34 



good quality of rag paper to insure permanency, for, unlike the 

 popular magazines, research journals are not of merely ephemeral 

 interest, but have permanent value for future reference in libraries. 

 The number of readers and possible subscribers is small in pro- 

 portion to the relatively high cost of publication, and this makes 

 necessary some form or degree of subsidy. 



7. Salaries. — Our working agreement with the city provides that 

 the salaries of all employees necessary to the work of the Garden 

 shall be met from the Tax Budget. For some years, however, it 

 has been necessary to supplement the amounts thus appropriated 

 for certain salaries from private funds, and to provide the entire 

 amounts of certain other salaries. Even so, our present salaries 

 are below what is being paid elsewhere for similar services, re- 

 quiring equal preparation and ability. Private funds for this 

 purpose are now obtained partly through the uncertain method 

 of soliciting annual contributions. This income should be put 

 upon a permanent basis by endowment. 



8. Lectures. — The cause of botanical science and education 

 would be greatly advanced by the establishment of a fund 'for a 

 free public lectureship or lecture course on botanical subjects, 

 such as exists for other sciences, as, for example, the Lowell 

 Lectures (Boston), the Harvey Lectures (New York), the Van- 

 uxem scientific lectures (Princeton), the Silliman lectures 

 (Yale), and others. These lectures could be both technical and 

 popular. 



9. Library. — The Garden has never spent in any one year more 

 than $4,200 for its library including the purchase of books, sub- 

 scriptions, and binding — averaging much less. This is a very 

 meagre amount to expend in building up a technical library in 

 twelve years from nothing to a collection of 8,648 books and nearly 

 6,000 pamphlets. We are now and have been constantly obliged 

 to forego opportunities to purchase valuable publications essen- 

 tial to such a library, but which are growing more scarce and 

 more expensive each year. A fund of not less than $5,000 is 

 urgently needed for the purchase of sets of serials and other 

 works, and to meet the cost of binding that has been accumulat- 

 ing each year beyond our ability to care for it. 



10. Retirement Fund. — The need of providing a retirement 



