Seibert • Arboreta and Botanical Gardens f^ 



about fewer and fewer plants. More is one which produces food or medi- 

 than ever before our plant scientist is cine, or other industrially usable prod- 

 delving into research on new plants, uct. Wc arc all familiar with the fact 

 Through rumor, search of old litera- that most of the economic plants were 

 ture, mass chemical analysis of plants, originally introduced and distributed 

 and ideas inspired by world-wide travel to the other parts of the world through 

 the botanic garden is increasingly more arboreta and botanic gardens. That is 

 called upon to supply basic information still going on today and no doubt will 

 about plants for the general public, the always continue to be an important 

 hobbyist, the professional, the indus- function of theirs all over the world. I 

 trialist, the technical laboratory, the think, however, that we should revise 

 plant scientist, the home gardener, and our thoughts about economic plants, 

 the newspaper. Upon this point I Statistics prove beyond doubt that the 

 would wish to say that the service of a status of ornamental plants needs to be 

 botanical garden called on to give pro- elevated to a position equal with that 

 fessional opinion, advice, information of "Economic Plants"— for that is what 

 and service as well as to answer the old they are! Therefore, every arboretum 

 questions "what is the name of that and botanic garden is the potential 

 plant," "where does it come from" and source of new economic plants which 

 "how do you grow it," is usually given eventually work their way into the trade 

 free of charge. At most, this service fre- and become that much more "bread 

 quently goes along with the benefits of and butter" to the nursery and cut- 

 taking out a 5- or 10-dollar annual flower industry. 



membership, a contribution which The floriculturist and the horticul- 

 scarcely pays for the member's servic- turist have become concerned with 

 ing alone, much less for the time of bigger and better-grown, relatively few 

 some academically trained person to flowers and plants which can be mass 

 give a professional answer which may produced most economically for mass 

 be the result of several hours' or days' public consumption through high-pres- 

 research through the literature. May I sure advertising. Far be it from me to 

 merely pose the thought that if these say that the arboretum and botanic 

 services of the botanic garden and its garden cannot find or produce and 

 recognized professional staff were paid publicize new and highly desirable 

 for on the basis that comparable pro- plants for the trade. It is being done 

 fessional advice, opinion, information every day and no doubt will always con- 

 and service is given by the medical doc- tinue. I do think that with a few excep- 

 tor, the lawyer, the engineering consult- tions far too little credit has been given 

 ing company, the professional art ap- to the responsible gardens for the hun- 

 praiser or the landscape architect, then dreds of plants which they have intro- 

 perhaps the botanic garden, the botanist duced into the trade and which today 

 and the plant taxonomist would be help to pay the income taxes of thous- 

 looked upon as a highly respected ad- ands of nurser)men and florists, horti- 

 dition to the community. culturists and floriculturists. 



The economic plant which was The nurseryman has learned that it 



formerly grown and studied at the bo- is easier and far more economical to 



tanical garden has now been turned mass produce a relatively few plants 



over to the experiment station and the than to deal in great quantities of 



chemist, where again the hand of the species. The more progressive nursery- 



highly specialized is in demand. The men of this country are working closely 



economic plant, as usually referred to, with the arboreta and botanical gar- 



