PO Se ER reer. | Mae Oe toca ee eae uh BP he Fi Ae 
ELEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR. 19 
Four annual events provided for in Mr. Shaw’s will have 
taken place, as follows: The preaching of a sermon on the 
wisdom and goodness of God, as shown in the growth of 
flowers, fruits and other products of the vegetable kingdom ; 
the tenth banquet to the Trustees of the Garden and their 
invited guests; the tenth banquet to the gardeners of the 
institution, and invited florists, nurserymen and market 
gardeners; and the award of premiums or prizes at a 
flower show held in St. Louis. 
The flower sermon was preached in Christ Church Cathe- 
dral, St. Louis, on the morning of May 14, by Rt. Rey. 
M. N. Gilbert, of St. Paul, Minnesota. 
The Trustees’ banquet was given at the St. Nicholas 
Hotel, on the evening of May 13, and was presided over by 
President E. C. Eliot, of the Board of Education of St. 
Louis. Sixty-six gentlemen, comprising members of the 
Board of Trustees and literary and scientific men and 
friends and patrons of the natural sciences, were present. 
Speeches appropriate to the occasion were made by Presi- 
dent Charles W. Dabney, of the University of Tennessee, 
President J. H. Finley, of Knox College, Rt. Rev. M. N. 
Gilbert, Bishop of Minnesota, Rev. Leon Harrison, of St. 
Louis, and Professor J. M. Coulter, of the University of 
Chicago. 
The banquet to gardeners, nurserymen and florists was 
given at the Mercantile Club on the evening of November 
18. One hundred and thirteen persons were present. The 
Director of the Garden presided, as directed by the will of 
Henry Shaw. Appropriate toasts were responded to by Pro- 
fessor C. M. Woodward, President of the Public School 
Board of St. Louis and a member of the Board of Trustees 
of the Garden; Mr. J. F. Ammann, of Edwardsville, Illinois, 
President of the St. Louis Florists’ Club; and Mr. James 
Hartshorne, of Chicago, President of the Chicago Florists’ 
Club. The principal effort of the evening was devoted to 
a consideration of the practicability of improving public 
