( 4 I2) 



6. The Public Conservatory Collection. A great de- 

 velopment has been made in the collections of plants culti- 

 vated under glass during the year, both in the increase in the 

 number of species, derived from various sources, and in the 

 growth of specimens previously installed. The completion 

 of the range of greenhouses, made in the year, greatly 

 facilitates the cultivation and care of the plants by providing 

 seven compartments additional to those first constructed, and 

 the large additional cellar-space obtained at the same time 

 made maintenance operations much simpler and more con- 

 venient. The number of species grown in the public con- 

 servatories is about 5,800, as against 3,400 a year ago. The 

 additions have been obtained wholly by exchange with other 

 institutions, by collection in various parts of tropical America, 

 and by growth from seeds in our propagating houses. 



Contributions of money for obtaining plants were received 

 as follows : 



Tiffany and Company $250.00 



C. T. Cook 25.00 



Fritz Achelis 9 8 -55 



Paul N. Spofford 3.00 



$376.55 



This sum has been expended principally in paying trans- 

 portation charges from other institutions and from tropical 

 America. 



In the late spring Mr. George V. Nash, head gardener, 

 was sent to Europe for the purpose of arranging additional 

 exchanges with botanical gardens ; his errand was very suc- 

 cessful, and the immediate results have been duly reported 

 in our Journal. Since his return a considerable number of 

 specimens have been received from institutions visited by him. 



The inadequacy of the present buildings for the proper 

 display of the rapidly increasing collections is becoming ap- 

 parent already, and the experience of European institutions 

 shows that we should begin to plan for additional houses, in 

 order that they may be obtained before damage is done by 



