COOL ORCHIDS. 71 
with eyes would dispute that O. crispum Alexandre 
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 isaclose and secret business. The 
arrangement concluded in legal form, he hires 
natives, twenty or fifty or a hundred, as circum- 
stances 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 
