Report of the Botanical Assistant. 



Honolulu, T. H., December 31, 1910. 



Mr. R. S. Hosmer, 



Superintendent of Forestry, 

 Honolulu, T. H. 



Sir: I have the honor to submit herewith my report for 

 the biennial period ending December 31, 1910. 



Since October, 1908, I have been engaged by the Board of 

 Agriculture and Forestry with the view to investigate the Flora 

 of these Islands and to establish an herbarium comprising not 

 only native forest trees and shrubs, but also all lower Crypto- 

 gams, as well as grasses, pulses and ferns. 



Before going any further, I shall try to give an introductory 

 explanation of the nature of an herbarium, its practical uses, and 

 the necessity for systematic work on plants, as well as for forest 

 protection, as only through an intimate knowledge of the life 

 histories of our trees and plants which make up our forest shall 

 we be enabled to devise plans for efficient protection. 



THE HERBARIUM. 



Among the divisions of the Board of Agriculture and Forestry 

 the herbarium occupies a place of great importance, but one that 

 requires some explanation in view of possible misconception. An 

 herbarium is a systematically arranged collection of authentically 

 named dried plants, and is highly essential for instruction and 

 research. It is somewhat of the nature of a museum, a laboratory 

 and a library. As a collection or assemblage of plant material 

 it resembles the museum. It might be included in the laboratory 

 as an essential apparatus without which systematic work on 

 plants is impossible, and as illustrated literature it is a kind of 

 library extremely useful for reference. 



First of all, it may be worth stating that no botanist would 

 think of making an herbarium simply for the sake of having a 

 collection. It is in no sense a fad. It is however, sometimes 

 looked upon by the layman as any other collection, as of perhaps, 

 china cups, postage stamps, or any other objects of someone's 

 passion. 



It is in the first place necessary that the herbarium should con- 

 tain authentically named specimens, as it is not always possible 

 to recognize plants by the brief descriptions which are some- 

 times published in various languages. Illustrative material is 



