77 
In the earliest and later private gardens practically no AuentOn 
was given to teaching. In the physic gardens of ores 
societies and schools of medicine, the teaching was confined to t 
nature and properties of medicinal plants, but, with the i 
zation of university gardens. and gardens closely articulating 
with institutions of learning, was introduced formal instruction of 
classes in various phases of pure and applied botany. The 
public school system of Pittsburg furnishes what is doubtless 
a unique instance of botanic garden and laboratory as part of the 
equipment for science teaching in high schools. The new botanic 
garden, established by the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and 
Sciences, while not organically connected with any school, and 
while planning ample provision for research, was inaugurated 
primarily as a teaching institution. e plan involves a staff 
of teachers, as well as of investigators, ie the organizing of 
classes of both elementary and advanced g 
6. Docentry—Docentry is a aes a new idea in edu- 
cation, and is confined to institutions devoting a considerable 
portion of time to the popularizing of knowledge. So far as the 
writer knows, the New York Botanical Garden was the first, 
and is to date (1910) the only botanical garden employing 
docentry. The former system, here as in most other gardens, 
was that of personal guides for visitors who apply, and aids and 
gardeners were detailed for this purpose. 
Under the new system there is a regularly appointed ‘‘docent,”’ 
who leaves the front door of the museum building every week- 
day afternoon at three o'clock, with a definite route for each day. 
Parties may start with the docent, or he may in turn meet with 
two or three interested visitors, volunteer interesting information 
concerning the trees and other plants of the collections, and thus 
assemble an extempore class. The Saturday trip is confined 
to the museum, herbarium, and library (containing many rare 
and historically interesting volumes), and is completed in time 
to aie those who wish, to attend the weekly public lecture 
at four 
There is Gicined below the educational work of various 
gardens, in the order of their age. The date indicates the year 
in which the garden was established. 
