Locations: Flagstaff.  

Carl A. Purpus to Katharine Brandegee, 7/6/1902

[28-29: 6 July 1902]

Flagstaff 6/7 1902

Dear Mrs. Brandegee!

I have just received Your two letters and was very glad to hear from You once more. I also received my papers and magazines. Very many thanks for sending them. Those 5 boxes of Cacti have arrived in Belgium I just got a letter. I am very glad to hear, that You received the plants from San Jos, but sorry, that a mouse got in to the boxes. Don Alejandro made a great plunder not to send the boxes right away as I asked him to do. You be sure, that I will send You all the Cacti I am collecting I will also botanize of course. It is a pity, that I have not got the order from Mr. Scripps. I may go to Mexico again this winter (Chihuahua I guess) to collect Cacti I surely send You a nice specimen of that Opuntia I send it with Miss Sessions bark, I expect she will not care. I collected flowers of that Opuntia to. They are dark rose red almost purpur. I collect flowers of all that Opuntia around here to, for You. I received also a letter from Miss Sessions I expect she is very glad to have the seeds of that beautyful fan palm. I knew it was not Erythea armata. If You think it is all right I am going to name that palm for Mr. Brandegee. You may describe it in a american paper, while I translate it for a german paper, but if You think it better to have the palm named by Prof. Drude, please let me know.

That Cowania grows like C. Mexicana but it is only about 4 feet high (hardly 5 feet). I cannot remember if I have seen C. Mexican. in company, but know, that Purshia was growing there. If I had my notebook here I could tell You exactly. I expect Mr. Brandegee is right about that Cowania. I thought it was a hybrid, because it had the seeds like Purshia. Please name it for me.

I have found one of the rarest epiphyt. Orchids also one of the most interesting one near Mazatlan as my brother writes me today. It is Erycina echinata I have pressed some for You to of course. It is a great pity, that it was not the proper season to collect around Mazatlan. I would have a highly interesting collection.

I expect a friend of my brothers at the end of this month he is Baron von Frstenberg. He is on a pleasure trip through the west also to see the forest reserves. He wants to go with me to the grand canon and other places. He is a very rich man, so he may pay the expense. A good thing for me.

I will pay Mr. Barrows for the cacti. I send congratulations Mrs. Barrows. I knew, that Miss Kath. Stockton is in San Francisco. I read it in a Los Angeles paper. It read "Miss K. Stockton the musical director of the public schools of San Diego etc etc".

I hope Your ailing is not so bad. I think You ought to take to the Mountains every summer.

I am sorry to hear, that Haage cheated Alverson so badly--but why has he not been more careful. He is a scoundrel and he knew that to.

Please do not send the Herbar plants away. I will send them with other things from here this fall. It is lots cheaper. I do not know, when I will go to Germany. I think it is better to collect Cacti again next spring, than to go to Germany. Orcutt has also collected Cacti for Mr. Falconer when he was in ARizona. Does Mr. Scripps know that? Please forward my mail to Flagstaff. If I change I will let You know.

I will send everything to San Francisco later on. It is enormously dry here, very little botanizing. It is great pity!

A friend of mine Dr. Horn Berlin who is in San Francisco now, goes to Japan at the first of next month. I expect You will see him at the Academy. He is an entomologist.

Very sincerely Yours

C. A. Purpus.

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Date and time this article was prepared: 6/7/2002 7:33:39 PM