§6 The West Amcr ican Scientist. 



ducted at an early day, it is hoped, especially throughout interior 

 Mexico, Central America and elsewhere. 



The very comprehensive plan of the proposed Museum, .if 

 carried to completion, would rival any Institution in America, 

 not even excepting the U. S. National Museum, in charge of 

 the Smithsonian Institution. But such results require time for 

 maturity. 'All things are j^ossible' is an Arabic saying, and 

 the little collection displayed on a tea plate a dozen years ago, 

 grown to its present proportions, may yet rival the accumula- 

 tion of ages under the genial skies of California. 



THE ORCUTT COLLECTIONS. 



The C. R. Orcutt Miscellaneous Collections will naturally be 

 incorporated into and form the nucleus of the West American 

 Museum of Nature and Art. These collections are estimated to 

 contain over one thousand specimens, and are largely representa- 

 tive of the fauna and flora and other natural resources of Southern 

 and Lower California. The herbarium is very complete; so also 

 are the series of shells, fossils, minerals, etc., etc. 



In addition to the plants of this region the herbarium con- 

 tains plants from the Eastern States and Europe. The display 

 of native grasses of San Diego and vicinity, awarded a diploma 

 at the First Horticultural Fair held in San Diego, forms a por- 

 tion of the herbarium and one feature of the Department of 

 Economic Botany of the proposed Museum. 



The Forestry Department, also connected with the Division 

 of Botany, will be a special feature of the Museum, and it will 

 be our policy to develop the local resources especially, after the 

 plan of the Jessup collection in the American Museum of Natural 

 History, of New York City. A fine series of wood sections of 

 California, Eastern and West Indian trees and shrubs (also 

 awarded a diploma at the first Horticultural Fair held in San 

 Diego), and to which many additions have lately been made, 

 forms a nucleus for this section of the Museum. The above 

 series of woods is supplemented by a great variety of nuts and 

 seeds from various parts of the world. 



The work of the Department of Economic Botany will also 

 include the introduction and distribution of seeds and plants, 

 which will form a \'ery important feature and materially aid in 

 the establishment of a botanic and experimental garden in con- 

 nection with the Museum. The wholesale seed and plant busi- 

 ness, which has been conducted by C. R. Orcutt during the last 

 eight years, will greatly facilitate the carrying out of very com- 

 prehensive plans relative to this work, and will render this de- 

 partment self-supporting should it be considered necessary or 

 desirable by the management that it should yield an income. 



THE LIBRARY. 



An indispensible adjunct to a Museum is a library. At the 

 present time, Pacific Coast students are compelled, in their prose- 



