60 J. H. MAIDEN. 



me to remind you of his last, and indeed posthumous paper, 1 

 which contains wise observations on the relations of a 

 botanic garden to the subject of phyto-chemistry. 



The experiments referred to in his papers were made in 

 the Jodrell laboratory of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, 

 and years before, he had been engaged in the chemical 

 investigation of plants in another botanic garden, — that of 

 Buitenzorg. He says, 



"Strictly speaking, one might demand that every accurate 

 description of a new genus or a new species should be accompanied 

 by a short ' chemical description ' of the plant." 



He appeals for statements in descriptions as to smell and 

 taste and anything which will serve as a clue to the chemist. 

 He points out that some latter-day botanical purists omit 

 such details. He affirms, 



"it is necessary that such chemical investigations should begin in 

 the botanic gardens themselves, because it is only there one can 

 decide experimentally : — 



1. What part of the plant is best suited for analysis, and also 



in what part of the vegetable period the active principle 

 is most abundantly present. 



2. Whether constituents occur in the fresh plant which disap- 



pear on drying. 



3. What is the exact name and nature of the plant under 



investigation, and what are its nearest relations, or in what 

 other species and genera does the same chemical constituent 

 occur." 

 He gives other reasons for the establishment .of a 



chemical laboratory in a botanic garden, but these will 



suffice. 



Obviously, fuller subsequent investigations will be under- 

 taken in chemical laboratories far removed (if necessary) 

 from the location of a botanic garden. 



1 " Phy to-chemical Investigations at Kew," Kevj Bulletin, 1909, p. 397. 



