7 | 
planting, has for some time been subject to petty vandalism, 
largely by boys who can easily climb over the street fence along 
Flatbush Avenue. Another and taller woven wire fence is badly 
needed, completely to enclose this area just inside the present 
inadequate fence. With the two fences this garden can be made 
practically inaccessible except through the official entrance and 
at official times when there is a gardener on duty there. 
Winter Killing: As spring advanced it became increasingly 
evident that there had been much winter killing of shrubs. As 
noted in Mr. Free’s report (p. 124), this was specially destructive 
of Rhododendrons. It is believed that most of this injury was 
done during the week of March 17-23. The New York weather 
bureau has summarized the weather for that period as follows: 
The entire month of March was windier than normal, and 
during the period 17-23 the average wind velocity was con- 
siderably above 20 miles per hour with the 19th averaging 40 
miles per hour. For 5-minute periods on the 18th and 19th, 
velocities of 60 miles per hour were recorded. 
On Sunday, the 23d of March, following the period of high 
winds, the weather was extremely mild. On this day many 
were outdoors without an overcoat. These relatively high tem- 
peratures increased the water loss from leaves at a time when 
the soil was still frozen and when such a loss could not be replaced 
readily through the roots. 
In April conifers showed bad effects, and later in the spring 
various deciduous trees showed dead branches, all correlated with 
the wide and abrupt fluctuations of temperature and the associ- 
ated high winds. 
THe LIBRARY 
Botany, of course, could not progress at all without the con- 
tinuing, first-hand study of plants, but the science of botany, 
has now progressed so far that the 
44 ” 
like all other “‘sciences, 
background of all first-hand study must be an acquaintance with 
what has already been observed and recorded along the lines of 
the study in hand. Observation involves so much more than 
merely looking. 
It is gratifying to know that the library is coming to be used 
more and more by the general public, but there is a definite limit 
