(419 ) 
there being thus, collectively, nearly 10,000 lantern slides 
in the collection. 
The photographic negatives and films number 6,717, 
and are constantly in demand for prints desired by other 
institutions and by students. 
These lantern slides and negatives have been under the 
general charge of Mr. Percy Wilson, an Associate Curator, 
assisted by one of the museum aids, but his other duties 
have been so great as to make it necessary to effect other 
arrangements for the proper care of the collection. The 
appointment during the past autumn of Miss Elsie M. 
Kittredge as an Assistant Curator has now made the critical 
care of this valuable material possible, and progress is 
being made in perfecting catalogues, rebinding slides, and 
classifying negatives. 
Library 
Increased attention all over the world in recent years to 
all phases of botany, horticulture and agriculture has 
greatly increased the literature of plants, the annual output 
of books and pamphlets having probably doubled during 
the past decade, and the number of persons qualified to 
write on these subjects has also at least doubled. Our 
library has now become one of the most important of all 
collections of this literature and it is being more and more 
consulted by students and investigators from all parts of 
the country. It is classified by subject and is very com- 
pletely card catalogued. The increase of the library in 
recent years has now practically occupied all available 
cases, and it will be unfortunate if we are unable to shelve 
accessions. ‘The greater part of the increase of 895 volumes 
during the year has been by gift and by exchanges of our 
publications for those of other institutions all over the 
world, relatively little money having been available for 
the purchase of books. A special fund which would yield 
about $2,000 a year would be a very important aid in 
ensuring the completion of the library up to date and in 
securing certain of the older literature which we have not 
yet been able to obtain. 
