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the field. We recommend therefore, (1) That steps be taken 
by the Garden for the preparation of such a synoptical list 
of Jamaica plants; (2) That some one be detailed by the 
Director to commence this work as a part of his regular 
duties; and (3) That Mr. Harris, Superintendent of Hope 
Garden, Jamaica, be asked to codperate in the preparation 
of this synopsis, because of his long-extended field work and 
his familiarity with the flora of Jamaica from the standpoint 
of a field naturalist. 
«« 4. Recent exploration in Guatemala and Costa Rica by 
Mr. Maxon has emphasized what had before been strongly 
suspected, namely, a close affinity between the floras of the 
higher mountain regions of Central America and the moun- 
tains of Jamaica. ‘In order to comprehend properly these 
two related floras, we need much more extensive material 
from Costa Rica especially, from which country our Ameri- 
can collections are notably weak; and we recommend that 
further expeditions be made to this country as soon as it is 
possible.” 
Measures have been taken to increase the efficiency of the 
tropical laboratory at Cinchona and make it more useful to 
American botanists through codperation with the various 
botanical laboratories of the country. 
The problem of the proper illustration of our scientific 
papers is a serious one. The increasing tendency to adopt 
processes for the reproduction of scientific illustrations that 
do not yield ermanent results has led the Scientific Directors 
to take the following action, passed at their December 
meeting : 
‘*The problem of illustration of scientific papers issued by 
the Garden is a very serious one and demands careful atten- 
tion. A fund for the satisfactory illustration of American 
plants is a great desideratum. Until such a fund exists, we 
deem it a matter of prime importance to publish plates in a 
form that will not only accurately represent the plant structure 
in question, but that will be reproduced by a process that is 
permanent. Illustration by half-tones is poor at best, and to 
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