156 THE PLANT WORLD. 



the investigation of general and local floras, in their relations to 

 geographical and taxonomic botany, interest then centered chiefly 

 in the medicinal properties and nses of plants. The chemistry 

 of plants was then practically nnknown, whereas it is now the 

 basis of medical botany. Since chemistry constitntes at the same 

 time the visible basis of physiology, and physiology brings ns as 

 close as it is possible for ns to get to the life of the plant, it 

 follows that medical botany, while not entitled to the objective 

 position that it held in the days of Hosack, is concerned with the 

 same phenomena which engage the attention of the very highest 

 workers in botanical science at the present day. 



Even in the state of ignorance which then existed, it was 

 clear to snch keen reasoners as Hosack that the reaching of 

 sonnd botanical conclusions requires that the living plant be kept 

 under observation, and he became possessed of the strongest de- 

 termination to establish a botanical garden adequate to the needs 

 of local botanists and teachers of botany. After long efl:'orts to 

 secure sufficient cooperation, he at length decided to enter inde- 

 pendently upon the enterprise, and in 1801 he purchased twenty 

 acres of land at Elgin, now bounded by 46th and 50th Streets, and 

 Fifth and Madison Avenues (or probably of somewhat greater 

 extent), and established the famous Elgin Botanical Garden, 

 better known perhaps as the Hosack Botanical Garden. Besides 

 his hardy plants, many were grown in a large conservatory. The 

 site of this garden was described in 181 1 as "about three and 

 one-half miles from this city, on the middle road between Bloom- 

 ingdale and Kingsbridge." 



Hosack announced as its primary object the collection aud cul- 

 tivation of the native plants of this country, especially such as 

 possessed medicinal value or were otherwise useful. He grate- 

 fully acknowledges assistance received in starting his garden from 

 Professor ]\Iitchill, his predecessor, from the Hon. Robert R. 

 Livingston and from John Stevens, Escp, of Hoboken. He soon 

 learned that the successful conduct of a botanical garden is a 

 work of enormous labor and serious responsibility, and that one 

 man, otherwise engaged, cannot accomplish it. With the garden 

 already in actual successful operation, it was not so difficult to 



