226 



the students. The Botanic Garden, Plant Houses, and Biological 

 Laboratory are at the south-east of the grounds, standing in about 

 three acres of land, of which the systematic garden occupies about 



one and a half acres. 



The Biological Laboratory accommod 

 and is directly connected with the Plant Houses, 



over fifty students 



The Palm House i 



d 



palms and other plants, of which a few may be mentioned, such 

 as Brownea (six species), Saraca indica and Saraca hybrids 

 obtained from the collection of the late W. H. Crawford, Esq, 

 In the cooler houses are orchids, cacti and other interesting plants. 

 There are some fine specimens of Tree Ferns in a house set apart 

 as a Fernery. 



The land for a Botanic Garden was acquired by the College 



W 



W. H 



offered to defray half the expense of laying out this ground in a 



suitable manner, and in erecting plant houses. 



The Government accepted this offer and contributed the other 

 " " " " " " By the vear 1880. the 



half of the sum of 



money required. ±iy tne year 

 Biological Laboratory, Plant Houses and Botanic Garden were 

 completed. 



The original plan of the Systematic Garden being considered 

 unsuitable, Mr. J. Griffin (now Head Gardener) was sent to Kew 

 in 1883, and as a result of his report the present arrangement of 

 flower beds has been fashioned on the design in favour in the Royal 

 Gardens, Kew, at that time. 



In the 



original 



stocking 



of the gardens and plant houses, 

 specimens of plants were presented by the IN'ational Institutions of 

 Kew, Glasnevin, and by Trinity College, Dublin, and by numerous 

 private persons. Since then the stock has been kept up both by 

 purchase and presentations. 



In addition to the systematic garden there are rock-gradens In 

 both the upper and lower grounds, as well as artificial ponds for 

 the cultiA^ation of water lilies ; these ponds are useful to students 

 as they form a habitat for many forms of Algae as well as of small 

 aquatic animals and Protista. Bog jilants thrive in an artificial 

 bog, made in a concrete basin, especially built for the purpose. 

 The surroundings of the students' clubs are bedded out with 

 decorative plants; shrubs have been set along the walls in the 

 college quadrangle, and they flower profusely, as the position 



from 



maximum 



llie Herbarium includes a cons 

 native plants ; the foreign floras 



plants 



are represented by a large 



Indian material is chiefly composed of specimens presented by 

 the Director of the Eoyal Botanic Gardens, Calcutta. 



Mosses, Lichens, and marine Algae are fairly well represented 

 in the Herbarium. Every opportunity is taken of adding to the 

 above collections. 



