2i8 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



in themselves such, for instance, as a part of the grounds devoted 

 to plants that are hardy in the city. Thousands of persons each 

 year see in this little collection something that by its beauty or oddity 

 attracts them, and the provision of a general label showing that all 

 are hardy, and of the individual label, telling its name, causes them 

 to wish it for their own garden and enables them to order it of their 

 florist, or, if he does not know how to supply it, puts them in the way 

 of seeking it in the lists of other dealers. 



Very frequently, parties of visitors are accompanied through the 

 garden by an employee who points out to them the more important 

 features or aids them in finding things in which they are particularly 

 interested. One portion of the grounds contains, in sequence, the 

 principal families of higher plants, represented by several hundred 

 attractive species chosen with reference to the fullest possible generic 

 representation. Another is set aside for the growth of medicinal 

 plants, and elsewhere are grown representatives of the commoner 

 agricultural crops, of savory herbs, etc. These collections, in particu- 

 lar, are much used by teachers in the public schools, who bring classes 

 to the garden for a part of their nature work, in the open air. 



Even surplus and waste material contributes in a way to the same 

 end. It is always necessary to propagate bedding plants in excess of 

 the number actually needed, so that replacements may be possible 

 in case of accidents or inclement weather following their transplant- 

 ing into the open. While only two or three permanent specimens of 

 a kind are wanted for tender plant,?, most species grown from seed 

 are sure to be germinated in a greater number of individuals than 

 this. When frost necessitates the clearing of the beds in autumn, 

 many plants that have served their purpose during the growing season 

 are still living, though disfigured. This surplus or refuse material 

 is not thrown away, but by the expenditure on it of a very little care 

 is potted, set aside in frames for recuperation if this is necessar} r , and 

 distributed to hospitals and schools, where, particularly in the poorer 

 and more densely populated parts of the city, it quietly continues the 

 refining influence that Henry Shaw appreciated as one of the most 

 desirable effects of his garden in his own time. 



But the great ultimate purpose of a botanical garden is the foster- 

 ing of research with the purpose of adding to knowledge. This was 

 recognized by Mr. Shaw, and repeatedly mentioned in his provisions for 

 the future of his establishment. Opportunity for it lies in every plant 

 in the collections, and in every book on the shelves. To get men to 

 use the opportunities offered is the greatest problem of administration. 

 So far, the garden has employed only the most necessary care-takers, 

 and it would have been impossible for a single one of its employees 



