THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 
3 
Botanist Mr. H. C. Skeels, a graduate of the Michigan 
Agricultural College, a botanical interest began to be 
added to the park. Recognizing that a great variety 
of plants would add both interest and value to the 
forest, with characteristic energ}^ he set to work to 
obtain them and already has under cultivation upwards 
of a thousand species. These have been planted along 
the five miles of drives in the park according to the 
natural relationships of the plants, as outlined by Engler 
and Prantl. In this effort Mr. Skeels has been seconded 
by Mr. Higginbotham who is himself somewhat inter- 
ested in the subject of botany, and after whom the genus 
Higginbothamia has been named. Nor has nature, her- 
self, failed to properly endow the region. During the 
spring months there are many acres in the park where it 
is impossible for one to walk without crushing the 
flowers at every step. Such lavish displays of spring 
beauties, white and yellow adder's-tongues, trilliums, 
bloodroot, phlox, Dutchman's breeches, anemones, cow- 
slips and the like are seldom seen elsewhere. There are 
five kinds of trilliums to be found in abundance in the 
park and where the two species of adder's-tongues grow 
there does not seem room for another plant. 
Later in the year the marvellous prairie flora makes 
itself noticeable and the autumn closes with a blaze of 
asters, goldenrods, helianthemums and all the allies of 
the sunflower tribe. Among the less common plants 
in the region may be mentioned the Kentucky coffee-tree, 
the western crab (Pyrus loense) with fruits often two 
inches in diameter, and the curious pawpaw. Of this 
last there is a solid acre of trees of bearing size. 
Although there is no museum in the park, the Forester 
maintains a well mounted herbarium which contains 
specimens of practically all of the plants of the surround- 
ing country as well as those growing in the park. This 
herbarium is constantly receiving additions and is most 
valuable and satisfactor3^ in deciding questions regarding 
plants of the region. Not only are visitors welcome 
at the park, but the schools near by receive a cordial 
