Powells Horticultural Garden 
ORCHIDS ONLY 
Balboa, Canal Zone, Panama 2 
BALBOA, C. Z., PANAMA_ 192 
but I let it pass. Later I discovered a plant, which, upon flower- 
ering proved to be a very attractive flower. I was very anxious to 
know its name. Thinking that perhaps, as Jamaica was so near to 
Panama, Hope Garden of Kingston could tell me. Accordingly I sent 
a specimen asking for its name, together with the request that if 
unable to identify to forward it to ( here I mentioned the name of 
another prominent garden in the U.S.) with request that it would 
be identified and that I be advised, Hope Garden acknowledged the 
receipt of specimen but said they could not identify and that the 
specimen had been forwarded as I had requested. Later Hope Gar¬ 
den sent me a letter from the - garden acknowledging receipt 
of specimen, and the statement that X would be advised . I never 
heard from it again. This fretted me a little, but I said ncthiig. 
I then determined that if it were possible I would be indepen¬ 
dent and not ask again, to be rebuffed. So I wrote to booksellers 
in London and Hew York asking what books, magazines or pamphlets 
they could supply on the Orchid. Within a comparatively short 
time I had purchased everything then obtainable, and set myself to 
an intensive study of them. Haturally I learned a greatdeal but 
there was always lacking the ability to identify a large number of 
^species or varieties, I now know the reason to be that they were 
not described in any of my then literature. They were new , I 
have continued to add to my literature until I now have quite an 
extensive library of English & German., and I am familiar 1 with them 
from cover to cover. 
About this time, in some way, Mr Rolfe learned of my collection 
and wrote me a nice letter saying that if I desired any determine»' 
