100 THE ORCHID REVIEW. 
DIES ORCHIDIANA. 
I READ the article by Mr. R. Thompson on the threatened extermination of 
Odontoglossum crispum in its native habitat, and the proposal to naturalise 
it in the mountains of Jamaica (supra, p. 45), with much interest, and shall 
watch the proposed experiment with curiosity. If the climatic conditions 
of the two areas coincide as nearly as pointed out, the experiment ought to 
be successful, if the plants have the necessary care until they have had time 
to establish themselves. It is confidently predicted that in the course of 
ten years scores of thousands of plants would be naturalised and fit for 
export annually. Some unforeseen contingency, however, may upset the 
nicest calculations, and in any case some years must elapse before Jamaica 
can be a source of supply for the European market, and as the orders for the 
present year will more than exhaust the stock remaining at Bogota—so the 
story goes—the outlook for the future is not a rosy one. 
The causes which have led to the rapid destruction of this beautiful 
representative of the wild flora of Bogota are pointed out, and, as usual, the 
‘“‘ march of civilisation ’’ seems to have worked most of the mischief, though 
the reckless felling of the trees on which the plants grow by collectors must 
not be overlooked. It would appear that ere long the land will be more 
valuable as Odontoglossum forests than when laid out as pastoral farms, and | 
I would point out to all whom it may concern the advisability of establish- 
_ ing reserves in the best districts, where the plants could be protected, and 
by judicious collecting a constant supply might be maintained. 
It would appear that a little protection is all that is necessary—at all 
events, if the matter is taken in hand at once—for it is said that frequently 
when a clearing in the forest is made by fire, in rocky places, many thousands 
of plants spring up on these spots, but that they require about eight years to 
become strong plants. There is, at all events, the certainty that the climate 
and other conditions are suitable, and the necessary insects for fertilising 
the flowers are present, which remains to be proved in Jamaica. Perhaps 
someone out there will discover that Odontoglossum farming pays, and we 
may yet see them advertised ‘‘ from our own celebrated farms.” In any 
case, I suspect that we have not yet heard the last of this question. 
Here is that eternal nomenclature question again :—‘‘ Dear Argus,— 
You will agree that the Orchid Committee are making a very praiseworthy 
attempt to meet that awkward question of the duplication of names, by 
having a series of drawings made of the flowers to which Certificates are 
given, and the fact that they themselves agree to pay a third of the expense 
is an assurance that they recognise the necessity of some improvement. It 
a 
