THE BOTANISTS OF PHILADELPHIA. 35 



Wales, Turkey, British India, Persia, Spain, Puerto Pico and 

 Ceylon. 



The objects of the museum are clearly set forth by its 

 promoters as being : First, to bring before American manu- 

 facturers all the varied products of the world, that they may 

 make the best selection of material for their own especial 

 interests. Second, to publish all possible scientific and useful 

 information concerning these products which may aid the 

 manufacturer and consumer in his choice. Third, to place 

 on exhibition manufactured articles and samples, with full 

 information from all markets which ought to be entered or 

 controlled, and to furnish to merchants and manufacturers 

 useful information concerning opj^ortunities in foreign lands. 



The exhibits consist in the main of raw materials, show- 

 ing the vegetable and animal products of the several 

 countries, as for instance the handsome forestry exhibit 

 from Mexico, composed of a great number of prepared 

 woods, many of them polished and varnished on one side, 

 showing the grain and any particularly striking features of 

 the wood. There are also minor forest products, such as 

 fibres, gums, resins, tannins and medicinal plants. In many 

 cases the collections represent big sums of money, the 

 exhibition from the Argentine Republic, alone, having cost 

 that government over $25,000. One of the three collections 

 presented from Japan cost |lo,000 to prepare. The collec- 

 tions from many of the countries are of especial interest to 

 botanists, in that they comprise largely a display of the 

 vegetal productions of those lands. 



The Museum, being in need of a building sufficiently 

 large to accommodate the vast quantity of material in its 

 possession, there were assigned nineteen rooms in City Hall, 



