51 
2. GARDENING FORCE 
The work of this department has been done under the head 
gardener, Mr. J. V. Borin, with the assistance of two gardeners 
and one laborer. The articulation of this with the laboring 
force is necessarily very close, as much preparatory work for 
the gardeners must be done by the laboring force. It is a pleas- 
ure to report that the system inaugurated this year of having 
these forces under separate foremen and at the same time main- 
taining a high degree of interchangeability between them, has 
proved sufficiently successful to warrant its continuance. 
The only new collection to be installed was the coniferous 
trees and shrubs. The different genera have been grouped 
around the lake according to a scheme developed by the consult- 
ing landscape architect and myself. There are now in the col- 
lection representatives of 18 genera and 132 species and varieties. 
In Pinus, Picea, Juniperus, Abies, and Chamaecyparis there are 
I7 species or more represented. In most cases we have two 
plants for each species in the collection, thus guarding against 
possible loss. Some genera, such as Torreya, Cephalotaxus, 
Fitzroya, Cunninghamia, and Libocedrus, are being tried as to 
hardiness. It is expected that some of these may prove hardy 
and thus increase the number of coniferous plants cultivable 
near New York. Many more will be added from time to time 
as we can get the plants, and this should prove one of the most 
attractive collections in the Garden in years to come. 
arge additions have been made to the local flora section, 
but many more species are needed to make this a representative 
collection of native plants. The largest acquisitions have come 
from Mrs. C. S. Phelps, at Salisbury, Conn., an account of which 
appeared in the Recorp for October, 1912. Many pine-barren 
species have been received from New Jersey, and Mr. John 
McCallum has continued his generous contributions of Long 
Island and Staten Island plants. ‘Thirty-four species, varieties, 
and hybrids of Viola were given by Miss E. M. Kittredge, rep- 
resented by about two plants each. This collection is a valuable 
acquisition to the local flora garden. 
t is becoming increasingly difficult to collect plants new 
to this collection, and we shall probably have to go further afield 
in 1913 to get desirable additions. 
