BOTANIC GARDENS — WHAT ROLE TODAY? 537 



possessing the acquisitive instinct of the collector. Such men were Henry 

 Shaw, who in 1859 founded and generously endowed what is now the Missouri 

 Botanical Garden in St. Louis, and James Arnold, a New Bedford merchant 

 who on his death in 1869 left part of his residuary estate to be devoted to 

 the advancement of agriculture or horticulture. This fund helped give birth 

 to the Arnold Arboretum; other later gifts from amateurs made possible its 

 development. While these two are typical of the major gardens or arboretums 

 started many years ago, there are other more recent examples, such as the 

 Morton Arboretum in the Chicago suburb of Lisle, founded and endowed by 

 Joy Morton in 1922; and Longwood, developed by Pierre du Pont as his 

 private estate and on his death left as a richly endowed public garden (at 

 Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, near Wilmington, Delaware). There is also 

 Kingwood Center, in Mansfield, Ohio; this garden was made possible by the 

 late Charles Kelley King, who left most of his considerable estate to found 

 Kingwood. 



Many of the botanic gardens in Europe had similar beginnings. In England, 

 the famous Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew started as the private garden of 

 Sir Henry Capel, an enthusiastic horticulturist who died in 1696. The property 

 was eventually purchased by the Crown and opened to the public in 1841, 

 early in the reign of Queen Victoria. The Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh, 

 Scotland, had its beginning in a small property owned by two physicians 

 and was operated as a physic garden as long ago as 1670. 



Inspired and generous amateurs also have been responsible for founding 

 libraries and museums of art and natural history. It was the generosity and 

 vision of Andrew Carnegie that gave vital impetus to the growth of the free 

 public library system. Such are the cultural fruits of a free society. 



Many of the institutions that were started through private initiative are 

 now in part or wholly tax-supported. The two great endowed botanic gardens 

 in New York City were founded by amateurs, and throughout the years since 

 their founding, private enterprise has been coupled with municipal generosity 

 in their support. Other institutions may some day become supported in a 

 similar way if the public is persuaded of their value. 



What do botanic gardens and arboretums offer today? They are 

 primarily outdoor collections of labeled living plants, the whole being more 

 or less effectively landscaped. Most of them play passive roles in their com- 

 munities. Some are slanted toward the native vegetation of their region, and 

 thus are of greatest interest to amateur naturalists of the area. These are 

 sometimes the "outdoor laboratories" of colleges and universities, generally 

 little used except for a few class field trips each year or for student recreation. 

 Their greatest justification is doubtless in providing a setting of beauty for 

 the institution to which they belong and which they serve in a more or less 

 organized way. While their existence is justified, they could hardly be said 

 to play a dynamic role in our contemporary culture. 



