137 
Powells Horticultural Garden 
ORCHIDS ONLY 
Balboa, Canal Zone, Panama 
EALBOA, C. Z., 
PA N AMA 
October 24.1 922 9H 
My dear Dr Ames: 
I have your letters of Oct 10 & 11 both of which I 
have carefully read over. Tonight I will consider only that of the 
11th hs it is the most important and requires a prompt reply- 
In considering it there are certain fixed fundamentals, which are 
inescapeable: 
1 a, She wages of men on the Isthmus ire governed by the 
rate of pay as set by the Panama Canal.-It governs 
wages all over the Isthmus by influence, and the pay 
of a man cannot be gu»ged by the rate of pay of the 
natives in other tropical st tes. 
b, The wages of a common laborer is $ 40. per month and 
I cannot employ ray man for less than £> 50 as he is 
intelligent, a plant man,and can be taught up to 
certain point to do anything. He can read and write. 
o, The incidental expenses of this man will amount to- 
* more or less; say for street car fares, horse hire, 
boat hire, and lodging etc when he remains away more 
than a day at a, time* Panama being a land of distances 
and poor trailarequires time to get about. These 
expenses will have to be incurred,as it will be neces¬ 
sary for him to go distances from the city to success¬ 
fully prosecute his searches. 
2My garden is a purely scientific effort on my part, because 
a, 
13 , 
C» 
d, 
e, 
There was no Botanical Garden in Panama or in the 
Canal Zone. 
There was a constant ne- d for it, and 
My love of Botany and Orchids, influenced me to make 
the effort. 
( Since starting it I hive learned how weak the Bot 
Gardens are in Panam Orchid knowledge ) 
This garden h 13 cost me 8 years of the most constant 
painstaking care, and about 5000 or more dollars in 
money. , „ , 
1 am a man on a Government salary; every cent ox which 
over nd above the living expenses of myself and my 
daughter, Jjave be^n spent in its care and extension; 
and I could have spent much more to a great advant ge 
if I had have had it, 
I w ? ould be very glad to have an additional income to 
■relieve these needs. 
