TWENTIETH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR. 



27 



in 1889, to the present number, 58,538, arc indicated in the 

 accompanying diagram (J); rather more than the average 

 increase being shown for the last five years. 



In the year just closed, 1,289 books and 3,908 pamphlets 

 have been added to the library; of these, 85G books, valued at 

 $1,914.85, and 3,786 pamphlets, valued at $559.25, were 

 presented or received in return for publications of the Garden; 

 and 433 books and 122 pamphlets were bought, the Secre- 

 tary's books showing an expenditure of $2,436.51 for purchases 

 and binding. The customary attention has also been given 

 to indexing publications in the library for certain features; 

 and 43,923 new index cards have been incorporated, of 

 which 33,433 were written by employees and the remainder 

 purcliased. The increase in cards is shown comparatively 

 on diagram J; the great activity of the last five years being 

 due to special effort in indexing the hterature of floral ecology 

 and seedHngs. 



DIAGRAM K. 



INCREASE IN LIBRARY EXCHANGES. 



The enumeration of books and pamphlets, in the yearly 

 records of additions to the library, is necessarily nominal in 

 that, when eventually bound, several thin numbers of a series 

 are not infrequently joined together, thus reducing the num- 

 ber of volumes actually standing on the shelves, though with- 

 out affecting their recorded valuation. The record of books 

 and pamphlets has now been corrected by a recount, the 

 total showing an apparent loss of 311 books and manuscripts 

 and a gain of 616 pamphlets for the past year, although, as 

 stated above, 1,289 books and 3,908 pamphlets have been 



