The Plant World 



A MONTHLY JOURNAL OF POPULAR BOTANY 



Vol. V. JANUARY, 190S. No. 1. 



SOME AMERICAN BOTANICAL GARDENS. 



I. THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN. 

 By Director Wii^liam Trelease. 



IN 1849, Henry Sliaw, a middle-aged retired hardware mercliant of Si 

 Louis, with a fondness for flowers, built a country residence four 

 miles southwest of the St. Louis court-house, and laid out about it a 

 little garden, the inspiration for which he had while visiting the Chats- 

 worth Gardens, in England, a few years before. Here he entertained 

 his friends and welcomed strangers, and one of the pleasant trix)s out 

 from St, Louis soon came to be that to Shaw's Garden. About the mid- 

 dle of the next decade, Mr. Shaw came in touch, through Engelmann, 

 with the two Hookers, and, having the intention of enlarging his garden, 

 he conceived that it would be well to make of it at once a place of beauty 

 and an establishment affording facilities for scientific work, so that 

 v/hen the extension was made, the collection of plants was largely aug- 

 mented, certain systematic features were introduced, a small library, 

 herbarium and museum building was erected, and, under Engelmann 's 

 guidance, stocked vvdth a good collection of books and certain important 

 herbaria, among them a local collection b}' Riehl and the herbarium of 

 the recently deceased Professor Bernhardi, of Erfurt, while over the 

 gateway of the establishment he placed the name, " The Missouri Bo- 

 tanical Garden." At about this time, temporary and legislative provi- 

 sion was made for the settlement of his property upon the Missouri 

 Botanical Garden when his death should come, Mr. Shaw, however, 

 lived for thirtv^ years after this extension of the Garden was made, and 

 in his later years conceived and executed a plan for endowing a depart- 



