BOTANY 145 



Europe, since it is often necessary to compare his plants with 

 authentic specimens. For these reasons it is impossible for any 

 single territory, with the exception, perhaps, of the Union of South 

 Africa, to become self-supporting in regard to taxonomy. The 

 growth of headquarters of research like that at Amani, serving a 

 group of territories, will in part make good this latter deficiency. 

 The present method, whereby systematic work is undertaken at 

 central institutions in Europe, is both necessary for the reasons 

 mentioned, and obviously efficient, provided there are members 

 of staff at these institutions ready to devote a large part of their 

 time to routine identifications. Amongst the most important 

 of these institutions are the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, the 

 British Museum (Natural History), the Botanic Gardens at Brus- 

 sels, Stockholm, and Berlin, the Natural History Museum in Paris, 

 and Goimbra University in Portugal. 



ORGANIZATION 



BRITISH 



In Great Britain the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew serve as the 

 headquarters for Empire botanical investigation, and do important 

 advisory and other work besides systematic botany. Activities in 

 the herbarium, which is the largest and most representative in 

 existence, are of necessity directed to the systematic side. Studies 

 of native crop plants are undertaken by the Economic Botanist, 

 who has recently written a most valuable book on crop plants of 

 the British Empire (Sampson 1936). Studies at Kew involve not 

 only the designation and description of the different plants, but 

 include suggestions for trials under diverse conditions. Seeds sent 

 from Africa to Kew are distributed for trial to the agricultural 

 research stations at Amani, Trinidad, and in India. 



Until the dissolution of the Empire Marketing Board several 

 members of the Kew staff, in particular Sir Arthur Hill, Director, 

 Mr. H. G. Sampson, Economic Botanist, Mr. A. D. Cotton, and 

 Dr. J. Hutchinson, were given grants for visits to Africa to consult 

 with local experts and investigate special subjects, but the con- 

 tinuation of this practice now depends on invitations from the 

 individual governments. The great Floras entitled Flora Capensis, 



