el 
The Garden won its first gold medal in 1921, by an exhibit of 
ferns at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society Show at Boston. 
Dr. Gager took an active part in organizing Hortus, Inc., which 
sponsored “Gardens on Parade” at the World’s Fair in New York 
in 1939 and 1940. Herb and knot gardens were arranged in a 
section of the grounds, and a large number of Japanese iris were 
also exhibited in both years. 
In 1920, the American Iris Society arranged for the establish- 
ment of a test garden for Japanese varieties of iris. A very com- 
plete collection of varieties and species has been assembled. Not 
only have the American nurserymen contributed generously, but 
many varieties have been imported from abroad, especially from 
growers in England and France, as well as Japan, the native home 
—_ 
of the Japanese group. The studies involved the methods of cul- 
ture, the correct names of varieties, and possible methods of classi- 
fication for easy identification, A valuable contribution to the 
records of the Japanese iris is the fine collection of watercolors 
made by Miss Maud H. Purdy and Miss Louise B. Mansfield. A 
selection of these was exhibited at the Century of Progress [Ex- 
position in Chicago in 1933, and the New York World’s Fair in 
1939 and 1940. 
In 1930, the Garden entered into an arrangement with the 
American Fern Society which provided for the care and adminis- 
tration of the society’s library; in 1940, the fern herbarium of this 
society was deposited with the Garden. 
The Garden has offered opportunities for advanced research in 
botany to students who wished to utilize its facilities. Many young 
men and women have carried on investigations in the Garden's 
laboratories. The results have been accepted as theses for ad- 
vanced degrees at both Columbia University and New York Uni- 
versity and, during the years, six young people have utilized the 
facilities of the Garden for their research, and obtained the doc- 
tor’s degree. 
In connection with the research work, mention has been made of 
the cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture 
in the study of cereal diseases, breeding for chestnut blight re- 
sistance, and the control of iris diseases and pests. During the 
first world war, Dr. Olive carried on a survey of fruit diseases in 
