174 PARKS AND PLEASURE-GROUNDS. 



the better ; but their number and extent will depend on 

 the amount of funds placed at the disposal of the insti- 

 tution. With cheapened glass^ and other materials^ it 

 is to be hoped that they will become more numerous 

 than ever. These houses should have a special adapta- 

 tion to the plants which are to grow in them. A botanic 

 garden can scarcely be complete without a palm-house^ a 

 heath-house, an orchideous-house, besides stoves, green- 

 houses, and propagation-pits. It must always be remem- 

 bered that the deepest interest awakened by this kind of 

 garden connects itself with the preservation and growth 

 of those curious, and often singularly beautiful exotics, 

 which are the natives of tropical or other warm chmes. 



The Botanical Museum is now becoming a necessary 

 and a most usefid appendage to the botanic garden. It 

 is intended for the preservation of dried specimens of 

 plants, seeds, samples of woods, and, in short, for every 

 form of vegetable production that can be rendered per- 

 manent and kept in bulk. Every botanist is aware how 

 important is the hortus siccus to the authentication of 

 species, and generally to the history of his science ; there 

 are, however, many other things besides formal speci- 

 mens of plants which are interesting and worthy of 

 preservation. Properly arranged, and adequately com- 

 pleted, such museums may be made to exhibit nearly 

 the whole vegetable system. In a former paragraph, we 

 have recommended territorial arrangements of plants in 

 the open ground ; and we may here add, that we do not 

 know any more interesting materials for the museum 

 than well-arranged collections from various countries, 

 not merely for displaying their native botany in its 

 technical form, but also for exhibiting their vegetable 

 products reared by agriculture, and employed in domestic 



