MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 7 
surrounding the Linnean house. The brick and stone walls 
at this end of the Garden offer an admirable setting for an 
English garden effect, the use of trellises, small summer 
houses, and formal pools adding materially to its attrac- 
tiveness. 
While very far from showing the finished appearance to- 
wards which we are striving, the garden in the vicinity of 
the main gate has throughout the season presented a very 
much better appearance than it did last year, when the ex- 
tensive changes in the walks and grades greatly retarded the 
planting. Many additions have been made to the shrub- 
bery and herbaceous plants on the knolls, as well as to the 
borders of flowering annuals. Perhaps the best floral dis- 
play in the main garden was obtained in the fall from 
nearly 40,000 cosmos plants, which produced a color effect 
rarely seen. This was at its height during the month of 
October, when the Garden had an unusual number of vis- 
itors from outside of St. Louis. Considerable space was also 
given up to a large collection of geraniums in order to test 
out the possibilities of these plants for outdoor bedding in 
St. Louis. Of the hundreds of varieties tried, a certain 
number have been selected for future experiments, and, 
while they will not again be extensively used in the main 
garden, there will continue to be grown some of the best 
varieties so that a demonstration may be made of the use- 
fulness and attractiveness of this plant. The water garden 
between the main gate and conservatories was filled with 
lilies and other aquatics throughout the summer, and at 
times was the source of much favorable comment. 
The most notable change which has been made within 
doors is the planting of the north wing of the new con- 
servatory. The clay in this house was replaced with good 
earth, the benches removed and the heating pipes placed 
behind a retaining wall, as in the fern house. The collection 
of cycads, of which we have representatives of every genus, 
was never so well displayed, and the addition of certain 
conifers gives a Japanese-garden effect, which is quite dif- 
ferent from that obtained in any of the other houses. In the 
fern house a considerable number of vines, together with 
hanging baskets, have improved the general appearance. The 
palm and economic houses have done remarkably well 
during the year, and the plants are beginning to show the 
- effect of growing under the favorable conditions provided 
in these houses. The usual floral displays have been held 
in the south wing of the new conservatories during the fall, 
winter, and spring. 
