io8 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



worry on till better times. In 1844 Sir William took the first 

 important step of his administration by petitioning for a grant of 

 the Royal Fruit House, which he offered to fill with his private 

 collection of plant products. It was allowed in 1847, and thus the 

 Museum of Economic Botany had its origin. This branch of the 

 establishment now occupies three buildings. Every tree and 

 plant which is known to serve a useful purpose is represented 

 there, with illustrations of the manner of its employment, if pos- 

 sible. While the collection is very popular with the holiday vis- 

 itor who comes only to be entertained, any one can understand its 

 serious value to an ingenious and thoughtful mechanic or manu- 

 facturer. The Museum of Timber is largely used already. Cabi- 

 net-makers and furniture manufacturers quite recognize by this 

 time what a store of hints for their craft is garnered here. The 

 utility of the economic section, moreover, is by no means confined 

 to the inhabitants of the British Isles. From every quarter of the 

 globe samples of new products are sent for examination and report. 

 So long ago as 1815 an Herbarium and Botanical Library had 

 been projected at Kew. George III, doubtless persuaded by Sir 

 Joseph Banks, even raised a building for the purpose. After 

 Sir Joseph's death, however, the scheme lapsed, and the building 

 was granted to the King of Hanover. On his decease, Sir William 

 Hooker urged the fulfillment of the old design, and his petition was 

 granted when Mr. Bentham and Dr. Bromfield bequeathed their 

 collections to the nation. The Herbarium of Kew is the largest 

 in the world, and by far the most useful, because it is also most 

 admirably arranged. The number of specimens in it is not on 

 record. At Sir William Hooker's death, twenty-four years ago 

 a rough estimate made the number a million, exclusive of dupli- 

 cates. The written catalogue fills two gigantic volumes, and has 

 to be continually posted up, for the collection increases by twenty 

 thousand or so yearly. The dried plants in their portfolios stand 

 in cases, and all are arranged upon the system of Sir Joseph 

 Hooker's great work, the Genera Plantarum. The student has 

 only to give the number attached to any genus in that book, and 

 the case is unlocked and the portfolio laid before him in a mo- 

 ment. There are no formalities to check the young scholar here. 

 He has but to present his credentials to Prof. Oliver, keeper of 

 the herbarium, sign his name, and get to work. There are inter- 

 esting features at every step of this noble collection, fascinating 

 bits of history connected with every group of cases which bears 

 the name of some distinguished botanist, the fruits of whose life- 

 long labor are stored here. Of all these, perhaps the herbarium 

 of Dr. Lindley is the most attractive. It occupies only four small 

 cabinets, but the contents will surpass the visitor's utmost expec- 

 tations. On the lower floor is preparing the catalogue of all plants 



