117 
underlies our development of a strong program of public education 
for both adults and children.” 
The second principle was that of the value of obtaining botanical 
knowledge not from books alone, but from actual contact with liv- 
ing plants. The outdoor courses and those in which the students 
do actual gardening work, for which the Botanic Garden has be- 
come widely and favorably known, embody the idea of Agassiz, 
— 
“Study nature, not books,” which Dr. Gager was wont to modify 
to “Study nature and books.” 
“The educational program of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in- 
cludes anything scientific or educational based upon plant life.” 
There are but few plans so wisely laid that they will remain the 
euiding principles for over thirty years of progress. Such, how- 
ever, is the case with the tentative outline of educational activities 
of the Botanic Garden first presented in 1912 and, modified 
to meet present-day needs, is still being followed. The complete- 
ness of the plan is a credit to the far-sightedness of the Director. 
Throughout the plan of the Garden runs the idea of education— 
of presenting information to the public in an acceptable and easily 
intelligible way. In the Systematic Section, the plants are ar- 
ranged in a manner which illustrates their relation to each other 
and their place in the evolution of the plant world. The orna- 
mental plantings are educational in their presentation of the prin- 
ciples of landscape design, of the cultivation and use of ornamental 
plants. 
The plan of docentry by the Botanic Garden has greatly in- 

creased the value of the plantings and conservatories as educational 
features. Trips led by guides, whether for classes or for groups 
of interested individuals, result in a more complete understanding 
of the material presented. This is equally true of field trips held in 
connection with certain courses. 
Special attention is called to certain features of the Garden when 
‘ 
‘story labels” placed nearby. 
These are marked “Exhibit of the Week” and have explanatory 
notes attached. They have been a very successful means of sup- 
plying botanical information. 
they are of particular interest by 
— 
Plants in the conservatories must also be well arranged and 
labeled. Descriptive labels were introduced to explain the origin, 
