THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 29 



elsewhere in this country. Young men and women who have 

 received a high school training or its equivalent are admitted on 

 examination and devote three years, of twelve months each, to 

 the practical and theoretical aspects of landscape designing, flori- 

 culture, horticulture, engineering, etc. The courses include such 

 subjects as diseases of plants, entomology, soils, mechanical and 

 freehand drawing, plant breeding, general and systematic botany, 

 as well as the various more strictly horticultural subjects. The 

 morning of each day is spent in practical work, both indoors and out, 

 and by the end of the third year the student has had an opportu- 

 nity to become personally acquainted with the definite growing 

 methods and management of such groups of greenhouse plants as 

 orchids, palms, tropical economic plants, desert plants, etc., as well 

 as the actual propagation, growing and care of practically every 

 sort of plant which can be grown out of doors in St. Louis. 



While the plan and conduct of such a garden is essentially scien- 

 tific, differing from most private estates or parks, the public appar- 

 ently appreciates the efforts being made, since the attendance is 

 constantly increasing. It has been amply demonstrated that a 

 garden of this character will furnish recreation and pleasure to 

 thousands who are not seeking merely for amusement, and every 

 effort is made to have the collections, in so far as possible, in- 

 formational if not instructive. Naturally, such a place must be 

 attractive and the mere accumulation of numbers of botanical 

 species, crowded together, will not answer the purpose. By main- 

 taining floral displays of plants which are either little known, or 

 because of the wealth of bloom and color cannot be seen else- 

 where, and by showing rare tropical plants which, because of their 

 fruit or use«in commerce, are known to the average individual, 

 as well as the commoner things which are frequently read about 

 but seldom seen, the garden is able to make a definite appeal 

 to many. Such an institution, with the various enterprises re- 

 ferred to, is naturally expensive to maintain and it is impossible 

 to do all in any one department that might be desirable. How- 

 ever, it is believed that the income will eventually be sufficient to 

 support the various projects now under way and that ultimately 

 the Missouri Botanical Garden will become an even greater monu- 

 ment to the greatest patron of botany and horticulture that this 

 country has ever known. 



