SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 
UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 
WASHINGTON, D. C. 
October 28, 1922. 
Mr. Oakes Ames, 
North fasten, Mas s achuse 11 s . 
Dear Mr. %es: 
I was very muoh interested in your letter of October 
7, and delighted to bear that you had such a successful trip 
to Europe this summer. The opportunity to examine the type 
material in the old herbaria must greatly simplify the study 
of the American orchids, but, on the other hand, I presume 
that it is likely to complicate matters greatly. I am glad 
to hear that such satisfactory arrangements have been made 
with Mr. Powell for securing specimens of his Panama orchids. 
That part of Central America must be one of the richest in 
plants of this group, although I suppose it is not superior 
to Costa Rica where conditions are almost the same. I hope 
that it may be possible to secure something from Mr. Jimenez 
and from the new collector whom he recommended,whose name 
escapes me at the present moment. Sometime ago I wrote a 
letter to the latter offering to help him in every way 
possible in his study of Costa Rican plants and giving him 
all the encouragement that I could think of. So far I have 
received no response from him, and it is very possible that 
my letter did not reach him. I am going to take the matter 
up again with Mr. Jimenez. 
Thank you very much for the copy of the orchid atlas 
which was received a few days ago. It is certainly very 
kind of you to send it, and I know that the gentleman in 
Guatemala City must he greatly pleased when he receives it, 
for it is one of the handsomest things of the sort that I 
have ever seen. I am writing to the publishers to secure 
some additional copies since X should like to send them to 
some friends in Salvador also. 
In your letter you did not mention the matter of the 
Lvcaste specimen that Mr. Cutter is so anxious to get hold 
of. A few days ago I received a letter from Mr. Gooch, then 
in Panama, asking whether the plant had ever reached Mr. 
Cutter’s hands. Mr. Gooch is the one from whom I received it. 
