REPORT OF THE OFFICERS OF THE BOARD. 9 
about the Garden, Arboretum and Fruticetum, at an average 
aggregate cost for labor of $1,135.00 per month, including 
wages of the head gardener and three foremen. 
It was found absolutely necessary for their preservation 
to repair extensively the improvements at the Garden, in- 
cluding the heavy stone wall surrounding it, more than 4,000 
feet long, and averaging ten feet in height ; the stone gate- 
way on Tower Grove avenue, and the plant houses and 
other structures; also to improve and extend the drainage 
of the gravel walks and other portions of the grounds, and 
to replace almost entirely the brick edging of the flower 
beds. An inspection of the stone wall, erected more 
than twenty years ago, disclosed serious and in- 
creasing injury from frost, making it necessary to 
repoint with cement the entire surface of more than 
1,300 linear feet, besides resetting almost the entire coping. 
The stone work of the main gateway, built in 1859, part of 
which was cracked and unsafe from like causes, has been 
repaired and strengthened. Decaying woodwork and 
crumbling brick and stonework in the plant houses also re- 
quired replacing to a much greater extent than appeared 
on a casual examination. It was also necessary to extend, 
in fact almost entirely to renew, the imperfect drainage of 
the gravel walks, especially in the neighborhood of the 
museum and the residence, and to begin the proper drain- 
age of the Fruticetum, for which purpose some 4,200 feet 
of drain tiles have been laid in all; to entirely replace more 
than three miles of brick edging of the flower beds which 
had become dilapidated and unsightly ; and to rebuild about 
4,650 feet of fencing on the Garden and neighboring prop- 
erty, too badly decayed to be repaired, besides repairing 
as much more. 
The supply of water heretofore exclusively obtained, 
both for garden and residence purposes, from wells and 
cisterns at the Garden, proved in part unsafe for use and 
altogether insufficient during the exceptional drought of last 
summer. The only remedy for this was to make a connec- 
