descriptions in popular language. North American Flora 

 ambitiously aims to present full authoritative descrip- 

 tions of all existing species of plants that occur in North 

 America, including the West Indies, Mexico and Central 

 America, and will require many years of exploration and 

 study for its completion. 



After thirty years of growth and service the Garden 

 has now reached a stage where it feels that it ought to 



_, _. „ , contemplate its own needs. If 



The Present Needs ... 



it is to continue to grow, and to 



render the service and maintain the leadership which its 



history and its location naturally suggest, additional 



funds are imperatively required. The Garden is unable 



to maintain and protect its grounds properly, much less 



to improve them or to forestall their deterioration. It is 



unable to extend its scientific investigations into many 



of the cardinal problems of plant life. It needs additional 



buildings, additional equipment, additional personnel. 



Its scientific staff and many subordinates are paid below 



the present requirements of the living to which they are 



entitled. Some of them, after years of loyal service, are 



approaching retirement and the Garden has no system 



or funds for the provision of pensions. Other institutions 



in its field of activity have arisen and surpassed it in 



various ways. It believes that its record has been such 



that it can now legitimately aspire to an improvement of 



its status and a broadening of its activities in harmony 



with present-day conditions and present-day demands. 



In 1923 the Board of Managers, realizing that the 



grounds of the Garden ought to be made more beautiful, 



commissioned Mr. Frederick 

 Improvement of Site . 



Law Olmsted and his associates 



to make a survey of the situation and submit a compre- 

 hensive plan for the future treatment of the site. Mr. 

 Olmsted's report has now been received and, after care- 



[7] 



