Volume 13 Number 3 



The Plant World 



A Magazine of General Botany 

 MARCH, 1910 



THE BOTANICAL GARDEN OF THE UNIVERvSlTY OF 



AMSTERDAM. 



By F. M. Andrews. 



The first botanical garden in the city of Amsterdam, Holland, 

 was situated near the Amstel in 1630. Doctor Joannes Suippen- 

 dal, a botanist, used to give lessons in this garden. With the 

 increase in size of Amsterdam the garden was moved to a new 

 part of the city. The plants were kept for a few years in the 

 garden of theGasthuis till thenewgarden was ready, which was in 

 1683. This garden was governed by many rules. In 1683 an admis- 

 sion fee of four stuivers (about eight cents, U.S.money)was charg- 

 ed to defray the expenses of the garden. Some people were ex- 

 empt from the payment of entrance fees, and among these were 

 the mayor, aldermen, council, commissioners and a few 

 others. Doctors were required to pay five and apothe- 

 caries four guilders for admittance. The payment of four 

 guilders by the apothecaries admitted them to the lessons given 

 by the professor of botany four times a week during June, July 

 and August.* 



The present botanical garden of Amsterdam is commonly 

 known as the Hortus Botanicus, and is connected with the Bo- 

 tanical Institute of the University. This garden has been made 

 famous through the well-known work of Professor Hugo de 

 Vries.' Accordingly I desire to confine my statements almost 

 entirely to a brief description of the Primrose Garden of Professor 

 de Vries, part of which is shown by the accompanying photo- 

 graphs. 



*I have translated the above facts from a Dutch History of Amsterdam. 



