22 
Every corner of the world, which affords any prospect of 
rewarding a collector, is systematically ws is It would be 
difficult to estimate the expenditure of mo and labour upon 
this kind of enterprise, which has not iud duni attended with 
the sacrifice of life. 
Unfortunately its results are too often launched upon commerce 
or otherwise distributed under names which have perii been 
inaccurately determined or are purely fanciful. These names 
cannot be wholly ren lg A inasmuch as they re current 
in horticultural literature. It constantly, therefore, ERP . 
necessary to trace them to their earliest publication in order 
obtain information as to the native country of the plants to lich 
they belong and other particulars relating to them. The task is, 
however, by no means an easy one, as the notices have to be 
sought in numerous and widely- scattered horticultural periodicals. 
To obviate this diffic ulty a list of new garden plants was 
published in the Gardeners’ Year Book and Almanack as long 
o as 1860, and this list was continued annually until the 
Year Book and Almanack of 1886, which "odhtétiied the new 
plants of 1885. The new plants of 1886 to October were published 
by instalments in the er of the Journal of Horticulture 
during the months of January to May, 1887. The publication 
was not aain in the following year, 'and it was believed that 
it was = longer — to be undertaken by private enterprise. 
Such an annual list was, however, found to be so indispensable, 
even for the work of Kew itself, that it was desided to undertake 
its compilation by the Kew Staff. Accordingly the list for 1887 
was published in the Kew Bulletin for 1888. Tt was accompanied 
by the following prefatory remark :— 
“As the publication of a list of new garden plants is of the 
iS sheng? eier to botanical establishments everywhere, and as 
“such a would give information respecting many new plan 
‘ grown E ew, and distributed, in course of exchanges, to 
s% rasis Egi in all parts of the world, it has been determined 
" to continue the list as one of the regular issues of the Kew 
“ Bulletin. It is believed that such a publication will be of 
* service to the horticultural world generally." 
This expectation has been amply fulfilled, and the publication 
of the lists has been continued annually. From 1890 t this has 
f t up 
lists and post up their contents in the form of a iiin. ons 
mise iiti catalogue. It is obvious that, for the purpose © 
ing down a name, a search through a lon ng series of annual 
lists becomes increasingly tedious. It was therefore felt that it 
would be a boon to others besides Kew to combine the lists for, 
at any rate, a considerable period in one volume. 
The Kew Library contains copies of the lists published in the 
deners’ Year Book for the years 1862 to 1878 and 1 ie to 
-from public libraries) is that in A possession of the proprietors 
of the Journal of Horticulture, and this has been most obligingly 
lent to Kew for transcription. 
