TWENTY-EIGHTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 
DIRECTOR 
Gentlemen: 
I have the honor to submit herewith the twenty-eighth 
annual report of the Director. 
Although the year 1916 has seen no single large improve- 
ment similar to the new range of greenhouses, practically 
completed in 1915 and described at length in my last annual 
report, there have, nevertheless, been a considerable number 
of changes which will ultimately have quite as important 
an effect upon the Garden as the addition of new display 
houses. The first thing to be mentioned in this connection 
is the removal of the old range of greenhouses which has 
stood for so many years to the north of the water garden. 
Some of these houses were erected by Mr. Shaw, and up to 
five years ago, with the exception of the Linnean house, 
they provided the entire area of glass devoted to the public 
display of plants. The old palm house, with its adjoining 
wings, had become so unsafe that it was necessary to close it 
to the public, and it was barely possible to maintain the 
lants in the other old houses even with constant repairs. 
With the completion of the second new range of green- 
houses which so amply provided for the collections main- 
tained in these old houses, they were no longer necessary, 
and for every reason it seemed desirable to remove them. 
This was accordingly done, but a part of the houses was 
re-erected with concrete foundations and walls back of the 
north wall, where they now afford much-needed growing 
and propagating space and more than replace the growing 
houses which constituted a part of the old range. The addi- 
tion of these new growing houses necessitated the construc- 
tion of a new valve chamber and a concrete tunnel in which 
to convey the steam pipes from the service tunnel, as well 
as a large amount of grading, installation of drains, etc. 
The area formerly occupied by the old range is to be the 
site of a new rose garden, the plans for which are now pre- 
ared, and it is expected that this new garden will be estab- 
ished next spring. 
The removal of the greenhouses necessitated providing new 
uarters for the various shops, as well as additional storage 
sheds, which had formerly been in the court bounded by 
the old greenhouses. There have accordingly been built, in 
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