35 
are evidently largely artificial, Yet no one has so far brought 
convincing evidence for other lines of separation of this most 
numerous and important group of plants. Evidence is gradually 
accumulating that most of the various groups presenting parietal 
and central placentation belong together, forming a branch or 
branches from the primitive, axile placentation of the magnolia 
group. During 1923 comparisons of vegetative, floral, and, to some 
extent, of seed characters have been made, especially between the 
Caryophyllaceae, Frankeniaceae and Plumbaginaceae. These 
studies indicate that the Frankeniaceae may, apparently, be con- 
sidered as primitive Caryophyllaceae, establishing a probable link 
between Parietales and Centrospermae. 
During the summer Dr. Gundersen also continued observations 
on plant distribution at elevations from 2,000 to 4,000 ft., on the 
north and south slopes of the Big Hollow Valley in the Catskill 
Mountains. 
Public Education 
“for the giving of instruction in botany to the residents 
of the City of New York.” 1 
“to afford such facilities as its resources may be found 
to permit... to teachers and students in the public or 
private schools of the city, and to other residents of the 
city, for the study of botany ... and for that purpose to 
permit teachers in the schools of the city ... to bring their 
students to the botanic garden .. . where, under the super- 
vision of the proper o officers of the garden, instruction may 
e given to such students in the rooms provided therefor 
or in the plant houses or grounds of the ae Re ane 
further to supplement such instruction through lectures by 
the officers of the botanic garden, or by instructors espe- 
? 
cially employed for such purpose.” * 
> 
Public use of the Garden, its grounds, conservatories, library, 
herbarium, lectures, classes of instruction, and bureau of infor- 
mation, increases annually, and these demands now test our re- 
sources to full capacity. 
1 Agreement of 1909 between the City of New York and the Brooklyn 
Institute of Arts and Sciences concerning the establishment of the Brooklyn 
Botanic Garden, Paragraph Fourth. 
2 Agreement of 1900, l.c., Paragraph Thirteenth. 
