15 
By THE DIRECTOR OF THE GARDEN 
Friends of the Garden: 
One of the pleasant features of scholarship is that it oat no 
international boundaries, but stands for a democracy that is world 
wide. In this respect it differs from both politics and commerce, 
having neither foreign courts nor custom house duties. 
One of the latest expressions of this happy situation was the 
organization of the International Phytogeographical Excursion. 
This association of plant geographers met for the first time about 
two years ago in Great Britain. The second meeting was held this 
summer in the United States, the first excursion being on July 27, 
at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in the morning, and at the unique 
Hempstead Plains region in the afternoon. This Excursion has 
spent the entire summer visiting places of botanic interest from 
New York to California, and now, on the eve of his departure for 
the Vaterland, we enjoy the pleasure and honor of having one of 
the most distinguished members of this party as our guest. I 
need not speak hig name, for every botanist, amateur as well as 
professional, knows of the Engler and Prantl system of classifica- 
tion—the system now in general use in Germany and America, 
and in other countries. 
It is common for American scientific men, who are called to 
administrative positions, to complain that excessive executive 
duties leave neither time nor strength for a continuation of their 
scientific investigations. Of Professor Engler, it may be said 
that, in addition to a prodigious amount of scientific work, he 
finds both time and strength to administer with marked ability one 
of the largest and most important botanic gardens in the world, 
the Royal Botanic Garden at Berlin. We have most of us met 
Professor Engler this afternoon, and he therefore needs no intro- 
duction. 
By Proressor Dr. ENGLER* 
Mr. Director, Ladies and Gentlemen: 
It has given me very great pleasure to plant this North Ameri- 
can tree here in this new Garden. 
I am a systematic botanist, but I have always enjoyed, not only 
working in the herbarium, but also studying nature out of doors, 
* Edited from stenographic notes. 
