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 phal?nopsis sanderiana and vanda sanderiana, when a sum as yet unparalleled was taken in the room; cypripedium spicerianum, cyp. curtisii, l?lia 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 phal?nopsis 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 c?leste. 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 c?leste 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 alexandr?, 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 alexandr? 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 alexandr? 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.
