TENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR. 15 
5,000 species and varieties, was found bya careful inventory 
then taken, to include, in 1898, 8,009 species and varieties, 
of which all but one or two hundred are named with more 
or less accuracy. Among the collections specially worthy 
of mention are the cacti, of which 462 species are culti- 
vated (306 in 1895); the orchids, represented by 548 
named forms (156 in 1895); the aroids, of which there are 
274 species (93 in 1895); the ferns, including 169 species 
(84 in 1895); and palms, 61 species (65 in 1895, and, un- 
questionably because of the inclusion of other things, 106 
in the administrator’s inventory ) ;* while of hardy trees and 
shrubs there are 1,811 species and varieties (862 in 1895), 
of hardy herbaceous plants 2,179 (1,129 in 1895), and of 
vegetables 1,016 (201 in 1895). Roughly divided, the 
collection includes 5,006 hardy forms and 3,003 cultivated 
under glass. 
Though, because of the difficulty and expense of ship- 
ping plants and seeds from the United States to foreign 
countries,f it has been impracticable to make the dupli- 
cates of the Garden collections as useful to other institu- 
tions as would otherwise have been desired, an effort has 
always been made to supply material required elsewhere for 
cultivation or research; and under the new agreement of 
the countries comprised in the Universal Postal Union, it 
is hoped that in future the Garden can be far more useful 
than heretofore to its foreign correspondents, in supply- 
ing them with desirable seeds, cuttings and small plants. 
Each year, under the direction of the Board, the surplus 
bedding material on hand in the spring, after the grounds 
were planted, and many bedding plants, potted on the 
approach of cold weather, have been distributed to hospi- 
tals, missions and other charities, and the kindergartens of 
the public school system of St. Louis. 
* Rept. 1: 102. ¢ Rept. 7:16. 8316. 
t Rept. 4:18. 5:13. 6314. 7215. 8:16. 9312. 
