THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN. 



ties for the cultivation of exotics, and for the propagation 

 of tender and half-hardy plants used for bedding during 

 the summer. 



In 1866, Tower Grove Park, adjoining the garden and 

 comprising 276.76 acres, was given to the public by Mr. 

 Shaw. The museum building was erected in the garden 

 as early as 1858-g, partly at the suggestion of Sir 

 William J. Hooker, the director of Kew Gardens, Eng- 

 land, who wrote thus to Mr. Shaw : ' ' Very few ap- 

 pendages to a garden of this kind are of more importance 

 for instruction than a library and economic museum, 

 and these gradually increase like a rolling snowball." 

 The selection of 

 books for this li- 

 brary was wisely 

 entrusted to Dr. 

 Engelmann, in 

 consultation with 

 Hooker, Decaisne, 

 Brown land other 

 of his botanical 

 friends. At this 

 time Dr. Engel- 

 mann urged Mr. 

 Shaw to purchase 

 the large herbar- 

 ium of the then 

 recently deceased 

 Prof. Bernhardi,of 

 Erfurt, Germany, 

 and this was at 

 once done. The 

 herbarium c o n - 

 tains about 20,000 

 mounted speci- 

 mens of flowering 

 plants and some 

 4,000 of cryptoga- 

 mous plants. It is 

 impossible, accord- 

 ing to a recent re- 

 port of the gar- 

 den, at present to Henry 

 state the exact 



number of species cultivated in it, but the number is 

 large and receives constant additions. From a descrip- 

 tive list of the economic plants cultivated in the garden 

 in 18S6, it appears that it then contained 232 such species. 

 The inventory made by the administrator of the estate 

 shows 55 named species or varieties of agave and 106 

 species of named palms ; and the collections of cactus 

 and of several other plants that interested the late Dr. 

 Engelmann is quite large. The educational features 

 of the garden are also supplemented by the extensive va- 

 riety of trees and shrubs growing in the adjacent Tower 

 Grove Park, which was given to the city by Mr. Shaw ; 

 although the management of this park is entirely distinct 

 from the Botanical Garden, and they were primarily in- 

 tended for quite different purposes. 



More than 20,000 trees have been planted in the park 

 proper since 1866 ; and these trees were all raised in the 

 arboretum of the garden. Mr. Shaw used to say when 

 planting them, that he did not expect to see the trees 

 reach maturity ; but nearly all of the trees in the collec- 

 tion that he helped to plant and nurse, were fully 

 grown when in August, i88g, his coffin was borne be- 

 neath their shade to his mausoleum in the garden. Mr. 

 Shaw's trusted assistant, James Gurney, is still superin- 

 tendent of the grounds. 



It was the aim of the liberal founder of these grounds 

 to omit nothing that could make them the perfection 

 of a pleasure- 

 ground. Through- 

 out the large area 

 of the garden 

 there are abundant 

 walks and drives. 

 There is a pool de- 

 voted to aquatics, 

 a labyrinth, an ob- 

 servatory, a sum- 

 mer -house and 

 play-ground, and a 

 music - stand and 

 concourse, besides 

 many other feat- 

 ures designed to in- 

 terest and amuse. 



Mr. Shaw's pur- 

 pose in establish- 

 ing the Missouri 

 Botanical Garden 

 was clearly set 

 forth in his will. 

 The bequest to the 

 public ran as fol- 

 lows : "To estab- 

 lish and endow a 

 Botanical Garden, 

 easily accessible, 

 which should be 

 H AW forever kept up 



and maintained for 



the cultivation and propagation of plants, flowers, fruit, 

 forest-trees, and other productions of the vegetable king- 

 dom ; and a museum and library connected therewith and 

 devoted to the same and to the science of botany, horti- 

 culture and allied objects, for the promotion of science 

 and knowledge." To provide for its maintenance for- 

 ever Mr. Shaw bequeathed additional real estate, the in- 

 come from which affords an ample fund for prosecuting 

 the work of the garden. Tower Grove Park, also given 

 to the public by Mr. Shaw, and planted at his expense, 

 depends for maintenance upon the city of St. Louis. 



In its educational aspect the Missouri Botanical Gar- 

 den occupies a unique place among institutions of its 

 kind. Provision is made here for giving (free) adequate 

 theoretical and practical instruction to young men 



