21 . . . - , 



of a botanical garden. 



As a philanthropic agency, a botan- 

 ical garden exerts a direct influence 

 through its affording an orderly ar- 

 ranged institution for the instruction, 

 information and recreation of the 

 people, and it is more efficient for 

 these purposes than a park, as it is 

 more completely developed and liber- 

 ally maintained. Its indirect, but 

 equally important, philanthropic op- 

 eration is through the discovery and 

 dissemination of facts concerning 

 plants and their products, obtained 

 through the studies of the scientific 

 staff and by others using the scien- 

 tific equipment. 



The scientific or biological depart- 

 ment depends very largely for success 

 upon its equipment. The library, 

 herbarium, museum and laboratories 

 are the sources whence exact infor- 

 mation regarding the name, structure, 

 habits, life processes and products of 

 plants are derived, and they are the 

 more useful as they are the more 

 complete and thoroughly equipped. 

 The research work of the scientific 

 (1 e 7 a vtiv ° n t s h o - 1 d be 6 r g an ised . 

 along all lines of botanical inquiry, 

 including /\o"'iomy f morphology, 

 anatomy, physiology., arid paleontol- 

 ogy, and the laboratories should af- 

 ford ample opportunities and equip- 

 ment for their success. 



The plantations may follow either 

 of .three courses, geographic, : syste- 

 matic, or aesthetic- — or, as opportun- 

 ity permits, all three plans may be 

 effectively used. As "systems" 

 change, it is not desirable to adhere 

 too rigidly to any in planning the 

 arrangement of the plants. Native 

 plants may well be grouped togeth- 

 er; the cactus garden can at once, be 

 both geographic and systematic in its 

 grouping; and many families of plants 

 are capable of effective treatment to- 

 gether. 



It seems desirable that the rules 

 and regulations for the general scien- 

 tific conduct of the institution, as far 

 as may be practicable, shall be ap- 

 proved by the majority of the mem- 

 bers of the Honorary Advisory Board, 

 but all other business and affairs of 

 the Association will be under the 



n 



control of a local Board of Trustees 

 or Managers. It is proposed that this* 

 Board shall consist of seven members, 

 four of whom shall be elected by the 

 association, one to be elected by the 

 Board of Park Commissioners of San 

 Diego, one to be elected by the Sars 

 Diego Society of Natural History, 

 and the seventh to be appointed by 

 the San Diego Chamber of Commerce. 

 This suggestion is made contingent 

 on the said organizations agreeing to 

 endorse the plans of this association, 

 and to co-operate with it in carrying 

 them to fruition. 



The Board of Park Commissioners 

 of San Diego have been asked to set 

 aside a portion of the 1400-acre city 

 park for the purposes of this associ- 

 ation, for the planting of an arbor- 

 etum and fruticetuna, the economic, 

 herbaceous, cactus, ana other collec- 

 tions, and for sites for the buildings? 

 that may be necessary from time to 

 time for the museums, libraries, lab- 

 oratories and offices of the associa- 

 tion. If these privileges be granted, 

 the Board of Park Commissioners 

 will ha> 6 charge of the construction 

 and maintenance of proper roads and 

 walks, and the laying Out of the 

 grounds, which shall otherwise be un- 

 der the management of the assoca- 

 thui ^'hese grounds sbs.!! be open 

 and' free to the oubhc daiw fim-hyd- 

 iri?- Sunday) subject to such restric- 

 tions crdy as to hour* a* fhe nrorer 

 care, culture and preservation of said 

 bounds may require, and its educa- 

 tional and sicentlfic privileges shall 

 be open to all alike, male and temale, 

 uoon such necessary regulations, 

 terms and conditions as shall be pre- 

 scribed by the managers. 



There are now Immediately avaii- 

 abh-in the neighborhood of 3000 

 snecies of living plants, as a nucleus 

 for our botanical garden- This 

 number in our climate, can be in- 

 creased DOssibiy ten fold, and main- 

 tained at a fraction of the cost neces- 

 sary in the botanical gardens of the 

 eastern United States. The New 

 Vork botanical garden reported near- 

 ly 12,000 species at the beginning of 

 1906. 



A library of about 3000 volumes, 



