92 €0»TltIBUTrONS TO WESTEKN^ BOTANY NO. U 



mstoestoB; and 



was relieved at suc^ 



reception. After I got my breath I said, **1 have seven big bundles for 

 you fa inspect.^ He turned to the examiners and said, "Esta Bueno," 

 and waved his hand, and I thanked him and passed out with all my stuff 

 without Ihspectfcwi. Then at the Aemrican custom house, on the opposite 

 dide, the chief inspector said, "Is it the same old gag?" I said, "Yies." 

 "Then gOf on " and away I went, and soon was all checked for home. I 

 teamed long ago that the way to get along with custom officials is ncrer 

 to try to put anything over on them and to keep my mouth shut. 



Then, after a week's rest at home, I pitched into numbering my plants 

 and labeling them, which took all summer before I had my sets made up 



and ready to distribute. But I had not yet studied them to identify 



them. 



Time sKpped by very fast till it was January again. Then I took 

 the stcimer Jeanette R., on January 12, for San Jose del Cabo, after pay- 

 ing |40 for my passage. Then began some dirty litde grafting by Hansen, 

 the owner of the boat. I was informed that the boat was & freighter and 

 could not carry passengers and that for that reason I would have to sijrn 



member 



members 



could not car^ baggage and all my botanical stuff would have to b» 

 ihfpped as freight. Hansen had already put my things on the manifesto. 

 I did not know what it meant, and did not care so long as I got to my 

 ae>tinatlon. After 4}^ days of sailing we reached San Jose del Cabo and 

 w-ere landed in the surf. Then I found I had to pay freight duty, and 

 ConsuLir fees amounting to ?10. Then I also found I had been skinned 

 mit of S5 more than the regular fee for passage. And so I found that 

 ?hf Mrxicana are not the only grafters. 



I found a very kind and considerate friend in a native Mexican, Mr. 

 ';on-rca, wha was president of the board (city council) at San Jose del 

 Cat»o. I spent a very strenuous and profitable week there botanizing. 

 then one day chief of .police, an intelligent and efficient young man. 



'";?^^/° .??, *"f ^^^^^ ^^ ^ ^^^ a permit to botanize in Mexico. I said 

 1 A .^"'^"' ^^- ^^^^> yo^ cannot work until you put up a 1,000 pc.^'> 

 I>ond and get permis.sion from the Secretary of Fomento (Secretary of 

 Ai^noilture) at Mexico City. My Spani.sh was not adequate to a discu?- 

 ?ion of the matter with him and so I took him to Mr. Consaca, who 

 interp.-eted for me. I had been informed before I left Claremont that 

 ?uch a law had been passed to cinch us foreigners the year before, and I 



Mexico and attempt to collect But I thought I 



.^t bluff my way through in some 



the 

 matter 



not put up any such bond. In addition the law required that I g 

 he.it s^t of specimens to tlie University of Mexico. I thought the .--- 

 over mght and then decided to go to some other city, where they did not 

 have a chief of police, and work. But consulted friends, all of whom 

 jrdvised me not to do it. for they said the .fficer would telepgraph ahead 



"• 71 P^' '^^'"' ^ ''"'* ^"^ ^^^«^ "^^ ^"^sted and fined heavily if I 

 tned It. My only recourse was then to go 125 miles north to the Capitol 

 «nd see the governor and have him fix me up, or leave the country. So 



