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REPORT OF THE CURATOR OF THE MUSEUMS 



AND HERBARIUM. 



Dr. N. L. Britton, Director-in-Chief, New York 

 Botanical Garden. 



Sir: I have the honor to submit herewith my report as 

 Curator of the Museums and Herbarium for the year 1902 : 



1. General Accessions. The collections composing the 

 Museums and Herbarium have been increased by a total of 

 67,758 specimens. About 90,000 specimens of plants and 

 plant products have been incorporated in the several perma- 

 nent collections. Most of these have been prepared and made 

 available for inspection or study, but some are temporarily 

 stored for the want of proper case-equipment. All specimens 

 not needed for the permanent collections of the institution 

 were placed in the duplicate series. The additions to the 

 various collections were derived as follows : 



(a) Gifts and Purchases. By these means the institution 

 has received 19,297 specimens. In addition to the annual 

 appropriation made for the purchase of specimens, friends of 

 the garden have contributed means for the purchase of de- 

 sirable collections, or have directly presented individual 

 specimens or series of specimens. 



(b) Exploration. A total of 34,496 specimens was obtained 

 through special exploring trips ; the great bulk of the material 

 thus secured came from various parts of North America in- 

 cluding the tropics and has furnished many valuable and 

 unique specimens. 



(c) Exchanges. Exchanges with institutions and indi- 

 viduals brought 13,965 specimens to the collections. Most of 

 the material thus secured was derived from the larger Euro- 

 pean botanical gardens and consists of plants mainly from 

 tropical America and the Old World. 



In addition to the twenty-six institutions mentioned in my 

 last annual report, exchange relations have been established 

 and maintained with the following : 



