(3ii) 



the West India islands describing all the plants from the 

 lowest to the highest in something over thirty octavo volumes. 

 This, therefore, represents one of the most important steps 

 yet taken by the board. 



At this meeting also your honorable body was asked to set 

 aside one thousand dollars each year as an aid to making 

 comparisons of our flora with authentic material in American 

 or European herbaria. Increases of appropriation for the 

 current year were made to the library fund, the publication 

 fund, the contingent fund, the museum and herbarium fund, 

 and for the purchase of living plants. Following the ap- 

 pointment of two additional members to the staff, four addi- 

 tional courses of study were approved: one in plant pathol- 

 ogy by Mr. Earle and one in paleobotany by Dr. Hollick. 



At the December meeting, a vacancy having occurred in 

 the board by the resignation of Hon. Seth Low from the 

 presidency of Columbia University, the undersigned was 

 elected chairman of the Board of Scientific Directors. A 

 plan was adapted for the utilization of the Stokes fund for 

 the preservation of our native plants from wanton destruction, 

 by which a series of prizes were offered for essays on the 

 subject. These essays are to be published in the Journal of 

 the Garden and otherwise distributed. Authorization was 

 granted the Director to appeal for a fund not to exceed five 

 thousands dollars for stocking the recently completed por- 

 tions of the conservatory. The budget for 1902 so far as it 

 related to salaries of scientific aids and the development of 

 the scientific work of the Garden was approved, and the re- 

 quest was made of your honorable body to consider plans for 

 increasing the present endowment of the Garden to the sum 

 of five hundred thousand dollars. Reports were also re- 

 ceived of exploration in the West Indies by the Director and 

 by Professor L. M. Underwood and ordered printed in the 

 Journal. 



From these general statements it will be seen that the scien- 

 tific development of the Garden is rapidly widening in the di- 

 rection of furnishing additional facilities for research, in the 



