THE PLANT WORLD UXDRR CARE 



159 



ZYGOPETALUM CRINITUM FROM BRAZIL. 



The flowers, green and white streaked with veins of 



bright blue, last a long time in perfection. 



"Comforts and food as a whole are poor — in 

 some parts more so than in others. Antioquia 

 I found to be the best of all in Colombia ; its 

 people seem to be a race different from the 

 rest; they are the Yankees of Colombia — a 

 strong, well fed, industrious and enterprising 

 people. Mining of gold and silver, especially 

 the former, is the chief industry of this prov- 

 ince, to which might be added the ever spread- 

 ing coffee planting. The latter, if continued 

 at its present rate, will in a few years totally 

 destroy the most important species of orchids, 

 inasmuch as large tracts of forests where 

 Cattleyas and Odontoglossums grow are cut 

 down and burned. Taking all these ravages 

 into consideration, I am convinced that orchids 

 will never be cheaper than they are at present." 



THE TRAVELLER'S POINT OF VIEW. 



From a traveller's point of view the 

 interior of these "orchid countries" is 

 very interesting. I doubt if any part of 

 the world, unless it be Thibet, is less 

 known to the world in general. Just be- 



fore and during the Spanish Conquest 

 these countries were thickly populated. 

 Indian villages and towns abounded 

 everywhere, and as some of the Indian 

 tribes possessed a certain amount of civ- 

 ilization, agriculture and husbandry 

 flourished, making subsistence for the 

 conquerors comparatively easy. This ex- 

 plains in a large measure why the Span- 

 ish adventurers in the Fifteenth Century 

 made marches through territories and 

 regions which to-day are practically im- 

 penetrable. 



At the present time the traveller who 

 wants to see these countries in all their 

 natural beauty will find the means of 

 subsistence the most difficult to obtain. 

 In the towns and villages he can find 

 fairly good food and accommodations, 

 but after leaving these he is thrown on 

 his own resources, and must provide for 

 himself by carrying supplies of all kinds. 

 A traveller is not likely to see much that 

 will impress him favorably in the towns 



and villages. 



frlence the thing to observe 



DENDROBIUM DEXSIFLORUM. 



Native of India. Flowers are golden yellow in 



large clusters. 



