86 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN. 



gratifying degree of interest was manifested by those who 

 were present. 



In the performance of the necessary routine work of the 

 School, and to a small extent in the instruction dvon to 

 general classes, I have been very efficiently aided by Mr. 

 L. H. Pamrael, who spent nearly three years as my assistant, 

 and was called to the chair of botany in the Iowa Agricul- 

 tural College in the spring of 1889. Professor Wm. T. 

 Porter, of the St. Louis Medical College, and Dr. A. N. 

 Ravold, who has recently been given charge of the bacte- 

 riological work of the same institution, have given much 

 gratuitous service in the bacteriological laboratory already 

 referred to. 



Owing to the limited income of the School of Botany for 

 the past two years, and the necessity of soon meeting a 

 considerable insurance premium payable on its endowment 

 building, no effort has yet been made to fill the vacancy 

 caused by the resignation of Mr. Pammel in 1889, such as- 

 sistance as has been needed being given by Mr. A. S. 

 Hitchcock, First Assistant at the Garden, who is detailed 

 for partial service under direction of the Trustees of the 

 Garden ; but with the opening of the next college year, it 

 is hoped that the school may once more claim the entire 

 time of a competent assistant. 



One of the most important features of the work of a 

 University department is properly held to be original study ; 

 and the rather small amount of class-room work that has 

 proved practicable in the School of Botany has permitted 

 my assistant and myself to devote some time to such study. 

 It was my good fortune to be associated with the late Pro- 

 fessor Gray during the winters of 1885-6 and 1886-7, in 

 editing the collected botanical writings of the late Dr. 

 George Engelmann, published in an appropriate form by 

 Mr. Shaw. During my stay in Cambridge for this purpose, 

 opportunity was found for the study of certain groups of 

 North American plants, and similar work has since occu- 

 pied all of my leisure, and was pursued during one vacation 



