1 MISC. PUBLICATION 568, U. S. DEP'T. OF AGE I CULTURE 



Samples of plant products for analysis, in most cases, would be col- 

 lected only by special request. To remember this is important, because 

 as yet the United States Government does not have a central laboratory 

 for receiving and testing great quantities of food, drug, poison, or eco- 

 nomic plants of other types. Previous arrangements would need to be 

 made with some particular person or office to cany on such studies. 



Likewise, propagating material, living plants, cuttings, or seed should 

 not be sent without assurance that the shipment will be received and 

 given proper care. Furthermore, strict regulations in many countries 

 govern the import or export of living-plant material. These regulations 

 are designed to prevent the dispersal of dangerous diseases or insects 

 which might be carried by the plants. 



In a number of Latin American countries, foreigners are required to 

 secure a special permit to collect natural-history specimens, and these 

 countries usually expect to have a duplicate set of the collections de- 

 posited with an official agency. 



Remarks on Foreign Travel 



A collector planning a trip into distant countries has two sources from 

 which to secure information about modes of transportation and condi- 

 tions of living. He may ask questions of someone who has been in the 

 countries, and he can read books relating to the area to be visited. The 

 remarks in the present work apply mainly to Latin American countries 

 and are by no means complete. 



A recent handbook by Graham and O'Roke 1 gives excellent advice 

 about out-of-door life in general. The collector going to Latin America 

 will find many helpful publications; some cover the region as a whole and 

 some individual countries. 2 



For any trip into a strange country, the area to be covered and the 

 time to be spent there are essential considerations, but most important 

 is the matter of equipment and supplies. Everything that will be needed 

 must be listed, and the lists repeatedly checked as to completeness and 

 quantities. A person who has not done any camping out had better seek 

 the advice of an experienced hand. One cannot afford to make mistakes 

 or take chances. Vilhjalmur Stefansson, in one of his books on the Arctic, 

 has made the sage statement that any explorer who has an adventure 

 can lay it to his own carelessness. 



The rules for traveling, living, or camping out are much the same for 

 all countries: Learn all you can before starting; keep the itinerary flexible 

 to allow for unpredictable changes; keep the luggage as light as possible; 

 limit the party to the personnel actually needed, especially for long trips; 

 purchase supplies and equipment, insofar as possible, in the country 

 Avhere the trip is to be made, in order to get what best conforms to the 

 conditions of the region; get physical condition checked, with particular 

 attention to eyes and teeth, before any extended trip; by all means learn 



1 GRAHAM, S. A., AND O'fiOKE, E. C. OX YOUR OWN; HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF IX WILD COUNTRY 



. . 150 pp., illus. Univ. Minn., Minneapolis. [1943.] 



-A partial list includes the following: For Latin America as a whole, United States Bureau of 

 Foreign and Domestic Commerce, commercial travelers' guide to latin America. Trade pro- 

 motion Series No. 122, Ed. 4, 616 pp. 1931; for Venezuela and Colombia, McDonald, X. the orchid 

 hunters . . . 294 pp., illus. Xew York and Toronto. 1939; for the Amazon region and Brazil, Wallace, 



A. R. A NARRATIVE OF TRAVELS ON THE AMAZON AND RIO NEGRO . . . 541 pp., llUlS. London. 1853; 



Guenther, K. a naturalist in brazil . . . 399 pp.. illus. Boston and Xew York. 1931; for 

 Nicaragua, Belt, T. naturalist in Nicaragua . . . Fd. 2. 403 pp., illus. London. 1SSS; and 

 for Bolivia and the Amazons, McCreagh, G. black waters and white. 404 pp., illus. New York and 

 London. 1926. 



