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start, and, I may add, this holds good for the whole of the 
tract devoted to planting. 
The Arboretum planting has been continued, and here the 
tract is so rich in specimens of native trees that in many 
places they need only accentuating with younger plants to 
fill up the sequence. 
Under our contract with the Department of Parks the whole 
of the Hemlock Forest, as well as the woodlands adjacent 
has been untouched, except for the removal of a few dead 
trees, as agreed upon by us and the Department of Parks, 
pursuant to the contract, and the gathering up of refuse left 
by visitors. The Grove is unique, and could not be improved. 
During the grading operations about the buildings, and in 
the construction of roads and paths, all the top-soil has been 
husbanded, wherever possible, for the final ornamental plant- 
ing. This has had to wait upon the road and path building 
and the necessary accompanying grading. The completion, 
late in the autumn of the plaza facing the railroad station and 
of the lateral path approaches to the Museum, made it possi- 
ble to commence this work in November. 
Awaiting the completion of the Horticultural Houses, many 
fine specimens of tender plants are crowded into the green- 
houses at Columbia University, and others are temporarily 
cared for in the basement of the Museum Building; many 
others offered us have been refused for want of space to ac- 
commodate them. 
The Herbaceous Grounds are already a delight to the eye, 
and a public educator; the stream running through them has 
been taken advantage of, and in several places widened out 
into lagoons, in which are grown aquatics related to the 
nearby upland plants; this water system may now be made 
practically complete by excavating for the small lake planned 
at the southern end of the glade, as much for landscape effect 
as for water plants. The rocky boundary on the south is 
already occupied by a fern garden, and this may be added 
to as rapidly as time and material will allow. 
During the autumn several acres of the marshy portions of 
