheerful with a feast in view. sam choon, however, kept up his spirits. 'them chaps make rumpus all time,' he said. 'we see.' he held up a green bough shipped for the purpose. it was all laughter now and gesticulation. every papuan tore a branch from the shrubs around and waved it boisterously. 'them no hurt,' said sam choon. 'good trade.' the chinaman was as careful of his person as one need be, and experienced in the ways of such people. roebelin took courage. as they neared the surf, the whole body of islanders rushed towards them, splashed through the shallows whooping, dived beneath the wave, and came up at the vessel's side. ropes were tossed to them, and they swam back again. but the first yellow head popped up just where roebelin was seated. among the feathers twisted in it, draggled now, he saw a spray--surely an aerides! but bluish-red, unlike any species known. the savage grinned and shouted, whirling the hair like an aureole around his glistening face, threw one brawny arm into the air, and at a stroke reached the bows. another shot up; another. the sea was peopled in an instant, all grinning and shouting breathlessly, all whirling their golden locks. among the flowers with which every head was decked, roebelin saw many phalaenopsis. and most of them were ruddy! sam choon lay to whilst the islanders swam ashore and formed a chain; then, at a word, they ran up the beach full speed--making a noise, says roebelin, which reminded him of the earthquake he had lately felt. simultaneously the crew paddled their hardest, also yelling in the shrill chinese way. the prau sped like a flash, but half full of water. beyond the surf a mob seized and carried it ashore. papuans have no acquaintance with ceremony. paying little attention to their chiefs, they are not apt to discriminate among strangers. all alike seized one of these new friends--who brought trade!---slapped him about the body, and hugged him. roebelin had been subjected to merciless shampooing occasionally in indian hammams; but he never felt the like of that welcome. it was _massage_ by machinery. the women had come on the scene now. though they took no part, they mingled with the warriors, and showed quite as much assurance as is becoming. but they are not by any means such fine creatures as the men, and they do not allow themselves--or they are not allowed--the curious attraction of yellow hair. roebelin noticed a few, however, worthy to be helpmates of those superb animals; one girl in especial, nearly six feet high, whose figure was a model, face pleasing and expressive, full of character. these people live in trees like the subanos of mindanao. as soon as his baggage had been taken to the public hall, roebelin got out beads, wire, and brummagem jewellery. the glimpse of that aerides and the assurance of a red phalaenopsis made him impatient. but even sam choon found difficulty in identifying the chiefs, to whom of course presents must be made before business can open. however, the point interesting to roebelin was settled in an instant. the phalaenopsis, they said, abounded within a few hundred yards, and the aerides was common enough. the white man wanted them for medicine? he might have as many as he liked--on due payment. to-morrow the chief would show him, and then a price must be fixed. he slept in the hall, and at dawn he was more than ready. but early rising is not a virtue of savages. to explore without permission would be dangerous. gradually the village woke to life. men descended from their quarters high in air, bathed, made their toilettes, and lounged about, waiting for breakfast. girls came down for water and returned, whilst their mothers tidied the house. smoke arose. in due time the men mounted, ate, climbed down, and gathered in the public hall, where sam choon was setting out a sample of his wares. hours passed. but the chief's door remained shut. no one passed out or in. roebelin saw people glance upwards with a grave air; but they showed no surprise. he consulted sam choon, who had been too busy to notice. all he said was, ''spect chief get bad bird! dam! all up this day!' and he stopped his preparations. so it proved to be--a fowl of black plumage had flown across just as the door was opening. none of the chief's household came down that day. but after negotiation some of the men led roebelin to see the phalaenopsis. they grew in thousands over a brook close by, clinging to small trees. he counted twenty-two plants, bearing more than a hundred flowers open, upon a single trunk. very curious is one point noticed. the phalaenopsis always grows on the northern side of its support, and always turns its flower spike towards the southern side. it is a very bad species to travel. of the multitude which roebelin gathered, not more than a hundred reached europe alive, and every collector since, i believe, has failed utterly. very few possessed his knowledge and experience. that was phalaenopsis sanderiana; rather purple than red, but certainly the flower so long sought. with the superb aerides--now called a. roebelini--he was even less successful; it is only to be seen in a very few collections of the highest class. so the legend ends. but there is a funny little sequel. sam choon did well with his 'notions.' after mr. roebelin's departure, he returned to davao and opened a promising branch of trade. to secure a permanent footing, he thought it would be judicious to marry a daughter of the chief, and he proposed for the giant beauty whom roebelin had noticed on landing. the father was astonished and amused, but finally indignant. a chinaman, however, though thrifty by habit and taste, does not count expense when pleasure or business urge him, and both combined here. the chief wavered, and took counsel of his elders. they also were astonished and indignant; but sam choon found means to persuade them. so the young woman received notice that she was to marry the chinaman next day. her remarks are not chronicled. but there was much excitement among the bachelors and maidens that evening, and presently a band of stalwart youths entered the hall where sam choon sat with the chief--his father-in-law on the morrow. they told the latter gravely that they disapproved of the match. sam choon interposed with a statement of the advantages to follow, with equal gravity. then they threatened to smash every bone in his carcass. so the marriage was broken off, but without ill-feeling on either side. [illustration: lælia, grandis, tenebrosa. _walton grange variety._] hybrid cattleyas and laelias to right, in the vanda house, are many hybrids of cattleya and laelia; but we have many more, and it will be convenient to notice them all together in this place. some have not flowered yet, and therefore have received no name; but even of these it is worth while to give the parentage, seeing that there is no official record of hybridisation as yet. mr. rolfe at kew tries hard to keep pace with the enterprise of enthusiastic amateurs and energetic professionals throughout the world. but comparatively few report to him, and not every one files the _orchid review_. thus it happens that experiments carried to an issue long ago are continually repeated, in the expectation of producing a novelty. the experimenter indeed loses nothing save the credit he hoped to win. but in the scientific point of view time is wasted and the confusion of names is increased. to contribute in my small way towards an improvement in this state of things i give a list of the cattleya and laelia hybrids at woodlands, long though it be, and uninteresting to the public at large; assured that it will be welcome to those who study this most fascinating subject. i may take the hybrids as they stand, with no methodical arrangement. l.-c. means the product of a laelia and a cattleya, or, somewhat loosely, of a cattleya and a laelia. c. × means the product of two cattleyas; l. × of two laelias. _l.-c. ancona_ (catt. harrisoniae × l. purpurata) represents each parent almost equally, taking after catt. harrisoniae in colour and size of sepal and petal; in general shape and in the hues of the labellum after l. purpurata. _l.-c. nysa_ (l. crispa × catt. warcewiczii).--pale mauve--the petals have a sharp touch of crimson at the tips. labellum all evenly crimson with a narrow outline of white, gracefully frilled. _l. × measuresiana._--a natural hybrid, very rare, assumed to be the product of l. elegans × l. purpurata. rosy mauve. from the tube, very long, the labellum opens squarely, purple, with a clouded throat and dusky yellow 'eyes.' _l.-c. arnoldiana_ (l. purpurata × catt. labiata). large, clear mauve. petals much attenuated at the ends, which gives them a sort of 'fly-away' appearance. the fine expanded lip, of carmine crimson, is clouded with a deeper tint round the orange throat. _l. × claptonensis_ (l. elegans × l. dormaniana).--small, white with a rosy flush. the long shovel lip is brilliantly crimson, fading to a white edge. _l.-c. amanda._--a natural hybrid of which catt. intermedia is one parent, l. boothiana perhaps the other. pale pink. the yellow throat and the bright rosy lip show lines of deep crimson, strongly 'feathered' on either side. _l. × gravesiae_ (l. crispa superba × l. praestans).--small, rosy white. the spade-like lip is magenta-crimson, wonderfully smooth and brilliant, with two little yellow 'eyes' in the throat. _l.-c. tiresias_ (catt. bowringiana × l. elegans).--the petals are exactly oval, saving pretty twirls and twists at the edges--soft bright mauve, the narrow sepals paler. the funnel lip does not open wide, but in colour it is like the richest and silkiest crimson velvet, almost maroon at the throat; charmingly frilled and gauffered. _c. × portia._--parents doubtful, but evidently catt. bowringiana is one of them, catt. labiata perhaps the other. sepals and petals lively mauve, the latter darker. the funnel of the lip brightest rose, disc of the softest tenderest crimson imaginable, deepening against the pale yellowish throat. _l.-c. tresederiana_ (catt. loddigesii × l. crispa superba).--rather curious than beautiful. the narrow petals and narrower sepals are pallid violet; the labellum has a faintly yellow throat, and the dull purple disc of catt. crispa; not evenly coloured but in strong lines. _c. × mantinii nobilior_ (catt. bowringiana × catt. aurea).--raised by m. mantin. delicious is a proper word for it--neat and graceful in shape, rosy-crimson in colour. the lip opens widely, exquisitely veined with gold within. it has a golden tinge on either side the throat, and a margin of deeper crimson. the whole colouring is indescribably soft and tender. _c. × mantinii inversa_ represents the same parentage transposed (catt. aurea × catt. bowringiana).--small like its mother, of brightest deepest rose. the lip, loosely open above, swells to a fine expanse below, of darker tint. throat golden, charmingly scored with crimson-brown, like aurea. the disc shows an arch of dark crimson on a rosy ground. it will be seen that the influence of bowringiana strongly predominates. _c. × chloris_ (catt. bowringiana × catt. maxima) much resembles the above. it is less brilliant, however; the lip does not open so freely, and the arch mentioned, though even darker, is not so effective on a less lively ground. _l.-c. fire queen._--parentage not recorded. i have not seen this flower, nor even an account of it, but it received an award of merit, june 6, 1897. _l.-c. lady wigan_ (l. purpurata russelliana × catt. mossiae aurea).--dainty pink of sepal and petal. from the pale yellow throat issue a number of crimson rays which darken to violet purple in the disc. _c.-l. parysatis_ (catt. bowringiana × l. pumila).--rosy pink. the funnel-shaped lip opens handsomely, showing a disc of soft crimson with a white speck at the tip. _l.-c. robin measures_ is assumed to be a natural hybrid of laelia xanthina × catt. regnieri, a variety of catt. schilleriana. sepals and petals smooth dainty green, the latter just touched with a suspicion of purple at the tips. it has the shovel lip of schilleriana, a yellow tube and golden throat, from which descends a line of darkest crimson. the ground-colour of the disc is white, but clouded with crimson-lake and closely barred with dark crimson up to the white edge. _l.-c. bellairensis_ (catt. bowringiana × l. goldiana).--so curiously like l. autumnalis that a close observer even would take it for that species. in shape, however, it is more graceful than the pink form, and in colour much more pale than atro-rubens. _l.-c. tiresias superba_ (catt. bowringiana × l. elegans turneri).--i heard some one exclaim 'what a study in colour!' it is indeed, and in form too--not large, but smoothly regular as pencil could draw. the sepals make an exact triangle, delicate rosy purple, netted over with soft lines. petals broad and short, darker. lip rather long, white in the throat with a faintest stain of yellow, the disc and edges of the lobes glorious crimson-purple, with a dark cloud above which stretches all up the throat. a gem of beauty indescribable. _c. × browniae._--bought as a hybrid of catt. bowringiana × catt. loddigesii, but it shows no trace of either parent. very pretty and odd, however. the tiny little sepals are hardly seen, lost behind the huge pink petals. the lip also has pink lobes above a gamboge throat, and a bright crimson-purple disc. _l.-c. albanensis._--a natural hybrid, doubtless the product of l. grandis × catt. warneri. pale rosy-mauve, lip crimson, deepening as it expands, but fading again towards the margin. a large and grand flower. _l.-c. aphrodite_ (catt. mendelii × l. purpurata).--sepals and petals pure white. labellum deepest crimson with rosy tip. _l. × sanderae_ (l. xanthina × l. dormaniana).--sepals and petals crimson, lip purplish rose. _c. × mariottiana_ (catt. eldorado × catt. gigas).--very pretty, dark rose, lip bright crimson with yellow throat. _l. × splendens_ (l. crispa × l. purpurata).--pink. lip crimson-purple, edged with white, heavily fringed. _c. × atalanta_ (catt. leopoldii × catt. warcewiczii).--large and waxy. sepals and petals rose veined with crimson, lip bright magenta. _l.-c. excellens_ (catt. gigas ocullata × l. purpurata brysiana).--a superb flower, very large, rosy mauve, lip crimson. _l.-c. amazon_ (catt. maxima × l. purpurata).--sepals and petals softly flushed, lip much darker in tone, veined with crimson. _c. × prince of wales_ (catt. fimbriata × catt. wageneri).--white. the lip amethyst, veined with rose and frilled; throat golden. _c. × kienastiana_ (catt. luddemanniana × catt. aurea).--sepals flushed white, petals warm lilac, the veins paler; magenta lip with shadings of orange and lilac towards the edge and a white margin. _l.-c. hon. mrs. astor_ (catt. gaskelliana × l. xanthina).--sepals clear yellow, petals white with a sulphur tinge; throat golden yellow veined with purple, disc rose, veined with crimson and edged with lilac. _l.-c. broomfieldensis_ (catt. aurea-chrysotoxa × l. pumila dayana).--mauve. the lip deep crimson, gracefully frilled; the throat has crimson and gold markings on a purple ground. _c. × fowleri_ (catt. leopoldii × catt. hardyana).--rosy lilac, lip crimson. the side lobes are white tipped with crimson. _c. × miss measures_ (catt. speciosissima × catt. velutina).--pretty mauve-pink with darker lines. golden throat, lip crimson veined with purple. _c. × william murray_ (catt. mendelii × catt. lawrenceana).--rosy with a purple tinge. throat veined with orange and purple, lip purple-crimson. _l.-c. c.-g. roebling_ (l. purpurata alba × catt. gaskelliana).--sepals and petals flushed, lip deepest violet, suffused with crimson and edged with white. _l.-c. d. s. brown_ (catt. trianae × l. elegans).--soft pink, throat yellow with a brownish tinge, lip carmine-crimson. _l.-c. mardellii fascinator_ (l. elegans turneri × catt. speciosissima).--mauve. throat yellow, darkening to orange in front, lip purple-crimson. _l.-c. callistoglossa_ (l. purpurata × catt. gigas).--sepals pale rosy mauve, petals darker. throat yellow streaked with purple; lip purple. _l.-c. callistoglossa ignescens_ (catt. gigas × l. purpurata).--sepals rosy lilac, petals a deeper shade, lip glowing purple. _l. × latona_ (l. purpurata × l. cinnabarina).--pale orange. lip whitish at the base, the disc crimson bordered with orange. _l.-c. decia_ (l. perrinii × catt. aurea).--pale violet, deepening towards the tips. lip crimson, streaked with white on the side lobes, with white and rosy purple on the disc. _l.-c. eudora_ (catt. mendelii × l. purpurata).--rosy purple. lip deepest crimson shaded with maroon. _l.-c. eudora alba_ (l. purpurata alba × catt. mendelii).--ivory white. lip crimson with purple shadings. _l.-c. hippolyta_ (catt. mossiae × l. cinnabarina).--bright orange with a rosy purplish tinge. the lip red-purple, much frilled. _l.-c. zephyra_ (catt. mendelii × l. xanthina).--all nankin yellow except the crimson disc, which has a pale margin. _l.-c. amesiana_ (l. crispa × catt. maxima).--white washed with amethyst. lip purple-crimson fading towards the margin. _l.-c. exoniensis_ (catt. mossiae × l. crispa).--white flushed with rosy mauve. lip purple-crimson. _l. × yula_ (l. cinnabarina × l. purpurata).--scarcely larger than cinnabarina, bright orange, the petals veined and flushed with crimson. the lip of size proportionate--that is, small--shows more of the purpurata influence in its bright crimson disc. _l. × yula inversa_ (l. purpurata × l. cinnabarina).--the same parentage but transposed. more than twice as large as the other and spreading, but thin. sepals of the liveliest orange, petals agreeably tinged with purple. on the long narrow lip this pink shade deepens almost to red. upon the whole, neither of them is to be commended for its own sake, but the brilliant orange of cinnabarina is retained so perfectly that both will prove valuable for hybridising. _c. × our queen_ (catt. mendelii × unknown).--sepals and petals white, faintly flushed. in the throat, of brightest yellow, are several brown lines. the upper part of the lip is crimson, the disc purple. _l.-c. empress of india_ (l. purpurata brysiana × catt. dowiana).--sepals and petals rose, tinged with violet at the ends, lip large, spreading, of the richest crimson-purple. _l.-c. leucoglossa_ (catt. loddigesii × l.-c. fausta).--rose-pink. lip white, touched with yellow in the throat. _l.-c. henry greenwood_ (l.-c. schilleriana × catt. hardyana).--sepals and petals cream-coloured, tinged with pink, the latter veined with rosy purple. lip purple with yellow throat. _l.-c. canhamiana_ (catt. mossiae × l. purpurata).--white tinged with mauve. lip crimson-purple, with a narrow white margin, crisped. _l.-c. pallas superba_ (l. crispa × catt. aurea).--dark rose. lip purple in the throat, golden in the disc, finely striped with crimson. _c. × wendlandiana_ (catt. bowringiana × catt. gigas).--bright soft rose, lip purple-crimson with two yellow 'eyes' beneath the tube. _c. × cecilia_ (catt. lawrenceana × catt. trianae).--sepals and petals deep violet, throat buff changing to violet, disc purple. _c. × louis chaton_ (catt. trianae × catt. lawrenceana--the same parentage as cecilia but reversed).--a most successful combination. fine in shape, petals soft rosy mauve, sepals paler, and superb crimson lip, with the yellow of trianae strongly expressed in the throat. _c. o'brieniana._--a natural hybrid of catt. loddigesii and catt. walkeriana apparently; pale mauve; lip yellow. _l.-c. miss lily measures_ (l.-c. arnoldiana × gottoiana).--very large. sepals and petals dark rose; lip rosy purple. _l.-c. velutino-elegans_ (catt. velutina × l. elegans).--sepals and petals white with a yellow tinge, veined with rose. at the throat an orange blotch. lip darkest crimson with white veins. i append a list of hybrid seedlings which have not yet flowered and therefore have received no name as yet. it will be useful only to those who practise the fascinating art of hybridisation. but such are a multitude already, and each year their numbers swell. cattleya labiata × catt. bowringiana. " mendelii × l. xanthina. " warnerii × l. euterpe. " bowringiana × catt. hardyana. " " × sophronitis grandiflora. " labiata × catt. brymeriana. " gaskelliana × catt. harrisoniae violacea. " labiata × l. perrinii. " bowringiana × l. perrinii. " granulosa × catt. gigas sanderae. " amethystoglossa × catt. trianae osmanii. " labiata × l. gravesiae. " bowringiana × catt. leopoldii. " schofieldiana × catt. schroderae. " schroderae × l. elegans. " harrisoniae × catt. hardyana. " bowringiana × l.-c. clive. " labiata × catt. brymeriana. " gaskelliana × catt. hardyana. " schroderae × l. grandis. " granulosa × catt. gigas. " gaskelliana × l. crispa. " mossiae × l. purpurata schroderae. " leopoldii × l. crispa superba. " leopoldii × catt. harrisoniae violacea. laelia tenebrosa × catt. gigas sanderae. " harpophylla × l. elegans blenheimensis. " cinnabarina × catt. skinnerii. " tenebrosa × l.-c. phoebe. " " × catt. mossiae aurea. " praestans × catt. lord rothschild. " dayanum × catt. labiata. " cinnabarina × catt. trianae var. mary ames. " purpurata × l. grandis. " " × catt. schroderae. " amanda × catt. aurea. " purpurata schroderae × catt. mossiae aurea. " lucasiana × l. elegans schilleriana. " elegans × catt. mossiae. " crispa × catt. aurea. " purpurata × catt. hardyana. " " × catt. mossiae. " tenebrosa × catt. warnerii. " " × catt. mendelii. " elegans × catt. gigas. beyond the hybrids are twenty plants of white cattleya intermedia. the owner of our collection was first among mortals, in europe at least, to behold that marvel of chaste loveliness. mr. sander received a plant of intermedia from brazil, which the collector labelled 'white.' albino cattleyas were few then, and roezl alone perhaps ventured to imagine that every red species had a white sister. so they took little notice of the label at st. albans. when mr. measures paid a visit, it was even shown to him as an example of the reckless statements forwarded by collectors. he, however, in a sporting mood, offered ten guineas, and mr. sander gladly accepted, but under a written proviso that he guaranteed nothing at all. and in due time cattleya intermedia parthenia appeared, to astonish and delight the universe. several other albino forms have turned up since, all of which are represented here, but parthenia remains the finest--snowy white, with a very long lip, which scarcely expands beyond the tube. that is to say, 'the books' describe it as snowy white. a careful observer will remark the faintest possible tinge of purple in the throat. we have also a natural hybrid, catt. louryana, which the learned dubiously assign to intermedia alba × bicolor; all white saving the lip, which is mauve-pink with darker lines. among other albino rarities here is the charming l. praestans alba, pure as snow but for a plum-coloured edging round the upper portion of the lip. _l. perrinii alba_--stainless throughout. this exquisite variety also appeared for the first time in our collection. _l. perrinii nivea_--not less beautiful assuredly, though it has the imperfection, as an albino, of a pale pink labellum and a yellow throat. beyond these rise twenty-five stately plants of angraecum sesquipedale, which we are learning to call aeranthus sesquipedalis. there are those who do not value the marvel, though none but the blind surely can fail to admire it. in truth, like other giants, it does not readily lend itself to any useful purpose. i think i could design a wreath of angraecum sesquipedale which would put jewelled coronets to shame; but for a bouquet or for the dress or for table decoration, it is equally unsuited. wherefore the ladies give a glance of wonder at its ten-inch 'tail' and pass by, calling it, as i have heard with my own ears, a vegetable starfish. at woodlands happily there are other flowers enough for a 'regiment of women,' as john knox rudely put it, and they do not grudge the room which these noble plants occupy. a legend of madagascar i must not name the leading personage in this sad story. though twenty-five years have gone by since he met his fate, there are still those who mourn for him. could it be supposed that my report would come to the knowledge of two among them, old people dwelling modestly in a small french town, i should not publish it. for they have never heard the truth. those kindly and thoughtful comrades of alcide leboeuf--so to name him--who transmitted the news of his death, described it as an accident. but the french consul at tamatave sent a brief statement privately to the late mr. cutter, of great russell street, in whose employ leboeuf was travelling, that he might warn any future collectors. m. leon humblot has told how he and his brother once entertained six guests at tamatave; within twelve months he alone survived. so deadly is that climate. alcide leboeuf was one of the six, but he perished by the hand of man. the poor fellow was half english by blood, and wholly english by education. his father, i believe, stuffed birds and sold 'curiosities' at a small shop in the east end. at an early age the boy took to 'collecting' as a business. he travelled for mr. cutter in various lands, seeking rare birds and insects, and he did his work well, though subject to fits of hard drinking from time to time. at the shop in great russell street, after a while, he made acquaintance with that admirable collector crossley, whose stories of madagascar fired his imagination. mr. cutter was loath to send out a man of such unsteady character. the perils of that awful climate were not so well understood, perhaps, twenty-five years ago, but enough was known to make an employer hesitate. crossley had been shipwrecked on the coast, had lived years with the natives, learned their language, and learned also to adopt their habits while journeying among them. but leboeuf would not be daunted. a giant in stature--over seven feet, they say--of strength proportionate, not inexperienced in wild travel but never conscious of ache or pain, he mocked at danger. when crossley refused to take an untried man into the swamps of madagascar, he vowed he would go alone. that is, indeed, the most fascinating of all lands to an enthusiast even now, when we are assured that the epyornis, the mammoth of birds, is extinct. at that time there was no good reason to doubt the unanimous assertion of the natives that it still lived. crossley was so confident that he neglected to buy eggs badly shattered, waiting for perfect specimens. his scruples were 'bad business' for mr. cutter, as that gentleman lived to see, but they appeared judicious at the time. fragments of epyornis egg, slung on cords, were the vessels generally used in some parts for carrying water--are still perhaps. besides this, endless marvels were reported, some of which have been secured in these days. briefly, the young man was determined to go, and mr. cutter gave him a commission. thus leboeuf made one of m. humblot's guests at tamatave. another was mr. wilson, the only orchid collector there; for m. humblot did not feel much interest in those plants, i believe, at the time. i have not been able to learn anything about wilson's antecedents. his diary, upon which this narrative is framed, was lying about at tamatave for years; we may conclude, perhaps, that the french consul did not know to whom it should be forwarded--there was no english consul. probably wilson travelled on his own account; certainly none of the great orchid merchants employed him. he was young and inexperienced; glad to attach himself, no doubt, to a big and self-confident old hand like leboeuf. some weeks or months afterwards we find the pair at a large village called malela, which lies at the foot of ambohimiangavo, apparently a well-known mountain. ellis mentions it, i observe, but only by name, as the richest iron district of the central provinces. they had had some trouble on the way. among the hints and instructions which crossley furnished, one in especial counselled leboeuf to abstain from shooting in the neighbourhood of houses. each tribe, he wrote, holds some living creature sacred--it may be a beast or a bird, a reptile, or even an insect. 'these must not be hurt within the territory of such tribe; the natives will readily inform you which they are. but, in addition, each village commonly has its sacred creature, and it will be highly dangerous to shoot until you have identified the object. as you do not speak the language you had very much better make it a rule not to shoot anything on cultivated ground.' this was not a man to heed fantastic warnings, but he learned prudence before they had gone too far into the wilds. at a short distance from tamatave, in a field of sugar-cane, leboeuf saw a beautiful bird, new to him, which had a tuft of feathers on each side the beak--so wilson described it. he followed and secured the prize. the semi-civilised natives with them paid no attention. but when, an hour later, surrounded by the people of the village, he took out his bird to skin, there was a sudden tumult. the women and children ran away screaming, the men rushed for their weapons. but collectors were not unfamiliar beings, if incomprehensible, so near the port. after some anxious moments, the headmen or priests consented to take a heavy fine, and drove them from the spot. their arrival at malela had been announced, of course, and they found an uproarious welcome. all the people of the neighbourhood were assembling for a great feast. while their men built a hut of branches outside the fortifications--for no house was unoccupied--they sat beneath the trees in the central space. such was the excitement that even white visitors scarcely commanded notice. chief after chief arrived, sitting crosswise in an ornamented hammock--not lying--his folded arms resting on the bamboo by which it was suspended. a train of spearmen pressed behind him. they marched round the square, displaying their magnificence to the admiration of the crowd, and dismounted at the prince's door--if that was his title--leaving their retainers outside. the mob of spearmen there numbered hundreds, the common folk thousands, arrayed in their glossiest and showiest lambas of silk or cotton. no small proportion of them were beating tom-toms; others played on the native flutes and fiddles; all shouted. the row was deafening. but doubtless it was a brilliant spectacle. one part of the vast square, however, remained empty. beneath a fine tree stood three posts firmly planted. they were nine or ten feet high, squared and polished, each branching at the top into four limbs; tree trunks, in fact, chosen for the regularity of their growth. in front was a very large stone, unworked, standing several feet above the ground. the travellers were familiar with these objects now. they recognised the curious idols of the country and their altar. on each side of the overshadowing tree barrels were ranged, one on tap, and another waiting its turn. this also they recognised. however savage the inland population, however ignorant of the white man's arts, all contrived even then to transport puncheons of rum through swamp and jungle for occasions like this. now and again persons distinguished from the throng by costlier dress and ornaments were escorted to the spot and they drank with ceremonies. wilson did not like the prospect. his companion had broken loose once before under a similar temptation. but there was no help. presently the chamberlain, so to call him, approached with a number of officers, and invited them to attend the prince. they found that potentate sitting at the end of a long file of chiefs. the floor of the hall was covered with snowy mats, which set off the beauty of their many-coloured robes. beside the prince squatted a pleasant-looking man in pink vest and white lamba. he wore a broad-brimmed hat of silky felt, black, with a band of gold lace, contrasting at every point with the showily-dressed chiefs around. this, they knew, must be the high priest, the sikidy. the prince received them courteously, but since their interpreter knew but little french, and less, as it seems, of the language of this tribe, communication was limited to the forms of politeness. then slaves brought in the feast, setting great iron dishes on the mats all along the row. simultaneously the band struck up, and women began singing at the top of their voices. the heat, the smell, the noise, the excitement of the scene were intoxicating without alcohol. but rum flowed literally in buckets, and palm wine several days old, which is even stronger. wilson ventured to urge caution after a while, and at length leboeuf tore himself away. men came and went all the time, so their departure was unnoticed. they reached the hut of boughs, now finished. leboeuf threw himself down and slept; relieved of anxiety, wilson set off to gather orchids. malela appears to be a fine hunting-ground for collectors, but he only mentions the fact to explain his imprudence in leaving leboeuf for some hours. the latter woke, found himself quite alone--for all the servants were merry-making, of course--and he also started off collecting. unfortunately he traversed the village. and some of the chiefs took him in a friendly spirit to the barrel under the tree. wilson was returning--happy with a load of new orchids maybe--when he heard a shot, followed by a clamour of young voices. next instant a swarm of children burst from the forest, and ran screaming across the open ground. wilson had heard that cry before. his blood chilled. if the men of the other village were furious, how would it be with these drunken savages! he hurried to the spot whence the children had emerged. as their voices died away he became conscious of shouting--an exultant tone. it was leboeuf. they met in the outskirts of the wood. at sight of wilson he bawled-'hi, young un! got any weeds to sell? give you tuppence for the lot. pretty flowers--all a-blowing and a-growing! take 'em to the missus! the ladies loves you chaps. i say, what'll old cutter look like when he sees _that_?' leboeuf threw down an animal which he carried on his shoulder, and danced round it, shouting and laughing. it was a small creature, brownish grey, with enormous ears very human in shape, long skeleton hands, and a bushy tail thicker than a lady's boa. by that and the ears wilson recognised the madagascar sloth, rarest of all animals then in museums, and very rare still. he had no particular reason to suspect that the natives reverenced it, but a beast so eerie in appearance and habits might well be thought sacred. he implored leboeuf to leave it and come away; leboeuf did not even listen. after dancing and roaring till he was tired he picked up the aye-aye and marched on, talking loud. thus they did not hear the noise of a multitude approaching. but from the edge of the forest they saw it. chiefs led the van, stumbling and staggering; among the foremost was that personage in snowy lamba and broad black hat--not pleasant-looking now. a mob of spearmen pressed behind. the clearing was a compact mass of natives, running, wailing, gesticulating--and they still streamed in thousands through the narrow gate. it was like the rush of ants when their nest is disturbed. the sight paralysed even leboeuf; wilson, after an awful glance, ran back and hid. he could hear his comrade's shouts above the uproar for a moment--then there was a pause, and the interpreter's voice reached him faintly. wilson still crept away. he heard only a confused clamour for some minutes, but then a burst of vengeful triumph made the forest ring. it needed no explanation. leboeuf was overpowered. the noise grew fainter--they were dragging him away--and ceased. for hours wilson lay in an agony of fear. that leboeuf was killed he did not doubt; but how could he himself escape, alone in the forest, ignorant of the roads, many weeks journey from the coast? a more cruel fate would probably be his. it might be hoped that leboeuf's tortures had been short. he did not dare push deeper into the wood; his single chance lay in creeping round the village after dark, and possibly rejoining his servants, if they still lived. if not, he might recover the road at least. but man could not be in more desperate straits. remaining thus in the vicinity, towards dusk he heard a whistle far off. the frenzy of his relief is not to be described--it was the rallying signal of the party. but suppose the enemy used this device to ensnare him? it might be! and yet--there was the hope. at worst they would give him a speedy death. he answered. gradually the searchers drew near. they were his own men, led by the interpreter. wilson could not speak french, but he grasped that the natives would not harm him. leboeuf?--it was almost a comfort that he could not understand precisely. the interpreter's pantomime suggested an awful fate. leboeuf stood at bay with his gun, and the chiefs held him in parley while men crept through the brushwood. they threw a lasso from behind, and dragged him down. he was borne to the square, and after dread ceremonies which wilson shuddered to comprehend, laid upon the altar. in a maze of horror and anxiety he entered the village. it was not yet dark. but of all the multitude swarming there some hours before not a soul was visible. they had not left; every house resounded with the hum of many voices--low, and, as it seemed to wilson, praying. the square also was deserted; upon the high stone altar he saw a shapeless mass from which small wreaths of smoke still curled. that was the fate of poor leboeuf. the same night wilson was seized by fever. he struggled on, but died within a few hours' march of tamatave. laelia purpurata the next house is given up to l. purpurata with some l. grandis tenebrosa intermixed. not much can be said of the latter species. its extraordinary colour is best described as madder-brown, but here we have a variety of which the ends of the sepal and petal are yellowish. the broad lip, dull purple, has a madder-brown cloud at its throat, whence lines of the same hue proceed to the edges all round. the value of l. tenebrosa for hybridising needs no demonstration--it introduces a colour unique, of which not a trace can be found elsewhere. but as for the flower itself, i protest that it is downright ugly. this is _à propos_ of nothing at all. _liberavi animam meam._ it is always difficult to realise that an orchid of the grand class is a weed. all our conventional notions of a flower revolt against the proposition. i have remarked that it seems specially absurd to an ingenuous friend, if one recall the fact while he contemplates laelia purpurata. that majestic thing, so perfect in colour and shape, so delicately finished--a weed! so it is, nevertheless, as lightly regarded by nature or by man in its native home as groundsel is by us. the indians of central america love their forest flowers passionately. so do those in the north of the southern continent. but i never heard that the indians of brazil showed a sign of such intelligence. the most glorious cattleyas to them are what a primrose was to peter bell. the obvious, unquestionable truth that laelia purpurata is nothing but a weed has suggested some unorthodox thoughts, as i considered it, 'pottering about' my houses. this is not the place to set them down at length. but we have reached a less important part of the collection; i may chatter for a moment. all things are grandest in the hot zone, from mountains to plagues. excepting the mississippi and the yang-tse-kiang, all the mightiest rivers even are there. we have no elephants, nor lions, nor anacondas; no tapong trees three hundred feet high, nor ceibas almost as tall; no butterflies ten inches across, no storms that lay a province waste and kill fifty thousand mortals. further, all things that are most beautiful dwell within the tropics--tigers, giraffes, palm-trees, fish, snakes, insects, flowers. further still, the most intelligent of beasts are there--apes and monkeys. it may well be doubted whether man, the animal, is an exception. in this very country of brazil, wallace found among the indians 'a development of the chest such as never exists, i believe, in the best-formed european.' no race of the temperate zone approaches the kroomen in muscular force, and negroes generally are superior. the strength of the borneo dyaks i myself have noted with amazement. black papuans are giants, and the brown variety excel any white race in vigour. the exception is that most interesting negrito strain, represented by a few thousands here and there from ceylon to the philippines. but even they, so small and wretched, have marvellous strength. thus all natural things rise to their highest level in the hot zones--i have to put the case very roughly, for this is a monstrous digression. does it not seem to follow that man should rise to his highest level there? the aborigines are savages mostly and ever have been; no people of whom we have record has become civilised unless by an impulse from without, and none could reach the bulk of these. but india shows that the brain, as the form, of man may develop to perfection under the hottest sky. therefore, to end this brief excursus, i conclude that as the tropical weed laelia purpurata is more majestic and more beautiful than our weeds, so will tropic man some day rise to a height of majesty unattainable in our zone. but the reader has had enough of it--and so have i; for to crowd a volume of facts and arguments into a paragraph is irritating labour. let us get back to business. here are some of our finest varieties of l. purpurata. _marginata._--white of sepal and petal. it takes its name from the white margin surrounding the crimson purple lip. very striking also is a large white triangle upon the disc, charmingly netted over with crimson. _archduchess_ is faintly rosy. the lobes, closely folded, are deepest purple-crimson, over an orange throat. on either side the dark central line of the labellum is a pale blur. _macfarlanei._--sepals and petals very narrow, of a clear rose tint, with darker lines. a patch almost white in the front of the dark crimson lip. _lowiana._--petals rose, sepals paler. the tube is not large, but it, and also the labellum, could not be darker if still to be classed as crimson. even the yellow of the throat is obscured, but there is a lighter blotch at the tip. _tenebrosa._--the name is due apparently to branching lines of deep maroon which intersect the crimson lip. petals and sepals are white, and there is a white patch on the labellum. the dendrobium house is the last in this series, where we see the usual varieties in perfection; there are pseudo-bulbs of wardianum more than 4 feet long. at the present day, however, orchidists will not look at 'usual varieties' of dendrobium with patience--nobile, cupreum, fimbriatum, thyrsiflorum, etc. etc. etc. they are exquisitely lovely, of course. examine them as often as you will, new marvels of beauty appear. the fact is that most experts never do examine these common things; they look about for varieties. such blasé souls can be accommodated, if needful. here are specimens of _nobile album_, all white save the deep crimson blotch and a faint yellowish tinge upon the lip; _nobile virginale_, which has lost even this trace of colour; _nobile murrhinianum_, very rare, understood to be a hybrid with wardianum, snow white, the tips of sepal, petal and lip purple, and a great purple blotch in the throat; _nobile cooksoni_, no hybrid, but a sport, in which the ordinary colouring of the lip is repeated in the petals; _nobile ruckerianum_, very large, the deep blotch on the lip bordered with white; _nobile splendens grandiflorum_, an enlarged and intensified form of the type. of hybrids i may name _leechianum_ (nobile × aureum), white, sepals, petals, and lip tipped with rosy purple, the great blotch on the disc crimson with a golden tinge. _ainsworthii_, of the same parentage and very similar, but the blotch is wine-colour. _schneiderianum_ (findleyanum × aureum), bearing white sepals, petals and lip tipped with rosy purple, throat orange, similarly striped. here are several 'specimens' of epidendrum radicans, a tangle of fresh green roots and young shoots of green still more fresh and tender, pleasant to look upon even though not flowering; but verdant pillars set with tongues of flame at the right season. and an interesting hybrid of it, _epidendrum × radico-vitellinum_ (radicans × vitellinum),--brightest orange, the lip almost scarlet, with three yellow keels upon the disc; very pretty and effective. besides, we have here a spathoglottis hybrid, _aureo-veillardii_, _wigan's var._ (kimballiana × veillardii),--most charming of all the charming family. golden--the sepals tinged, and the petals thickly dotted with crimson; lip crimson and yellow. story of dendrobium schröderianum many who care nothing for our pleasant science recall the chatter and bustle which greeted the reappearance of dendrobium schröderianum in 1891. for they spread far beyond the 'horticultural circles.' every newspaper in the realm gave some sort of a report, and a multitude of my confrères were summoned to spin out a column, from such stores of ingenuity as they could find, upon a plant which grew on human skulls and travelled under charge of tutelary idols. the scene at 'protheroe's' was a renewal of the good old time when every season brought its noble plant, and every plant brought out its noble price--in short, a sensation. the variety of dendrobium phalaenopsis hereafter to bear baron schröder's name was sent to kew by forbes about 1857. this single plant remained a special trophy of the royal gardens for many years. it throve and multiplied. in course of time sir joseph hooker was able to give a small piece, in exchange for other varieties, to mr. day, of tottenham, to baron schröder, and to messrs. veitch. the latter sold their specimen to baron schröder; mr. day's collection was dispersed, and the same greatest of amateurs bought his fragment. thus all three plants known to exist in private hands came into baron schröder's possession, and the variety took his name. this state of things lasted ten years. mr. sander then resolved to wait no longer upon chance. he studied the route of forbes's travels, consulted the authorities at kew, and, with their aid, came to a conclusion. in 1890 my friend mr. micholitz went out to seek dendrobium schröderianum in its native wilds. the man of sense who finds a treasure does not proclaim the spot till he has filled his pockets, nor even, if it may be, till he has cleared out the hoard. it is universally understood that micholitz discovered the object of his quest in new guinea. if that error encouraged the exploration of a most interesting island, as i hear, it has done a public service. and the explorers have not wasted their time. they did not fall in with dendrobium schröderianum, because it was not there; but they secured other valuable things. very shortly now the true habitat will be declared. meantime i must only say that it is one of the wildest of those many 'summer isles of eden' which stud the australasian sea. micholitz arrived in a trading-vessel, the captain of which was trusted by the natives. under that protection the chiefs allowed him to explore, agreeing to furnish men and canoes--for a consideration, naturally. their power did not stretch beyond a few miles of coast; the neighbours on each side were unfriendly, or at least distrusted; and bitterly hostile tribes lay beyond--hostile, that is, to the people among whom micholitz landed. all alike are head-hunters, and all charge one another with cannibalism--but falsely in every case, i understand. the field was narrow, therefore, and uncommonly perilous, for the best-intentioned of these islanders cannot always resist the impulse to crown their trophies with a white man's head--as the captain assured micholitz day by day with an earnestness which became oppressive after a while. but he was very lucky--or rather the probabilities had been studied so thoughtfully before any step was taken that he sailed to the very island. i do not mean that it is wonderful to find an orchid on the first day's search when once its habitat is known. dendrobiums cover a great tract of land. it is the nicety of calculation ten thousand miles away which should be admired. there were no plants, however, just around the little port. after some days spent in making arrangements, micholitz received an intimation that the chiefs were going to a feast and he might accompany them; there is no lack of interpreters on that coast, whence so many poor wretches are enticed to english or french colonies--some of whom return nowadays. the captain could not go. in refusing he looked at micholitz with a quizzical, hesitating air, as though inclined to make a revelation. 'is there any danger?' micholitz asked. 'oh no! not a bit!--not a bit of danger! i answer for that. you'll be amused, i daresay. they're rum chaps.' the chance of making a trip beyond the narrow friendly area in safety was welcome, and at daylight he started with the chiefs. it was but a few hours' paddling--to the next bay. the feast was given, as is usual, to celebrate the launch of a war-prau. in martial panoply the guests embarked, paint and feathers, spears and clubs. they were met by their hosts in the same guise upon the beach. after ceremonies probably--but i have no description--all squatted down in a circle, and a personage, assumed to be the priest, howled for a while. then the warriors began to dance, two by two. it was very wearisome, and besides, very hot. micholitz asked at length whether he might leave. the interpreter said there was no objection. he walked towards the forest, which stood some distance back, even as a wall, skirting the snowy beach. the grey huts of the village glimmered among palms and fruit-trees on one hand. a sunken way had been dug from the edge of the surf to a long low building a hundred yards back; within it lay the prau doubtless, ready to be launched. micholitz skirted this channel. he noticed a curious group of persons sitting apart--an old man, two women, a boy, and a girl. the elders were squatting motionless upon the sand, so bowed that the long wool drooping hid their faces; the children lay with their heads in the women's laps. none looked up; in passing he observed that these latter were bound. the boat-house--so to call it--spanning the channel, was a hundred feet long, built of palm thatch, with substantial posts at due distance. as he walked along it, micholitz became aware of an unpleasant smell. it was not strong. but in turning the further corner he marked a great purple stain upon the sand. flies clustered thick there. it was blood. and then, upon the wall of thatch above, and the corner post, he traced the stain streaming broadly down. he looked to the other angle. the horrid mark was there also. they could not see him from the beach. easily he parted the crackling palm leaves, and thrust in his head. at a few feet distance rose the lofty stern-post, carved and painted, with two broad shells glistening like eyes in the twilight. no more could he see, dazzled by the glare outside. that passed. he turned to the right hand-and drew back with a cry. a naked corpse, with head hanging on its chest, was bound to the corner post--the same to left. poor micholitz felt sick. he ran from the cursed spot. so glowing was the sunlight round, so sweet and soft the shadow of the near forest--and those awful things in the midst! the old hymn rang in his ears- where every prospect pleases and only man is vile. he hurried towards the trees. an outburst of yells and laughter made him turn. the circle had broken up. a swarm of warriors danced towards the boat-house--tore down the walls; in an instant the posts stood naked--with their burdens. chiefs climbed aboard the prau and mustered, with tossing feathers, brandishing their arms, shouting and singing, on its deck. ropes were manned. scores of brawny savages started at a run, whilst the boys howled with delight and tumbled over one another. the great vessel moved, quickened. then a party rushed upon that little group, trampling it under foot, snatched up the boy and girl, and sped with them towards the sea. the old man and women lay where they were tossed: there was no help for them in earth or heaven. the prau glided quicker and quicker amidst a roaring tumult. as it neared the sea, those small victims, tossed aloft from either side, fell across its course. micholitz looked no more. 'let me attend to my business, for god's sake!' he kept repeating. but when he reached the trees his business was done. those horrors had so disconcerted him that for an instant he saw long green stems of orchid perched upon the boughs without regarding them. but here was one from the top of which depended a cluster of rosy garlands, four or five, bearing a dozen, or twenty, or thirty great flowers, all open; and there a cluster snow-white--a crimson one beyond, darkening almost to purple. dendrobium schröderianum was rediscovered! of mitcholitz's emotion it is enough to tell that it drove all else from his mind, or almost. when the interpreter summoned him he sat down and hobnobbed with those murderers and ate their dubious viands. the triumph was startling, so speedy and complete; but so much the heavier were his responsibilities. when, with a chilling shock, he recalled distinctly the dread spectacle, he said again: 'let me attend to my business! _i_ can't help it!' all went well. so soon as the chiefs understood that this eccentric white man fancied their weeds, they joyously offered them--at a price. the time of year was excellent--early in the dry season. next day micholitz returned aboard and the captain brought his ship round to the bay. but he would not listen to the story. 'i told you they was rum chaps, didn't i? well, you see i told you true.' in three days, so plentiful was the supply, micholitz had gathered as many as he thought judicious, and heaped them on deck. they could be dried while the vessel was waiting for cargo elsewhere, and he longed to get away from that ill-omened spot. still luck attended him. the captain 'filled up' quickly, and sailed, as by agreement, for a dutch port, where the orchids would be shipped for england. he arrived in the evening, the ship lay alongside the wharf; next day his precious cases would be transferred to the steamer. in great content micholitz went to sleep; so did everybody else, the watch included. towards morning the harbour police raised a cry of 'fire!' it must have been smouldering for hours. not a plant could poor micholitz save! on arrival, he had telegraphed his success, and joy reigned at st. albans all day. foresight and enterprise were justly rewarded for once. what a coup--what a sensation! let us not speculate upon the language used when a second dispatch came in the morning. 'ship burnt! what do?--micholitz.' the reply was emphatic: 'go back--sander.' 'too late--rainy season.' 'go back!' and micholitz went. his protest, had he insisted upon it, was unanswerable. hard enough it would be to return among those anti-human wretches when the delights of home had been so near. but there was no chance of regaining the bay--a vessel might not sail thither for months or years. the work must be begun again--the search renewed. and in the rainy season, too! but the good fellow did not even hesitate. forthwith he inquired for a ship trading with the island. there was none, and he had no time to wait, for the rain grew heavier daily. a mail steamer was leaving for the nearest settlement. trusting to the 'courtesy of nations,' micholitz claimed a passage as a shipwrecked man. it was flatly refused, but at length the dutch officials yielded to his indignant appeal so far as to make a deduction of 30 per cent. 'well,' he wrote to st. albans, 'there is no doubt these are the meanest people on earth.' the captain of the _costa rica_ whaling ship agrees with him. i have no space for the adventures of this second journey now. the dendrobe was found once more, which is not at all surprising when its habitat had been discovered. at this spot, however, it was growing, not on trees, but on rocks of limestone--most epiphytal orchids love to cling on that rough and porous surface. especially was it abundant in the graveyard of the clan, a stony waste where for generations they had left their dead--not unmourned, perhaps--beneath the sky. the plants grew and flowered among bones innumerable. to suggest the removal of them under such circumstances was a nervous duty. but in the graveyard they were not only most plentiful, but by far most vigorous. it had to be done, and with all precautions, after displaying a sample of his 'trade,' looking-glasses and knives and beads, and so forth, micholitz did it. a clamour of indignation broke out. it was swelling into passion when he produced a roll of brass wire; at that spectacle it suddenly calmed down. after debate among themselves the warriors stipulated that two of their most sacred idols should travel with the plants, and be treated with all honour on the way. they would not assist in collecting, but after the distribution of brass wire they helped to pack the cases. thus it happened that one of the dendrobes sold at 'protheroe's' on october 16, 1891, was attached to a human skull. as for the idols, they were bought by the hon. walter rothschild, and we are free to hope that they are treated with reverence, as per agreement. story of dendrobium lowii the authorities assert that dendrobium lowii was introduced to europe by sir hugh low in 1861. my friend has so many titles to honour, in this and other forms of public service, that he will not feel the loss of one. the statement is not absolutely correct. an unnamed species, which must have been dendrobium lowii, flowered in the collection of mr. h. vicars, at heath house, near chelmsford, in 1845. i do not propose to describe the plant whereby hangs my tale; suffice it that this is a pale yellow dendrobe, peculiarly charming, very delicate, and still rare. we do not hear of mr. vicars' specimen again. he obtained it, with others, from fraser, cumming, and co., of singapore, probably in 1842. it was brought to them from borneo by captain baker, commanding the ship _orient pioneer_. when lying at singapore captain baker heard of the coal seams just discovered at kiangi, on the brunei river, which made such a stir in the city a few months afterwards. it seemed to him that his owners would like a report upon them. and he sailed thither. i picture the man as big and rough--fat he was certainly; one of those sailors, careful enough aboard ship, who think it necessary to take a 'drop' at every halt when making holiday. pirates were no tradition in that era. they swarmed among the islands, and the younger chiefs were not proof against temptation when they fell in with an european ship that seemed to be in difficulties. doubtless captain baker kept all his wits about him on a perilous voyage beyond the track of commerce then. but he reached the bay of brunei safely, ascended the river in a well-armed boat, and visited the coalfields at kiangi. a few chinamen were working there. baker had shrewdness enough to see that immense capital would be required, that the sultan would give endless trouble, and that the coal, when won, might prove to be dubious in quality. we may hope, therefore, that his owners kept out of the 'rush' which followed, and were duly grateful. his business was finished. messrs. fraser and cumming, indeed, had asked him to collect a few of the 'air-plants' which began to make such a stir in england, but that would not detain him. they grew so thick on every tree that a boatload could be gathered in dropping down the river. he had instructions to choose those upon the highest branches, where, as was thought, the best species are found; but it made no difference, for a sailor could walk up those trees hung with creepers as easily as up the shrouds! so captain baker looked out for a place to land among the mangroves, expecting to fulfil his commission in an hour at most. a place was found presently, the boat turned to shore, and he directed a couple of sailors to climb. they were more than willing, under a promise of grog. i may venture to drop the abstract form of narrative here, and put the breath of life into it. baker had engaged a malay as interpreter for the voyage; by good luck he was a native of brunei. this man stared and laughed a little to himself on hearing the order. as the sailors began to mount, he said: 'tuan cap'n! say 'm fellows looky sharp on snakes.' the men paused suddenly, looking down, but baker swore very loud and very often to the effect that he'd eat every snake within miles, and that tuzzadeen was the son of a sea-cook. so the climbers went up, but gingerly. tuzzadeen sat grinning. they had not mounted high, luckily, for on a sudden one gave a screech, and both crashed down, the second dropping in sheer fright. but he who uttered that yell had good cause for it, evidently. he danced and twisted, threw himself down and bounded to his feet, roaring with pain. his eyes showed the white in a circle all round, and his brows, strained upward, almost touched the hair. all leapt out, splashing through the shallow water, pale with alarm--seized their writhing comrade, and stripped him. tuzzadeen examined his body; presently the convulsions grew fainter, and he struggled in a more intelligent sort of way, though still roaring. 'him bit by fire-ant, i say, tuan cap'n,' observed tuzzadeen. 'well! here's a blasphemous fuss about an unmentionable little ant! d'you call yourself a gore-stained british seaman, forster? just let's hear you do it, you unfit-for-repetition lubber, so as we may have a right-down blank laugh.' forster collected his wits and answered earnestly, 'it was an ant maybe. but i tell you, cap'n baker, there ain't no difference betwixt that ant and a red-hot iron devil. oh law! i'll be good from this day. i know how the bad uns fare now.' 'that's a blessed resolution anyhow,' said baker. 'but it didn't last above a minute, you see. come, show yourself a man, and shin up them shrouds again.' 'no, cap'n baker,' he answered slowly and impressively, 'not if you was to put the queen's crown on top of the tree and fix a keg of rum half-way up.' then they found that the other man had hurt himself badly in falling. baker was stubborn. but promises and taunts failed to move one of them, and he was too fat to climb himself. 'confound it, tuz,' said he discontentedly, as they pulled into the stream. 'other men have got these things. how did they do it?' 'them get dyaks--naked chaps what see ants and snakes.' 'oh! and can i get dyaks?' 'you pay, tuan cap'n, i find plenty naked chaps.' in the evening all was settled. tuzzadeen knew the chief of a sibuyou dyak village on a hill just above the bay; they would scarcely lose sight of the ship. no preparations were necessary. he himself would go ahead when they approached a village, and the dyaks would be pleased to see them. at dawn next day baker started, with tuzzadeen and four armed sailors. they crossed the broad white beach, studded with big rocks, moss-grown, weather-stained, clothed with creepers and plumed with fern; through a grove of cocoanut palms, scaring a band of children--malay, but clad only in a heart-shaped badge of silver dangling at their waists--and entered the forest. there was a well-worn path. in a hilly district like this dyaks are content to walk upon the ground; elsewhere they lay tree-trunks, end to end, on crossed posts, and trot along, raised above the level of the bush. it is likely that this was the first time captain baker had entered a tropic forest. a very few steps from the busy go-downs of singapore would have taken him into one peculiarly charming; but tigers lay in wait all round the town--so at least it was believed, not without probability. a few daring souls already dwelt at tanglin; but they left business early, looked to their arms before setting out, and never dreamed of quitting the bungalow when safe home once more. anyhow, the good man was struck with the beauty of that jungle. scarcely a flower did he see, or a butterfly, or any living thing save ants and wasps. vast trees arching above the path shut out every sun-ray in that early hour. but all beneath them was a garden such as he had never conceived. the dews had not yet dried up. they outlined every thread in the great webs stretching from bush to bush, edged the feathers of bamboo with white, hung on the tip of every leaf. and the leaves were endless in variety. like a green wall they stood on either hand--so closely were they pressed together along the track, which gave them some faint breath of air and glimmer of sunshine at noonday. living things were heard, too, though unseen. the wah-wahs called 'jug-jug' in a long gurgling cadence, like water pouring from a bottle. boughs clashed in sudden tumult, and dimly one caught a glimpse of monkeys flying through the air in alarm. a crow upon the top of some dead tree uttered its clanging call, slow and sonorous like strokes upon a bell. in short, baker was much pleased and interested. often he came to a halt, and at every halt he served out rum. it was a walk of some miles, very steep at the last. near the village they crossed a ravine, dry at this season; so deep it was that the bridge which spanned it hung far above the tops of lofty trees growing on an island in the midst. the bridge was actually the greatest wonder seen as yet on this delightful excursion. huge bamboos, lashed end to end, were suspended over the abyss by rattans beyond counting, fixed in the trees at either side. not only wonderful but most elegant it was, for the rattans had been disposed symmetrically. but baker, though a seaman from his youth up, surveyed it with dismay. boards a foot wide at the utmost had been laid across the bamboo. there was a hand-rail on each side, but so slight that he perceived it could not be meant for a support. moreover, tuzzadeen warned him earnestly, before leading the way, that he must not grasp the hand-rail--it must be touched only, to assist the balance. then the malay went across. at a yard out the bridge began to shiver, and when he reached the middle, which dipped many feet, it was swinging to and fro like a pendulum. if baker had not drunk just enough to make him reckless he would have turned back. a couple of the men refused. that was another prick of the spur. he followed tuzzadeen, with his heart in his mouth, and arrived safely. guess how deep was the refresher after that. tuzzadeen pushed on, and returned presently with an invitation from the chief--the orang kaya, as his title goes. i can fancy baker's astonishment when he came in sight of the village. it was one house, perhaps three hundred feet long, raised thirty feet in the air on posts. they climbed a notched log to the entrance, where the chief was waiting with his councillors. he had sent for young men, readily spared at this season, and meantime he asked the tuan to rest. baker perceived that the house was open from end to end in front and on his left hand as he entered; on the right, however, stretched a wooden party wall, with many doors. he rightly concluded that the open space was common and each family occupied one chamber. hundreds of people crowded round, especially children. then he lunched, the chief looking on, and in due time a score of stalwart young dyaks arrived. after resting he started again with them. what with drink and interest baker was now jovially excited. in passing through the house he noticed a door festooned with greenery. a noise of howling came through it. he asked tuzzadeen what this meant. tuzzadeen, malay and moslem, was much amused. 'baby born!' he laughed. 'father go to bed; mother feed him with rice and salt.' 'feed the father?' baker cried. 'yes. them naked chaps say father's child, not mother's. women cry over him. you hear?' 'lord 'a mercy, i must see this!' and before tuzzadeen could interfere he opened the door. wild uproar broke out on the instant, men shouted, women screamed and wailed--in a solid mass they rushed from the spot. tuzzadeen caught baker and ran him back up the passage, the sailors following. they fled for their lives, slid down the notched log and along the path, pursued by terrific clamour--but not by human beings apparently. perceiving this, tuzzadeen stopped. 'i go back,' he said breathlessly. 'them kill us in jungle when them like. i make trade. you pay?' 'anything--anything!' cried baker. 'we haven't even our guns!' so the malay went back to negotiate, but they ran on--came to the awful bridge, baker foremost. he reached the middle. one of the sailors behind would wait no longer--advanced and both fell headlong down. the sailor was killed instantly; baker, in the middle of the bridge, dropped among the branches of a tree. there he lay, bruised, half conscious, until tuzzadeen's shouts roused him, and he answered faintly. 'hold on!' cried the malay. 'we come good time, tuan cap'n! before dark!' six hours to wait at least! baker began to stir--found he had no limbs broken, and thought of descending. his movements were quickened by the onslaught of innumerable ants, not a venomous species happily. but in climbing down he remarked that the tree-top was loaded with orchids, which he tore off and dropped; long before nightfall he met the search-party, toiling up the ravine from its opening on the shore. next day tuzzadeen returned to bury the dead man and bring away the orchids; among them was mr. vicars' dendrobium lowii. the dyak practice referred to--of putting the father to bed when a child is born--prevails, or has prevailed, from china to peru. it lingers even in corsica and the basque provinces of europe. those who would know more may consult an encyclopaedia, under the heading 'couvade.' the house is 'taboo'--called 'pamali' in borneo--for eight days. hence the commotion. calanthe house for my own part i rank calanthes among the most charming of flowers, and in the abstract most people agree with me perhaps. yet they are contemned--the natural species--by all professed orchidists; and even hybrids mostly will be found in holes and corners, where no one is invited to pause and look at them. there are grand exceptions certainly. in baron schröder's wondrous collection, the hybrid calanthes hold a most honourable place. i have seen them in bloom there filling a big house, more like flowering shrubs than orchids--a blaze and a mass of colour almost startling. but these are unique, raised with the utmost care from the largest and rarest and most brilliant varieties which money unlimited could discover. the species used for hybridising were, as i understand, cal. vestita oculata gigantea with cal. regnieri, sanderiana, and igneo-oculata--but picked examples, as has been said. here we have, among others, _sandhurstiana_, offspring of limatodes rosea × cal. vest. rubro-oculata. the individual flowers are large, and a spike may bear as many as forty; brightest crimson, with a large yellow 'eye' upon the lip. no mortal contemns this. _bella_ (veitchii × turneri).--sepals white, petals daintily flushed; lip somewhat more deeply flushed, with a white patch upon the disc, and in this a broad spot of the deepest but liveliest crimson. _veitchii_ of course; but also the pure white form of veitchii, which is by no means a matter of course. _william murray_ (vest. rubro-oculata × williamsii).--a hybrid notably robust, which is always a recommendation. white sepals and petals, a crimson patch on the lip, darkest at the throat. _florence_ (bella × veitchii).--flowers large, of a deep rose, with purplish rose markings. _clive._--the parentage of this hybrid is lost. petals lively carmine, sepals paler. throat yellow, lip white at base with carmine disc. _victoria regina_ (veitchii × rosea).--the large flowers are all tender rose, saving a touch of sulphurous yellow at base of the lip. phaio-calanthe _arnoldiae_ is a bi-generic hybrid (c. regnieri × phajus grandifolius).--sepals and petals yellow; lip rose-pink. here also i may mention some interesting phajus hybrids:-_phoebe_ (sanderianus × humblotii).--sepals and petals light fawn-colour with a pinkish tone; lip crimson, veined with yellow. _owenianus_ (bicolor oweniae × humblotti).--sepals and petals milk-white, tinged with purplish brown. lip like crimson velvet, orange at the base. _ashworthianus_ (mannii × maculatus).--sepals and petals deep yellow, touched with ochre, lip similarly coloured, marked with heavy radiating lines of chocolate. _cooksoni_ (wallichii × tuberculosus).--the sepals and petals are those of wallichii--buff tinged with reddish purple, china-white at back; the lip is that of tuberculosus--side-lobes yellow, spotted with crimson; disc white, with purple spots. _marthae_ (blumei × tuberculosus).--sepals and petals pale buff. the large lip white, touched with pale rose, and thickly covered with golden-brown spots. very notable is the zygo-colax hybrid, _leopardinus_ (zygopetalum maxillare × colax jugosus), of which we give an illustration. here is also the zygopetalum hybrid, _perrenoudii_ (intermedium × guatieri).--sepals and petals green, heavily blurred with brown. lip violet, deepening to purple. against the back wall of this house stands a little grove of thunias bensoniae and marshalliana; the former magenta and purple, and the latter white with yellow throat, profusely striped with orange red. the wondrous intricacy of design so notable in the colouring of orchids is nowhere more conspicuous than in thunia marshalliana. the cymbidium house our 'specimen' cymbidiums, that is, the large plants, are scattered up and down in other houses; for singly they are ornaments, and together their great bulk and long leaves would occupy too much space. here are only small examples, or small species, planted out upon a bed of tufa amidst ferns and moss and begonias, cyrtodeira chontalensis, and the pretty 'african violet,' st. paulii ionantha. cymbidiums are not showy, as the term applies to cattleyas and dendrobes. their colour, if not white, is brown or yellow, with red-brown markings. we hear indeed of wonders to be introduced some day--of a gigantic species, all golden, which dwells in secluded valleys of the himalayas, and another, bright scarlet, in madagascar. in fact, this was collected again and again by m. humblot and shipped to europe; but every piece died before arrival. at length m. humblot carried some home himself, and a few survived. sir trevor lawrence bought two, i believe, but they died before flowering. so did all the rest. but if the cymbidiums of our experience make no display of brilliant colour, assuredly they have other virtues. when eburneum thrusts up its rigid spikes, in winter or earliest spring, crowned with great ivory blooms, the air is loaded with their perfume. i have seen a plant of lowianum with more than twenty garlands arching out from its thicket of leaves, each bearing fifteen to twenty-five three-inch flowers, yellow or greenish, with a heavy bar of copper-red across the lip. and they grow fast. it is said that at alnwick the duke of northumberland has specimens of unknown age filling boxes four feet square; each must be a garden in itself when the flowers open. and they last three months when circumstances are favourable. sometimes also--but too rarely--the greenish yellow of lowianum is changed to bright soft green. nobody then could say that the colouring is not attractive. we have here most of the recognised species--cymbidiums are not much given to 'sporting': devonianum, buff, freckled with dull crimson--lip purplish, with a dark spot on either side; sinensis, small, brown and yellow, scented; hookeri, greenish, dotted and blotched with purple; traceyanum, greenish, striped with red-brown, lip white, similarly dotted, and the famous baron schröder variety thereof, which arrived in the very first consignment, but never since; pendulum, dusky olive, lip whitish, reddish at the sides and tip; and so on. the only hybrids of cymbidium known to me are eburneo-lowianum and its converse, lowiano-eburneum. the former is creamy yellow, with the v-shaped blotch of its father on the lip; the latter pure white, with the same blotch more sharply defined--which is to say, that lowiano-eburneum is much the better of the two. both are represented here. against the glass, right and left all round, are coelogynes of sorts. we have another house devoted mainly to cymbidium, in which they have been planted out for some years, with results worth noting. i am convinced that in a future day amateurs who put the well-being of their orchids above all else--above money in especial!--will discard pots entirely. every species perhaps--every one that i have observed, at least--grows more strongly when placed in a niche, of size appropriate, on a block of tufa. there are objections, of course--quite fatal for those who have not abundance of labour at command; for the compost very quickly turns sour under such conditions if not watered with great care and judgment. moreover, what suits the plant suits also the insects which feed upon it. and if there be rats in the neighbourhood they soon discover that there is snug lying against the pipes, behind the wall of stone. anxious mothers find it the ideal spot for a nursery. i cannot learn, however, that they do any wanton damage, beyond nipping off a few old leaves to make their beds, which is no serious injury. i have rats in my own cool house. many years ago, on their first arrival probably, an odontoglossum bulb was eaten up. doubtless that was an experiment which did not prove satisfactory, for it has never been repeated. however, rats and insects can be kept down, if not exterminated. the cymbidiums here were rough pieces, odds and ends, consigned to this house to live or die. now they are grand plants, in the way to become 'specimens,' set among ferns and creepers on a lofty wall of tufa, the base of which is clothed with tradescantia and ficus repens. in front and on one side are banks of tufa planted with masdevallias, lycastes, laelia harpophylla, and so forth. story of coelogyne speciosa orchid stories lack one essential quality of romance. they have little of the 'female interest,' and nothing of love. the defect is beyond remedy, i fear--collectors are men of business. it is rumoured, indeed, that personages of vast weight in the city could tell romantic adventures of their own, if they would. so, perhaps, could my heroes. but neither do tell willingly. i have asked in vain. however, among my miscellaneous notes on orchidology, it is recorded that 'w. c. williams found coelogyne speciosa up the baram river. books confine its habitat to java and sumatra.' the baram is in borneo. when travelling in that island thirty years ago i heard a story of williams' doings, and i think i can recall the outline. but imagination furnishes the details, of course, aided by local knowledge. it may be worth while to tell briefly how this gentleman came to be wandering in borneo--in the sultan's territory also--at a date when rajah brooke had but just begun to establish order in his own little province. williams' position or business i never heard. some dutch firm sold or entrusted to him a stock of earthenware jars made in holland, facsimiles of those precious objects cherished by the dyaks. the speculation was much favoured in that day--it seemed such in easy cut to fortune. but they say that not a solitary dyak was ever taken in. the failure was attributed, of course, to some minute divergence from the pattern. manufacturers tried again, still more carefully. they sent jars to be copied in china, whence the originals came, evidently, at an unknown period. but it was no use; the dyaks only looked somewhat more respectfully at these forgeries before rejecting them. for many years the attempt was made occasionally. rich chinamen tried their skill. but at length everybody got to understand, though no one is able to explain, that those savages possess some means of distinguishing a jar of their own from a copy absolutely identical in our eyes. mr. williams had tried elsewhere without success, i fancy, before visiting brunei, the capital. but he had good reason to feel confidence there. the malay nobles would buy his jars without question, and compel their dyak subjects to accept them at their own price; such was the established means of collecting subsidies. in fact, the nobles were overjoyed. but the sultan heard what was afoot. he possesses several of these mystic objects, and he makes no inconsiderable portion of his revenue by selling water drawn from them to sprinkle over the crops, to take as medicine, and so forth. for his are the finest and holiest of all--beyond price. one speaks upon occasion, giving him warning when grave troubles impend. sir spencer st. john says he asked the sultan a few years afterwards 'whether he would take £2000 for it; he answered he did not think any offer in the world would tempt him.' the brunei monarch was shrewd enough to see that passing off false jars could not be to his interest. the pangarans argued in vain. there's no telling where it would end, he said, if the idolaters once began to feel suspicious. 'let your englishman take his wares among the kayan dogs. he may swindle them to his heart's content.' the kayans were not only independent but ruthless and conquering foes of brunei. there was no other hope of selling the confounded jars. after assuring himself that the enterprise was not too hazardous, williams sought a merchant familiar with the kayan trade. he chose nakodah rahim, a sanctimonious and unprepossessing individual, but one whose riches made a guarantee of good faith. this man contracted to transport him and his goods to langusan, the nearest town of the kayans on the baram, and to bring him back. williams was the first european perhaps to reach that secluded but charming settlement. the nakodah prudently anchored in mid-stream and landed by himself to call on the head chief. when the news spread that a white man was aboard the craft, swarms of delighted kayans tumbled pell-mell into their canoes and raced towards it, yelling, laughing, splashing one another in joyous excitement. but the great chief tamawan put a stop to this unseemly demonstration. rushing from the council hall, where he and his peers were giving audience to the nakodah, he commanded the people to return, each to his own dwelling. stentor had not a grander voice. it overpowered even that prodigious din. the mob obeyed. they swarmed back, and, landing, shinned up the forty-foot poles which are their stairs, like ants; reappearing a moment afterwards on the verandah, among the tree-tops. these vast 'houses,' containing perhaps a thousand inmates, lined each bank of the river, and every soul pressed to the front, mostly shouting--a wild but pleasant tumult. the chiefs sent an assurance of hearty welcome. williams paid his respects; they returned his call on board, and tamawan invited him to a feast. next day another potentate entertained him and then another. drink of all sorts, including 'best french brandy,' flowed without intermission. williams began to be ill. but there was no talk of business. his goods had been landed at the council hall, as is usual, but not unpacked. the nakodah assured him all was right. he himself had a quantity of merchandise waiting under the same conditions. so a week passed; etiquette was satisfied, and tamawan invited him to open his bales. the chiefs squatted in a semi-circle, all the population behind, in delicious expectancy. the jars were brought forth--first a gusi, the costliest species, worth £300 to £1000 in 'produce,' among the dyaks, had it only been genuine. this williams presented, with an air, to tamawan. the chief glanced at it, observed with kayan frankness that for his own part he liked brighter colours, and, so to speak, called for the next article. williams grasped the fatal truth when he saw how carelessly his precious gusi was regarded, not by tamawan alone but by all. hoping against hope, however, he brought forth a naga--a rusa. the chiefs became impatient. 'show your good trade, tuan,' they said. perhaps it was lucky that he had some miscellaneous 'notions'; but there was only enough to make the needful presents. utter collapse! the foolish fellow had not thought of asking whether kayans valued these unlovely jars. perhaps the brunei nobles could not have told him, but nakodah rahim must have been perfectly well aware. by keeping silence he had transported a cargo of his own goods to langusan at williams' expense--without freight or charges! the victim could not quite restrain his anger, but it would have been madness to quarrel. he had indeed several malays, perhaps trusty. but the crew outnumbered them, and the kayans doubtless would back the nakodah. there was nothing to be done but wait, with as much good temper as he could summon, until that worthy had sold out. during this time williams hunted, explored the woods, and collected a variety of plants, some of which we do not recognise from the description. but among those he brought to singapore was coelogyne speciosa. meantime sickness attacked the crew, whilst williams' servants escaped it. the nakodah hurried his sales, but when he was ready to start, it became necessary to engage some of the latter, with their master's consent, for navigating the vessel; but for this mischance there would have been no need to ask the white man's co-operation in a little stroke of business. at each of the festivities williams had remarked a very pretty girl always in attendance on the chief kum palan. charming faces are common among those people, and graceful figures a matter of course. kayan maidens do not pull out their eyebrows, nor blacken their teeth, nor shave the top of the head, nor, in fact, practise any of the disfigurements which spoil dyak beauty; for their tattooing, though elaborate, is all below the waist. most of them even do not chew betel before marriage, and you hardly find one of these whose teeth are not a faultless row of pearls. cool scrutiny reveals that their noses are too flat and their mouths unsymmetrical. but the girl would have a mane of lustrous hair decked with flowers, restrained by a snowy fillet over the brow, streaming loose down her back. her skin would be pale golden bronze and her eyes worthy of the tenderest epithets. even a chief's daughter wears little clothing beyond armlets and waist-belt of gold, white shell, and antique beads, as mysterious and as costly in proportion as the dyak jars. only a silken kerchief, clasping one thigh in studied folds, gathered and tucked in over the other, would represent what we call dress; but the tattooing from waist to knee is so close that feminine limbs seem to be enveloped in black tights. williams learned that this beauty was daughter to kum palan. parent and child must be warmly attached, he thought, for she was always near him. other chiefs had pretty daughters, but they received no such attention. the girl looked sad, but that is frequent with kayan and dyak maidens, when, in truth, their souls are dancing with fun and devilment--a mere expression of the features. nakodah rahim's secret concerned this damsel--kilian by name. she was in love with a youth, nikput, popular and distinguished--he had taken heads already--but not yet in the position which kum palan's son-in-law ought to occupy. other suitors did not come forward, however, for the eldest son of tamawan, the great chief, entertained for the youth one of those romantic friendships common among warriors in borneo. tamawan could not interfere, but there was a general impression that he would not feel kindly towards the man who robbed nikput of his bride. kum palan resented this state of things. he feared an elopement, and with good reason, for that was the little stroke of business which the nakodah proposed. nikput offered fair terms. all was arranged. on the morrow early the prau was to start, dropping down stream. it would anchor for the night, as usual, at a certain spot, and there the lovers would come on board, having taken such steps as should lead the pursuing parent in another direction. nikput had a friend among the milanaus lower down. when the disaster was beyond remedy, tamawan would compel his subordinate to be reconciled. would the tuan object to this little speculation? that the villain intended from the first to murder nikput and kidnap his bride is certain. he declared at his trial that williams had been his accomplice, and on this account sir spencer st. john held an inquiry. there was no shadow of evidence; the charge is grotesque. but it may possibly be that williams exacted a share of the gold which nikput agreed to pay. all went well. at the time and place appointed, in pitch darkness, a canoe grated softly against the vessel's side--a few whispers passed--and kilian climbed aboard. but, as it turned out, she was not wearing only a few ornaments and a kerchief. all the family jewels, so to speak, hung about her pretty figure. she was swathed in silk, garment over garment. and nikput handed up several baskets that must have been a very heavy load even for his stalwart frame. they had looted the paternal treasure at the nakodah's suggestion. next day passed without alarm; there are only farmhouses and villages, where a trader need not stop, between langusan and the brunei frontier. the fugitives remained below in the tiny cabin, amidst such heat and such surroundings that those who know may shudder to think of their situation. after dark, however, they came up, and, until he fell asleep, doubtless, williams heard their murmuring and low happy laughter. on the morrow they would be safe. a terrible cry awoke him--screams and trampling on the palm-leaf deck; then a great splash. dawn was breaking, but the mists are so dense at that hour that the malays call it white darkness. the sounds of struggle and the girl's wild shrieks directed him; but at the first movement he was borne backwards and overthrown by a press of men stumbling through the fog, with kilian writhing and screaming in their midst. they tossed her down into the hold and threw themselves upon him, his own servants foremost. perhaps these saved him from the fate of poor nikput. what could he do?--he had no arms. they swore him to silence. but in that bloody realm of brunei to whom should a wise man complain? all that day and the next kilian's shrieks never ceased. 'she will go mad,' williams cried passionately; the nakodah smiled. when her raving clamour was interrupted--died down to silence--they brought her on deck, a piteous spectacle. i have not to pain myself and my readers by imagining the contrast with the bright and lovely girl we saw a week ago. they reached the capital, and williams fled; of his after life i know only that he sold some orchids in singapore. happily the tale does not end here. the crime would have passed unknown or unnoticed, like others innumerable of its sort in brunei, had not kilian avenged her own wrongs. she was raving mad for a while, but such a prize was worth nursing. gradually she recovered her beauty and so much of her wits that the nakodah sold her for a great sum to one of the richest nobles. a few days after, perhaps the same day, she stabbed this man and threw him from a window into the river--possibly with some distracted recollection of her lover's fate. the nakodah was seized and others. all the horrid story came out. they were executed, and the sultan restored their victim--quite mad now--to her father. but on the way she leapt overboard. [illustration: cattleya labiata. var. measuresiana.] cattleya labiata house this is the oldest of cattleyas, for the plant now recognised as catt. loddigesii, which was introduced to europe a few years earlier, passed under the name of epidendrum. one might call labiata the 'eponymous hero' of its tribe, for lindley christened it in honour of his friend mr. cattley, an enthusiastic amateur of barnet. this was in 1818; from that year until 1889 cattleya labiata was lost. it seemed easy enough to follow the journeyings of swainson, who discovered it, and so reach the country where it dwelt; collectors innumerable made the attempt, but never succeeded. mr. sander, for instance, sent three at different times, expressly to trace swainson's footsteps so far as they are recorded--oversluys, smith, and bestwood; beside four others who skirmished along the track. he assured himself that they had explored every district which swainson could possibly have visited; but of cattleya labiata they found no sign. meanwhile the plants of the first importation died off gradually, and the richest of mortals competed for the few surviving. ten years ago, when the long search came to an end, very few were the persons in england who owned a specimen. i think i can name most of them--baron schröder, sir trevor lawrence, lord rothschild, duke of marlborough, lord home, lord howe, messrs. j. chamberlain, statter, r. h. measures, r. i. measures, blandy, hardy, coleman, and smith of the isle of wight. one of the examples possessed by mr. r. h. measures belonged to the variety pescatorei, named after general pescatore, the same leading amateur of early days whose memory is kept green by the sweetest of odontoglossums, saving crispum. cattleya labiata pescatorei was a precious treasure then; 'none so poor as do it reverence' in this generation. the plant is still here, pretty enough so far as it goes, slightly distinguished by a silver edging to the petals. the puzzle of that first consignment has not been explained--we have only eluded it, like alexander at gordium. certainly swainson did not find his plants in the neighbourhood where they exist at this time. it is conjectured that there were woods close to rio, now cultivated ground, where it flourished at the beginning of the century. however, in 1889, cattleya labiata reappeared; oddly enough a collector of insects found it originally, and a collector of insects rediscovered it. the 'professionals' were beaten to the last. and now it has become almost the commonest of orchids; but for the same reason we may be sure that it will grow scarce again in no long time. not to england only but to france, belgium, germany, the united states, such vast quantities have been consigned that to one who knows something of the facts it seems amazing that the limited area could furnish so many. and for one that reaches the market three, perhaps six, die. i have alluded to the extermination of orchids already. it is a sadly fascinating subject for those who think, and 'out of the fulness of the heart the mouth speaketh.' the time is very close when odontoglossum crispum, most heavenly of created things, will arrive by tens and units instead of myriads--and then will arrive not at all. already a gentleman who boasts that he has leased the whole district where the 'pacho' form still survives, reckons the number of plants remaining at 60,000 only. some months ago he issued quaint proposals for a company (limited) to secure the utmost profit on the collection of these. business men 'smiled and put the question by,' however enthusiastic they might be as orchidists; but i believe that the statement of facts was not altogether inaccurate. it is no longer worth while to send out collectors of odontoglossum crispum; natives of the country gather such as they find and store them until the opportunity occurs to sell a dozen or so. i could give other instances; some have been already mentioned. but what is the use? unless governments interfere, there is no remedy. some indeed have taken steps. several years ago the rajah of sarawak decreed that no one should collect orchids in his territory, for sale, without a license. the exportation of dendrobium macarthiae from ceylon is forbidden, and the authorities of capetown have made stringent rules about gathering disa grandiflora. but i have heard of no other restrictions, and these, commendable as they are, scarcely touch the mischief. but that is enough upon a melancholy subject, with which i have no need to meddle here. in this house and elsewhere we have some eleven hundred labiatas. no cattleya is more variable. from white to deep crimson every shade of colour may be found, with endless diversities of combination. here are a few of the most important. _imperatrix._--rosy mauve. distinguished by a broad fringe of the same colour round the lip, which, inside, shows a fine crimson. next to it is one, unnamed, which makes a good contrast. very big and broad; pale. the tube, opening wide, is superbly striped with crimson over a gold ground. the great lip all crimson. _nobilis._--big and evenly rosy. the gold in the throat is faint, and the lip, grandly frilled, has no lines. _measuresiana._--somewhat pale; at base of the petals the midrib is white. the gamboge stain does not spread beyond the throat, and it fades to white as the crimson lip spreads. another has a deep golden throat, but the crimson of the lip is only a triangle, dispersing in broad lines upon the margin of mauve. but here is one, on the contrary, in which the lip is all deepest crimson except a very narrow edging of white. scarcely a trace of gold is seen; the crimson stretches back all up the throat in heavy lines. and here again is one of palest rose, in which the lip carries only a single slender touch of crimson. _sanderae._--a supreme beauty. sepals almost white, petals somewhat more deeply tinged with mauve. lip snow-white, saving the ochreous-orange throat and a lovely stain of crimson lake in the midst; with a purple blotch above and mottled lines of the same hue descending from it. _mrs. r. h. measures._--purest white. the broad lower sepals curl downwards, almost encircling the lip, which has a faintly-yellow throat and a tender cloud of purplish crimson on the front, scored with three strong lines of purple. _macfarlanei._--crimson purple sepals and petals of the brightest tint; lip crimson-maroon and orange throat striped with brilliant crimson--a superb flower. _baroness schröder._--a famous variety. the petals are remarkably wide and graceful in shape, pale mauve of colour. the lip, somewhat paler, tinged with rose, shows in front a bundle of purple lines, as it were, the ends of which diverge from a purplish cloud over the rosy margin. _princesse de croix._--all pink except the white edges of the lip unrolling from the tube, and a small purple blur, scored with short heavy lines, which runs far up the throat, leaving a broad pink disc below. _alba._--perfectly beautiful. all ivory white, as it seems at a glance, save a faint stain of yellow in the throat; but close scrutiny detects a purple tinge also on the lip. _archduchess._--the shape is even more graceful than usual. sepals and very broad leaf-like petals rosy mauve, the yellow of the throat subdued, a fine patch of crimson lake on the labellum, with darker lines, leaving a wide margin of rosy mauve. _robin measures._--rosy. the lip spreads so broad that its disc forms a perfect circle. the yellow of the throat is only a slight stain, and the fine crimson patch on the lip leaves a handsome margin of rose. _bella._--distinguished especially by the fine purple frilling of the lip which, like the sepals and petals, is nearly white of ground. a triangle of brightest crimson, sharply defined, issues from the handsome orange throat. _adelina_ resembles this, but the crimson of the triangle has a deeper tone and the margin is distinctly mauve. _princess of wales._--an enormous flower, of remarkable colouring. sepals and petals purplish. the usual crimson of the lip deepens almost to plum-colour. the margin, paler, is finely frilled. _juno._--somewhat pale. notable for the breadth of crimson in the lip, which mounts far up the throat, running across it from side to side in a line perfectly straight. _princess may._--a grand variety; the petals spread like birds' wings, and the lip opens very wide. on its folds are broad whitish discolorations, against which the deep crimson of the disc seems even richer than usual. _her majesty._--a pink giant, as notable for shape as for size. on the broad lip a crimson cloud stands out against a pale margin, finely frilled. the edging of the central stand in this house should be noticed. it is formed by a single plant of pothos aurea, which, starting from the end wall, has already encircled the structure twice. now it is hurrying to make a third turn. pothos is the neatest of climbers, pushing no side-shoots, growing very fast, and thrusting forth its large leaves at equal intervals. the variety aurea is touched with gold here and there, and to my mind it makes the ideal edging of a stand. to right in this house is cattleya lawrenceana, of which we have probably 150 plants. this again is a species threatened with extinction--indeed the threat is very near fulfilment. it was never common in its native woods. i may quote a few lines from the report of mr. seyler who went to collect this, and two other orchids which dwell on the roraima mountain, for mr. sander; the date is january 19, 1893:-'... i collected everything at roraima except catt. lawrenceana, which was utterly rooted out already by other collectors.... we hunted all about for catt. lawrenceana and got only 1500 or so, it growing only here and there.... what i want to point out to you is that catt. lawrenceana is very rare in the interior now.... if you want to get any lawrenceana you will have to send yourself, and, as i said to you, the results will be very doubtful.' the variety _macfarlanei_ has rosy pink sepals; petals of club shape, bowed, crimson, deepening towards the tips. labellum long, narrow, all crimson of the darkest shade. noteworthy is a plant which we may suppose a natural hybrid of l. purpurata with l. elegans, resembling the latter in size, comparatively small, as in its narrow sepals and petals flushed with rose. the lip is very bright and pretty, with large clear yellow throat, ringed with white; the disc, of lively crimson, has a purple margin finely frilled, and a whitish purple patch in front. among miscellaneous examples here is a handsome specimen of cymbidium devonianum, and a very remarkable hybrid of catt. gaskelliana × catt. harrisoniae--_mary measures_; rather ghostly but pleasant to look upon. its colour of sepal and petal is palest mauve, the tube prettily lined and mottled with pale yellow; labellum, gamboge-yellow in the throat, fading towards the edge, and a pale crimson tip. a story of brassavola digbyana brassavola digbyana is a flower for all tastes--large, stately, beautiful, and supremely curious; i use the familiar name, though it should be laelia digbyana. charming are the great sepals and petals, greenish white, around the snowy lip; but why, the thoughtful ask in vain, does that lip ravel out into a massive fringe, branched and interlacing, near an inch wide? the effect is lovely, but the purpose inscrutable. in dendrobium brymerianum we find a puzzle exactly similar. but it does not help us to understand. countless are the species of dendrobium, many those of laelia; but in each case no other shows this peculiarity. brassavola digbyana was first sent to europe in 1845 by the governor of british honduras, who named it in honour of his kinsman, lord digby. once only had the plant been received since that time, so far as i can learn, until last year. but the second cargo, in 1879, 'went a very long way.' messrs. stevens have rarely been so embarrassed with treasures. the history of that prodigious consignment is worth recording. it was despatched by messrs. brown, ponder, and co., of belize, who dealt in mahogany and logwood--do still, i hope. that trade appears to be rather interesting. the merchant keeps a gang of caribs, who have been in the employment of the firm all their lives perhaps. they go out at the proper season to find and mark the trees; fell them presently and return whilst the timber is drying; or amuse themselves in the bush, hunting and gathering miscellaneous produce. then they float the raft down to belize. these caribs are more or less descended from the indians of jamaica. early in the last century the british government collected the survivors of that hapless race, and planted them out of harm's way in the island of st. vincent, uninhabited at the time. they did not thrive, however, and in 1796 the government transported them once more to the island of roatan, in the bay of honduras. but an extraordinary change had come over the poor creatures. we are to suppose that when landed at st. vincent their type was mostly if not wholly indian; when taken away it was to all appearance negro. probably a slave ship had been wrecked there, and the blacks, escaping, killed all the male indians, taking the women to wife; such is the theory, but there is no record. a transformation so sudden and complete in such brief time is striking evidence of the african vigour, for in hair, features, complexion, and build the carib is a negro. but not in character. he has virtues to which neither red man nor black lay claim--industry, honesty, truthfulness, staunch fidelity to his engagements and readiness to combine. the mahogany cutters have a guild, which holds itself responsible for the failure of any member to execute work for which he has been paid; it cannot be called a trade union, because, so far as i learn, it has no other purpose--except jollification. in brief, the carib of honduras is one of the best fellows on earth in his way. he looks down on all about him, negro and indian and 'poor white.' if a stranger suspect him of trickery, he thinks it defence enough to exclaim--'um carib man, sah!' and so it is, as a rule. messrs. brown ponder had lately taken on a new hand--let us call him sam. this young fellow had been wandering up and down the coast some years, doing any honest work that turned up. thus he had served in the boat's crew of m. sécard, when that gentleman was collecting orchids in guiana. the experience had taught him that flowers have value, and he returned from his first visit to the bush, after entering the firm's service, with the announcement of a marvel. we may fancy the report which negro imagination would draw of brassavola digbyana. the mysterious fringe did not puzzle sam at all. it was long enough to serve the purpose of _chevaux de frise_, to keep off monkeys and birds! m. sécard used to give him a dollar apiece for things not to be compared with it! in short, here was a fortune for the gathering--and what terms would mr. brown offer him? mr. brown offered nothing at all. residents in honduras are curiously apathetic about orchids even now. i think it may be said that no collector has visited their country, which is the explanation perhaps. moreover, mr. brown well knew the liveliness of the carib imagination. sam had met with only one or two belated flowers, which he displayed. but the shapeless little cluster of withered petals was no evidence of beauty--quite the reverse. everybody cut his jokes upon it. it might be supposed that a man would carry his wares to another market under such circumstances. but that is not the carib way; it would be a breach of loyalty. good-naturedly sam told mr. brown that he was a fool, with an adjective for emphasis. they were all adjective fools, he assured them daily. but to treat with a rival could not enter his mind. the gang had returned to the bush when young mr. ponder came back from bluefields. his partner mentioned sam's idea as a jest in conversation when several friends were present. one of them recalled how governor digby had sent some orchids to europe ages ago, which sold for a mint of money. others had heard something of the legend. ponder, young and enterprising, inclined to think the matter worth notice. he inquired among the oldest inhabitants, carib and negro. many recollected the governor's speculation, and the orchid also, when pressed. it was as big as a bunch of bananas, blue--no, red--no, yellow; shaped just like a boat, or a bird, or a star, or a monkey climbing a tree, and so forth. but all agreed about the fringe, 'now you come to mention it.' ponder saw they knew nothing beyond the mere fact. but he made up his mind to get some specimens next rainy season, and judge for himself whether a consignment would be likely to pay. in due time the cutters appeared with their rafts of timber. it was not the moment to broach an unfamiliar subject. calculations awfully intricate for those honest fellows had to be made intelligible to them once more, and then to be discussed, approved, explained again, and finally accepted or compromised. the caribs passed all day in argument and in measuring the logs over and over; all night in working sums of arithmetic on fingers and toes. at length the amount due was computed amicably, as usual, and paid. but then, not without embarrassment, the whole gang, 'gave notice.' when such an event occurs, under such circumstances, an employer knows the reason. his caribs have found gold. there is nothing to be said beyond wishing them luck. but mr. ponder asked sam to get him a few of his orchids next rains. sam declined, somewhat roughly. mr. ponder laid the dispute before the guild, so to call it, which pronounced that sam must carry out his proposal before leaving the firm's service. the dry season was well advanced by this time, and all flowers had withered. nevertheless sam jumped into a canoe, swearing, and started up the river with a couple of indians. in three or four days he returned with a boat-load of orchids, sent them to the warehouse, and vanished. they proved to be a miscellaneous collection, all sorts and sizes; evidently the men had just gathered anything they came across. mr. ponder grew angry. it was an impudent trick, a defiance of himself and the guild, such as no true carib would be guilty of. foreign travel had demoralised sam. those honest fellows, his partners, would be not less indignant, if the shameful proceeding could be laid before them. but all had gone up the river--to their gold-field, of course--and no one knew where that might be. mr. ponder got more and more warm as he revolved the insult. business was slack. he decided to follow, and sent out forthwith to engage a crew of indians; gold-diggers do not mind the intrusion of indians so much, for when these savages have obtained a very little dust, they withdraw to turn it into drink. and they never chatter. moreover he had to find the caribs' camp, and they are sleuth-hounds. the search was not so hopeless as it might seem. carefully reviewing the circumstances, mr. ponder felt sure that his caribs had discovered their placer whilst collecting the felled trees--not before; that is, in the rainy season. men would not wander far into the bush at that time. probably, therefore, the scene lay pretty close to one or other of the spots where they had found mahogany. of those spots he had a minute description. the reasoning proved to be quite correct, but luck interposed before it had been severely tested. on arrival at one of the stations to be explored--after a week or ten days' voyaging, as i imagine--he saw a canoe just pushing out from beneath the wooded bank with two of the missing caribs therein, going to belize on some errand. their astonishment was loud, but not angry; they had no quarrel with mr. ponder. after a very little hesitation they consented to lead him to the camp, the indians remaining in their boat. it was not a long walk, nor uncomfortable. a broad path had been cut to the top of the ridge, for hauling down the trunks, and the rollers had smoothed it like a highway; but not so broad that the great trees on either hand failed to overshadow it. mr. ponder questioned his guides laughingly. was it a real good placer, with nuggets in it?--how much had they pouched, and was the game likely to last? they grinned and patted their waist-scarves, which, as he now remarked, were round and plump as monster sausages. 'oh, i know that trick,' laughed mr. ponder. 'you've filled them with maize-flour for your journey.' they whooped and roared with triumph. 'say, mis'r george, you tell nobody--honour bright?-not nobody?' one of them turned down the edge of his scarf, with no small effort--for it was twisted very tightly and secured. presently the contents glimmered into sight--little golden figures, mostly flat, carved or moulded, one to three inches long. 'our placer all nuggets, mis'r george!' any child in those seas would have understood. the caribs had discovered not a washing nor a mine, but a burial-ground of the old indians, called in those parts a 'huaco.' there are men who make it their sole business to look for such treasure-heaps. since they bear, in general, no outward indication whatsoever at the present time, one would think that the hunt must be desperate; but these men, like other gamblers, have their 'system.' possibly they have noted some rules which guided the antique people in their choice of a cemetery. and if they find one in a lifetime--provided they can keep the secret--that suffices. mostly, perhaps, huacos are discovered by accident. so it was in the memorable instance on chiriqui lagoon, where many thousand people dug for months and many brought away a fortune--for them. and so it was here. the caribs told their story gleefully. from the crest of the ridge the land sloped gently down towards a stream. when they reached this place to secure the timber, now dry, the rains were very heavy. but sam and another, heaven-directed, roamed down the slope. a big tree had fallen, and among its roots sam's lynx eyes marked a number of the little figures, washed clean, sparkling in the sun-rays. these good fellows have no secrets of the sort among themselves. they dug around, assured themselves that it was indubitably a huaco; then returned, like honest caribs, to float the trunks down to belize, and fulfil their contract, before attending to personal interests. they had cleared a space and built a hut of boughs, a 'ramada.' there mr. ponder found them assembled, smoking and sleeping after the mid-day meal. warned by the guide's cheery shout they welcomed mis'r george heartily--all but sam; unanimously they asked, however, what on earth he wanted there, so far from home? mr. ponder told his complaint. the gang resolved itself into a sort of court-martial forthwith, the eldest seating himself upon a stump and the others grouping round. there was a moment's silence for thought; then the president, gravely: 'you, carib sam, what you say?' 'say d---sorry, sah! mis'r brown an' all the mis'rs make fool of me! then mis'r george come--i never see mis'r george before! he says go to bush an' pick orchid--a month contract!--a month! but i found gold here, an' i want pick it up--have no more say! d---sorry!' mr. ponder relented. 'why didn't you explain at the time, sam?--i'm quite satisfied, caribs! sam and i will shake hands and there's an end of it!' but the others were not quite satisfied. the president sat shaking his head. 'when rains come,' said sam to him anxiously, 'i get mis'r george two canoe-loads, six canoe-loads of orchid, an' no mistake!' 'there, men! that's final! let's shake hands round, and wash away all unpleasantness--here's the wash!--drink it up! now will you show me your huaco?' first they showed him the plunder--hundreds of those little images, mostly human, in the rudest style of art, but pure gold; a large proportion alligators, some probably meant for birds, not a few mere lumps. mr. ponder calculated rapidly that the whole might represent three thousand pounds for division among ten men. but the caribs began to fear that their huaco would prove to be a very small one. the yield had been failing in all directions lately. they had prospected round, but hitherto without success. no bones, nor weapons, nor anything but a few jars of pottery had been found. such is the rule--without exception, i believe--in burial-grounds of this class, without cairn or statues; in fact, it is a mere assumption to declare them burial-grounds at all. men who dug at chiriqui told me that nothing whatever besides gold was found in that great area. the statement is not quite exact, but it shows how little turned up. the forebodings of the caribs were sadly verified. mr. ponder started back in the afternoon and they followed within a week--'made men' if they had wit enough to keep their booty, but not so rich as they had hoped. next rains sam loyally performed his promise. and thus it happened that messrs. stevens were overwhelmed with brassavola digbyana once upon a time. lycastes, sobralias, and angouloas occupy different compartments in one house. the first will not detain us. all the species which orchidists, in a lordly way, term common are represented here--of course, by their best varieties. i can fancy the wonder and delight of a stranger entering when the lycastes skinneri alba and virginalis are in bloom, remembering my own emotion at the spectacle elsewhere. not many of the genus appeal to the aesthetic, and skinneri in especial lacks grace. but unsymmetrical form and abrupt rigidity of growth are forgotten when those great flowers, so pure, so divinely white, burst upon the eye. charming also are the pale varieties of skinneri, such as _lady roberts_, a dainty rose, the petals only just dark enough to show up the labellum almost white; and _phyllis_ of somewhat deeper rose. its velvety lip has a crimson margin well displayed by a small white patch upon the disc. leucantha, dainty green with white petals, is charming; a pan of aromatica with fifty or sixty delicate golden blooms makes a pretty show. but these things do not call for special notice. there are varieties, however, of course, as the famous lycaste plana _measuresiana_, coppery, shining, with pure white petals, crimson spotted, and small white lip; plana _lassioglossa_, olive green of sepal and petal, with a bright rusty stain at the base; lip white, with conspicuous white spots. _fulvescens._--large and spreading. sepals and petals reddish orange, lip clear brightest orange, so lightly poised that it quivers at a breath. it has as many as forty flowers from one bulb sometimes. _denningiana._--very large. sepals and petals whitish green, lip brown. _mooreana._--an extraordinary variety of l. locusta, which itself is extraordinary enough. reichenbach described locusta in his lively way: 'green sepals, green petals, green lip, green callus, green ovary, green bract, green sheath, green peduncle, green bulbs, green leaves--just as green as a green grasshopper or the dress of some viennese ladies.' mooreana is larger, and the heavy fringe of the lip has a faint yellow shade. sobralias it may be granted that all classes of orchid are not equally beautiful, but to compare one with another in this point of view is futile. each has its own charm which individual taste may prefer, and to set cattleyas, for instance, above odontoglots is only to demonstrate that for some persons size and brilliancy of hue are more attractive than grace and purity. but in any competition of the sort sobralias must rank high. they are all large, they have every fascination which colour can give, and the delicate crumpling of the lip, characteristic of this genus alone, is one of nature's subtlest devices. gardeners also approve them, for they need less attention perhaps than any others, and they grow fast. the sagacious reader will begin to ask by this time what are the disadvantages to set against all these merits? there is only one, but for too many amateurs it is fatal--the glorious flowers last scarcely two days. certainly a spike will carry four or five, or even six, which open one after another. but then all is over till next year. and the plants are big, occupying much room. therefore sobralias are not favoured by the wise, when space is limited. [illustration: lycaste skinneri var. r. h. measures.] all are american, growing among the rocks and in the scanty soil of mountain districts. one reads of species so tall that a man on horseback must raise his arm to pick the flowers. this may be an exaggeration, but we have sobralia macrantha gigas here six feet high, and hookerae even topping it. upon the other hand, that marvel, kienastiana, has a very modest stature. nearly all the species known are here--it is not a large genus: lindeni, hookerae, lowii, macrantha and macrantha alba, xantholeuca, and kienastiana, which has its story. _measuresiana_ is uncommon; white, an immense flower. the vast lip, circular, daintily crumpled, is palest pink, with a deep yellow throat, round which the pink darkens to pale crimson. _sanderae_ also is white, faintly tinged with yellow. in these days, however, it is the hybrids which interest us, and there are two of surpassing merit. _amesiana_ (xantholeuca × wilsonii).--palest rosy lilac, somewhat more rosy in the centre--the crumpled pink lip is as round and as big as a crown piece. the cavity of the throat, orange, changes to gamboge as it widens; encircling this is a stain of tawny crimson. lip rose, shaded with reddish brown. _veitchii_ (macrantha × xantholeuca).--white, with a pretty orange throat. round the edges of the lip, deliciously frilled and crumpled, is a broad band of purplish pink. here and there in this house, as room can be made, stand many fine plants of laelia elegans. beyond is a second compartment devoted to lycastes and selenepeds, the name granted, for distinction's sake, to transatlantic forms of cypripedium; in the gardener's point of view, however, there is no difference between them, and such of these plants as call for notice, in my very narrow space, are described among the cypripeds. one rarity, however, i must not overlook--miltonia binottii, assumed to be a natural hybrid of m. candida and m. regnellii; sepals and petals creamy yellow, tinged with lilac at the base and barred with cinnamon brown; lip pale rosy purple. anguloas nature has thought fit to produce many clumsy plants, and the well-balanced mind raises no objection so long as they remain in their proper place. a pumpkin is not a thing of grace, but then nobody calls on us to admire it. there is little to choose between an anguloa and a pumpkin in the way of beauty; yet a multitude of people, not less sane to all appearance than their neighbours, invite one to mark and linger over its charms. this always seems very strange to me. i remember a painting of adam in paradise, exhibited by an academician famous in his day--less perhaps for talent than for the popular belief that he wrote certain wailing letters signed 'a british matron,' which the _times_ published occasionally. adam was sitting on a flowery bank. the good academician had all the asiatic realm of botany before him, wherein to choose blooms appropriate for paradise; he spurned them all, crossed the atlantic, surveyed the treasures of the new world, and from the lovely host selected--anguloa clowesii! upon a bed of these adam sat--of these alone; nothing else was worthy of a place beside them. evidently anguloas have a fascination. but my soul is blind to it. we have all the species here. story of sobralia kienastiana there are startling flowers of divers sort. some astonish by mere size, as rafflesia arnoldii, which is a yard across and weighs fifteen to twenty pounds, or amorphophallus titanum, eight feet high and fifteen inches thick. the stench of these is not less impressive than their bulk; an artist who insisted upon sketching the latter at kew fainted over her work. but many of the giants are beautiful, as the aristolochias, like a bag of silk cretonne with mouth of velvet, wherein a lady might stow her equipment for an informal dance--shoes, gloves, fan, handkerchief, scarf, and, if need be, a bouquet; bomarias, the peruvian wonder, trailing a scarlet tassel three feet long and thick in proportion. others are surprising without qualification, like nepenthes, which dangle a water jug at the tip of every leaf. but among orchids alone you see flowers of familiar shape and ordinary class, which startle you by the mere perfection of their beauty. one of these is sobralia kienastiana. my first sight of it at the temple show is not to be forgotten. i had been thrilling and raving over a specimen of cattleya intermedia parthenia, 'chaste as ice and pure as snow,' when, turning to baron schröder's exhibit, i beheld this glory of nature. it has all the advantage of 'setting' denied to so many among the loveliest of its fellows. that divine parthenia must be regarded alone. it has no charm of environment. but the sobralia is a thicket, green and strong and pleasant to the eye, crowned with the flowers of paradise, snow-white, several inches broad, but tender and dainty as the lily of the valley. though open to the widest, and exquisitely frilled, their petals are crumpled; you might think fairies had been gauffering them and left the work incomplete, surprised by dawn. baron schröder and mr. wilson of westbrook, sheffield, had the only plants in england then; m. kienast-zolly, consul at zurich, the only plant known elsewhere--a piece cut off when he sold the bulk. that such a marvel had a legend i did not doubt. it is, in fact, an albino of the common sobralia macrantha; in speaking of it, by the way, to scientific persons, or in referring to books, the word 'macrantha' must be introduced. the family is central american, and examples reach this country especially from mexico. a variety so rare and so charming would be found in some hardly known spot. but orchids do not live in the desert. it would be strange if indians had not noticed such a wonder, and if they noticed, assuredly they would prize it. they would not allow the plant to be removed under ordinary conditions; if a price were accepted it would be very high, but more probably no sum would tempt them. therefore did i conclude at sight that sobralia kienastiana had its legend. and i traced without difficulty the outline which i have filled up. m. kienast-zolly dwelt many years at orizaba in mexico, where he collected orchids with enthusiasm for his own delight. an indian servant gave zealous help, partly, doubtless, for love of the flowers, but partly also for love of the master whose 'bread he had eaten' from childhood--and still eats, i believe. this man, pablo, ceaselessly inquired for rarities among his own people, made journeys, bargained, bought, and by times, they say--but stole is not the proper word to use when an object has no owner nor intrinsic value. pablo had a younger brother, a priest, in the neighbourhood of tehuacan. they had not met since his ordination, until, once on a time, m. kienast-zolly visited those parts, and pablo took the opportunity to spend a day and night at the indian village, nidiri, where his brother was priest. this ecclesiastic was an earnest man. he found no satisfaction in compounding the heathen practices of his flock for money, as do his fellows. his legitimate dues sufficed him--i daresay they reached ten pounds a year. he found a melancholy diversion in writing plaintive memorials to the bishop. week by week the good man raised his moan. he could not see very deep. it did not occur to him that the christian faith itself, as the indians understand it, is but a form of heathendom. the doings of which he complained were acts of positive worship towards the old idols. he demanded an investigation, special magistrates; in brief, the re-establishment of the inquisition. the bishop had long ceased to acknowledge these dolorous reports; doubtless they contained nothing new to him. out of the fulness of his heart a man speaketh, and after discussing family affairs, the cura broached his spiritual sorrows. pablo had not been trained at a seminary, and religious questions did not interest him. as a townsman, also, he had picked up some liberal ideas, and when the brother talked of converting his flock from their evil ways by force, he observed that opinions are free in mexico nowadays. then the cura grew warm. opinions? rising hurriedly, he produced horrid little figures of clay or wood, actual idols, found and confiscated, not without opposition. when pablo did not seem much impressed by these things--not unfamiliar, probably--he hinted suspicions more awful. there was a spot somewhere in the hills, frequented at certain seasons by these wretches, where they performed sacrifice. blood was shed, and the cura had reason to think--he dropped his voice, and bent across the little table to whisper awfully in his brother's ear. 'why,' said pablo, 'if you can prove that, the government will interfere fast enough. it's murder!' 'i am not quite certain. but give me authority to arrest the cacique--the head-man of the village--and some others! they held one of their impious festivals only last week. i met them returning just after dawn, crowned with flowers, all the men intoxicated. oh no, it wasn't a mere drinking bout. the cacique and that vile manuele--whom i believe to be the priest--carried nosegays of the accursed flower the demons give them. i know it! they used formerly--the sons of perdition!--to bring it to my church and offer it upon the holy altar. and i--heaven pardon me!--rejoiced in its beauty. with prayers and thanksgivings i laid the devil's flower before the blessed mother. i did not know! it will not be counted against me for a sin, brother?' so he went on, bemoaning his unconscious offence. pablo woke up instantly. what did the cacique do with his nosegay since he was not allowed to deposit it on the altar? what sort of flower was it? all this seemed trivial to the agitated cura. with difficulty he was brought to the statement that it resembled the flor de san lorenzo, but snow-white. then pablo showed much concern. these shocking practices must be made to cease; but first they must have evidence. that mysterious spot on the hills? did his brother know where it was? no, he had only pieced together hints and fragmentary observations. they suggested a certain neighbourhood. it had never occurred to him to look for it. if his conjectures were sound, the place was desert. indians always choose a barren unpeopled site for their ancestral worship, as pablo knew. he considered. there was a certain risk, for the priests might dwell by their idols. but most even of these look upon their christian rival with reverence. he asked his brother how he was regarded? indignantly the latter confessed that all these wicked folk treated him with the utmost deference. he had denounced them again and again from the altar, threatened to excommunicate the whole community--but the bishop promptly crushed that idea. they listened in respectful silence, and went their own way. pablo came to a resolve. he proposed that they should start before daylight and search for the accursed place. the cura was startled, but he assented with passionate zeal; of his stuff, unenterprising, unimaginative, with room for one idea only, martyrs are made. martyrdom he half expected, and he was ready. whilst pablo snored in his hammock, the good man prayed all through the night. it was still dark when they set forth, and before even indians were stirring they had passed beyond the village confines; but the sun was high when they reached the hills. these are, in fact, a range of low volcanoes, all extinct now; the most ancient overgrown with trees and brushwood, the most recent still bare. towards this part the cura led the way. they passed through blinding gorges where no green thing found sustenance. cacti and yuccas and agaves, white with dust, clung to the naked tufa. so they went on, mounting always, encouraged from time to time by some faint trace of human passage, which their keen indian eyes discerned. but from the crest nothing could be seen save gorges such as they had traversed, and long slopes of dazzling rock. the quest began to look hopeless, but they persevered. and presently pablo noted something on the ground, at a distance, beside a clump of opuntia. it was a bunch of withered flowers. approaching they saw a cleft in the ridge of tufa masked by that straggling cactus. they passed through--and the idols stood before them! the cura fell on his knees. it was a small plateau, as white and as naked as the rest. in the midst stood three cairns, each bearing large stone figures, painted red and blue and yellow. before each cairn was an altar, built of unhewn stones topped by a slab. the scene was impressive. pablo recalled his prayers in looking on it. the white and glittering dust lay even as a floor around those heaps of stone. all was still, but the painted statues seemed to tremble and flicker in that awful heat. tiny whirls of sand arose, and danced, and scattered, though never a breath of wind moved the burning air. the shadow of a vulture sailing passed slowly from side to side. the cura ended his prayer, leapt up and rushed--his old black gown streaming like wings. he grasped the foremost idol and pushed and pulled with all his might--he might as well have tried to overthrow the rock itself. another and another he attempted; all in vain. he paused at length, mopping his drenched face, disheartened but still resolved. then he took stones and battered the features. pablo was scarcely disappointed. so soon as they entered that barren tract, he knew that the flor de san lorenzo could not live there. approaching he scrutinised the altars. heaps of ashes and charred wood lay upon them, beneath leaves and fruits and flowers, unburnt but shrivelled and crackling in the sunshine. carefully pablo turned these over. on the largest slab were found bones and dry pools of blood. i have not room to follow the story in detail. next day they started for orizaba, the priest carrying a passionate recital of these discoveries to the bishop. what came of it i do not know. pablo returned forthwith, in pressing haste, accompanied by two soldiers. with these he called on the cacique and charged him with human sacrifice. for a while the indian could not speak; then he vehemently denied the accusation. the conference was long; in the end, pablo admitted his innocence of the graver charge, but the acts of paganry could not be disputed. he agreed to say no more about them, however, on condition that the accursed flower should be surrendered and destroyed in his presence. by evening it was brought. but he changed his mind about destroying it just then. as has been said, this was the pride of m. kienast-zolly's collection for many years; then it passed, the half of it, to baron schröder, and a quarter to mr. wilson. shortly afterwards mr. measures secured the latter fragment. the description of the sacred place certainly does not apply to an indian temple. the cairns were graves of ancient heroes doubtless, and the figures portrait-statues, such as i myself have seen in abundance to the southward. the indians made this desert spot a temple perhaps, and treated the statues as idols, when their places of worship were destroyed. the cypripedium house perhaps our collection is most famed for its cypripeds. during twenty years and more the owner has been securing remarkable hybrids and varieties--labouring on his own account also to produce them. but the pretty house which lodges these accumulated treasures is not more than 48 feet long and 17 wide. no room here for vulgar beauties; only the best and rarest can find admission. there are, to be precise, 980 plants upon the stages, 169 hanging from the roof. they are close packed certainly, but a glance at the vivid foliage satisfies even the uninitiated that they have space enough. orchids generally are the most accommodating of plants--the best tempered and the strongest in constitution; and among orchids none equal the cypripeds in both respects. it is pleasant to fancy that they feel gratitude for our protection. darwin convinced himself that the whole family is doomed. in construction and anatomy it preserves 'the record of a former and more simple state of the great orchidaceous family,' now outgrown. such survivals are profoundly interesting to us, but nature does not regard them kindly. they betray her secrets. all the surrounding conditions have changed while the cypriped clings to its antique model--at least, it has not changed in proportion. few insects remain, apparently, adapted to fertilise it and it cannot fertilise itself. in the struggle for existence, therefore, it is terribly handicapped. man comes to the rescue, and no class of orchid accepts his intervention so readily. it is a pretty house, as i have said. experienced gardeners have a deep distrust of pretty houses. picturesque effect and good culture can seldom be reconciled; the conditions needed for the one are generally fatal to the other. but here we have a pleasing exception. all is green and fresh--no brickwork, nor shelves, nor pipes, nor 'tombstone' labels obtrude upon the view. the back wall is draped with ferns and creepers, orchids peeping through here and there. a broad stand down the middle, accommodating five rows of cypripediums on either side, has all its substructures masked with tufa, which bears a mantle of green. the side stands, each accommodating seven rows of pots, are equally clothed in verdure, moss and fern. at the end, through a glass partition open in the centre, is a fountain, with similar stands all round it. and--an essential point, whereby we understand the glorious health of all these plants--there is not one which the gardener cannot see perfectly as he goes by, and reach without an effort, saving those overhead in the middle. no chance of thrips flourishing unsuspected in this house, nor of slugs following their horrid appetite from pot to pot unnoticed. since it is especially the number of rare 'garden mules' which have won us renown, i ought perhaps to say a word in passing upon the matter of hybridisation. but what can be said in a few lines? it is a theme for articles and books, even in the hands of a smattering amateur like myself. the public has no suspicion how far this novel manufacture has been carried already. there is a hint in the tiny volume compiled by mr. r. h. measures 'for private circulation,' showing the number of hybrids in the genus cypripedium of which he could hear. it contains more than eleven hundred items. of these we have upwards of eight hundred in our collection. but it must be remembered, in the first place, that there is no authoritative list as yet; each inquirer must get information as he can. in the second place, that the number increases daily. such a list could be framed only by an international committee of botanists, for in france and belgium orchid-growers are as enthusiastic as our own; whilst in germany, italy, austria and the united states, if the workers be comparatively few they are very busy. it has often been suggested that an orchid farm would pay handsomely, if established in some well-chosen district of the tropics and intelligently conducted. a gentleman resident in oviedo, florida, mr. theodore s. mead, has carried the notion into practice on a small scale with startling results. i quote from the _orchid review_, june 1896:-'i have built a small platform in the top of a live oak, about 45 feet from the ground ... where i propose to try seeds of some thirty or forty different orchid crosses, including pods from vanda coerulea and cattleya citrina, which are thought difficult to manage under glass...' in september 1897 we hear further:-'the season has been a very trying one, and though my orchid-eyrie in the live oak-top promised great success in june, it was very difficult to keep the compost in good condition during the hot, muggy days of july. still, out of thirty-two crosses planted on a space of peat, 16 inches long by 12 broad, i obtained plants having first leaf of twenty-two of them--mostly cattleyas and laelias;--though a good many died when it was necessary to transplant them, on account of mould and algae threatening to swamp the tiny plants. a single plant of vanda coerulea × v. amesiana appeared, and is now showing its third leaf. this year i have repeated the cross bletia verecunda × schomburgkia tibicinis and have several plants in their first leaf; and also one of bletia verecunda crossed with our native calopogon pulchellus...' in march 1899:--'... my seed-planting was very successful after june in polypodium fibre (fresh fern mats) in my tree-top eyrie, and from july till october i averaged 500 little hybrids transplanted to pots every month; about one-fourth still survive.... i had an ancient moss-grown magnolia chopped down and cut into slabs, some thirty of which i planted with orchid-seed and kept sprayed. the slabs coming from near the ground scarcely germinated a seed, but those from 20 to 30 feet up yielded from 2 to 3 up to about 150. i also tried oak bark, but while the seeds started promptly they were more subject to disease;... when transplanted to pots nearly all died. '_note._--these magnolia slabs were placed in a green-house, not in the "eyrie."' it is hardly worth while to quote the list of seedlings obtained by mr. mead through crossing plants of the same genus. but here are some successes which, very few years ago, would have been declared flatly impossible--as impossible as a fertile union betwixt cat and dog. cattleya amethystoglossa × epidendrum o'brienianum; a few plants alive. cattleya amethystoglossa × epid. radicans; two plants alive. schomburgkia undulata × epid. radicans; several plants. cattleya bowringiana × epid. cochleatum; several plants. epidendrum nocturnum × epid. osmanthum and epid. cucullatum, pollen mixed; several plants. cattleya bowringiana × epid. osmanthum (godseffianum); three plants. bletia verecunda × schomburgkia tibicinis; several plants. bletia verecunda × calopogon pulchellus; one or two plants. schomburgkia tibicinis × laelia purpurata; one plant. the discovery that fertile unions may be concerted between species, and even genera, differing in all visible respects, gives profound interest to the study of hybridisation in the scientific point of view. we have gone so far already that classifications which appeared to be unquestionable have been rudely upset. that laelias and cattleyas should combine is not surprising, even though one come from north mexico and the other from south brazil. but what shall we say when epidendrums combine with both?--with sophronitis, zygopetalum!--nay, with oncidium!!--with dendrobium!!! sobralia proves fertile with cattleya; so does sophronitis. spathoglottis has been crossed with bletia and with phajus. zygopetalum with colax, with oncidium, with epidendrum, with odontoglossum. schomburgkia with laelia and bletia. combinations even more astonishing are reported, but for those named there is responsible authority. i cannot go into detail; these remarks are designed only to call attention to the subject. not all the bigeneric hybrids mentioned have flowered; and at the present time we have learned enough to be aware that possibly one parent will be ignored by the offspring--that a seedling of epidendrum crossed with dendrobium, for example, will bloom a pure epidendrum or a pure dendrobium of the species used; which in itself is sufficiently strange. but seedlings have actually been produced in every case which i have named. it is one of the fixed rules in biology that the offspring of different species must be barren--otherwise the parents are not truly species--and that different genera will not breed at all. but in most instances which have been brought to the test as yet, hybrid orchids of different species prove fertile, and some bigeneric crosses yield a progeny at least. what follows? evidently that the genera or the species are not really distinct--in the cases given. must we admit, then, that a dendrobium of the himalayas (crystallinum) does not differ generically from an epidendrum of mexico (radicans)? this is not the place to argue it out; nor, in truth, would there be much profit in arguing the question while the number of facts to be adduced is still so small that error is not improbable. i hope i have made it clear that the hybridisation of orchids is the most fascinating of botanic studies at this time; which is all i have in view. but professional 'growers' are not likely to help the cause of science much--no blame to them either. they cannot afford to make experiments which demand a great deal of time, and increasing attention, for years, from the most highly-paid of their staff--too probably remaining a dead loss after no small portion of a lifetime has been spent in bringing the produce to flower. a man of business must make such crosses as are most likely to pay in the shortest time--easy species, big, highly coloured. under the best conditions he must wait three to six years, perhaps ten, or even more. evidently the most valuable hybridisations in a scientific point of view would be those least likely to succeed; all would be doubtful, all would require a long term of years, and most would not 'sell' in the end probably. such work is for amateurs. i can mention only a few of the cypripediums here which seem most notable, and it will always remain dubious whether i have chosen the best examples. _bellatulum eximium._--the dorsal is small, low and spreading, white, with carmine specks along the edges, large red-chocolate spots inside. petals closely depressed, mottled with carmine here and there at the edges, and spotted like the dorsal. lip insignificant--white with a few small dots. _olivia_ (tonsum × concolor).--dorsal white above, changing to pink; base greenish, slenderly feathered with carmine. petals bowed, flushed with pink, pink lined, dotted with carmine. slipper pink, deepening to carmine along the front, fading at the toe. _m. finet_ (callosum superbum × godefroyae).--white with a faint rosy blush. at the base of the dorsal is a greenish tinge, which reappears somewhat stronger on the petals. there are a few specks of crimson on the latter, and a few crimson markings at the top of the slipper. _gertrude hollington_ (ciliolare × bellatulum).--a flower of remarkable size. the dorsal is low but exceedingly broad; white, very strongly scored with crimson. upon the scores stand spots of maroon, and a crimson splash follows the midrib. the great broad petals are white of ground, but obscured at the base by a cloud of crimson-maroon, save the edges. crimson lines, carrying spots and specks of maroon, overrun the whole. slipper purplish crimson. _macropterum_ (lowii × superbiens).--dorsal green, darker below. petals long, curving downwards, greenish at base, heavily spotted; the ends clouded with purple. slipper large, tawny purple. _bellatulum album._--the pure white variety of this striking species, so densely spotted in its normal form. it was discovered by mr. r. moore when assistant-commissioner of the shan states in 1893. the dorsal is very low, spreading and depressed; the high-shouldered petals clasp the slipper close all round, in such manner that their ends hang below its tip. grandly beautiful. _baconis_ (chlorops × schlimii).--very small, rosy. sepals scored with a brighter hue. they reverse half their length, showing the back of brilliant rose. slipper carmine. _h. ballantine_ (purpuratum × fairieanum).--dorsal rosy white, ribbed with dark crimson branching lines. petals greenish, lined, dotted, and edged with coppery crimson. slipper purple above, green below, handsomely lined with crimson. _barbato-bellatulum._--takes after the latter parent in shape, but all purple; the white-edged dorsal lined and the petals finely spotted with a darker tint. _mrs. e. cohen_ (callosum × niveum).--all pinkish white, suffused with crimson, lined with crimson and speckled with purple. slipper carmine-purple. _cardinale_ (sedenii × schlimii-albiflorum).--takes its name from the carmine slipper. white in general colour; the petals have a rosy base and rosy tips. _chrysocomes_ (caudatum warcewiczii × conchiferum).--dorsal greenish-yellow, edged with white. its tip or crest is most extraordinary, hanging forward like a tongue between high jaws curved and serrated. the ochreous-greenish petals have an edging of crimson and an outer edging of white, prettily frilled and gauffered. they twine and twist through a length of ten or twelve inches, showing the crimson reverse. _claudii_ (spicerianum × vernixium).--the dorsal is white above, with a strong purple midrib, and a purple flush towards the edge; the base is olive green. petals olive green, shaded in a darker hue, and tipped with purple. the slipper purple above, green below. _beeckmanii_ (boxalli sup. × bellatulum).--the yellow-green dorsal is broadly margined in its upper part with white, and marked profusely with large crimson-brown spots. the petals are depressed, spreading like wings, of madder-purple hue, lined and spotted, the lower margin greenish. slipper dark purple, with a greenish toe. _bellatulum egregium._--doubtless a natural hybrid. the depressed dorsal is pale green, spotted with pink in lines. petals and slipper white above, pale greenish below, with large pink spots all over. a most remarkable variety. _brownii_ (leucorrhodum × longifl. magnificum).--the dorsal takes a very singular form. narrow and almost rectangular, it is sharply constricted towards the top, then widens out again like the ace of spades. the colour is white, touched with green and rose. petals long, narrow, with an edging of carmine, and outer edging of white; as they reverse towards the tip the colour is all rose. big broad slipper, rosy, prettily spotted with carmine on the white lining. _antigone_ (lawrenceanum × niveum).--the big dorsal sepal is pink with a white border. strong branching ribs of crimson spring from a base of vivid green and form a network. the drooping petals show a deeper pink, with similar lines and maroon specks; as does the slipper. _h. hannington_ (villosum × fascinator).--the great dorsal bears a purple mauve cloud within its broad white margin, changing to dusky green at the base and scored with branching lines of somewhat darker mauve. petals and lip greenish ochre, frilled and shining, lined with brown in dots. _hector_ (leeanum var. × sallierii var.)--dorsal white with a greenish-blue centre, traversed by dull brown lines. petals yellow at the base, set with a quantity of short, stiff black hairs; changing to ochreous dun, the upper half bearing a dusky brownish network. lip of the same dusky hue. _myra_ (chamberlainianum × haynaldianum).--tall, graceful in form as in colouring. the long narrow dorsal is pale green, edged with white. at the base is a patch of dusky chocolate and spots of the same tone run upward in lines. the pale-green petals, narrow and rectangular, bear a few large dun blotches outlined with chocolate; their tips reverse, showing a faint mauve tint. _aphrodite superbum_ (niveum × lawrenceanum).--the same parentage reversed; as usual the produce is quite dissimilar. its colour is white, purple-tinged except the margin, overlaid with a crimson network of dots. another example from the same seed-pod has a palest pink network instead of crimson, and tiny dots of maroon. it looks like the ghost of its sister. _arnoldiae_ (bellatulum × superciliare).--whitish, with bold spots of crimson-brown arranged in lines upon the dorsal. slipper purple-lake above, greenish below. _arnoldianum_ (superbiens × concolor).--dusky shining yellow, tinged at the edges with crimson, spotted and lined with the same. a hybrid remarkable for its shyness to flower. _cyanides_ (swanianum × bellatulum).--a dusky flower, of green and purple tones. the greenish dorsal is clouded at base, lined and spotted, with purple. petals the same, but the spotting is darker and more distinct. slipper clear purple. _callosum sanderae._--a sport or natural hybrid of most singular beauty. i remember the delighted amazement which possessed me when mr. sander unlocked a door and showed this exquisite flower just opening--a treasure hidden from all but the trustiest friends until it could be displayed at the temple show in 1894. the great dorsal sepal is white above, tender green in two shades below, with strong green lines ascending from the base. the petals, much depressed, are bright green, lined with a darker hue and tipped with white. the slipper yellowish-green. it may be mentioned that the owner of this collection declined to accept 1000 guineas for his stock of callosum sanderae three years after buying the original plant. _aylingii_ (niveum × ciliolare).--small, white ground. the dorsal and petals alike are boldly striped with carmine-crimson. slipper all white. _conco-curtisii._--the triangular dorsal is bright green in the centre, with a dark crimson cloud at the base and crimson lines. the broad depressed petals are dark crimson, fading towards the tips, similarly lined. slipper green at the toe, crimson above. _conco-callosum._--the dorsal, almost a diamond in shape, is crimson, with darker lines extending from a greenish base; petals greenish, margined, lined and spotted with crimson. slipper crimson-purple above, green below. _alfred_ (laevigatum × venustum).--strong ribs of crimson-brown circle up from a green base over the white dorsal, which is pointed sharply. the drooping twisted petals are brightest green above, with a white margin, changing to tawny crimson as they reverse. the whole heavily spotted with crimson-brown. slipper green, broadly netted over with a darker tint. _calloso-niveum._--where the parentage is shown in the name it need not be expressed at full length. a pale flower, dorsal and sepals greenish at base, faintly tinged and lined with pink, dotted carmine. _amphion_ (harrisianum × lawrenceanum).--the grand dorsal sepal--greenish-yellow, dotted and ribbed with coppery brown--has a broad white margin. petals narrow and bowed, greenish at base, changing to copper; a few heavy dots. the slipper coppery. _cowleyanum_ (curtisii × niveum).--dorsal low and spreading, purplish and lined with purple; the edges white. petals purple, very much darker at base and tips, with a white outline above, and tiny speckles of purple. purple slipper. _conco-lawre_ (concolor × lawrenceanum).--dorsal large, suffused and lined with purple, edged white. petals green at base, margined and lined with crimson, with a few dots of chocolate. slipper purplish above, greenish below. _curtisii_ (woodlands variety) does not depart from the ordinary form in its scheme of colouring, but all the hues are intensified, and the enormous slipper, tinged with green at the edge, is deepest crimson-maroon. i may interrupt the dry enumeration with a story. [illustration: cypripedium. william lloyd.] story of cypripedium curtisii my tales do not commonly bear a moral. if one they have it is apt to be such as grandmamma teaches--foresight, perseverance, the habit of observation. those virtues need no finger-post. they are illustrated by the story of cypripedium curtisii, and rewarded there, as they should be always, by a notable instance of luck. i have not heard of any special circumstances attending the first discovery of this plant. it was found in sumatra by mr. curtis, travelling for messrs. veitch, in 1882--a large green flower, margined and touched here and there with white, the pouch vinous purple. this brief and vague description may suffice for readers who take more interest in romance than in orchidology. mr. curtis did not tell the world at large where he found the treasure. it was his intention, doubtless, to work the mine himself. but after sending home the first fruits, he was offered the directorship of the botanic gardens at penang, and left messrs. veitch's service. he may well have hoped to revisit sumatra one day, but the opportunity never came. messrs. veitch knew the secret, doubtless, and kept it faithfully; but they took no steps. and so, the first consignment being scanty, no more arriving, and the plant growing in favour, cypripedium curtisii rose to famine price. the st. albans firm took note of this. the home of the new cypriped was admitted. sumatra yields a profitable harvest always, even of familiar species, and besides, there is an excellent chance--vastly stronger fifteen years ago--of finding novelties. an intelligent man upon the spot should be able to trace the route of an earlier traveller. one of the st. albans staff was disengaged. in short, mr. ericsson, a swedish collector of great experience, was commissioned to seek cypripedium curtisii. he sailed in 1884. nearly five years did ericsson wander up and down the island--that is, in the dutch territory. working at leisure from bencoolin northwards, he searched the range of mountains which bounds it on the east, and often descended the further slope--visiting peoples scarcely known, whom the dutch had not yet invaded. they proved to be amiable enough. many fine orchids did he send home, and the issue of the search was patiently awaited at st. albans. it did not seem more hopeful as years went by. mr. curtis's footsteps were traced easily enough here and there; but the dutch frontier officials rarely speak any language but their own and the malay, nor does their discourse generally turn upon orchids when they have a visitor. it was just as likely as not that ericsson had already traversed the district he sought, without identifying it. cypripeds, as a rule, occupy a very narrow area, especially the fine species. they are a doomed race, belonging to the elder world, and slowly following its inhabitants to extinction. that fascinating theme i must not touch; readers interested may refer to darwin. the point is that a collector may skirt a field of cypripeds very closely without suspecting his good fortune. but travel in sumatra at that time was more limited than it had been--more than it is now. the achinese still held out--for that matter, while i am writing, comes news of a skirmish wherein three officers and nineteen soldiers lost their lives. ten years ago that stubborn and fearless people not only defended their own soil but also made forays into the dutch territory. desperate patriots allied themselves with the battas, a cannibal race dwelling between their country and the province of tapanuli; and hatred to the white man--or rather to the dutch--carried the achinese so far, though strict moslems, that they tempted these savages to move by a promise of surrendering all captives--to be devoured. thus the northern parts of dutch sumatra were very unsafe. when ericsson desired to explore there he was refused permission. at padang, the capital, however, in 1887, he made acquaintance with the controleur--magistrate, as we should say--of lubu sikeping, a district which lies along the batta country. this gentleman spoke swedish--an accomplishment grateful beyond expression to ericsson, who had not heard his native tongue for years. promptly they made friends. the controleur had been summoned to report upon the state of things in his residency. he presented a long list of outrages and murders. scores, if not hundreds, of peaceful subjects had been not only plundered and killed, but eaten, on dutch soil, in the last few months. he represented that active measures must be taken forthwith. the battas, inhabiting a high tableland beyond the mountains, crept through the defile, ravaged, burnt, massacred, and trooped back, carrying their prisoners away for leisurely consumption. before news of the inroad reached the nearest outpost they were half-way home. smaller parties lay in wait along the roads, stopping all communication. they had not yet ventured to assail a post, or even a large village, but the achin desperadoes urged them to bolder feats, and they grew continually more aggressive. an expedition must be sent. it need not be large, for the cannibals are not fighting men. the governor was persuaded. he ordered a small force to be equipped, and meantime the controleur returned to his station. it was a rare opportunity for ericsson. he begged permission to accompany his new friend, who good-naturedly presented him to the governor. an historian may be allowed to say that the hero of this narrative is fat, and there is no offence in supposing that the most exalted functionary has a sense of humour. his excellency appears to have been tickled. the cannibals would rage with disappointment in beholding this succulent mortal--beyond their reach. he laughed and consented. i have no details of the expedition striking enough to be set down in a brief chronicle like this. it was a slow and toilsome march through jungle and mountain passes, the barizan range, where a score of determined men might have stopped an army. the achinese proved that; they held the force at bay for hours in a gorge, though less than a score. but the battas would not fight even when their capital was reached, on lake toba. the rajahs submitted, paid an indemnity, gave hostages, yielded up the surviving victims, and undertook to have no more dealings with the achinese. so the matter ended. ericsson found some new plants in their country, and many old well worth collecting. doubtless the results would have been far more important could he have wandered freely. but those demons of achin hung upon the line of march, joyously sacrificing their own lives to kill a dutchman. if his personal adventures were not so curious, however--perhaps i should rather say so dramatic--that i could single out one of them, ericsson gained much information about an extraordinary people. i can only set down a few facts. he says that the battas themselves do not regard their cannibalism as an immemorial practice. they have a story, not worth repeating, to account for it. but i may observe that if marco polo's 'kingdom of mangi, called concha,' lay in those parts, as geographers believe, some race of the neighbourhood was cannibal in the thirteenth century. 'they commonly eat men's flesh, if the person die not of sickness, as better tasted than others.' that is the motive still--the only one adduced--mere liking. elsewhere the practice may be due to superstition in one form or another; among the battas it is simply _gourmandise_. the head rajah questioned gave a matter-of-fact answer. 'you dutch eat pig,' said he, 'because you like it; we eat man because that is our fancy.' to be devoured alive is the punishment of four offences among themselves--adultery, robbery after nightfall, unprovoked assault, and marrying within the clan; the last an interesting item of which sir john lubbock should certainly take note for his next edition of _the origin of civilisation_. the instinct of 'exogamy' has no such striking illustration elsewhere. as for foreigners and strangers there is no rule; they are devoured at sight. and it may well be believed that people so fond of eating one another do not demand unquestionable evidence when a man of low station is charged with one of the four crimes which may give them a meal. i must not repeat the horrors which ericsson learned. suffice it that the victim is tied up, and those present exercise their choice of morsels. at a former time, they say, not long ago, the flesh was cooked--a statement which confirms the theory, so far as it goes, of a recent introduction. at this present they dip the slice in salt and pepper and eat it on the spot. a good many missionaries, english, dutch, french, and american, have not only settled on the confines of the batta territory, but have travelled in the interior. the earliest of these, messrs. ward and burton, found the people kindly, which again must be noted as suggesting that they were not so ferocious in 1820. the second party, messrs. lyman and munson, of massachusetts, were eaten. mdme. pfeiffer nearly crossed the tableland unmolested, though the savages were not friendly; but, as she says, they regarded her as a witch. encouraged by this example, three french priests made an attempt two years later; they were promptly devoured. two dutchmen shared their fate not long afterwards, and the government forbade more experiments. i have no room for detail, but one very curious point must be indicated. these cannibals unredeemed possess an alphabet of their own, bearing no resemblance to the malay, which latter is a corrupt amalgamation of arabian, persian, and tamil. the batta characters are original. they write commonly on strips of bamboo, scratching the letters. on the return of the expedition, a party of invalids was despatched to the local sanitarium on selimbang hill, and ericsson obtained leave to accompany it. there was no danger now. a few huts had been built there for troops, and a bungalow for officers--who made him welcome, of course. they arrived at dusk. the officers went out early next morning to their duties, and ericsson lay waiting for his coffee. the rough timbers of the bungalow were concealed by boards, smooth and neat. invalids quartered there had amused themselves by scribbling their names. some, more ambitious, added verses, epigrams, and caricatures; others, drawings and even paintings. from his bed-place ericsson scrutinised these artless memorials in the early light. presently he observed a flower--a cypripedium; the shape could not be mistaken. it was coloured, but dimly--the tints had soaked into the wood. with professional interest his eye lingered on this sketch. and then the first sun-ray streamed across the verandah and fell upon the very spot. its faded colours shone brightly for a moment, green, white margin, vinous purple--ericsson sprang out of bed. no room for doubt! to make assurance doubly sure there was an inscription--'c. c.'s contribution to the adornment of this room.' hurriedly he sought a pencil and wrote--'contribution accepted. cypripedium collected, c. e.' it was not such a smart _réplique_ as the occasion seems to demand. but ericsson is perfectly well satisfied with it to this day. we can imagine how blithely he set to work that morning. cypripedium curtisii was selling in london at the moment for many guineas--a small plant too. and he had found the goose with golden eggs innumerable, waiting to be picked up. these orchids 'travel' well. there was no great distance to carry them before embarkation. the good fellow's fortune was made, and he had the pleasure of knowing it well earned. with such cheerful thoughts, ericsson sallied out day after day for a while, searching the mountain. he had a following of miscellaneous 'natives' by this time, experienced in their work. the neighbourhood was rich. every evening they brought in a load of orchids more or less valuable, but never cypripedium curtisii. he engaged men of the district and showed them the picture. some recognised it, and undertook to bring specimens; but they were always mistaken. the invalids withdrew, one after another. ericsson found himself alone. his accumulated spoil of plants, well worth shipping, began to be as much as he could transport. as time went by, despair possessed him. after all, it did not follow that mr. curtis had found the prize just here because he painted it on the wall. to discover a new and fine orchid is a great achievement, and the lucky man might very well commemorate it anywhere when choosing a device. finally, 'time was up.' to wait longer would be sacrificing the great heap of treasures secured. after shipping them he might return. it was a sad disappointment after such reasonable hopes, but things might have been worse. so ericsson gave orders to pack and start as soon as possible. when all was ready, on the very evening before departure, one of the local assistants brought him a flower. this time it was right. in three days several thousand plants had been collected, and ericsson went his way rejoicing. no reader, i hope, will fancy that these coincidences are invented. the story would be childish as fiction. it is literal fact, and therefore only is it worth telling. [illustration: cypripedium × rothwellianum.] cypripediums--_continued_ _william lloyd_ (bellatulum × swanianum).--the white crest of the dorsal rises from a dull crimson blur with greenish centre, overrun with crimson lines. the petals have a dull crimson ground, paler below, densely speckled with maroon, the ends just tipped with white. slipper, shining maroon. _a de lairesse_ (curtisii × rothschildianum).--the fine dorsal is white, with a greenish centre and faint purple edges, the lines clear purple. petals long and drooping, pale green, edged with white; all covered with purple spots. slipper, ochreous brown. _juno_ (fairieanum × callosum).--the broad white dorsal, green at base, tinged with purple, and strongly scored with purple lines, is actually the widest part of the flower, as in fairieanum. the narrow petals curl down close upon the slipper, green in paler and darker shades, with bunches of purple hair, like those on a caterpillar, at the edges, and pale purple tips. slipper, dusky greenish with brown lines. _saide lloyd_ (venustum × godefroyae).--dorsal small, bright green with darker lines. petals purplish above, greenish below, speckled with small dots of crimson and strong spots of maroon. slipper, ochreous yellow, dotted with crimson at top and netted with green. _cymatodes_ (curtisii × veitchii).--the fine dorsal is green, fading to white, with a pretty narrow edging of pink, and boldly ribbed. the petals, dark at base, change to green, and towards the tips have an edging of profuse crimson specks. the slipper, very wide at the mouth, is greenish. _dauthierii albino._--a wonderful sport. up the grass-green dorsal, edged with white above, run strong lines of darker tone. the petals, very narrow at base, are yellowish green, suffused and lined with copper above, paler below. the slipper shows similar colouring. on the same plant, open at the same time, but from another stem, was a flower of the common dauthierii type. still more remarkable, one year this second stem bore a flower of which half the dorsal was pale yellow, the other half coppery green, as is usual, thus betraying a futile inclination to rival its albino sister. the petals were scarcely affected, however. _dauthierii marmoratum._--another abnormal form. the point of the dorsal, and the high shoulders, are white, the rest crimson-maroon. from the point descend three or four broad lines, or long splashes, of green, with striking effect. the petals are marbled longitudinally with purple on a dusky ground. the lip is dull, dusky crimson. _lord derby_ (rothschildianum × superbiens).--an immense flower--the grand dorsal rosy white, tinged with pale green in the middle, pale purple on either hand, dark lines circling upward over all. the petals, outlined with purple at the base, change to pale green, almost to white, below and at the tips. great spots of darkest crimson stud the whole. slipper maroon, greenish at the toe. _evenor_ (argus × bellatulum).--ground-colour throughout ochreous yellow. the dorsal has a purplish base and maroon lines of dots. broad round petals, closely spotted with maroon. slipper purplish above, ochre below. _excelsior_ (rothschildianum × harrisianum).--dorsal long, high-shouldered, greenish, with darkest crimson edging lines of the same tint, and white margin. petals depressed, of a like green, crimson along the upper edge, covered with the heavy spots and hairs of rothschildianum. slipper very long, dull crimson. _engelhardtiae_ (insigne maulei × spicerianum).--the dorsal has very broad shoulders, narrowing to a wasp-waist, where the upper white changes abruptly to bright green, spotted with pink. a strong crimson line runs from base to tip. petals so evenly curved downwards that they seem to make a half-circle, coppery yellow in hue, handsomely gauffered on the upper edge, and lined with copper colour. immensely wide lip, coppery ochre with a bright green lining. _edwardii_ (superbiens × fairieanum).--dorsal long, white-edged, stained at the margin with purplish crimson and lined with the same. short narrow petals, very strongly bowed, greenish, edged throughout with purplish crimson. slipper green at toe, coppery above. _fairieanum._--no orchid is so interesting as this in the point of view which may be called historic. in the autumn of 1857, mr. reid of burnham and mr. parker, nursery-man, of holloway, sent flowers of it to sir w. hooker at kew, asking what they might be. shortly afterwards mr. fairie of liverpool showed a plant in flower at the r.h.s. meeting, and dr. lindley named it after him. it is believed that all these plants were bought at stevens' sale-rooms among a number of orchids forwarded from assam. but none have turned up since, and attempts to find the habitat have been totally unsuccessful. those who expect to see a flower big in proportion to its fame will be disappointed; but if small, indeed very small, cyp. fairieanum is striking both in form and colour. the upstanding dorsal has a crest, from which the sides curl back. its ground-colour is white with a greenish tinge. broad lines of maroon fall downwards from the crest, lessening as they go, but multiplying towards the edges, where they form a close network. the petals curl as sharply as a cow's horn, inverted at the tips to show a maroon lining; they are greenish above, with three sharp little maroon bars at the base, and slender lines of maroon; maroon also is the narrow edging. the shield of the column, small as it is, cannot be overlooked, for it shines like a jewel--exquisitely mottled with the brightest green, accentuated by a tiny arch of maroon on either side. slipper greenish, with blurred lines of maroon. _gertrude_ (chamberlainianum × insigne chantinii).--dorsal white above, bright green below, heavily dotted in lines with crimson-brown. petals finely gauffered, dusky crimson, spotted. the slipper, crimson-purple, looks very bright by contrast. _tesselatum porphyreum_ (concolor × barbatum).--the pale ochreous tone of one parent and the purple of the other have produced a very remarkable result in combination. the general effect distinctly red. the round dorsal is reddish above, of a deeper shade at base, with dotted lines of red; the petals curve down, dark red at the base, fading towards the ends, which are clothed in a pretty network of pale red. the green slipper is clouded and netted over with crimson. _telemachus_ (niveum × lawrenceanum).--the dorsal, very broad, is tinged with purple in the centre. crimson lines ascend from a green base and the margin all round is white. the petals are green, changing to purple, with darker lines and spots. slipper crimson. _tautzianum lepidum_ (niveum × barbatum warneri).--a rosy flower, covered throughout with lines and network of crimson. the lip darker. _georges truffaut_ (ciliolare × stonei).--very large. the tall dorsal has crimson edges and lines, greenish centre. the twisted petals--greenish, with crimson lines, very large maroon spots and crimson-purple tips--hang loosely. an enormous slipper, all crimson-brown. _mrs. e. g. uihlein_ (villosum aureum × leeanum giganteum).--the dorsal rises to a point between shoulders perfectly square, white, with a heavy slash of copper from base to crest; the centre greenish-coppery, with lines and mottling of pale crimson. petals green in the upper half, clouded and lined with copper; paler below. slipper similar. _venustum_ (measures variety).--a remarkable sport. small. the white dorsal is striped with clear green lines, rising from a green cloud at the base. the ochreous copper petals have a green base. slipper the same, covered with a pretty green network. _watsonianum_ (harrisianum nigrum × concolor).--the white crested dorsal shows a crimson line in the centre, green on either side, crimson towards the edges. the petals, dark green at base, fade to a paler tint, and the ends are crimson; all softly lined with crimson. slipper maroon. _woodlandsense_ (dayanum × javanicum virens).--among the rare cypripeds in this collection, i have noted several of which the dorsal sepal bore a cap, elaborate as eccentric in shape. but this is most singular of all. between the point of the dorsal and the shoulder is a process which i can only describe in architectural language as a volute reversed; an addition so abnormal and inexplicable that i really find nothing to say about it. in other respects the dorsal is striking--handsomely rounded, white with a rosy margin, the vivid green at the base not fading softly but abrupt almost as a splash; petals the same vivid green, with maroon spots and a stain of copper at the ends. the rosy stamenode shows well upon this ground. slipper pale green, with a pleasing network of copper. _zeus_ (tonsum × boxallii).--the white globular dorsal rises from a very slender green waist, with a broad dark-crimson line up the centre. petals dark coppery in the upper half, pale below. slipper dusky. _annie measures_ (bellatulum × dayanum).--dorsal yellowish, outlined white, covered with slender purple lines and dots. large smooth petals, netted over with small crimson dots in a pattern. slipper narrow, dull crimson above, white toe. _frau ida brandt_ (io grande × youngianum).--the large dorsal, white at the edges, is suffused with green and purple; the long petals, green and purple, are depressed. heavy spots of crimson-brown, furnished with stiff hairs, cover them. handsomely reversed at the tip. slipper greenish-coppery. _adrastus_ (leeanum × boxallii).--here the large white dorsal with green base is heavily blotched with red-brown in the centre, lightly at the sides. the closely drooping petals, yellowish green, have the upper half splashed and mottled with a lively brown almost obscuring the ground-colour, which reappears in the lower half. lip green at toe, coppery above. _athos_ (parentage unknown) has an odd colouring--ochreous-green sepals, outlined with white and profusely dotted with brown; petals bright ochre, the upper length scored with lines of raw sienna. the lip similar. _arthurianum pulchellum_ (fairieanum × insigne chantinii).--the green dorsal is thickly dotted all over with brown; the tip falls over, showing its white underside. petals depressed, greenish, charmingly frilled, clouded and lined with copper-brown above, spotted with copper below. slipper greenish, handsomely veined and marbled in a soft coppery tone. _astraea_ (laevigatum × spicerianum).--dorsal white, with a pale green base, whence a heavy radius, maroon in colour, mounts to the tip; petals narrow, loosely hanging, greenish at base, crimson-purple through most of their length, marked with red lines. slipper greenish, stained with purple. _aurantiacum_ (venustum × insigne aureum).--ochreous-green dorsal, its square top broadly crowned with white, spotted below with brownish-red; petals darker, similarly spotted. the slipper harmonises. _cleopatra_ (hookerae × aenanthum superbum).--a striking flower--deep glossy crimson, ribbed with a darker hue. on the upper length of the petals are heavy warts; the lower has a greenish tawny stain at base, like the slipper. _lily measures_ (dayanum × niveum).--the dorsal is white, daintily flushed, with green base. lines of red dots ascend from it, growing smaller and fainter as they rise. such lines form a pleasing network on the petals, which have a yellowish smear at the base. the slipper corresponds. _lawrebel_ (lawrenceanum × bellatulum).--a grand and gorgeous hybrid. the green patch at the base of the dorsal is promptly swallowed up by a crimson cloud, which again fades into a delicious mottling of crimson on a white ground. the petals are vivid green above, paler below, both changing to crimson at the tips. slipper yellowish at the edge and the toe, crimson between. _lawrebel_ (woodlands variety) shows the difference of colour so often found among seedlings of the same parentage and the same 'batch.' here the crimson is by no means so bright, in fact purplish, but it covers nearly the whole surface of the dorsal, and what remains is not white but green. on the petals also, which are broader, green occupies nearly all the space, though less vivid, and the crimson of the tips almost disappears. they are heavily spotted with maroon. slipper dusky purple, netted over with maroon. _la france_ (nitens × niveum).--white and very graceful. the only trace of colour appears in broad pink spots at the base of the dorsal, and smaller spots, more profuse, at the base of the petals. on the slipper they are smaller still, set along the edge. _lawrenceanum-hyeanum_ has a broad white dorsal, clouded with green at the base, and marked with handsome green lines. the narrow petals stand out firmly, vivid green, with lines of a deeper shade. the slipper also is green but pale. another example is very much larger. _lawrenceanum sir trevor._--this is no hybrid, but a wonderful variety of the species. the dorsal strangely broad and depressed--squat in fact. white in colour, with superb green lines mounting from the green cloud below, it sits tight over the rectangular petals of dark but vivid green, marked with deeper lines. the slipper is yellowish-green. _leucochilum giganteum_ (assumed to be a hybrid of godefroyae × bellatulum).--a compact flower, of which the three parts seem equal in size. white, with a faint ochreous tinge; covered throughout, saving the margin, with crimson spots, which form almost a blotch in the midst of the dorsal. slipper small and white. _leysenianum_ (barbatum crossii × bellatulum).--the dorsal is very handsome and striking, bright crimson at top, fading to a dusky base, lined with crimson. the clinging petals, tawny green in the upper length, are washed with crimson in the lower; all profusely spotted with maroon. slipper dull crimson. _mrs. fred hardy_ (superbiens × bellatulum).--a very dainty hybrid. the dorsal, white with a greenish centre, is covered with interlacing crimson lines dotted with maroon, saving the clear margin. the petals almost form a semi-circle, greenish with a white edge, netted over with pale crimson and dotted with maroon in lines. the slipper greenish, with a pretty pink network round the upper part. _holidayanum_ (concolor × almum).--excepting a narrow white margin the dorsal is bright crimson, darkening towards the greenish base; petals greenish, with edges and dotted lines of crimson. slipper dull crimson, with yellowish toe. _hirsuto-sallierii._--the upper half of the dorsal is white, the lower clear yellow-green, the whole covered with antlered lines of grass-green; petals yellow-green, finely frilled, tipped with palest purple. pale purple and greenish also is the slipper. _mrs. herbert measures_ (lathamianum × leeanum giganteum).--the great dorsal, yellow tinged with purple, has the shape of a flattened peg-top. a broad splash of maroon bisects it. the cinnamon-coloured petals are flushed with red, and lined with the same tint; the midrib is maroon. slipper abnormally wide, purplish. _javanicum._--a species, named from its habitat. small and solidly green save the white crest of the dorsal, and the pale purple tips of the narrow petals. such strong and decided colouring makes it useful to the hybridiser. _measuresianum_ (villosum × venustum).--the small triangular dorsal, white, is evenly striped with green; petals yellow-green, with a grass-green base and emerald lines from end to end. the slipper shows a charming network of vivid green on a tawny yellow ground. _marchioness of salisbury_ (bellatulum × barbatum superbum, sander's variety).--dorsal hollow, broadly crimson all round the margin, dusky white inside, striped with crimson and speckled with maroon. petals closely depressed, white, with a shade of green above, of crimson below, dotted with maroon. slipper tawny crimson, with clouding of the same. _marshallianum_ (venustum-pardinum × concolor).--unique in effect. dorsal and petals ochreous white, with a faint crimson flush; all densely covered with minute crimson dots. slipper of a yellow almost bright. _brysa_ (boissierianum × sedeni candidulum).--a handsome plant, with long pale leaves. dorsal greenish, corkscrew petals similar, tinged with pink. slipper pale pink, all the inside prettily dotted with brown. _muriel hollington_ (niveum × insigne).--a broad flower but compact. the globular white dorsal has a pink cloud at the base and dots of crimson. the petals, similar, have crimson lines. slipper prettily mottled with pink. _lavinia_ (concolor × barbatum).--white of ground-colour all through, with a faintest flush of rose-pink. the whole of the dorsal marked with maroon dots upon regular lines of crimson. the broad drooping petals are spotted irregularly with the same tint. the narrow white slipper has a close array of crimson dots round the edge. _cydonia_ (concolor × curtisii).--dorsal flesh-colour at the edges; in the middle a broad green stain which fades towards the apex. midrib brown-crimson, with a paler network of the same over all. petals crimson above, then greenish, pink or light crimson below, with faint lines and sharp little dots of crimson-brown. slipper brownish and green. _symonsianum_ (volonteanum × rothschildianum).--impressive for size and width, but not brilliant nor attractive in colour. dorsal greenish, with pink-flushed edges, marked by strong lines of crimson-brown. petals greenish, tipped with pale crimson, strongly dotted along the edges with the bristling tufts of rothschildianum. slipper nondescript--greenish and purplish. _j. coles_ (godefrovae-leucochilum majesticum × dayanum superbum).--a charming flower. the dorsal is purplish crimson, with a pretty tinge of green in the midst and narrow white edges; the whole lined and netted over with crimson-purple. petals the same, very dark at base, paling to a greenish centre; all closely spotted with the dark crimson tone. slipper maroon, highly polished. _princess may_ (callosum × sanderianum).--a stately bloom, of impressive colouring. the tall bulbous dorsal is white at the crest, crimson-lake below, pale green at base; the whole striped with maroon and with crimson dots. petals long, drooping far below the greenish slipper, green in the midst, with crimson edges and profuse dottings of crimson. _pylaeus_ (cardinale × sedeni).--pink and pretty. the pointed dorsal is pale pink above, greenish in the midst. the sharp pink petals have edges of carmine, and carmine tips. the pouch-like slipper is crimson; its lining ivory, marbled with pink. _phoebe_ (laevigatum × bellatulum).--rosy-white throughout. the dorsal bears a cloud of crimson-lake, sharply defined, darkening to maroon at the base, whence proceed heavy branching lines of crimson and maroon. the petals, crimson-stained above, heavily dotted all over with maroon, have white margins. slipper bright crimson at the top, whitish below. _paris_ (bellatulum × stonei).--a grand beauty. the broad globular dorsal has a greenish patch in the midst, surrounded by purple, netted all over with maroon lines. the edges are pure white, as distinct as if drawn with the brush. petals depressed, curiously blunted at the tips, verdigris-green at base, fading and changing to dusky crimson, with heavy spots of deepest maroon. slipper purple, netted over with carmine; yellowish at the toe. _rowena_ (chamberlainianum × bellatulum).--dorsal greenish-yellow above, darkest maroon below; branching maroon lines circle upwards. petals greenish towards the tips, clouded at base, edged, scored, and dotted all over with maroon-crimson. the shield of the column intensely dark maroon and shining. slipper striped with a pleasant pale crimson, and closely speckled over with tiny points of a darker shade. _mrs. w. a. roebling_ (caudatum × leucorrhodum).--the colouring is very delicate. dorsal long, with a twisted crest; all stainless grass-green. petals, which make one complete revolution or twist, softly greenish in the middle, edged with tender pale crimson, which also appears on the reverse; the lower base shows a brilliant decoration of tiny crimson bars round the column. the pouched slipper, bright pink, has a yellow lining, freckled with greenish dots. _reticulatum._--a species, known also as boissierianum, as curious as charming. the dorsal, of extraordinary length and the same narrow width throughout, curls over at the crest--bright pea-green, with slender lines a shade darker. the petals have the same slender green lines; they are very thin, closely and evenly twisted in six complete spirals. the shield of the column intensely dark green. slipper green, its lining snow-white, with purple dots. _charles richmond_ (bellatulum × barbatum superbum).--the broad purplish dorsal has a whitish outline and a greenish tinge in the centre; its midrib is very strong purple, as are the lines which intersect it. petals purple, darker at the base, dotted all over with maroon. slipper dark purplish-crimson. in colour, shape, and size alike this hybrid is most impressive. _schofieldianum_ (bellatulum × hirsutissimum).--very distinct. on a yellowish-white ground the dorsal has a pale greenish centre, surrounded by purple, deepening at the base; all scored with branching lines of purple in dots. the petals are broad and strong, yellowish-white, tinged with purple, closely covered with maroon-purple dots. slipper purplish-crimson, greenish at the toe. _southgatense_ (callosum × bellatulum).--the dorsal has a rosy-white ground, very heavily clouded with dark crimson below, and almost hidden by strong lines of crimson and maroon. the petals have a touch of bright green at the base, edges of a lively dark crimson, and strong dots of maroon. slipper crimson, dusky yellow at the toe. _southgatense superbum._--this is another example of the difference which seedlings from the same pod may display; cases even more striking could be adduced with ease. incomparably finer than the last. the rosy-white dorsal is stained with crimson up to the edges, and scored with darker lines. the petals, slightly greenish at the base, have a dotting of crimson on their rosy-white ground. the slipper, whitish, is prettily speckled with crimson round the top. _massaianum_ (superciliare × rothschildianum).--a large bold flower. dorsal white, greenish in the middle. clear thin lines of purple, almost black, alternate with lines equally thin of pale green. the fine long petals are greenish above, palest purple below, with the massive spots of rothschildianum. strong hairs line the edges. the broad shield is dusky ochre. slipper maroon, netted over with a deeper shade. _miss clara measures_ (bellatulum eximium × barbatum grandiflorum).--lively dark crimson. the crest of the dorsal is handsomely defined by semicircular scallops on each side. petals depressed, clinging to the slipper, greenish at base, fading and changing to the same bright dark crimson as the dorsal; all speckled finely in a deeper shade. slipper crimson. a grand flower. _measuresiae_ (bellatulum × superbiens).--dorsal rosy, with green tip and a faintly green centre, dotted over with maroon in lines. petals rosy white, tinged with purple above, strongly speckled with maroon. slipper crimson, fading towards the toe, covered with crimson dots. _winifred hollington_ (niveum × callosum).--dorsal pale dusky crimson, purple at base; lines of the same colour, accentuated by dots. the handsome petals are pale purple, with darker branching lines and specks over all. slipper purplish, with pale crimson lines. _nitidum_ (selligerum majus × nitens).--very large. the broad white edges of the dorsal fold sharply back. it is green in the midst, with green lines and longitudinal rows of strong dark brown spots. petals clear brown above, with a tinge of maroon, paler below, with spots of the same. slipper brownish. the whole polished and shiny to a degree which gives it the name nitidum. but there was one astonishing peculiarity in the flower which i saw--the first produced. everyone knows that in the genus cypripedium the two lower sepals are fused together, making a single limb, small commonly, insignificant, and nearly hidden by the slipper. but in this case there was no attempt at fusion. the lower sepals stood out as clearly as in a cattleya, one on each side the slipper--whitish, with green lines and crimson spots at the base. it will be interesting to observe whether this deformity--which is in truth a return to the more graceful pristine form--will prove to be permanent. _sir redvers buller._--a new hybrid of which the parents are understood to be lucie × insigne; the former itself a hybrid--lawrenceanum × ciliolare. i have not seen the flower, which is thus described in the _gardeners' chronicle_, jan. 20, 1900: 'the fine dorsal is of a pale-green tint in the lower half with dark chocolate-purple dotted lines; the upper portion pure white, with the basal dark lines continued into it, but of a deep rose-purple. the petals are yellowish, tinged with rose on the outer halves and blotched with dark purplish chocolate. lip greenish with the face tinged reddish-brown.' [illustration: cypripedium boissierianum var. bungerothi.] story of cypripedium platytaenium this is the rarest and costliest of all orchids--of all flowers that blow, indeed, and all green things, from the cedar of lebanon to the hyssop upon the housetop. i think it no exaggeration to say that a strong specimen would be worth its weight in diamonds if a little one--for the most enthusiastic of millionaires seem to lose courage when biddings go beyond a certain sum. but it is long since any plants came into the market. i suppress part of the name, as usual, fearing to daunt casual readers. be it understood that this treasure is a variety of cypripedium stoneii; the specific title should be introduced in speaking of it. doubtless platytaenium is a very handsome member of the family, impressive in size and shape, elegantly coloured. but one who regards the flower with eyes undazzled by fashion may pronounce that its value lies mostly in its renown. but one plant has ever been discovered; and that came to europe unannounced. messrs. low sold a quantity of a new cypripedium from borneo. some pieces were bought by mr. day, of tottenham, at an average of eight shillings each. they flowered successively, and mr. day named the species stoneii, after his excellent gardener. in 1863, however, one appeared different to the rest--different, as it has proved, to all the myriads which have been discovered since. this was named platytaenium. but besides the merit of rarity, it is distinguished by a peculiar slowness of growth. mr. day multiplied the specimen as fast as he could, but between 1863 and 1881 he only succeeded in making four small plants from it. one of these was sold to mrs. morgan, of new york; it perished, doubtless, for when, at her death, a cypriped was put up under that hallowed name, and bought at a long price, it proved to be the common stoneii. mr. dorman, of sydenham, was the victim. i may mention that two of the largest orchid-dealers in europe sent an agent expressly to buy this 'lot' in new york. mr. day then had three left. one of them he divided, and gave a fragment to his sister, mrs. wolstenholme. the tottenham collection was dispersed in 1881; mr. day kept one small plant, baron schröder bought one for £106; mr. lee, of leatherhead, and sir trevor lawrence, in partnership, one for £147. three or four years afterwards this was divided, each partner taking his share. baron schröder afterwards bought mr. lee's. also he bought the one mr. day kept back, for £159:12s., at the death of that gentleman. then mrs. wolstenholme's executors put up her example--which had never flowered--and baron schröder secured it for £100. these prices do not seem to bear out my statement that platytaenium is the most valuable of all orchids. infinitely greater sums have been paid. but it must be remembered that these were all tiny bits, weakened by division whenever they grew big enough to cut. at present baron schröder and sir trevor lawrence have all the stock existing, to human knowledge. how much either would obtain at protheroe's for his little hoard makes a favourite theme for speculation in a gathering of orchidists. they have one significant hint to go upon. two years ago mr. ames, of boston, u.s.a., commissioned mr. sander to offer sir trevor lawrence a cheque of 800 guineas for one plant. and sir trevor declined it. now for the legend. that consignment of cyp. stoneii in which platytaenium appeared was forwarded by sir hugh low from sarawak. he recalls the circumstances with peculiar distinctness, as is natural. the plants were collected on the very top of a limestone hill at bidi, near bau, famous afterwards in the annals of sarawak as the spot whence the chinese insurgents started to overthrow the government of rajah brooke. but the gold washings had not been discovered then. such chinamen as dwelt in the neighbourhood were mostly gardeners and small traders. a few sought nuggets in holes and fissures of the limestone, and found them, too, occasionally. sir hugh low could never frame a satisfactory explanation of the presence of gold under such conditions, but it is frequent in borneo. that auriferous strata should decompose, and that nuggets should be transferred to another formation during the process, is easily intelligible. but in many instances, as at bau, the gold is found at a considerable height, and no trace remains of those loftier hills from which it must have fallen. deposits of tin occur under just the same circumstances in the malay peninsula. the top of this little hill was a basin, much like a shallow crater, encircled by jagged peaks as by a wall. each of these was clothed in the glossy leaves of cyp. stoneii from top to bottom, as it would be with ivy in our latitude. so easy was orchid-collecting in those days. sir hugh had but to choose the finest, and pull off as many as his servants could carry. in the hollow of the basin other cypripeds were growing--plants with spotted foliage--and he has not ceased to regret leaving these untouched, since wider knowledge inclines him to fancy that they belonged to species not yet introduced. at one spot, however, beneath the shadow of the little peaks, gold-seekers made a practice of camping. ashes lay thick there, and bits of charcoal and dry bones. here sprang a single tuft of cyp. stoneii, and in passing sir hugh was tempted to dig it up. he cherishes a suspicion--which he does not attempt to justify, of course--that this solitary plant, growing under conditions so different to the rest, was platytaenium. some years afterwards, a young clerk in the service of a german firm at singapore, visited sarawak on his holiday. orchids made a standing topic for conversation in that early time. he heard much about mr. day's priceless cypriped at the capital, and he resolved to try his luck. i may call him smidt for convenience; my informants are not sure of the name, after a lapse of forty years. there is no trouble in reaching bau. the village stands on the river sarawak, and at any moment of the day a sampan can be hired to take one thither. smidt did not travel in luxury. if he kept a 'boy' at singapore, like a thrifty young teuton he left him behind. servants are as easily found in those countries as sampans, if one be not too particular. smidt engaged a chinaman who had good recommendations, though not of recent date, nor from persons living in sarawak; he had come thither from penang to 'better himself,' as he said, and had been working at the gold-fields. for convenience again we may give him a name--ahtan. the project of visiting bau was not agreeable to this chinaman. 'i makee bad pigeon there one time,' he said frankly. but the objection was not serious. bau had changed since sir hugh low's day. in the meantime the dutch authorities at sambas had irritated the gold-diggers of that region to the point that they massacred a body of troops--i do not mean to hint that the dutch policy was unjustifiable. in consequence a great number of chinamen fled across the frontier, found profitable washings at bau, and invited their comrades. so many came, and they showed such a lawless spirit from the outset, that the rajah's government took alarm. but as yet all was quiet enough. smidt had obtained a note from one of the chinese merchants at sarawak, with whom his employers did business, to the head of the kunsi--the gold-diggers' union, as we should say. that personage invited him to use his house. unwillingly did ahtan accompany his master. he bowed before the kunsi chief, and made a long discourse with downcast eyes and folded hands. the chief answered shortly and motioned him to go about his business. if smidt made inquiries about that wonderful organisation, the kunsi of the gold-diggers at bau, so soon to be crushed in a mad revolt, assuredly he found matter to interest him. the parent society in sambas has annals dating back two hundred years, and its system was imported, they say, from china without alteration. there is no reason to doubt the statement. anyhow, we find among these immigrants, two centuries ago, a perfected system of trade union, benefit clubs, life assurance, co-operative stores, and provision for old age, such as british working-men may contemplate with puzzled and envious despair at the present day. every detail is so well adjusted--by the experience of ages--that disputes scarcely ever arise; when they do the council gives judgment, and no one questions its decision. the earnings of the whole body are stored in the treasury. there is a general meeting once a fortnight, when the accounts are audited in public, and each member receives his share as per scale, subject to the deduction for veterans' past work, widows and orphans, and also for the goods he has bought at the co-operative store. but i must not linger on this fascinating theme. next day smidt started to explore the famous hill with ahtan, who carried the tambok--the luncheon basket. he found cypripeds beyond counting and noted certain spots to be re-visited. then he chose a shady nook for lunch, and ahtan lit a fire. it was beneath a wall of limestone, a tangle of foliage above, where the sunlight struck it, but clothed only in moss and ferns and bare roots in the shade below. there was wind upon the hill as usual, and ahtan made his fire in a cleft. smith sat on a log opposite, smoking, after the meal. he remembered afterwards that ahtan was eager to start, packing his utensils hastily, and predicting 'muchee rain by'm bye minute.' but no signs of change were visible. presently the chinaman put a quantity of green leaves upon the fire. such a volume of smoke arose as called smidt's attention. it was in a cleft, and he sat opposite, as has been said. the blaze had scorched that drapery of ferns. the moss just above had peeled off in flakes, taken fire mostly and dropped. so in places the rock stood bare. looking in that direction now, smidt observed a yellow gleam, hidden by smoke for a moment, then reappearing more distinctly. it was worth investigation. he rose leisurely and crossed the little space. ahtan was standing on one side. as he scattered the fire with his foot, looking for that yellow gleam the while, a tremendous blow felled him. he was dimly conscious of another before his senses fled. not till sunset did smidt feel strong enough to descend the hill; before starting he looked for the 'yellow gleam'--it had vanished, and in place of it was a hole. bloodstained and tottering he regained the public path. diggers returning from their work laughed heartily at the spectacle, but perhaps they meant no harm. chinamen must not be judged by the laws that apply to other mortals. at least they warned the chief, who sent two stalwart members of the kunsi to assist his guest. they also found the situation vastly amusing, but they were kind enough. the chief had a bottle of skimpin ready. he set a slave to wash smidt's head, and clothed him in a snowy bajo. no questions did he ask. smidt told his short story, and begged him to pursue the malefactor. 'no good, sir,' said the chief. 'i policeman here--i know. where you think ahtan?' 'in the jungle, i suppose, making for kuching with the great nugget he picked out of the rock. send to warn the tuan magistrate, at least.' 'i say, sir, i tuan magistrate here, and i know.' he unlocked a coffer, iron-bound, using three separate keys; brought out a parcel wrapped in cloth and slowly unfolded it, looking at smidt the while, his narrow eyes twinkling. 'you say nugget, hey?' smidt gasped. it was a lump of gold as big as his two fists. 'is this--is this mine?' the chief sat down to laugh and rolled about, spluttering chinese interjections. 'is this mine? he-he-he-he! mine? this gold, sir! kunsi take gold--all gold here! you says, mine, sir? ha! ha! ha!' smidt did not feel assured of his legal rights. 'you took it from ahtan?' he asked. 'did you arrest him?' the chief had another fit. recovering, he answered, 'ahtan down this way,' and stamped upon the ground. 'in the cellar? oh, that's a comfort! i'll carry him to kuching to-morrow.' this caused another outburst of merriment. 'i tell, sir, i tuan magistrate at bau. ahtan he under order for kingdom come to-night.' this was rather shocking. 'oh, i don't ask that. he must be tried.' 'what your matter, sir?' the chief snapped out. 'i try him, and i say die! ahtan is kunsi man. he play trick before--i let him go. we catch him on river with gold. he die this time.' doubtless he did--not for attempted murder, but for breaking his oath to the kunsi. smidt ought to have denounced this monstrous illegality to the rajah. but his firm did a great business with chinamen, and their secret societies have a very long arm. i imagine that he held his tongue. story of cypripedium spicerianum the annals of cypripedium spicerianum open in 1878, when mrs. spicer, a lady residing at wimbledon, asked messrs. veitch to come and see a curious flower, very lovely, as she thought, which had made its appearance in her green-house. messrs. veitch came; with no extravagant hopes perhaps, for experience might well make them distrustful of feminine enthusiasm. but in this instance it was more than justified, and, in short, they carried off the marvel, leaving a cheque for seventy guineas behind. i may remark that cypripeds are easy to cultivate. they are also quick to increase. messrs. veitch hurried their specimen along, and divided it as fast as was safe. to say that the morsels fetched their weight in gold would be the reverse of exaggeration--mere bathos. importers sat up. they were not without a hint to direct their search in this case. the treasure had arrived amongst a quantity of cyp. insigne. therefore it must be a native of the himalayan region--assam, darjeeling, or sikkim, no doubt. there are plenty of persons along that frontier able and willing to hunt up a new plant. a good many of them probably received commissions to find cypripedium spicerianum. at st. albans they were more deliberate. it is not exactly usual for ladies residing at wimbledon to receive consignments of orchids. when such an event happens, one may conclude that they have relatives or intimate friends in the district where those orchids grow; it will hardly be waste of time anyhow to inquire. a discreet investigation proved that this lady's son was a tea-planter, with large estates on the confines of bhutan. with the address in his pocket mr. forstermann, a collector of renown, started by next mail. orchids must be classed with _ferae naturae_ in which a landowner has no property. but it is not to be supposed that a man of business will tell the casual inquirer where to pick up, on his own estate, weeds worth seventy guineas each. forstermann did not expect it. leaving his baggage at the dak bungalow, he strolled afoot to the large and handsome mansion indicated. mr. spicer was sitting in the verandah, and in the pleasant, easy way usual with men who very rarely see a white stranger of respectable appearance, he shouted: 'are you looking for me, sir? come up!' forstermann went up, took an arm-chair and a cheroot, accepted a comforting glass, and sketched his experiences of the road before declaring even his name. then he announced himself as an aspirant tea-planter, desirous to gain some practical knowledge of the business before risking his very small capital. in short, could mr. spicer give him a 'job'? 'i'm afraid not,' said mr. spicer. 'we have quite as many men in your position as we can find work for. but anyhow you can look round and talk to our people and see whether the life is likely to suit you. meantime, you're very welcome to stay here as my guest. if you've brought a gun, my manager will show you some sport; but he's away just now. oh, you needn't thank me. in my opinion it's the duty of men who have succeeded to help beginners along, and i'm sorry i can't do more for you.' forstermann remembers a twinge of conscience here. it may be indubitable that orchids are _ferae naturae_. but they have a distinct money value for all that, and to remove them from the estate of a man who gives you a reception like this! anyhow, he felt uncomfortable. but to find the thing was his first duty. possibly some arrangement might be made, though he could not imagine how. the invitation was accepted, of course, and a week passed very pleasantly. but forstermann could not bring his host to the point desired. several times they observed cypripedium insigne whilst riding or driving about the neighbourhood. mr. spicer even remarked, when his attention was called to it, that he had sent a number of plants home; but nothing followed. then the manager returned, and the same night an appointment was made to go after duck on the morrow. forstermann turned out at dawn, but his companion was not ready. he gave the explanation as they rode along. 'we had another _chelan_ last night--you have learnt the meaning of that word, i daresay!--a faction fight among our people. the coolies on this estate come mostly from chota nagpore, and thereabouts. they're good workers, and not so troublesome as regular hindus when once they've settled down. but there's generally a bother when a new gang arrives. we tell our agents to be very careful in recruiting none but friendly clans. young mice and fig leaves we find best among the oraons, stars and wild geese among the sonthals.' forstermann was puzzled, but he did not interrupt. 'it's no use, however. they take any fellow that comes along--and between ourselves, you know, considering how many of those scamps bolt with the contract-money and never enlist a soul, we haven't so very much to complain of. it's a bad system, sir! 'well, when they get here, a mixed lot, they find half a dozen mixed lots established. we have, to my knowledge,' reckoning on his fingers, 'tortoises, tigers, crows, eels, grass-spiders, fishing-nets--ay, and a lot more, besides stars and wild-geese. of course, they quarrel at sight, and we don't interfere unless the _chelan_ gets serious. what's the good? but, besides that, there is a standing provocation, as you may say. some of our coolies have been with us many years. they don't care to go home--for reasons good, no doubt, but it's not our business. well, two of these fellows have married--one, a potato, has married the stomach of a pig----' 'eh?' forstermann could not contain himself. 'those are their families, you know.' the manager, quite grave hitherto, laughed out suddenly. 'of course, it seems mighty droll to you, but we're accustomed to it. each clan claims to be descended from the thing after which it is named. you mustn't ask me how the stomach of a pig can have children. that's beyond our understanding. the point is that certain of these stocks may not intermarry under pain of death--that's their law. so you may fancy the rumpus when strange potatoes arriving here find one of their breed----' he laughed again. 'it does sound funny, when you think of it! last night, however, when the usual disturbance broke out--a new gang arrived yesterday, you know--minjar, the eel, who is the other fellow that has married some girl he ought not to, declared he had made blood-brotherhood with the chief of the bhutias across the river, who would come to avenge him if he were hurt. and i fancy that's not quite such nonsense as you would think. i saw minjar there that time i got the orchid----' forstermann heard no more of the tale. the orchid! they reached the pool, and he shot ducks conscientiously, but his thoughts were busy in devising means to lead the conversation back to that point. there was no need of finesse, however. at a word the manager told everything. he it was who found the cypripedium which had caused such a fuss, when shooting on the other side of the river--that is, beyond british territory. struck with its beauty, he gathered a plant or two and gave them to mr. spicer. it took him several days' journey to reach the spot, but he was shooting by the way. tigers abounded there--so did fever. the mountaineers were as unfriendly as they dared to be. for these reasons mr. spicer begged him not to return. the same motive, doubtless, caused the planter to be reticent towards others. with a clear conscience and heartiest thanks forstermann bade his host farewell next day. he had a long and painful search before him still, for his informant could give no more than general directions. the plant grew upon rocks along the bed of a stream to the north-west of mr. spicer's plantation, not less than two days' journey from the river--that was about all. the inhabitants of the country, besides tigers, were savages. many a stream did forstermann explore under the most uncomfortable circumstances, wading thigh-deep, hour after hour, day after day. i am sorry that i have not room even to summarise the long letter in which he detailed those adventures. to search the upland waters would have been comparatively easy; he might have walked along the bank. but the cypripedium grew in a valley; and nowhere is tropical vegetation more dense than in those steaming clefts which fall from the mountains of bhutan. to cut a path was out of the question; the work would have lasted for months, putting expense aside. it was necessary to march up the bed of the stream. forstermann ascended each tributary with patient hopefulness, knowing that success was certain if he could hold out. and it came at length to one so deserving; but the manager had wandered to a much greater distance than he thought. after wading all the forenoon up a torrent which had not yet lost its highland chill, forstermann reached a glade, encircled by rocks steep as a wall--so steep that he had to fashion rakes of bamboo wherewith to drag down the masses of orchid which clung to them. it was cypripedium spicerianum! then arose the difficulty of getting his plunder away. after much journeying to and fro, forstermann engaged thirty-two bhutias, half of them to carry rice for the others along those mountain tracks, where 25 lbs. is a heavy load. so they travelled until, one day, after halting at a village, the men refused to advance. the road ahead was occupied by a tiger--i should mention that such alarms had been incessant; in no country are tigers so common or so dangerous as in bhutan. forstermann drove them along; at the next bit of jungle eight threw down their loads and vanished. he found himself obliged to return, but eight more were missing when he reached the village. there was no other road. gradually the poor fellow perceived that he must abandon his enterprise or clear the path. at sunset, they told him, the brute would be watching--probably in a tree, described with precision. forstermann spent the time in writing farewell letters--making his will, perhaps. towards sunset, he took a rifle and a gun and sallied forth. the bhutias assured him that there was no danger--from this enemy, at least--until he reached the neighbourhood of the tree; but we may imagine the terrors of that lonely walk, which must be repeated in darkness, if he lived, or if the tiger did not show. but luck did not desert a man so worthy of favour. he recognised the tree, an old dead stump overhanging the path, clothed in ferns and creepers. surveying it as steadily as the tumult of his spirits would allow, in the fading light he traced a yellow glimmer among the leaves. through his field-glass, at twenty yards' distance, he scrutinised this faint shadow. the tiger grew impatient--softly it raised its head--so softly behind that screen of ferns that a casual wayfarer would not have noticed it. but it was the hint forstermann needed. with a prayer he took aim, fired--threw down his rifle and snatched the gun. but crash--stone-dead fell the tiger, and its skin is a hearthrug on which i stood to hear this tale. so on march 9, 1884, 40,000 plants of cypripedium spicerianum were offered at stevens' auction rooms. [illustration: cypripedium × dr ryan.] the cool house contains about three thousand plants, mostly odontoglossums. it is a 'lean-to,' of course. not all the most successful growers use this form of building. baron schröder's world-famous odontoglots dwell in an oblong structure which receives an equal quantity of light from every side. even the hardiest of epiphytal orchids are conscious of influences which we cannot grasp, and those who understand them are unwilling to lay down fixed rules. but experience shows that under ordinary conditions cool species thrive in a 'lean-to' better than in a house of full span. it may be because the back wall retains moisture and gives it out all day steadily, whilst the air is saturated and dried by turns if fully exposed to a hot sun. or it may be because the full light of a span-roof is too strong in most situations. a collector once told me that he often found odontoglossum pescatorei so buried in lycopodium as to be invisible until the flower-spike appeared. evidently such a plant does not need strong light. both causes operate, perhaps. at least the broad fact is so well established that one might almost fancy baron schröder's odontoglots would do better, if that were possible, in a 'lean-to.' there are three glass partitions, but from either door the full length of the house is seen; a pleasing vista even when there are no flowers--all smoothly green on one hand, rocky bank upon the other, studded with ferns and creepers and an orchid here and there. why these plants dislike to stand in a long house open from end to end is a question none the less puzzling because every gardener is ready to explain it. loving fresh air so well they cannot object to the brisker circulation. but their whims must be respected, and after building a house ninety feet long we must divide it into compartments. i name a few among the rarities here. of odontoglots:-_wilckeanum._--upon internal evidence reichenbach pronounced this a natural hybrid of od. crispum × od. luteo-purpureum. it was one among innumerable instances of his sagacity. a few years ago m. leroy, gardener of baron edmond de rothschild at armainvilliers, crossed those two species and the flower appeared in 1890. it was od. wilckeanum; but for the sake of convenience this garden hybrid is called leroyanum. _wilckeanum pallens._--a form still rarer of this rare variety; yellow-ivory in colour, heavily splashed with brown; lip white, with a brown bar across the centre. _wilckeanum albens._--very large, white instead of yellowish; spotted and blotched with brown. _ruckerianum._--sepals and petals white in the centre, edged with violet, yellow lip; all spotted with reddish-brown. _ruckerianum splendens._--larger and more finely coloured in all respects than the normal form. the violet margin is broader. _vuylstekeanum._--those who saw the original plant of this noble species at the temple show some years since have not forgotten the spectacle assuredly. petals and dorsal sepal pale yellow; lip and side sepals brightest deepest orange. _mulus._--a natural hybrid of od. luteo-purpureum with od. gloriosum no doubt. it bears a strong spike, branched, with many large flowers, bright yellow blotched with pale brown. but the colouring varies greatly. _josephinae._--named after miss josephine measures. white, with a rosy flush; sepals and petals spotted with chocolate at the base. _hunnewellianum._--small, but very pretty. sepals and petals pale yellow, profusely dotted with brown; lip white, with a single brown spot. _elegans._--assumed to be a natural hybrid of od. cirrhosum and od. hallii. the ground colour, faintly yellow, is almost concealed by chocolate spots and patches; lip white, with a large blotch in the centre. _crispum virginale._--very large and pure white, saving the yellow crest. _crispum measuresiae._--sepals and petals broad, white, spotted and blotted with reddish brown. lip unusually large, with a single great brown blotch. _edithae._--rosy white of sepal and petal, bordered with yellow and barred with chestnut; lip pale yellow, much deeper at the base, with chestnut spots in the centre. _crispum our empress._--a remarkable variety. very large, rose colour, heavily blotched with reddish purple; lip paler, covered with brown spots. _crispum woodlandsense._--a superb example of the 'round-flowering' type. sepals and petals very broad, densely spotted with cinnamon-brown; lip short, broad, similarly spotted. _crispum magnificum._--sepals pale rose; petals and lip very faintly flushed; the whole covered with brown spots. _bictoniense album._--the ordinary bictoniense is pretty enough when the lower blooms on the densely clothed spike can be persuaded to last until those above them open. this uncommon sport is much more effective, with sepals and petals of a lively brown, and broad lip of purest white. _facetum._--a good example of this catches the eye at once. ground colour pale yellow, almost hidden by great brown bars upon the sepals. the petals are sharply freckled with brown, and up the middle runs a series of dark red dots. lip similarly freckled above, with a large splash of brown in front; the lip handsomely fringed. _cristatellum._--rather small and not impressive, but valuable for its scarcity. the yellow ground colour shows itself only in a few narrow streaks upon sepal and petal, and in the base of the lip. elsewhere it is hidden beneath layers of chestnut. _hallii magnificum._--a variety finer in all respects than the common type. sepals brown, save the yellow tips, and a few yellow lines; petals yellow, with two large brown blots. the fringed lip also is yellow, with two brown blots. _madrense._--named after its place of birth, the sierra madre, in mexico. the plant is not uncommon, but it does not flower willingly, as a rule. sepals and petals are white, with a double purple blotch at the base; lip small, bright orange. _polyxanthum magnificum._--the grandest variety of a species always treasured. in colour deepest 'old gold,' with four or five great blots of chestnut on the sepals, and as many spots at the base of the petals. the lip has a shallow fringe and a broad splash in the centre. _wallisii._--small. sepals and petals dusky yellow, with a long straight bar of chocolate down the middle. lip white at the base, with small rosy streaks; the disc rosy, edged with white. _hallii leucoglossum._--one of the largest odontoglots. buff or greenish yellow, lip white, fringed; all heavily blotched and spotted with dark brown. _mirandum._--among so many charming species this must be reckoned curious rather than pretty. narrow and rather small, dull greenish yellow, with a longitudinal bar and spots of red-brown. _wilckeanum rothschildianum._---perhaps the handsomest form of this rare variety. large, very broad of sepal and petal, pale yellow, blotched and spotted with brown. _pescatorei germinyanum._--named after the comte de germiny, an enthusiastic lover of orchids, as indeed of all other flowers. this ranks among the prettiest forms of pescatorei. petals white, sepals flushed; both marked with a spot of dark rose. lip white, with similar dots. _sceptrum._--a superb variety of the common luteo-purpureum. sepals deep reddish brown, with yellow edges; petals yellow, blotched with reddish-brown. lip yellow, with a single blotch in front. _coronarium._--one of the odontoglots which may be termed climbing _par excellence_, for the pseudo-bulbs thrust out a long shaft before taking form. it makes a very large plant, and probably the example here is the largest existing--at least there are few as big. by successive enlargements, the basket in which it stands has reached the dimensions of three feet by two. coronarium is reckoned among the species slow to flower, but here we find no difficulty at all. last season our plant made nine growths and threw up eight spikes--a record! noble spikes they are too, bearing twenty to thirty blooms; petals of the brightest red-copper, marbled with yellow at the base; petals somewhat browner, both edged with gold. lip small, narrow, light red, broadening towards the tip, which is pale primrose. i should describe coronarium as the most majestic of odontoglots. _crispum arthurianum._--a notable variety--very large, blush-white, with one enormous chocolate blot and two or three small spots on sepal and petal. spotted lip. _crispo-harryanum._--this is one of the very few hybrid odontoglots. it was commonly assumed until a few years ago that the genus would not bear fruitful seed in europe. this notion proves to be ill-founded happily, but to obtain good seed is still very difficult, and to rear the young plants more difficult still. crispo-harryanum was raised by m. chas. vuylsteke near ghent. the flowers show the influence of either parent in colour and shape; the petals, which in harryanum refuse to expand, are almost as flat as in crispum. _humeanum._--we may confidently assume that this is a natural hybrid of od. rossii and od. cordatum. the former parent is so handsome that he has begotten a very pretty progeny, though the mother is so plain--sepals primrose, closely spotted with brown, petals and lip white, the former similarly spotted at the base. _tripudians oculatum._--a rare and beautiful variety of an interesting species. very much larger than the common form; sepals of a lively brown, with yellow tips, petals yellow, mottled with brown; lip white, with violet spots above, a large blot below. _platycheilum._--one of the oddest and rarest odontoglots. sepals and petals white, with a few brown dots at the base; lip large and widespread, pink, spotted with crimson. _baphicanthum._--a valuable hybrid of od. crispum and od. odoratum or od. gloriosum, as internal evidence suggests. all primrose of ground colour, but the sepals and petals are thickly dotted with red-brown. _schillerianum._--exceedingly rare. pale yellow; sepals and petals spotted with chestnut. the lip has one large chestnut splash in the centre. _murrellianum._--probably a natural hybrid of od. pescatorei and od. naevium. white tinged with violet, sepals and petals spotted with purple. _lindeni._--a superb species, but uncommonly reluctant to display its charms, as a rule. in my own poor little house it has been growing bigger for years and years. the pseudo-bulbs are five inches high now, and more than two thick, but i look for flowers in vain. when they condescend to appear they are all sulphur-yellow, crumpled, or, as the phrase goes, undulated, in a fashion quite unlike any other odontoglot. _grande magnificum._--the common form of grande ranks among the showiest of flowers, much too big, indeed, and too strong in colour, to be approved by a dainty taste. but this is even bigger, its yellow more brilliant, its red-brown markings more distinctly red. there is record of sixteen flowers on one spike, each seven inches across!--i scarcely expect to be believed, but 'chapter and verse' are forthcoming on demand. _crispum aureum._--almost as yellow as polyxanthum, 'the very golden'--a most remarkable variety. the spots are few and small. _crispum cooksoni_, on the other hand, is white, superbly spotted, or rather blotched, with crimson brown. perhaps the best of its class. _crispum reginae._--immense. white. the handsome spots, of purplish brown, are more regularly disposed than usual. _crispum chestertoni._--peculiar for a yellow lip, while sepals and petals are white; the former of these heavily splashed, and the latter sprinkled, with red-brown. the lip has a brown blot on the disc. _rossii aspersum_ is a natural hybrid of od. rossii and od. maculatum, as is supposed. sepals and petals faintly yellow, spotted with brown at the base; lip creamy white. _pescatorei album._--large. all pure white. _pescatorei superbum._--a round flower, of great 'substance'--which means, in effect, that it will last an unusual time. notable for the deep tone of its purplish markings. _pescatorei grandiflorum._--immense. the lip has a yellow dash at base. _pescatorei splendens._--sepals and petals white; lip handsomely spotted with purple. _pescatorei violaceum._--the whole flower is tinted with violet. _crispum purpureum_ shows a similar peculiarity, but the tint is purple. _crispum dayanum._--the sepals have a large irregular patch of darkest mauve in the centre, the petals a spot or two of the same colour and a streak at the base. the lip is white. old-fashioned people have not yet learned to call odontoglossum vexillarium a miltonia. to avoid confusion i will give it no generic name at all. it should be observed, however, that in our collection these plants are 'grown cool' all the year round. among the most important are:-_vexillaria cobbiana._--pale rose with white lip. _vexillaria measuresiana._--all white save the golden 'beard.' perhaps the handsomest of its rare class. _vexillaria rubella._--deep rose. valuable for its habit of flowering in autumn. [illustration: odontoglossum, rossii majus _woodlands variety._] story of odontoglossum harryanum men supremely great in science have a quality beyond reason, such as we term instinct, enabling them to leap over the slow processes of demonstration, and announce a law or a result unsuspected, which they cannot yet prove. the great collector benedict roezl had this gift. returning from the memorable expedition in which he discovered the miltonia commonly called odontoglossum vexillarium, he assured mr. sander that in those parts would be found a true odontoglossum of unusual colouring. when asked the grounds for his opinion he could only say he 'smelt it.' mr. sander was not unused to this expression, and he knew by experience that roezl's scientific nose might be trusted. it was something in the air, in the 'lie' of the country, in the type of vegetation, which guided him, no doubt. other collectors born and bred have a like sense. roezl showed his supremacy by the confident prediction that this new species would be darker than any known, and striking in the combination of its tints. this was in 1875. ten years later professor reichenbach wrote to mr. sander of an astounding odontoglossum he had seen--it may be necessary to tell the unlearned that professor reichenbach was the very genius of orchidology. nothing in the least resembling it had been even rumoured hitherto. and then reichenbach described odontoglossum harryanum. the raptures of that enthusiast were wont to divert admiring friends, expressed with quaint vehemence, but always suggesting that he mocked himself the while. never had he such a theme as this. speaking with due thought and sufficient knowledge, i declare that odontoglossum harryanum is the most finished result of nature's efforts to produce a flower which should startle and impress by its colours alone, without eccentricity of shape or giant size, or peculiarities of structure. remembering that not all the world has seen this flower, i should give just a hint of the means employed. fancy, then, eight or ten great blooms, dark chestnut in tone, barred with yellow, striped with mauve; the lip white, broadly edged with a network of bluish purple and intersected by a deep stain of that tint, beyond which is spread a sheet of snow; touch with gold here and there, and you have the 'scheme of colour.' those who knew the great savant can imagine how he raved after giving, with luminous precision, his scientific report of the new orchid. reichenbach persuaded himself, by study of the flower, that it must be a native of mexico. he was wrong for once, but people were so used to regard him as infallible that mr. sander did not think of doubting the assertion. presently, however, it became known that messrs. veitch had bought the plants, a dozen or so, from messrs. horsman. and then mr. sander learned by accident that the latter firm received a small case of orchids from barranquilla, twelve months before. while pondering this news, roezl's unforgotten prophecy flashed into his mind. barranquilla, in the united states of columbia, is the port of that district where odontoglossum vexillarium is found! he had a collector not far away. within an hour this gentleman, mr. kerbach, received a telegram short and imperative: 'go amalfi.' not waiting an explanation kerbach replied 'gone!'--reached amalfi in due course, and found another telegram containing a hint that sufficed, 'new odontoglossum.' kerbach began to inquire the same day. it was hardly credible that an orchid of importance could have been overlooked in the neighbourhood of amalfi, where collectors--french, belgian, and english--had been busy for years. a hunt there would be very unpromising. kerbach wandered about, asking questions. thus at medellin he made acquaintance with a bank clerk. it may be noted, by the way, that the inhabitants of that busy and thriving town, the bulk of them, are descendants of maranos--that is, jews converted by the processes of the inquisition. doubtless there are records which explain why and how many thousands of those people assembled in a remote district of new granada, but they themselves appear to have lost the tradition; they have lost their ancestral faith also, for there are no more devout catholics. the religious instincts of the race assert themselves, however, for new granadans in general are not more fervent than other creoles of south america, while the town of medellin is an oasis of piety. the bank clerk was questioned as usual, though not a likely person to take note of plants. 'why,' said he, 'there was a customer of ours at the bank yesterday, swearing like a wild indian at orchids and everybody connected with them. i should advise you to keep out of his way.' 'what have the orchids done to him?' asked kerbach. 'i wasn't listening, but i'll inquire.' and presently he brought the explanation. a young french collector had been in those parts some years before. he stayed a while at the planter's house, and there discovered an orchid which stirred him to enthusiasm. after gathering a quantity he made arrangements with his host for a shipment to follow next season, promising a sum which astonished the native. but this young man was drowned in the couca. after a while don filipe resolved to despatch a few of the weeds on his own account to europe, and he consigned them to a friend at barranquilla. but the friend never returned him a farthing. he had handed the case to some one else for shipment, and this some one, he said, could not get his money from england. it is pleasant to hear, however, that don filipe had implicit trust in british honesty. he proclaimed his friend a swindler, and doubtless he was right. all the cash that this good man was out of pocket could not well have exceeded ten dollars, and his time did not count. perhaps he would have been less furious had the loss been greater. anyhow he nursed his wrath with indian stubbornness--for don filipe was an indian, though distinguishable from a white only in character, as are myriads at this day. kerbach did not doubt that he had found his odontoglossum, and gaily started for the hacienda. some little diplomacy might be needed, and rather more cash than usual; but of course a sane man would come to terms at last. don filipe was absent when he arrived--a fortunate chance, perhaps. meantime kerbach entertained the ladies, played with the children, and made himself agreeable. the haciendero found him seated at the piano, and applauded with the rest. but his face changed when they got to business. kerbach opened with flattering remarks upon the wealth of the country and its prospects. don filipe purred with satisfaction. gradually he worked round to orchids. don filipe ceased to purr, and he hastily begged leave to visit the cacao plantation. as they rode through the sheltering woods kerbach looked about him sharply. it was too late for flowers, but the growth of odontoglossum harryanum is very distinct. he espied one plant and recognised it as a new species. the trouble must be faced, and after dinner kerbach explained his object, as gently as he could. the planter flamed out at once, dropped his castilian manners, and vowed he would shoot any man found gathering orchids on his estate. kerbach withdrew. next day he visited two other hacienderos of the district. but don filipe had preceded him. less rudely but with equal firmness the landowners forbade him to collect on their property. a brief explanation is needed. in those parts of south america, where the value of orchids is known to every child, a regular system has been introduced long since. as a rule almost invariable, the woods belong to some one, however far from a settlement. with this personage the collector must negotiate a lease, as it is called, a formal document, stamped and registered, which gives him authority to cut down trees--for the peons will not climb. at the beginning, doubtless, they shrewdly perceived that to fell a stout trunk would pay them infinitely better--since they receive a daily wage--than to strip it, besides the annoyance from insects and the risk from snakes which they elude. at the present time this usage has become fixed.[2] without the assistance of peons, kerbach could not possibly get plants sufficient to ship. to cut down trees without authority would be a penal offence, certainly detected. he explored the country at a distance and found nothing. it was necessary to come to terms with don filipe at any cost or abandon the enterprise. meantime letters reached amalfi describing the new odontoglossum, with a picture showing the foliage. it was that he had found. the treasure hung within reach, and a pig-headed indian forbade him to grasp it. in such a difficulty one applies to the cura. kerbach paid this gentleman a visit. a tall, stout, good-natured ecclesiastic was he, willing to help a stranger, perhaps, even though unprovided with the dollars which kerbach offered 'for the poor,' if his mediation proved successful. the cura made the attempt and failed signally. it was useless to try again. the good man begged ten dollars, or five, or one, upon the ground that he had done his best. but kerbach in despair was not inclined for charity. the cura sighed, hesitated, tossed off a glass of aguardiente and proposed another way. 'this is a wicked country, sir,' he said. 'ah! very wicked. and the wickedest people in it have a proverb which i shudder to repeat. but your case is hard. well, sir, they say (heaven forgive them and me!), "if the saints won't hear you, take your prayer to the devil." horrible, isn't it?' 'horrible!' said kerbach. 'but i don't know where to find the devil.' 'yours is a pious country i have heard, though not christian. in this wicked land even children could tell you where to seek him. now, you will give me a trifle for my poor?' and he held out his hand. 'but i'm not acquainted with any children. your reverence must really be more explicit.' 'bother!' exclaimed his reverence, or some spanish equivalent. 'well, you will pay me the fifty dollars promised?' 'twenty! when don filipe signs the lease.' 'and all incidental expenses? then my sacristan will call on you to-morrow. never talk to me again of your impious projects, sir.' the sacristan was very business-like. he demanded a dollar to begin with for the indian who would work the charm, and another dollar for himself to pay for the masses which would expiate his sin. kerbach asked details, which were given quite frankly. the wizard was a respectable person--attended church, and so forth. the sacristan had talked matters over with him and neither doubted of success. kerbach must write a letter to don filipe's wife begging her to intercede. the wizard having charmed that document before presenting it, she would be compelled to grant its request. if the planter should still refuse, a curse would be launched against him. and he could not dare resist that. the man was so serious, he explained himself in such a matter-of-fact tone, that kerbach, laughing, risked two dollars on the chance. with the letter in his pocket the sacristan departed. two days later he returned. don filipe was willing to negotiate the lease. kerbach was so delighted that he never thought of asking whether the lady's gentle influence or the terrors of the curse had persuaded him. thus odontoglossum harryanum was found, to the eternal glory of roezl. masdevallias among masdevallias we have scarce varieties of harryana, as _bull's blood_, mr. bull's punning name for the darkest of all crimsons, and _denisoniana_, which keen eyes distinguish from it by a shade of magenta; _splendens_, pure magenta; _versicolor_, which has patches of deep crimson on a magenta ground, and a bright yellow 'eye'; _armeniaca_, large, apricot in colour, also with a yellow 'eye'; _sander's scarlet_, which speaks for itself. _bonplandii._--greenish yellow, with a few purple marks. tails short and stiff. _caudata._--upper sepal light yellow dotted with red; lower purplish rose, marbled with white. a dwarf species, but the yellow tails are two to three inches long. _abbreviata._--small, white speckled with purple. _ignea splendens._--much larger than the normal form. fiery red. _amabilis._--small, carmine, conspicuous by reason of its 'tail,' an inch and a half long. _chelsoni._--a hybrid of the last-named with veitchii, orange-yellow, with mauve spots and two 'tails.' _veitchii grandiflora_, a variety even larger than the common type, seven inches across sometimes; orange-red, suffused with purple. _polysticta._--one of the lovely little 'curiosities' which abound in this genus--palest lilac freckled with purple, and tailed. _coccinea._--rosy pink above, glowing scarlet below. _macrura._--one of the few masdevallias which do not please my eye, but very rare. immense, as much as twelve inches long, counting the yellow tails, rough of surface, vaguely brown in colour, with darker spots. _peristeria._--greenish yellow, freely speckled with purple; yellow-tailed. _melanopus._--small, white, dotted with purple and yellow-tailed. _wallisii stupenda._---pale lemon colour splashed with chocolate. there is a curious white excrescence on each side the column, dotted with scarlet. oncidiums of oncidiums in this house i note:-_lamelligerum._--a very grand and noble flower, too rarely seen. it belongs to the stately section of which oncidium macranthum is the common type. the great dorsal sepal swells out roundly from a stalk half an inch long; the two lower resemble in shape those long-bladed paddles, with scalloped edge, which are used by chiefs in the south seas; in colour rich brown, with a clear golden margin. the yellow petals also have a stalk, but to give a notion of the large, beautiful, and complex development which they carry at the ends is a hopeless endeavour. i have seen ladies' work-baskets which faintly resemble it when wide open; made of the softest straw, without end-pieces, only to be closed by tying a ribbon in the centre. but really the case is desperate. i pass on. _tetracopis._--another of the same group, even more rare, but not so striking. large, as they all are. sepals a lively brown, gold edged; petals bright yellow splashed with brown; lip yellow. _undulatum._--a third member of this handsome family. sepals brown, petals white, marbled with yellow and mauve at the base, spotted with purple above, and streaked with yellow. lip very small, as in all the other cases, but conspicuous by reason of its bright purple tint. _ornithorhynchum album._--this is one of our oldest and commonest species, discovered by bonpland, who accompanied humboldt to mexico; brought to europe no long time afterwards. but the pure white variety turned up to astonish the world very few years ago, and the names of those happy mortals who possess a sample would make only a brief if distinguished list. _loxense_ seems to have been not uncommon in our fathers' time, but no plants have arrived from peru--loxa is the district--for many years. it makes a long spike with branches, bearing a great number of large flowers; sepals greenish ochre, crossed with blurs of chocolate; petals deep brown, edged and tipped with yellow. lip large and flowing, as it were, orange-yellow, speckled with red in the throat. _weltoni._---classed of late among miltonias. a singular and fascinating species, difficult to grow and still more difficult to flower. the sepals and petals are very narrow, with edges like a saw, greenish brown, widening out suddenly at the tip, which is yellow. the lip is extraordinary in all respects. it shows a fine broad disc of dusky purple, with a darker bar across the middle; and below this, sharply divided as if by a stroke of the brush, two smaller discs pure white. upon the whole to be wondered at rather than admired, but more interesting on that account. [illustration: odontoglossum × harryano-crispum.] story of oncidium splendidum we all know that to make a thing conspicuous above measure is the most effective way of baffling those who seek it. wendell holmes has expounded the natural law of this phenomenon, and edgar poe exemplified it in a famous story. i am about to give an instance from the life, as striking as his fiction. oncidium splendidum is one of the stateliest orchids we have, and one of the showiest. its leaves are very large, fleshy and rigid, and the tall flower spike bears a number of pale yellow blooms striped with brown, each three inches across. there is no exaggeration in saving that they would catch the most careless eye as far off as one could see them. at an uncertain date in the fifties a merchant captain--whose name and that of his ship have never been recovered--brought half a dozen specimens to st. lazare and gave them to his owner, m. herman. this gentleman sold the lot to mm. thibaud and ketteler, orchid-dealers of sceaux. they were tempted to divide plants so striking and so new; thus a number of small and weakly pieces were distributed about europe at a prodigious price. we have the record of the sale of one at stevens' auction rooms in 1870; it could show but a single leaf, yet somebody paid thirty guineas for the morsel. so ruthlessly were the plants cut up. even orchids, tenacious of life as they are, will not stand this treatment. in very few years more oncidium splendidum had vanished. no one knew where it came from--with a strange carelessness mm. thibaud and ketteler had not inquired. m. herman was dead, and he left no record of the circumstances. the captain could not be traced. had the name of his ship been preserved, it might have furnished a hint, since the port of sailing would be registered in the custom house. more than one enterprising dealer made inquiries, but it was too late to recover the trail. oncidium splendidum took its place for a while among the lost orchids. but mr. sander of st. albans would not admit defeat. when, after great pains, he had satisfied himself that nothing could be discovered at st. lazare or at sceaux, he examined the internal evidence. in the first place, an oncidium must needs be american, since the genus is not found in the old world. this species also must dwell in a hot climate; leaves so rigid and fleshy are designed to bear a scorching sun. but the possibilities seemed almost boundless, even thus limited. patiently and thoughtfully mr. sander worked out a process of exhaustion. mexico might be neglected, for a time at least; those hunting-grounds had been so often explored that some one must surely have come across a flower so conspicuous. so it was with new grenada. brazilian cattleyas have thick, hard leaves, though not to compare with this oncidium; but they form a single genus which shows the peculiarity among hundreds which do not. brazil, therefore, might be excluded for the present. the astonishing wealth of peru in varieties of orchid was not suspected then. after such careful thought as a man of business allows himself when tempted by a speculation which may cost thousands of pounds, mr. sander determined that, upon the whole, central america was the most likely spot; and again, after more balancing of the chances, that costa rica was the most likely part of central america. after coming to a decision he acted promptly. in 1878 mr. oversluys, one of our trustiest and most experienced collectors, was despatched to costa rica. more than three years he travelled up and down, and treasures new or old he sent in abundance--epidendron ciliare, cattleya bowringiana, oncidium cheirophorum, are names that occur at the moment. but as for oncidium splendidum he had not so much as heard of it. not a peon could be found in the woods to recognise the sketch which mr. sander had given him. oversluys had never seen the plant himself, i think. he was driven at length to conclude that if the thing did really exist in those parts--poor oversluys applied a variety of epithets to 'the thing' now, none expressive of tenderness--it must be on the atlantic slope or the steaming lowlands beyond. he had felt himself justified in neglecting those districts hitherto because there is no port where a large vessel can lie, and absolutely no trade, save a trifling export of bananas. what could tempt a french captain to the atlantic shore of costa rica? and the expedition was as uninviting as well could be. there were no towns nor even villages--but it must be borne in mind that i speak of twenty years ago. at that time all the white and coloured population was settled on the tableland, excepting a few individuals or families who yearly wandered downwards to squat along the slope. upon the other hand there were indian tribes--talamancas to the southward, who admitted some vague allegiance to the republic on condition that white men did not enter their territory; and guatusos or pranzos to the northward, utter savages. it was their country, however, to which the wandering folks mentioned betook themselves, and thither oversluys must go; for the track they had cut through the forest was the only one connecting the tableland with the atlantic coast. i have travelled that 'road' myself in the days when peril and discomfort were welcome for the promise of adventure; but had we known what lay before us when bidding a joyous adieu to the capital, we should have meekly returned to the pacific harbour by coach. oversluys was a man of business, and to men of business adventure commonly means embarrassment and loss of time, if no worse. varied experiences, all unpleasant, told him that to seek orchids in a country like that must be a thankless enterprise, attended by annoyance, privation, and even danger. but he had undertaken the work. it must be done. as cheerfully then as such untoward circumstances permitted, oversluys set forth from san josé, and in due time reached the disengagno. this is a blockhouse raised by some charitable person on the edge of the tableland; a very few yards beyond, the path dips suddenly on its course to the serebpiqui river, 6000 feet below. the spot is bitterly cold at night, as i can testify, or seems so, and for this reason the hut was built, as a shelter for travellers. but they, too lazy to seek wood in the forest at arm's length, promptly demolished the walls and burned them. only the roof remained in a few months, with the posts that upheld it. a group of ill-looking peons occupied this shed when oversluys arrived. they began to pick a quarrel forthwith; in short, he heartily wished himself elsewhere. it was not yet dusk. drawing the guide apart oversluys questioned him, and learned that there was one single habitation within reach. the report of it was not promising, but he did not hesitate. as the little party filed off, one of the peons shouted, 'a good night, _macho_! we'll wait for you at la vergen!'--the first halting-place on the descent. a pleasant beginning! the shelter they sought lay some miles back. there is plenty of game on these unpeopled uplands, if a man knows how to find it, and a hunter had built himself this cabin in the woods. they reached it as darkness was setting in--a hut as rough as could be, standing on the edge of a small savannah. at the same moment the owner returned, with a deer tied on the back of a small but very pretty ox. he might well be surprised, but hospitality is a thing of course in those parts. kindness to animals is not, however--much the contrary--and oversluys observed with pleasure how carefully the little ox was treated. children came running from the hut, and, after staring in dumb amaze for a while at the strangers, took the animal and actually groomed it in a rough way. after supper--of venison steaks--oversluys alluded to this extraordinary proceeding. the guide said, 'our friend pablo may well take care of his ox. there's not such another for hunting on the countryside.' and pablo grunted acquiescence. 'for hunting?' asked oversluys. 'yes. you should see him when he catches sight of deer. tell the gentleman, pablo.' upon this theme the hunter was talkative, and he reported such instances of sagacity that oversluys--remembering those ruffians who awaited him at la vergen--asked whether there was any chance to see the ox at work? pablo meant to have another stalk at dawn, with the hope of carrying two deer to market, and willingly he agreed to take his guest. so they started before daylight. it was no long journey to the hunting-ground. these high lands are mostly savannah, with belts of dense forest between. oversluys had heard deer belling incessantly all night. after carefully studying the wind pablo chose the direction of the hunt. he had cut tracks to each point of the compass, and he took that which would bring him to the edge of the first clearing with the wind in his face. it was just light enough when they arrived to see half a dozen dark forms above the misty grass. forthwith pablo crept out from the trees, walking backwards, his left arm round the ox's neck, and his stooped body behind its shoulder. thus he could see nothing. it was unnecessary. the ox marched on, its broadside towards the deer, very softly, but always zigzagging closer. as the light strengthened, oversluys watched with growing pleasure. very soon the deer noticed this intrusion and ceased feeding; then the ox dropped its head and grazed. again and again this occurred. so long as one deer remained upon the watch it kept its head down, but when the last recovered confidence, instantly it advanced. pablo's old gun could not be trusted beyond fifty yards or so. the deer became more restless. they drew together--oversluys saw they would bound off in a moment. just then the ox wheeled actively--they flew. but one rolled over, shot through the chest. oversluys was so pleasantly excited that he ran to pat the clever creature. then he assisted pablo to load up the game. it was broad daylight now. in lifting the body he noticed some large yellow flowers which it had crushed in falling. they were pretty and curious in shape. he glanced at the leaves--they were large, polished, and very stiff. a wild fancy struck him. he compared the drawing. there was no doubt! scores of oncidium splendidum starred the tall grass all around! i do not try to paint his raptures. a few weeks later many thousand plants were on their way to europe. but the point of the story is that mr. oversluys had seen and even admired this flower many a time on the upland savannahs in riding past. he was looking for orchids, however, and who could have expected to find an oncidium buried among herbage in the open ground? the ox demands a word. such trained animals are not uncommon in central america. the process of education is very cruel. by constant tapping, their horns are loosened when young, so that the tortured beast obeys the slightest pressure. its movements in walking are thus directed, and when the horns grow firm again it continues to recognise a touch. but the degrees of intelligence in brutes are strikingly displayed here. some forget the lesson in a twelvemonth. most are uncertain. a very few, like pablo's, understand so well what is required of them that direction is needless. in that case the hunter can walk backwards, keeping his body quite concealed. he is almost sure to kill, unless the fault be his own. laelia jongheana the back wall carries a broad sloping ledge of tufa, where little chips of odontoglossum and the rest are planted out to grow until they become large enough to be potted--no long time, for they gather strength fast in niches of the porous stone. along the top, however, are ranged flowering plants of odontoglossum grande which make a blaze in their season--three to six blooms upon a spike, the smallest of them four inches across. overhead is a long row of laelia jongheana--some three hundred of them here and elsewhere. it is a species with a history, and i venture to transcribe the account which i published in the _pall mall gazette_, july 18, 1899. 'a sensation for the elect.--the general public will hear without emotion that laelia jongheana has been rediscovered. the name is vaguely suggestive of orchids--things delightful in a show, or indeed elsewhere, when in bloom, but not exhilarating to read about. therefore i call the news a sensation for the elect. at the present moment, i believe, only one plant of l. jongheana is established in this country, among baron schröder's wonders. though its history is lost this must be a lonely survivor of those which reached europe in 1855--a generation and a half ago. it is not to be alleged that no civilised mortal has beheld the precious weed in its native forests since that date; but no one has mentioned the spectacle, and assuredly no one has troubled to gather plants. registered long since among the "lost orchids," which should bring a little fortune to the discoverer, native botanists and dealers in all parts of south america have been looking out. and the collectors! for forty years past not one of the multitude has left the shores of europe or the united states, bound for the cattleya realm, without special instructions to watch and pray for l. jongheana. more and more pressing grew the exhortations as years went by and prices mounted higher, until of late they subsided in despair. yet the flower is almost conspicuous enough to be a landmark, and it does not hide in the tree-tops either, like so many. 'every one who takes interest in orchids will be prepared already to hear that messrs. sander are the men of fate. how many of such spells have they broken! without book i recall oncidium splendidum, of which not a plant remained in europe, nor a hint of the country where it grew; the "scarlet phalaenopsis" of native legend, never beheld of white man, which, in fact, proved to be brick-red; cattleya labiata, the lost orchid _par excellence_, vainly sought from 1818 to 1889. the recovery of dendrobium schröderium was chronicled by every daily paper in london, or almost, with a leader, when a skull was shown in protheroe's rooms with a specimen clinging to it, and a select group of idols accompanying the shipment. less important, but not less interesting, was the reappearance of cypripedium marstersianum at a later date. verily, we orchidists owe a debt to the st. albans firm. 'in these cases success was merited by hard thought, patient inquiry, and long effort. working out the problem in his study, mr. sander fixed upon a certain country where the prize would be found, and sent his collector to the spot. oversluys searched for oncidium splendidum during three years, until he wrote home that it might be in ---or ----, but it certainly was not in costa rica; yet he found it at last. in this present case, however, the discovery is due to pure luck; but one may say that a slice of luck also was well deserved after those laborious triumphs. one of the st. albans collectors, m. forget, was roaming about brazil lately. the government invited him to join a scientific mission setting out to study the products and resources of minas gaeras. it is comparatively little known. m. forget was unable to accept the invitation, but he heard enough about this secluded province to rouse his interest, especially when the savants reported that no collector had been there. accordingly, he made an expedition as soon as possible, and at the very outset discovered an orchid--not in flower--resembling laelia pumila in every detail but size. it was at least twice as big as that small, familiar species, but the points of similarity were so striking that m. forget pronounced it a grand local form of l. pumila. and when the consignment reached st. albans, even the wary and thoughtful authorities there endorsed his view! not without hesitation. i believe that the name of l. jongheana was whispered. but despair had grown to the pitch that no one ventured to speak out. yet by drawings and descriptions, anxiously studied for years, all knew perfectly well that in growth the lost species must be like l. pumila, enlarged. it is, indeed, strong evidence of the absorbing interest of the search that when at length it ended, neither m. forget nor his employers dared to believe their own eyes. 'so in november last year some hundreds or thousands of a remarkable orchid were offered at protheroe's under the title "l. pumila (?)." nearly all the leading amateurs and growers bought, i think, but at a very cheap rate. half a crown apiece would be a liberal average for plants over which millionaires would have battled had they known. but, after all, the luck of the purchasers was not unqualified. many who read this will feel a dreary satisfaction in learning that if their plants have perished or dwindled, plenty of others are in like case. further experience shows that they were gathered at the wrong time; of course they reached europe at the wrong time. and nearly every one put them into heat, which was a final error. l. jongheana is quite a cool species. through these accumulated misfortunes only two out of the multitude have flowered up to this, so far as i can hear. the dullest of mortals can feel something of the delicious anxiety of those gentlemen who watched the great bloom swelling from day to day when it began to show its tints, and they proved to be quite unlike those of l. pumila. at length it opened, and l. jongheana was recovered. 'what sort of a thing is it, after all? for an unlearned description, i should say that the flowers--two, three, or even five in number--are from four to five inches across--sepals, petals, and curl of lip bright amethyst, yellow throat, white centre; the crisped and frilled margin all round suffused with purple. it was discovered in 1855 by libon, who died soon after, carrying his secret with him. he was sent out by m. de jonghe, of brussels--hence the name.' up to the present time only one of the plants here has flowered--and it opened pure white, saving a yellow stain on the lip. this was not altogether a surprise, for a close examination of the faded blooms convinced m. forget that some of them must have been white, whatever the species might be. and he marked them accordingly. that a collector of such experience should prove to be right was not astonishing, as i say, but remarkably pleasant. at the end of the house is a pretty verdant nook where cypripedium insigne is planted out upon banks of tufa among adiantums and overshadowing palms. story of bulbophyllum barbigerum this species is so rare in europe that i must give a word of description. the genus contains the largest and perhaps the smallest of orchids--b. beccarii, whose stem is six inches in diameter, carrying leaves two feet long, and b. pygmaeum of new zealand. they are all fly-catchers, i think, equipped with apparatus to trap their prey, as droll commonly in the working as ingenious in the design. barbigerum has pseudo-bulbs less than an inch high, and its flowers are proportionate. but charm and size are no way akin. fascination dwells in the lip, which, hanging upon the slenderest possible connection, lengthens out to the semblance of a brush. thus exquisitely poised it rocks without ceasing, and its long, silky, purple-brown hairs wave softly but steadily all day long, as if on the back of a moving insect. pretty though it be, all declare it uncanny. the species was introduced from sierra leone by messrs. loddiges, so long ago as 1835. i have not come upon any reference to a public sensation. assuredly, however, the orchidists of the day were struck, and it is probable that messrs. loddiges sold the wonder at a high price if in bloom. some people in sierra leone forwarded consignments. but an orchid so small and delicate needs careful handling. none of them reached europe alive, i dare say. it appears, however, that bulbophyllum barbigerum is common throughout those regions. the example at kew, which diverts so many good folks year by year, came from lagos, near a thousand miles east and south of sierra leone. and the story i have to tell places it at whydah, between the two. a young man named boville went thither as clerk in the english factory, soon after 1835. we have not to ask what was his line of commerce. i have no information, but it must be feared, though perhaps we do him wrong, that one branch of it at least was the slave trade. boville had heard of messrs. loddiges' success. residents at whydah do not commonly explore the bush, but he was young and enterprising. on his first stroll he discovered the bulbophyllum, and to his innocence it seemed the promise of a fortune. real good things must be kept quiet. the treasure was plentiful enough to cause 'a glut' forthwith if many speculators engaged. luckily he had a kroo boy in attendance, not a native. to him boville assumed an air of mystery, said he was going to make fetich, and 'something happen' to any one who spoke of his proceedings--'make fetich' and 'something happen' are among the first local expressions which a man learns in west africa. the kroo boy grinned, because that is his way of acknowledging any communication whatsoever, and snapped his fingers in sign of willing obedience. so boville gathered a dozen plants, and hoped to have a stock before 'the ship' arrived. there were no steamers then, and at whydah, a very unimportant station for lawful trade, english vessels only called once in three months. slavers did not ship orchids. it was boville's employment henceforth to collect the bulbophyllum whenever he had a few hours to spare. he hung his spoils on the lattice work which surrounds a bedroom in those parts, between roof and wall, designed for ventilation--hiding them with clothes and things. it is proper to add that the 'english fort' was already deserted, and the 'factory' a mere name. the agent, his superior officer, was not at all likely to visit a clerk's quarters. this good man belonged to a class very frequent then upon 'the coast.' he had not returned to england, nor wished to do so, since coming out. at a glance he recognised that this was his real native land, and without difficulty he made himself a fellow-countryman of the negroes, living like a caboceer, amidst an undeterminate number of wives, slaves, and children. very shocking; but it may be pointed out that such men as this established our colonies or seats of trade in africa. they had virtues, perhaps, but their vices were more useful. the moral system of the present day would not have answered then. an agent secured his position by marrying a daughter of every chief who might be troublesome. he had no maxim guns. mr. blank knew every feeling and superstition of the negroes,--that is the point of my reference to his character. and one evening he entered the room just as boville was hanging up his latest acquisitions, some of which were in flower. whatever mr. blank's business, it fled from his mind on beholding the orchids. 'good god!' he cried. 'what--what--you are no better than a dead man! i won't protect you--i can't! good god! what possessed you?' 'i don't understand,' said boville. 'no, you don't understand! they send me out the most infernal idiots'--and then mr. blank fell to swearing. boville saw the case was grave somehow. 'are they poisonous?' he asked. 'poisonous be--etc. etc. that's the endua--the holiest of plants! you'll wish they were poisonous before long! what a lot! you didn't get 'em all to-day?' 'i can destroy them. only georgius rex the krooman has been into the bush with me.' 'you fool! d'you think you can hide this from the fetich? put--put 'em in a sack, and tumble 'em into the river after dark! oh lord, here's an awful business!' moving about the room restlessly as he talked, whilst boville thrust the orchids into a bag, the agent opened a door which gave upon a platform called the verandah--in fact, the roof of the store. it overlooked the street. in an instant he ran back. 'it's all up' he cried. 'oh lord! here's the vokhimen!' boville had heard this name, which belongs to an official of the vo-dun, the fetich priesthood, whose duty it is to summon offenders. he went to see. the street was in an uproar. two men clothed in black and white, with faces chalked, were beating vo-drums furiously--but such din is too usual for notice. they stood at the door of a house--habitations in whydah are not properly described as huts. all the neighbours surged round vociferous. presently emerged a grotesque figure, rather clothed than adorned with strings of human teeth and bones, and little wooden idols painted red. his black and white cap had lappets with red snakes sewn thereon; the breast of his tunic bore a large red cross, the sacred symbol of dahomey. he came forth with a leap, and danced along with ridiculous gestures to the next house, flourishing the iron bar which marks his office. the bones and images rattled like castanets. the drummers followed. through the next doorway the vokhimen sprang, and disappeared. 'he isn't after me, thank god!' cried boville. 'he is, you fool! it's their way to hunt about like that when they well know where to find the victim. no, it's too late to hide the cursed things now. god help you, boville! i can do nothing.' and mr. blank hurried out. [illustration: odontoglossum, coronarium.] 'go to the hun-to at least, sir--and to mr. martinez! don't leave me helpless to these devils!' 'i'll do all i can for you, but it's worse than useless my stopping here.' perhaps it is necessary to observe that the europeans in whydah had long been subject to the king of dahomey, ruled by a viceroy. each nationality had its official chief, called hun-to by the english, and the portuguese representative enjoyed particular consideration. nevertheless, the viceroy was their absolute master, and he obeyed the fetich men. it is so easy to conceive poor boville's bewilderment and despair that i shall not dwell upon the situation. with feverish haste he concealed his orchids. mr. blank reappeared, with a rope fringed with strips of palm leaf, dry and crackling. this he threw round boville's neck. 'they daren't hurt you with that on!' he cried. 'only the head priest can remove it! go down! i've set drink on the table! good-bye!' the poor fellow obeyed, taking a pistol. all the servants were clustered at the door, wide-eyed, humming with terror and excitement. presently the drums sounded nearer and nearer--the throng opened--the vokhimen danced through, jibbering, curveting, posturing. he started at sight of the palm-leaf cord, but passed by, unheeding a glass of rum which boville offered, and pranced upstairs. the agent was right. this devil knew where to look! he thumped about a while overhead, then capered down, with a bundle of orchids dangling on the iron stick. the glass was not refused this time. after drinking, the summoner touched boville with his wand of office, saying, 'come! the snake calls you!' boville did not understand the formula, but he guessed its meaning. there was no help. he set forth. the vokhimen pocketed the rum bottle and followed, moving gravely enough now. the mob shouted with astonishment at the appearance of a white criminal, but when the cause of his arrest was seen--that bundle of the holy endua--astonishment changed to rage. boville owed his life to the azan, the fetich cord, at that instant. but the drummers beat furiously, and, as if in response, a dozen fetich men suddenly appeared, pushing through the crowd. one side of their heads was shaven bare. they wore garments of hideous fantasy, charms and horrid objects innumerable, and each a pair of silver horns upon the forehead. under this escort boville marched to the fetich place. this was a bare piece of ground, encircled by the low dark dwellings of the priests, with the sacred wood behind it, and in the midst the snake temple. often had boville glanced into the small building, which has no door, and seen the reptiles swarming inside. he did not feel the loathing for snakes which is so common--happily, as it proved. but no man could watch that multitude of restless, twining creatures without horror. led to the dreadful doorway, boville turned, thinking to resist; but they fell upon him, doubled him up--for the entrance was very low--and thrust him in bodily. the poor fellow screamed in tumbling full length upon a platform which occupied the middle. he had seen it alive with snakes, writhing one over the other. but none were there. he scrambled to his feet and looked round. the temple had no windows, but the solid walls of adobe did not meet the roof, and the level sun-rays of evening poured through the gap. there was nothing to interrupt the view, save a besom and a basket. but no snake could he see. a movement above caught his eye. he looked up. there are men who would have lost their wits in terror at that sight. the snakes were there, hundreds of them, perched upon the thickness of the wall--the ridge of their bodies gleaming in the red light of sunset, their long necks hanging down, waving and twining. every head was turned towards him, the glass-bright eyes fixed on his, and the tongues slithering with eagerness. nightmare was never so horrible. for an instant boville stood frozen, with dropped jaw and starting eyes, the icy sweat streaming from every pore; then, howling in no human voice, he burst through the doorway, through the guard, and fell in the midst of a party advancing. all the europeans in whydah were there, with the viceroy himself, and the head fetich man. the horrid absurdity of their equipment i have no room to describe. the white men had been pleading, even threatening, and the viceroy supported them. when boville dropped at their feet the last word had been spoken. his punishment should be that decreed against the man who kills a snake by evil chance--no worse. 'what is that?' boville panted, when the agent who held him in his arms had explained. 'never mind--we'll do our best! and it is to be at once, thank god! night will soon be here!' 'don't go--not all of you! don't leave me with these devils!' 'we must, poor boy--to arrange. but we shall return.' boville remained among a group of fetich men, who sang and capered round, making gruesome pantomime of tortures. meanwhile, others were busy at a shed with spades and bundles of reed. dusk was settling down when they had finished. the head priests returning took their stations, surrounded by men with torches still unlit. all the population was gathered round the holy area. mr. blank came back with others. 'listen,' he said. 'they are going to put you--unbound--in a hole, cover you with reeds, and set them alight. you must spring up and run to the nearest water, all these brutes after you. but i have arranged with many of them, and they will intercept the others. now mark, for your life may depend on it! the law is that one who kills a snake shall be cut and hacked till he reaches water! they expect you to make for the river, but there is a pond on the very edge of the fetich wood yonder! see? you make for that! you can't miss it if you go straight between the torches and the temple. you understand? now summon your courage, man, and run for your life.' he wrung boville's hand. the executioners seized their victim and hurried him to the shed, amidst a furious tumult--roaring, singing, beating of drums, and blaring of cow-horns--thrust him into the hole, and heaped combustibles over him. the instant he was free boville sprang up, but the reeds flared as quick as gunpowder. all ablaze he ran--the savage crew pursuing. but they mostly expected him on the river side. with but little hurt, save burns, he reached the pool and leapt in. it is satisfactory to add that boville did not suffer in health or fortune by this dread experience. he became the richest trader in whydah, a special favourite with the natives. but he collected no more orchids. index angraecum sesquipedale, 97 anguloa, 162 anthurium × albanense, 68 " × aurantiacum, 69 " × goliath, 68 " × lady godiva, 68 " × lawrenceae, 68 " × niveum, 69 " × salmoniae, 68 " × saumon, 69 " × the queen, 69 brassavola digbyana--story, 151 bulbophyllum barbigerum--story, 253 calanthe × bella, 129 " × clive, 130 " × florence, 130 " × sandhurstiana, 129 " × veitchii alba, 130 " × victoria regina, 130 " × william murray, 130 cattleya × atalanta, 91 " aurea, 26 " " r. h. measures, 26 " bicolor measuresiana, 26 " bowringiana, 31 " " --story, 37 " × browniae, 90 " × cecilia, 94 " × chloris, 89 " chrysotoxa, 27 " extermination of, 28, 144-148 " × fowleri, 92 " gaskelliana, 33 " " dellensis, 33 " " duke of marlborough, 33 " " godseffiana, 33 " " herbertiana, 34 " " measuresiana, 33 " " miss clara measures, 33 " " sanderiana, 34 " " woodlandsensis, 34 " gigas, 25 " " imschootiana, 25 " " sanderae, 26 " guttata leopoldii--hybrids, 8 " harrisoniae r. h. measures, 35 " intermedia louryana, 97 " " parthenia, 96 " × kienastiana, 91 " labiata adelina, 147 " " alba, 146 " " archduchess, 147 " " baroness schröder, 146 " " bella, 147 " " her majesty, 147 " " imperatrix, 145 " " juno, 147 " " macfarlanei, 146 " " measuresiana, 146 " " mrs. r. h. measures, 146 " " nobilis, 145 " " princesse de croix, 146 " " princess may, 147 " " princess of wales, 147 " " robin measures, 147 " " sanderae, 146 " lawrenceana, 148 " " extermination of, 148 " × louis chaton, 94 " × mantinii inversa, 89 " × " nobilior, 89 " × mariottiana, 91 " × mary measures, 149 " mendelii, 29 " " duke of marlborough, 30 " " lily measures, 30 " " monica measures, 30 " " mrs. r. h. measures, 30 " " r. h. measures, 30 " " william lloyd, 30 " × miss measures, 92 " mossiae, 32 " " excelsior, 32 " " gigantea, 32 " " gilbert measures, 32 " " grandiflora, 32 " " mrs. r. h. measures, 32 " " --story, 45 " " wageneri, 32 " mrs. fred hardy, 27 " × mrs. mahler, 13 " o'brieniana, 94 " × our queen, 93 " × portia, 89 " × prince of wales, 91 " sanderiana, 26 " " a collector's report upon, 28 " schroderae, 30 " " miss mary measures, 30 " skinneri alba--story, 59 " speciosissima alba, 31 " " dawsonii, 31 " trianae, 34 " " macfarlanei, 34 " " measuresiana, 35 " " robert measures, 35 " " tyrianthina, 35 " " woodlandsensis, 35 " trismegistris, 27 " × wendlandiana, 94 " × william murray, 92 coelogyne speciosa--story, 135 cymbidium × lowiano-eburneum, 132 " × eburneo-lowianum, 132 cypripediums, 170 " × a de lairesse, 191 " × adrastus, 196 " × alfred, 181 " × amphion, 181 " × annie measures, 196 " × antigone, 179 " × aphrodite superbum, 179 " × arnoldiae, 180 " × arnoldianum, 180 " × arthurianum pulchellum, 196 " × astraea, 196 " × athos, 196 " × aurantiacum, 197 " × aylingii, 180 " × baconis, 177 " × barbato-bellatulum, 178 " × beeckmanii, 178 " bellatulum album, 177 " × " egregium, 178 " " eximium, 176 " boissierianum--_vide_ reticulatum. " × brownii, 179 " × brysa, 200 " × calloso-niveum, 181 " × callosum sanderae, 180 " × cardinale, 178 " × charles richmond, 202 " × chrysocomes, 178 " × claudii, 178 " × cleopatra, 197 " × conco-callosum, 181 " × " curtisii, 181 " × " lawre, 181 " cowleyanum, 181 " curtisii--story, 183 " " (woodlands variety), 182 " cyanides, 180 " × cydonia, 200 " × cymatodes, 191 " dauthierii albino, 192 " " marmoratum, 192 " × edwardii, 193 " × engelhardtiae, 193 " × evenor, 192 " × excelsior, 192 " fairieanum, 193 " × frau ida brandt, 196 " × georges truffaut, 194 " × gertrude, 194 " × gertrude hollington, 177 " godefroyae, 69 " × h. ballantine, 177 " × h. hannington, 179 " × hector, 179 " × hirsuto-sallierii, 199 " × holidayanum, 199 " insigne, 53 " " amesiae, 54 " " bohnhoffianum, 54 " " clarissimum, 54 " " corrugatum, 55 " " dimmockianum, 54 " " dorothy, 55 " " drewett's variety, 56 " " eximium, 56 " " frederico, 55 " " harefield hall, 55 " " hector, 56 " " laura kimball, 54 " " longisepalum, 54 " " macfarlanei, 54 " " majesticum, 55 " " measuresiae, 55 " " punctatum, 56 " " r. h. measures, 55 " " rona, 55 " " sanderae, 56 " " statterianum, 54 " × j. coles, 200 " javanicum, 199 " × juno, 191 " × la france, 197 " × lavinia, 200 " × lawrebel, 197 " × " (woodlands variety), 197 " × lawrenceanum-hyeanum, 198 " " sir trevor, 198 " leucochilum, 69 " × " giganteum, 199 " × leysenianum, 199 " × lily measures, 197 " × lord derby, 192 " × m. finet, 177 " × macropterum, 177 " × marchioness of salisbury, 199 " × marshallianum, 199 " × massaianum, 203 " × measuresiae, 203 " × measuresianum, 199 " × miss clara measures, 203 " × mrs. e. cohen, 178 " × mrs. e. g. uihlein, 195 " × mrs. fred hardy, 199 " × mrs. herbert measures, 199 " × mrs. w. a. roebling, 202 " × muriel hollington, 200 " × myra, 179 " × nitidum, 204 " × olivia, 176 " × paris, 201 " × phoebe, 201 " platytaenium--story, 205 " × princess may, 201 " × pylaeus, 201 " reticulatum, 202 " × rowena, 201 " × sade lloyd, 191 " × schofieldianum, 202 " × sir redvers buller, 204 " × southgatense, 203 " × " superbum, 203 " spicerianum--story, 213 " × symonsianum, 200 " × tautzianum lepidum, 194 " × telemachus, 194 " × tesselatum porphyreum, 194 " venustum (measures variety), 195 " × watsonianum, 195 " × william lloyd, 191 " × winifred hollington, 204 " × woodlandsense, 195 " × zeus, 196 dendrobium × ainsworthii, 110 " × leechianum, 110 " lowii--story, 121 " nobile album, 110 " " cooksoni, 110 " " murrhinianum, 110 " " ruckerianum, 110 " " splendens grandiflorum, 110 " " virginale, 110 " phalaenopsis schröderianum--story, 113 " × schneiderianum, 110 epidendrum radicans, 110 " × radico-vitellinum, 111 hybridisation--remarks, 172 " mr. mead's experiments, 173 laelia × beatrice, 13 " × claptonensis, 88 " elegans, 7 " " adonis, 10 " " amphion, 13 " " bella, 15 " " blenheimensis, 13 " " boadicea, 10 " " cleopatra, 15 " " doctor ryan, 11 " " empress, 10 " " euracheilos, 14 " " eximia, 15 " " f. sander, 10 " " frederico, 12 " " godseffiana, 10 " " h. e. moojen, 10 " " h. g. gifkins, 10 " " haematochila, 11 " " hallii, 14 " " incantans, 14 " " juno, 13 " " ladymead, 12 " " leucotata, 11 " " lord roberts, 16 " " luciana, 12 " " luculenta, 12 " " macfarlanei, 11 " " " ii., 15 " " macroloba, 13 " " matuta, 13 " " measuresiana, 12 " " medusa, 10 " " melanochites, 14 " " minerva, 13 " " monica, 12 " " morreniana, 13 " " mrs. f. sander, 10 " " mrs. r. h. measures, 11 " " myersiana, 15 " " neptune, 10 " " nyleptha, 11 " " ophelia, 11 " " oweniae, 14 " " paraleuka, 11 " " platychila, 12 " " princess stephanie, 13 " " pyramus, 15 " " red king, 10 " " sade lloyd, 11 " " sappho, 15 " " schilleriana, 14 " " " splendens, 12 " " stella, 10 " " stelzneriana, 12 " " tautziana, 13 " " tenebrosa, 11 " " venus, 12 " " weathersiana, 14 " " wolstenholmae, 15 " × gravesiae, 88 " jongheana, 249 " × latona, 92 " × measuresiana, 88 " perrinii alba, 97 " " nivea, 97 " praestans alba, 32 " pumila marginata, 31 " purpurata, 107 " " archduchess, 109 " " lowiana, 109 " " macfarlanei, 109 " " marginata, 109 " " tenebrosa, 109 " × sanderae, 91 " × splendens, 91 " × yula, 93 " × " inversa, 93 laelio-cattleya albanensis, 91 " " amanda, 88 " " amazon, 91 " " amesiana, 93 " " ancona, 88 " " aphrodite, 91 " " arnoldiana, 88 " " bellairensis, 90 " " broomfieldensis, 92 " " c.-g. roebling, 92 " " callistoglossa, 92 " " " ignescens, 92 " " canhamiana, 94 " " d. s. brown, 92 " " decia, 92 " " empress of india, 94 " " eudora, 93 " " " alba, 93 " " euspatha, 14 " " excellens, 91 " " exoniensis, 93 " " fire queen, 89 " " harold measures, 11 " " henry greenwood, 94 " " hippolyta, 93 " " hon. mrs. astor, 91 " " lady wigan, 89 " " leucoglossa, 94 " " mardellii fascinator, 92 " " measuresiana, 88 " " miss lily measures, 94 " " nysa, 88 " " pallas superba, 94 " " robin measures, 90 " " tiresias, 88 " " " superba, 90 " " tresederiana, 89 " " velutino-elegans, 94 " " zephyra, 93 laelio-cattleyas unflowered and unnamed--list of, 95 lycaste aromatica, 159 " denningiana, 160 " fulvescens, 160 " leucantha, 159 " locusta, 160 " mooreana, 160 " plana lassioglossa, 159 " " measuresiana, 160 " skinneri alba, 159 " " lady roberts, 159 " " phyllis, 159 madagascar--legend of, 99 masdevallia abbreviata, 237 " amabilis, 237 " bonplandii, 237 " caudata, 237 " chelsoni, 237 " coccinea, 238 " harryana armeniaca, 237 " " bull's blood, 237 " " denisoniana, 237 " " sander's scarlet, 237 " " splendens, 237 " " versicolor, 237 " ignea splendens, 237 " macrura, 238 " melanopus, 238 " peristeria, 238 " polysticta, 237 " veitchii grandiflora, 237 " wallisii stupenda, 238 miltonia binottii, 162 " vexillaria cobbiana, 228 " " measuresiana, 228 " " rubella, 228 odontoglossum baphicanthum, 226 " bictoniense album, 223 " coronarium, 225 " crispo-harryanum, 225 " crispum arthurianum, 225 " " aureum, 227 " " chestertoni, 227 " " cooksoni, 227 " " dayanum, 228 " " magnificum, 223 " " measuresiae, 223 " " our empress, 223 " " purpureum, 228 " " reginae, 227 " " virginale, 223 " " woodlandsense, 223 " cristatellum, 224 " edithae, 223 " elegans, 223 " facetum, 224 " grande magnificum, 227 " hallii leucoglossum, 224 " " magnificum, 224 " harryanum--story, 229 " humeanum, 226 " hunnewellianum, 223 " josephinae, 223 " lindeni, 226 " madrense, 224 " mirandum, 224 " mulus, 222 " murrellianum, 226 " pescatorei album, 227 " " germinyanum, 225 " " grandiflorum, 228 " " splendens, 228 " " violaceum, 228 " platycheilum, 226 " polyxanthum magnificum, 224 " rossii aspersum, 227 " ruckerianum, 222 " " splendens, 222 " sceptrum, 225 " schillerianum, 226 " tripudians oculatum, 226 " vexillarium--_vide_ miltonia " vuylstekeanum, 222 " wallisii, 224 " wilckeanum, 222 " " albens, 222 " " pallens, 222 " " rothschildianum, 225 oncidium lamelligerum, 239 " loxense, 240 " ornithorhynchum album, 239 " splendidum--story, 241 " tetracopis, 239 " undulatum, 239 " weltoni, 240 phaio-calanthe arnoldiae, 130 phajus × ashworthianus, 130 " × cooksoni, 130 " × marthae, 130 " × owenianus, 130 " × phoebe, 130 phalaenopsis, 67 " × hebe, 68 " sanderiana--story, 79 pothos aurea, 147 roezl--legend of, 17 sobralia × amesiana, 161 " kienastiana--story, 163 " measuresiana, 161 " sanderae, 161 " × veitchii, 161 spathoglottis × aureo-veillardii, 111 thunia bensoniae, 131 " marshalliana, 131 vanda, 69 " × miss joaquim, 69 " sanderiana--story, 71 zygo-colax leopardinus, 131 zygopetalum × perrenoudii, 131 the end _printed by_ r. & r. clark, limited, _edinburgh_ footnotes: [1] it seems not unlikely that scholars may read this and misunderstand. i am not ignorant that 'the ancients' had frames, probably warmed green-houses--since they flowered roses at mid-winter--and certainly conservatories. but these facts do not bear upon the argument. [2] two or three years ago, however, the government of new granada made a law forbidding such destruction of trees--a measure which has happily reduced the output of orchids, since the natives are unwilling to climb for them. transcriber's notes: passages in italics are indicated by _underscore_. the misprint "ear" has been corrected to "are" (page 224). printer's inconsistencies in spelling and hyphenation usage have been retained from the original. 