Torres Straits

Orchids

Many Beautiful Varieties

From Our Thursday Island Correspondent.

THE numerous islands of Torres Straits were formerly well endowed by Nature with a rich assortment of vigorous and beautiful orchids, but, alas, to-day they are by no means so common as they were.

No wild flower is so highly developed as the orchid, and none provides quite such a thrill when seen growing in its natural surroundings, even the most insignificant having an air of distinc tion lacking in other flowers.

Orchids are notoriously hard to culti vate in captivity and, even in the wilds, they are rather temperamental in their growth. Some species have been known to disappear from a local ity for years and come again into be ing after a bush fire has swept over the site of their former existence; other species break into new varieties from unknown causes. And if they ob ject in this manner to Nature’s de mands, it is quite certain they do not flourish when they are continually be ing pulled and destroyed by thought less people here.

On Thursday Island the orchids are practically extinct, and on Hammond, where they once covered the trees with their beautiful blooms, they are hard to find. Prince of Wales and Wednesday have had their treasures depleted to a large extent, and this is true of practically every island in the archipelago.

In fact, our orchids were in a fair way to becoming exterminated and, in consequence, the Forestry Department of Queensland has prohibited the re moval of plants from their natural sur roundings. This is a wise precaution and has been well received by local people, many of whom realised that the orchids needed protection.

There must be a wonderful variety of orchids in the Pacific Islands, and probably all need sympathetic handling like the rest of our native flora. Will not some orchid lover in each centre where the P.I.M. circulates look round the varieties of his district and take steps to protect them where such ap pears necessary?