No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICUIiTURE. 625 



familiar with the microscopic appearance of the pollen grain or the 

 minute structure of the ovule. On the other hand, a scientist may 

 be able to explain, with much learning, the phenomena of plant life 

 without being a successful gardener. I once knew an individual 

 who had studied under the greatest authorities on plant physiology, 

 and could draw mjsterious curves and zizzag lines representing con- 

 ditions most favorable to plant growth, but who found the greatest 

 difficulty in making his plants put forth a respectable show of 

 bloom. He wrestled with a little crop of ordinary window plants 

 for years. He did succeed finally. To accomplish this he went on 

 a trip to Europe, and when he was safely 3,000 miles away, his gera- 

 niums did wonders. Later, he attributed the result to the after- 

 effects of his scientific treatment, an explanation with which he 

 was much pleased. 



We may as well agree in the beginning, that much of the theo- 

 retical side of botau}' is not available for practical purposes. At 

 the same time we must not lose sight of the fact, that much of what 

 was at one time purely theoretical has become available for use in 

 the last decades. Nor can one fail to be impressed with the fact 

 that at present many of the problems of llie scientists and the prac 

 tical workers are identical. This is evident from the comparisons 

 of purely scientific reports with those of Agricultural Experiment 

 Stations. As an example, I need only mention what is being done 

 and contemplated in regard to the soil conditions of the arid west. 

 Eecognizing the importance of scientific knowledge in this direction, 

 only last year the Carnegie Institution in Washington appropriated 

 $8,000 for the establishment of a Desert Botanical Laboratory for 

 the purpose of studying the relation of jilant life to dry climates 

 and soils of unusual composition. That the experts in the employ 

 of the U. S. government are convinced of practical gain from this 

 kind of work is shown by the fact, that Congress has appropriated 

 116,000,000 for the purpose of reclaiming a part of the 470,000,000 

 acres of unproductive land of our vast west. Thus it is frequently 

 demonstrated that science and the practical affairs of life are be- 

 coming more and more closely united. 



Botany is the study of the plant in all its aspects. Horticulture 

 Avith agriculture, forestry, etc., is simply a part of applied botany. 

 Although in reality one, the history of botany and the history of 

 horticulture are two entirely different matters. 



The origin of horticulture is lost in the myths of antiquity. Myth- 

 ology abounds in stories of the transformation of youths into such 

 flowers as the Crocus, the Narcissus, and the Almond. We have 

 heard how each tear which Venus shed for the dying Adonis was 

 turned into a Wind-flower; and how each drop of blood from the 

 wounded youth was turned info a Rose; and how the unfortunate 

 Daphne herself was transformed into the Laurel. 



Passing from the dim shadows of the remote past into more recent 

 times we find mention of the Hanging Gardens of Semiramis as 

 one of the seven wonders of the world. It would be interesting to 

 know what marvels the gardener accomplished 600 years or more 

 before the Christian era which would rank in importance with the 

 Colossus of Rhodes or the Pyramids of Egypt. According to good 

 authorities, a fair idea of these gardens may be obtained by a spot 



40—7—1904 



