M DR. E. P. PHir-LIPS 



Museums have been built in most countries in conjunc- 

 tion witli the national herbaria. 



At tlie Division of Botany, Pretoria, there is the 

 nucleus of a very fine economic Museum but owing to 

 lack of suitable accommodation this is incapable of 

 expansion. 



Herharium Institutions Abroad. 



Every civilized country in the world maintains at least 

 one well equipijed herbarium. The Kew Herbarium, 

 probably the largest in existence, contains over 2,000,000 

 mounted sheets and has been largely responsible for the 

 development of the various jjlant industries in the British 

 Empire. The work of Kew is too well-known throughout 

 the world foi- any comments to be made here. In Ger 

 many the herbarium al Berlin has been the centre of 

 activity for matters relating to economic botany in her 

 colonies and in this respect is the counterpart of what 

 Kew has been to the British Colonies. 



In Australia there are two National herbaria, one at 

 Melbourne containing about one million and a quarter 

 sheets of specimens and a library of twelve thousand 

 volumes. At Sydney there is also a large Botanical 

 Herbarium, housed in a suitable building. In 1^97. the 

 U.S.A. had the following staff:— 



Division of Botany in the Department of Agriculture, 

 (1). The Chief of the Division engaged in work upon 

 the native plant resources of the United States and upon 

 the geographical distribution of plants. 



{2]. A Chief Assistant who had special charge of seed 

 investigations and the laboratory equipped for that pur 

 pose. 



An Assistant each in charge of — 



(3). all the matters relating to weeds. 



(4). the pharmacological laboratory, who conducted 

 investigations on poisonous plants. 



