56 
etc., and our average labor days for these five years was 2,812. 
Now that more of our grounds are in a state demanding, day by 
day, more care than ever before, we had in 1917 only 2,956 labor 
days. These figures merely draw attention in concrete form to 
what has been obvious enough for years past, the inadequacy of 
our regular maintenance force to keep the Garden in anything 
like the condition desired: this, without considering development 
plans now waiting to be carried out. 
The chief new work done this year has peeuy plowing, harrow- 
ing, etc., a good deal of land given over to “war gardens,” both 
of our own men and for various city employees; grading and 
terracing on the west side of the Laboratory Building, grading 
and terracing service yard, digging trench at the north end of the 
Laboratory Building; making beds for the Iris garden; surface 
grading and putting down to lawn the triangle near the brook to 
be occupied by beds of Polygonales in the Synoptic Collection. 
General maintenance work has been heavier than ever before 
because of the greatly increased area under cultivation. As 
heretofore, Mr. Herman Kolsh, foreman, has been in charge of 
this work. 
Gardening Force 
Gardening operations have been in charge of the Head Gar- 
dener, Mr. Montague Free, who, besides looking after the col- 
lection of seeds and preparation of the exchange seed list, has 
given a good deal of time to inspecting 139 “war gardens” in 
Brooklyn and Queens. Besides usual additions made to all the 
collections, new work done has been as follows: 
1. Transferring systematic collections to occupy the southerly 
addition. Not completed, as the easterly side of the brook 
was planted’ to potatoes. 
2. Continuing the border mound planting along Flatbush Ave- 
nue and in part along Washington Avenue. 
3. Adding small “ Moraine” and additional stepping stones to 
the Rock Garden. 
4. Replanting dogwood trees on esplanade, and binding the 
trunks with canvas. 
5. Replanting Local Flora shrubbery, and using extra plants on 
border mounds, in Lilac Collection, ete. 
