18 THE BOTANISTS OF PHILADELPHIA. 



out of these plans until the autumn of 1S04, when Dr. Mac- 

 farlane was asked to become Professor-in-Cliarge of the 

 Biological School. Through the fostering care of Provost 

 Harrison and Vice-Provost FuUerton, the work steadily 

 advanced under the direction of Prof. Macfarlane. The 

 gravel bank, overgrown with weeds, rapidly assumed its 

 present pleasing appearance. 



There are over 3000 distinct specimens growing in the 

 gardens, while nearly 1500 more are all but ready for plant- 

 ing. The lawns are 300 feet in length, the eastern ls.^Yn 

 being 157 feet long and 110 feet wide, subdivided into 41 

 small beds, whose dimensions are 45 feet in length by oh 

 feet in width. The western lawn is an almost exact coun- 

 terpart of the eastern lawn. The beds contain a large num- 

 ber of species of plants, arranged systematically according 

 to the Engler and Prantl system. The plants are arranged 

 and labeled with the scientific and common name, the 

 native place or habitat and the medicinal property, if any. 

 The donations of seeds and plants to the garden include 

 gifts from the botanical gardens of Edinburgh, St. Peters- 

 burgh, Dublin, Jena, Cambridge and other European botani- 

 cal centres. On the terraced area further back a physio- 

 logical grouping of flowering plants is now being made. 

 Here separate beds are given to climbing, tendril-bearing, 

 succulent, spiny, insectivorous, variegated and other series. 

 Thus similar changes produced by environment on species 

 that have no systematic affinity can be graphically demon- 

 stated to the student. 



The arboretum is from three to five acres in extent, and 

 will only be excelled by those of Harvard University and 

 the Shaw Gardens, near St. Louis. The greater part of the 



