ESTABLISHMENT OF A NATIONAL BOTANIC GARDEN. 101 



There are formal gardens, wild gardens, three botanical museums 

 and a museum hall, a laboratory, and a scientific building. The 

 herbarium and library are the largest and most complete of their 

 kind in the world. 



Plant collection includes those of tropical and warm temperature, 

 economic and medicinal, herbarium and cactuses. (See map.) 



The palm house, 362 feet long and 66 feet high, was added in 1848 ; 

 the temperature house, 580 feet long and covering 1^ acres, was 

 added in 1899. There were 14 other houses in 1908, including the 

 Himalayan house, the Mexican house, and other small houses, such 

 as the Alpine house and the orangery. Then there are the bamboo 

 gardens, the rose gardens, rhododendron dells, lily ponds, and ar- 

 boretums. boggy and seaside plants, rock gardens, shrubs, lilies, 

 flower meadows, azalea gardens, and ferns. 



The museum shows evolution of products manufactured from 

 plants grown. The herb garden is about 630 by 240 feet in dimen- 

 sions. The wild garden covers an area of about 2 acres, completely 

 surrounded by gravel walks. 



Bamboos grow 20 to 25 feet here, although there are some tropical 

 species that grow a hundred feet high or more. They require shelter 

 and root moisture. 



Museum (127). To give an idea of the character of the exhibits, 

 opium is selected as an example. The drug is obtained from a species 

 of poppy {Pap aver somnifermii) by incising the young seed pods and 

 collecting the milky juice which exudes. There is a picture of the 

 plant and an exhibit of the dried poppy heads; also pictures illus- 

 trating the field operations connected with the cultivation of the 

 poppy from the preparation of the ground for seeding to the punc- 

 ture of the popoy head and the harvest. Then comes specimens of 

 the utensils used and the manufacture of the raw materials ; samples 

 of various forms in which opium is taken to market in different 

 countries : a smoking apparatus ; models of opium smokers. Various 

 narcotics of great importance to medicine are derived from it, such as 

 laudanum and morphia, and samples of these are also exhibits. 



As illustration of certain other articles we have cotton, jute, to- 

 bacco. Japanese lacquer, oils, essences, perfumes, etc., illustrated by 

 raw materials and finished articles. 



In the willow family various stages in the manufacture of cricket 

 bats are shown, and there are exhibited some interesting exchequer 

 tallies formerly used for receipts as payments made. Curious facts 

 connected with the various products are brought out, such as the 

 packing of Paraguay tea by South Americans in the skins of animals. 

 Ravages by insects are shown by specimens of the insects themselves, 

 life work, and an estimate of the damage done. 



Another example is the coconut palm. Pictures of the tree as it 

 grows near the sea in tropical countries, also a portion of the trunk 

 and a bunch of nuts in their husks. The examples of the innumer- 

 able things made from this most valuable of all palm are next: The 

 coconut oil. with soap and candles made of it; sugar and vinegar 

 made from the sap of the tree ; walking sticks and ornamental arti- 

 cles from the wood, various toys and utensils, such as teapots, cups, 

 and ladles from the shell of the nut, and samples of the kernels, now 

 largely used in confectionery. Many articles made from the strong 



186037— 20— pt 2 4 



