134 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 
individual plants, indicating the groups by large markers, 
and clearly labelling every specimen. 
The center of the house is occupied by a large oval bed 
flanked by walks outside of which other sections graded up 
in amphitheatre fashion take up the remaining available 
space. The central bed is planted with tropical fruits and 
notice will be given in the BULLETIN as specimens in this 
collection come into bearing from time to time. The side 
sections are planted with special collections among which 
plants yielding fibers, perfumes, medicines, condiments and 
the like may be mentioned. : 
As previously stated, this house does not contain all of the 
economic plants, tropical or otherwise, in the Garden collec- 
tions. Visitors interested in species not represented in the 
economic house but which are in the Garden, may obtain 
access to them by referring to the man in charge. 
The Fern House.—The landscape work in the fern house 
is very different from that in the palm and economic houses. 
This finds its explanation in the character of the plants dis- 
played in this conservatory. Ferns in general are of small 
stature and much of their charm lies in the beauty of detail 
of their foliage. It is at once apparent, therefore, that in the 
fern house careful attention had to be given to the arrange- 
ment of walks and plantations so as to enable as many of the 
plants as possible to be seen at close range. Furthermore, the 
symmetry of fern foliage can, in most cases, be fully appre- 
ciated only when viewed from above—a fact which also had 
to be taken into consideration in planning the landscape. 
To meet both of these demands, the general plan of a deep 
central valley with steep, sloping sides running almost the 
full length of the house was adopted. Beginning at the north 
exit of the palm house a walk leading along the crest of the 
east side enables the visitor to view from above practically 
all of the ferns clothing the slopes and skirting the brook 
which winds through the bottom of the valley. At the north 
end of the house the path circles the end of, and descends to 
the bottom of the valley, returning along the bank of the 
brook and bringing the visitor face to face with the plants 
which were seen from above on the crest path. aving 
returned to the south end of the house, the brook path enters 
a stone grotto situated directly below the starting point of 
the crest path and leaves it again on the opposite side to 
mount by a series of stone eye to the level of the upper walk 
and there to join it. Plate 24 presents a view taken from the 
north end of the fern house and shows the central valley 
with its brook and the grotto in the distance. The rustic 
