•fbarvarC 'Clniver0itB 



Cambridge, Mass., U.S.A. 



(Tin.' Botanical Museum occupies part of the 

 central section of the University Museu 



January 30th.I9l3z£i 



My dear Dr .Kennedy, 



1 submit herev/ith the reference to the Alexander Smith 

 notes on Economic Botany , which I shall bring before our Committee on the 

 Botanical Museum of the University , at our meeting on February 12th. Since 

 the reference is explanatory of the use of the notes, you will be interest- 

 ed in it. 



1 hope that you will be able to look at the great collection 

 on some day next week. & / ft 



Yours faithfully, ^Q^trr^A^^^ 



( COPY) 



The Museum of Economic Botany has recently received a valuable acquisition 



in the form of a collection of manuscript and printed notes on Economic 

 Plants and Plant-products , by the late Alexander Smith of London. A generous 

 friend of the University , who desires that his name should not be announced / 

 authorized the Curator to secure this collection, and a timely cablegram 

 from our Library was sent. This is not the first time that this anonymous 

 friend has enriched our special library.lt will be remembered by some of 

 the earlier members of this committee that a sum of money was placed at 

 the Curator's disposal for the purchase of books and for binding.lt was 

 that friend whd has now presented us with the Smith Collection. 



The last thirty years have completely changed the face of many 

 sciences, by the replacement ©f special studies by far more special studies., 

 For instance , Economic Botany, which twenty years since was a special sub- 

 division of Botany, is now a congeries of about twenty five specialties. 

 It is therefore no longer possible to construct a comprehensive treatise 

 on Economic Botany: such a treatise would be out of date the day after 

 publication. Her eaf ter , special monographs must repla.ee the general work rand 



a genral Museum must stand prepared, by its copious memoranda and notes , 

 A A 



to answer any questions which may be brought to its attention. You can now 

 understand the value of siich a collection as that of Mr. Smith, to the in- 



