106 
plants im situ. Part of a day was spent at Lancaster, inspecting 
the plant of a printing house which now prints many of the 
scientific periodicals of the United States. 
The herbarium of William M. Van Sickle, Weehawken, N. 
J., consisting of about four thousand specimens, was purchased 
by the Garden on May 22, 1913. ‘This collection is specially ric 
in local flora material. 
ce 
1 
On Thursday, May 29, 1913, bids were opened for the grad- 
ing of most of that portion of the Garden not brought to grade 
by our own laboring force last season; and for the construction 
of the second (central) section of the conservatories (the palm- 
house). The specifications for grading include all materials 

and labor necessary to complete the following items: 
t. Kighteen thousand four hundred and ninety-five (18,495 ) 
cubic yards of topsoil to be stripped and replaced. 
2. ‘Thirty-three thousand eight hundred and eighty (33,880) 
cubic yards of subsoil to be exeavated and replaced in the 
sotanic Garden. 
3. Eighteen thousand four hundred and ten (18,410) cubic 
yards of earth to be excavated in the Botanic Garden and placed 
in Prospect Park, across Flatbush Avenue. 
Bids per cubic yard were received as follows: 
Contractor Item1t Item 2 Item 3 
HOM COMMININ, oy arcen sete ea el .40 .36 39 
OCB RM saab aan kate ee .40 40 aD 
LAM os ECC! a ral ee 45 .50 65 
Norton & Gorman Contg. Co. ........ .49 .49 .63 
The total amount of the lowest bid, that of John Connor, 
is $26,774.70. To this must be added 5% for contingencies, 
and 10% for landscape architects’ fees. ‘The contract was award- 
ed to the lowest bidder on June 5, and the specifications call for 
the completion of the work in 75 consecutive working days. ‘The 
contractor began operations on June 30. 
In accordance with a new law, which has gone into effect 
since the first bidding, last October, for the construction of the 
second section of the conservatories, separate bids must now 
be made for the plumbing, and for the heating, apart from the 

