22 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN. 
Through 1898 the office staff remained as in 1897, ex- 
cept that the persons engaged on the library catalogue 
severed their connection with the Garden as soon as their 
work was substantially completed, while an addition has 
been made to the permanent staff by the appointment of 
Mr. C. H. Thompson as library assistant. 
A practical necessity of every institution engaged in any 
considerable amount of research work is the issuance of a 
publication in which the results of such work may be em- 
bodied; and although it is not specifically mentioned in his 
will, the founder of the Garden, as is evident from certain 
manuscript suggestions found among his papers, contem- 
plated the issuance, sooner or later, of such a publication 
by the Garden. In 1890, the Board, seeing the wisdom of 
taking a step of this kind, authorized the publication of 
an Annual Report, which, as now limited, is to contain the 
administrative reports of the officers of the Board and the 
Director of the Garden, and the results, so far as desirable, 
of such investigation as may be carried on by the Garden 
staff or under the influence of the Garden.* 
No small part of the value of such a publication lies in 
its availability for library additions by means of exchange 
with the scientific establishments of the world and the 
publishers of journals. Two years since, a tabulated 
statement was prepared, showing that from 1890 to 1896, 
inclusive, an average of $1,426.55 per year had been ex- 
pended for publications of the Garden actually distributed 
up to that time, in return for which, from 1893 to 1896 
inclusive (for which period records have been kept), her- 
barium and library material, in addition to that for which 
an equivalent had been given in herbarium material, had 
been received, appraised, on a low valuation, at an average 
of $984.85 per year.t A re-examination, brought down to 
the end of 1898 (during which year a considerable number 
of back volumes of the Garden Report were distributed to 
* Rept.133. 83:3. 8323. ft Rept. 8 325. 
