SCIENCE MUSEUM 

 THE INSTITUTE OF JAMAICA 



KINGSTON. JAMAICA. W.I. 



20 May 1963 



Miss M. - Sachet 

 Pacific Vegetation Project 

 c/o National Research Council 

 2101 Constitution Ave., N.W. 

 Washington 25, D.C. 

 U.S.A. 



Dear Marie-Helene, 



Thanks for your recent letter. The Jamaican plants 

 are now being sent; the delay was due to my slowness in completing 

 the identifications, which in turn was caased by too many other 

 things to do J The list of name is enclosed; I have indicated a 

 few of which we would appreciate having duplicates. In one case 

 (#42779) I have actually withheld a specimen needed for study, so 

 for this perhaps you could just send a label. 



Generally speaking, these plants were not dried as 

 well as they should have been, and in some cases the leaves are 

 detached. This would not ordinarily have happened, but at the time 

 I iwas too occupied to supervise the drying as I should have, consider- 

 ing that the two boys were new to the work. They failed to realize 

 that 40-watt bulbs did not provide enough heat, and I didn't find out 

 they were not using the right (75-watt) bulbs until most of your 

 material was already dried. 



One thing that kept me very busy last fall was our 

 acquisition of 36 new steel herbarium cases, thanks to a Rockefeller n ■ 

 grant. This meant reorganizing the entire collection. The old wooden 

 cases are still in good use for storage of unraounted material, duplicate 

 and supplies. A large additional room has been made available for this 

 purpose, and for the first ^time we are really adequately housed, with 

 plenty of space for expansion. The next major objective is air-con- 

 ditibningj This is badly needed. 



We have mounted and accessioned more than 4,000 sheets 

 since you were here. One of the interesting collections that came in 

 was a set of Bro. Alain's Puerto Rican plants. 



I'm sorry not to have acknowledged receipt of the 

 elephant books. They were very slow in coming, but in due course the 

 boys get them and were delighted. 



So far my summer plans are uncertain, but I may possibly 

 come up to Washington and New York in August or September. I hope you 

 will be around if I do. Please give my regards to Ray. 



Sincerely yours, •^^■^■■^ 



George R. Proctor 

 BoTianist . 



GRP/zl 

 End. 



