THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 27 



ment of this garden, which, although freely opened to the public, 

 remained his private property until his death. Seeking the advice 

 of such men as Dr. George Engelmann, Sir William and Sir Joseph 

 Hooker, and Professor Asa Gray, Mr. Shaw, in a will, remarkable 

 for its breadth and farsightedness, left to a self-perpetuating board 

 of trustees the administration of his property and, through a direc- 

 tor, the management of the garden which he himself designated as 

 the Missouri Botanical Garden. 



It may truly be said that practically all the various aspects of 

 the work of this garden at the present time, whether they be scien- 

 tific, educational, or aesthetic, were conceived by Mr. Shaw and 

 provided for in a very definite manner by his will. As funds have 

 become available, various aspects of the work have been enlarged 

 and it is possible that in some respects the development has pro- 

 ceeded further than Mr. Shaw imagined possible, but the germ of 

 the idea may be found in his will and had he lived to the present 

 time it seems more than likely that his own management would 

 have produced practically the institution as it now exists. 



The garden comprises about one hundred and twenty-five acres 

 in the heart of the city, about sixty acres of which are as yet unim- 

 proved. It is in no sense a part of the park system, being enclosed 

 within a stone wall or fence, and pleasure vehicles are not admitted. 

 In addition to the ordinary landscape treatment of such a garden, 

 including the usual plantations of trees, hardy shrubs, and flower 

 beds, there are also special outdoor collections comprising such 

 features as the so-called "North American tract" in which are 

 included a systematic arrangement of a considerable number of 

 plants hardy in the vicinity of St. Louis; a small arboretum; 

 a medicinal garden; a large Italian garden, laid out on strictly 

 formal lines; a so-called "Linnean garden," which takes its name 

 from one of the older greenhouses, called by Mr. Shaw the " Lin- 

 nean house," and which because it is bounded on three sides by a 

 wall, is patterned after some of the English gardens; a rose garden; 

 an economic garden, in which are displayed special collections of 

 useful plants, such as rice, peanuts, tobacco, sugar cane, cotton, 

 farm crops of various sorts; examples of vines, hedge plants, 

 annuals and perennials suitable for growing in the vicinity of St. 

 Louis; bee plants, herbs, small fruits, and anything which can 



