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REPORT OF THE SCIENTIFIC DIRECTORS 
To THE Boarp or MANAGERS OF THE NEw York BotTan- 
ICAL GARDEN. 
Gentlemen: The Scientific Directors have held two meet- 
ings during the year, in May and November respectively. 
They regret to report the loss of Professor F. S. Earle from 
the staff of the Garden, but can announce that very satisfac- 
tory reciprocal relations have been entered into with him in 
his present position as Director of the Agronomic Station in 
Cuba which will bear directly on the work of tropical ex- 
ploration in progress by the Garden. Dr. William A. 
Murrill has been appointed Professor Earle’s successor and 
has entered upon his work with enthusiasm, and his publica- 
tions of original work are already attracting attention. 
We would also report extensive continued exploration, 
commencing with subtropical Florida by Dr. Small and con- 
tinuing with an extended survey of the Bahamas, a vast archi- 
pelago with a largely unknown flora lying next neighbor to 
our Florida peninsula. These explorations by members of 
the staff are bringing forth material results of the highest 
scientific importance. A project is also on foot to commence 
exploration of the flora of the newly established Republic of 
Panama, with which we are closely interested in commercial 
relations, but concerning whose flora very little compara- 
tively is known. We also report the inauguration of the 
first part of the projected North American Flora, which is 
now in type and will soon be published. 
A request has been sent to the finance committee of the 
Board regarding the adoption of measures relative to an in- 
crease of the endowment fund of the Garden as the most 
certain and satisfactory means by which the scientific work 
of the Garden can be enlarged and strengthened. We deem 
this measure of the greatest importance, for the whole wel- 
fare of every department of the Garden as an organization is 
directly dependent on the extent and character of its scien- 
tific work, and no other appropriations are available for this 
purpose. 
