BOTANICAL GARDEN AT BUITENZORG, JAVA. 581 



abundance of plant individuals and plant species. Still I doubt if any 

 one who has not actually visited a wet tropical region can have a very 

 clear idea of the real luxuriance of Buitenzorg. In an ordinary tem- 

 perate forest the number of species of trees can almost be counted on 

 the fingers of two hands; the species in a northern coniferous forest 

 might be counted on the fingers of a single hand. In a west Java 

 forest there may easily be fifty species of trees within a distance of as 

 many feet from an observer. In the whole island of Java there are 



Laboratory for Researches. 



probably a thousand different kinds of arborescent plants — perhaps 

 more. 



In the botanical garden an attempt is made to assemble the various 

 plants of the Dutch East Indies and also to get the more notable species 

 from other lands. This garden should be especially useful at this time 

 to American botanists who may be intending to work in the Philip- 

 pines. Java belongs to the same floral region as the American East 

 Indies, and our islands will doubtless show some likenesses and differ- 

 ences in flora, which will be of great interest. At Buitenzorg the visit- 

 ing botanist has before him, in well organized form, an epitome of all 

 tropical botany. 



Aside from any special interest which American botanists might 

 have in Buitenzorg, there are countless objects of general botanical 

 interest to be seen there. One who keeps in touch with modern hot- 



