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47 
Miscellaneous 
A Bronze Statue, Indian Maid and Fawn, by A. Phimister 
Proctor, presented on March 8, 1927, by Mr. George D. Pratt, 
was placed in the Economic House of the Conservatories early 
in April. The statue is a work of much beauty (Fig. 2). 
Propaganda for Gardening.—City vegetable gardens are largely 
a thing of the past, and even in villages and suburbs the “ back- 
yard garden ” 
is becoming less common. According to Mr. C. H. 
Nissley, of the New Jersey Agricultural [Experiment Station, the 
wartime interest in vegetable gardens has either given place to 
flower gardens, or has been abandoned in favor of the automobile. 
This is reflected, among other ways, by the falling off in the 
sales of vegetable seeds put up in packets for the small gardener. 
These sales throughout the United States, have decreased 13 per 
cent., while the sale of flower seeds has increased 11 per cent. 
during the past three years. 
Interest in small gardening, with both vegetables and flowers 
has been greatly stimulated by a series of 39 articles by the curator 
of Elementary instruction, Miss Shaw, which have been running 
during the past year, for the second season, in the New York Sum. 
The National Business Review, published in New York City, had 
a half column comment in its issue for March 15, calling attention 
to these articles. 
Our supply of Penny Packets of Seeds to school children also 
takes on an added importance in view of the diminishing interest 
in gardening. 
Summer Absence of the Director—Under special leave of ab- 
sence granted by the Botanic Garden Governing Committee, the 
director was absent from July 9 to October 8, visiting other bo- 
tanic gardens and collecting plants and seeds in Arizona, Cali- 
fornia, and Canada. About twenty botanical institutions were 
visited and a number of new exchange relations were established. 
Japanese Doll Day.—On March 5, several thousand pupils from 
the public schools visited the Japanese Garden as part of the ex- 
ercises arranged by the schools in connection with Japanese Doll 
Day. 
