58 J. H. MAIDEN. 



I know something of the public demand for such inform- 

 ation. In the early days of my directorship I used to give 

 public discourses in the Gardens in front of the growing 

 plants. These were so largely attended that the crowds 

 could not help trampling the plants and verges in the 

 vicinity of my stand, and so they had to be discontinued 

 simply because they were successful. 



Special ivork. 



Then the gardens are available for the illustration of 

 special botanical work such as Dendrology. 



As regards the present activities of the Botanic Gardens, 

 this does not appear to be a suitable opportunity to 

 enumerate them, as I am, as far as possible, speaking in 

 general terms. They exist for the advancement of horti- 

 culture and botany, being very wide in their ramifications, 

 and while it is the duty of the Director to inform the public 

 as to the scope of those activities, it is the duty of the 

 people, and especially that part of it which is educated, to 

 satisfy themselves that they really know what those 

 activities are. Most educated people who enquire candidly 

 affect surprise when the enquiry is over. 



And, without any formal authorisation, I know I speak 

 the sentiments of my brethren in charge of other scientific 

 establishments in New South Wales. I appeal to members 

 of this Society to make it a point of honour to visit and be 

 acquainted with the scientific institutions of the State, and 

 thus to be able to speak at first hand concerning them. In 

 this way this Society will become more and more recog- 

 nised as an additional factor in the advancement of science. 



3. An Arboretum. — At p. 51 of my 1897 address I wrote 

 that New South Wales did not possess a single arboretum 

 of the first class. This statament still holds good. But 

 public opinion is very much more interested in forestry 

 matters than it was then, and in Mr. R. Dalrymple Hay a 



