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REPORT OF THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD 
OF SCIENTIFIC DIRECTORS FOR 1907 
To THE Boarp oF Manacers, New York BoTANICAL 
GARDEN: 
Gentlemen: J have the honor to submit the following re- 
port for the year 1907. 
Meetings have been held according to schedule, on April 
13, June 8, October rr and December 14. 
The various reports submitted by the heads of departments 
to the Director-in-Chief exhibit commendable activity in all 
lines of the Garden’s work, notwithstanding some curtail- 
ment, an inevitable result of the shortage of funds, to be 
hereinafter discussed. 
he explorations of the year have been of unusual interest, 
because several of them have been specially arranged to con- 
tinue the surveys of regions in which much work has pre- 
viously been done. Of this nature were the explorations of 
the Director-in-Chief in Jamaica, of Dr. Howe in the same 
region, resulting in a highly important collection of marine 
algae, and of Dr. Howe and Mr. Wilson in a hitherto un- 
visited portion of the Bahamas. Much important work of 
the same character still remains to be done in the West Indies, 
and in Central America, and plans for its performance have 
been carefully considered by this Board. The exploration of 
Montserrat by Dr. Shafer resulted in procuring some impor- 
tant material for the economic, as well as for the general 
collections. 
The additions to the collections during 1907 were very 
large. Special reference should be made to the purchase of 
the herbarium of the late Dr. Otto Kuntze, which is, for sev- 
eral reasons, of a somewhat unique character; also to a 
valuable collection of varnish resins placed in the Economic 
Museum, and a large collection of diatoms presented by Mrs. 
Adelaide S. Van Brunt. It has been resolved by this board 
that steps should be taken to secure the collection of fungi 
