FHIOT ORCHIDS. ISI 
these plants sometimes show likes and dislikes 
beyond explanation. For example, many gentle- 
men in Costa Rica—a wealthy land, and com- 
paratively civilized —have tried to cultivate the 
glorious Cattleya Dowiana. For business pur- 
poses also the attempt has been made. But never 
with success. In those tropical lands a variation 
of climate or circumstances, small perhaps, but 
such as plants that subsist mostly upon air can 
recognize, will be found ina very narrow circuit. 
We say that Trichopilias have their home at 
Bogota. Asa matter of fact, however, they will 
not live in the immediate vicinity of that town, 
though the woods, fifteen miles away, are stocked 
with them. The orchid-farmer will have to begin 
cautiously, propagating what he finds at hand, and 
he must not be hasty in sending his crop to market. 
It is a general rule of experience that plants 
brought from the forest and “established” before 
shipment do less well than those shipped direct in 
good condition, though the public, naturally, is 
slow to admit a conclusion opposed by @ priori 
reasoning. The cause may be that they exhaust 
their strength in that first effort, and suffer more 
severely on the voyage. 
I hear of one gentleman, however, who appears 
to be cultivating orchids with success. This is 
