(3io) 



REPORT OF THE SCIENTIFIC DIRECTORS. 



To the Board of Managers, 



New York Botanical Garden. 



Gentlemen : I have the honor to submit herewith the re- 

 port of the Board of Scientific Directors for the year now 

 closing. 



The Scientific Directors have held three meetings during 

 the year, on April 12th, October 22d, and December 6th 

 respectively. 



At the first meeting a report was received of the very ex- 

 tensive additions to the collection of living plants made at the 

 Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, by Mr. Nash. This was 

 made possible by the liberality of Sir William Thiselton- 

 Dyer, the director at Kew, and due acknowledgment was 

 made for this extensive favor which has already resulted in 

 the accession of fifteen hundred living plants, and the promise 

 of as many more. 



Leave of absence to various members of the staff was ap- 

 proved in order for them to engage in botanical exploration 

 during the summer. 



Your honorable body was also asked to set aside a portion 

 of the income from the bequest of the late Judge Daly to 

 facilitate the preparation of a systematic botany of North 

 America. At the second meeting, various details of this 

 work were determined, such as the amount per printed page 

 to be paid to contributors and the approval of certain Ameri- 

 can botanists as an advisory committee to the editors. Further 

 details relating to preparation and publication were left to 

 Dr. N. L. Britton and Professor Underwood with power. 



The definite provision for the publication of this work 

 represents the consummation of plans that took their origin 

 several years ago and have since been slowly maturing. 

 The work is on a scale far more extensive than any that has 

 yet been proposed, and contemplates a systematic flora of 

 the entire continent of North America together with that of 



