that while the cost of them might properly be met either out of 

 increased maintenance funds or out of special improvement funds, 

 the work should be done mainly by the maintenance personnel. 



i. Fruticetum. What might be called the general scenic qual- 

 ity of the areas devoted to the systematic collection of shrubs 

 could be greatly improved, together with its instructiveness as 

 to the esthetic value of many species as elements in landscape 

 composition, by a patient, laborious and discriminating study 

 of the entire collection, acre by acre and plant by plant, followed 

 by a great deal of minor shifting of the position of individual 

 plants, by the elimination of some and by the addition of others, 

 so as to make more agreeable and interesting compositions — all 

 without in the least impairing the prime function of the Frutice- 

 tum as a systematic collection of specimens of representative 

 shrubby plants. From the esthetic point of view this job would 

 be very much like the job of a sculptor in perfecting a model in 

 clay; sometimes pressing back here and building out there without 

 addition or subtraction of material, sometimes adding a little, 

 sometimes taking away a little. The details can no more be 

 embodied in a specification or a plan than can the touches of the 

 sculptor which determine the final quality of his work. But 

 because the Fruticetum is not solely or even primarily intended 

 as a work of fine art, but primarily as a living botanical museum, 

 whoever is charged with the artistic responsibility for such an 

 improvement would have to keep the Director-in-Chief closely 

 informed of his intentions in advance and work under his supervi- 

 sion and with his continuing approval as to the effect of the 

 changes on the value of the collection from the botanical 

 standpoint. 



2. Herbaceous Grounds. There is opportunity for similar 

 improvement, probably far less general and far less notable in its 

 effect, in the area devoted to the synoptic collection of herbaceous 

 plants, known as the Herbaceous Garden. Incidentally it has 

 occurred to us that the name "Herbaceous Grounds," which is 

 applied at Kew to an area having similar purposes, would be 

 better than "Herbaceous Garden;" because the latter is so apt 

 to suggest to visitors the idea of a garden of herbaceous flowering 

 plants selected and arranged primarily for esthetic effects, as 

 so-called "herbaceous borders" ordinarily are, and to cause some 

 disappointment on finding quite a different sort of thing. 



We do not want to imply that the area devoted to this collection 

 is not now esthetically agreeable. It is among the pleasantest of 

 the sophisticated features of the Botanical Garden grounds. But 

 without changing its function as a synoptic collection of herbac- 



[12] 



