18 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 
activities of the Garden along all the lines for which it was 
designed by Mr. Shaw, has resulted in the public turning to 
the Garden for information and advice upon many subjects. 
For those concerned with research and instruction, this phase 
of the work is demanding more and more time. 
THE HERBARIUM 
Marked progress has been made during the year in the 
herbarium. Its congested condition made it necessary to 
provide additional space, consequently a complete rearrange- 
ment of the cases on the third floor was made. Several new 
wood cases of an inexpensive type for temporary use were 
installed, thus giving increased capacity sufficient to incor- 
porate the large accumulation of undistributed mounted 
specimens and to accommodate a normal growth of the collec- 
tion for the ensuing year. The rearrangement of cases 
necessitated a complete shift of more than one-half of the 
entire collection, but it economizes floor space, gives a better 
working light and increases materially the convenience and 
efficiency of the herbarium. Considerable time has been 
devoted to the determination of several thousand mounted ° 
and unmounted plants which have been in storage for some 
years in the Museum building. Among these collections 
were Henry’s plants of China, Bang’s, and Rusby’s plants 
of South America, Palmer’s plants of Mexico, Orcutt’s plants 
of Mexico, Gaumer’s plants of Yucatan, and numerous 
smaller collections from various localities. The major part of 
these are now named and incorporated with the organized 
part of the herbarium. 
The poisoning and mounting of herbarium specimens has 
continued pier ges iy men throughout the year, except dur- 
ing aa month of September and the first two weeks in 
ctober. 
During the year the herbarium has been consulted by 
twenty or more prominent visiting systematists and numer- 
ous loans of material in particular plant groups have been 
made to American and European specialists for the purpose 
of monographic study. 
New Accessions—The amount of herbarium material 
acquired during the year is relatively large. Two collections 
of special importance may be seein! ace first, the private 
herbarium of the late Mr. Gowss W. Letterman, which is 
estimated to contain upwards of 15,000 specimens. This 
collection, secured by purchase, is of particular value to this __ 
institution because it consists mainly of a very complete 
