59 
then, shows only collections actually started by us. It is inter- 
esting as a record of accomplishment, but particularly significant 
with your prospectus in the First Annual Report of the Garden 
(Recorp, April, 1912) in mind. 
The foregoing emphasizes also what has become obvious for 
some time past, the inadequate number of gardeners to keep our 
collections in proper condition. Until that situation can be very 
materially improved, I would suggest that no new collections be 
opened up, but that all our time and effort go to existing ones, 
their replacement, improvement and general upkeep. It would 
seem better to have what collections are already installed kept in 
first-rate condition rather than diffuse our efforts and get decid- 
edly second-rate results. Of course, the poor service from gar- 
deners during the year 1918 was due to the draft, and during 
1919 the condition should become easier, but seven full time, 
experienced gardeners should be our minimum. Some of those 
in the above schedule now classed as gardeners are so classified 
for administrative rather than professional reasons. 
Actual new work done during the year comprised about one 
third of the decorative planting at the Malbone Street gate. 
This is mostly a broad-leaved evergreen group with a ground- 
cover of Arctostaphylos Uva-Ursi now, for the first time, thor- 
oughly established at the Garden. 
There has been a good deal of replacement work. The espla- 
nade trees, originally flowering dogwood which proved unsatis- 
factory, were replaced by specimens of Schwedler’s Maple, 80 
in all. Thousands of plants were added to groups along the 
wild-flower path, but here one lot of 500 Trillium grandiflorum, 
just in full bloom, was more than half destroyed by vandals. 
To make room for the general systematic collection, the old 
nursery has been shifted from an area near the original southern 
boundary of the Garden to north of the laboratory building, and 
certain of the cold frames from there to the service yard. Over 
fifty birch trees on the place were cut down because of the rav- 
ages of the birch tree borer, and subsequent decay. From such 
a cause this has been our most serious loss. I have already 
reported in the Recorp for July the loss to our collections of 
woody plants due to the extremely severe winter 1917-1918. 

