ARBORETA AND BOTANICAL GARDENS 547 



be sought out by the gardening public. The nurseryman's best source of the 

 unusual is the botanic garden. 



The landscape architect, formerly a good gardener, has become involved 

 with drawing-board design and mass-produced gardens to keep up with the 

 building boom. Somewhere along the line he has settled on somewhat stero- 

 typed planting materials. The landscape architect, if he is to hold up his end, 

 must not only work on improved design and art appreciation but must keep 

 up with his knowledge of plant materials and their every requirement and 

 characteristic. I know of no better means for him to gain his knowledge first- 

 hand than to spend a good deal of time in the botanical gardens exercising a 

 combination of critical observation and creative imagination. 



The botanist, taxonomist, and plant breeder have all been more or less 

 forced to go into specialties, all too often of little signiiicance to the botanical 

 garden connected with the botanical institution to which they are attached. 

 The botanist and/or taxonomist in some instances either has been placed on 

 a shelf or has placed himself on a shelf in the herbarium to occupy his time 

 solely on the plant or plants of his personal interest, giving too little thought 

 to the wealth of plantings growing in the botanic garden and used in the land- 

 scaping of his community. I think it is the obligation of every botanical garden 

 to retain on its staff a man of taxonomic inclination who will devote time to 

 the ornamentals or cultivated plants with which he is surrounded. He is just 

 as essential to the botanical garden as is the propagator and the gardener. 

 Certainly, the plant breeder-geneticist is an integral part of this team, for 

 through his efforts and frequently long-term breeding programs come the im- 

 proved plants of the future by which the botanical gardens can build a world- 

 wide recognition. 



The true naturalist far too often has no advanced degree and is relegated 

 to some field of outlet other than the botanic garden. The naturalist, as I like 

 to see it, is that person who is well versed with the technical but has the 

 patience and aptitude to translate the technical into lay language. He is the 

 bridge between the "technical" and "popular." He or she is your public 

 relations — the personal contact with the garden clubs, youth groups, service 

 clubs, the press, plant lover, John Q. Public, and the home gardener. He or 

 she may be a person or a part of the personality of some or all of the garden 

 staff. Without this aspect represented at the garden, the situation is cold and 

 the public is not interested. 



By all means, no small part of this seeming calamity is due to "inflation" 

 and higher wages without compensatory increases in income for most botanic 

 gardens. "Inflations" and increased costs of salaries and operation have 

 affected most of our public gardens, particularly those endowed many years 

 ago and without adequate capital replacement reserves. These either have 

 faced or will be forced to face methods of refinancing. Some of the newer 

 ones have been quicker to refinance and probably have better financial 



