74 
DEPARTMENT 
OF 
BOTANY AND PLANT ECONOMICS. 
This department occupies the galleries of the North, South, 
East (in part) and West Courts of the main building, and may be 
reached by any of the four flights of stairs in the central rotunda, 
or by the stairways at either side of the east and west main doors. 
The collections of this department comprise, in the main, 
those of the foreign governments in forestry, as exhibited in their 
Government Buildings, and in the Forestry Building at the World’s 
Columbian Exposition; the major portion of the gums, oils, medi- 
cinal plants, tan barks, dye woods, seeds and fibers exhibited by 
the foreign countries in the Agricultural and Manufactures 
Buildings ; the Economic Plant Exhibit of the U. S. Government 
as exhibited in the Government Building, and portions of many 
American exhibits in this important branch of natural science. 
The general arrangement of the department is as nearly geo- 
graphic in character as is possible. Beginning at the northeast 
corner of the South Court the visitor travels westward through 
Russia, Corea, Japan, India, Ceylon, Johore, Siam, Turkey, Spain 
and Australia ; thence, beginning at the Straits of Magellan, north- 
ward through Argentine, Paraguay, Brazil, Venezuela, Trinidad, 
British Guiana, Ecuador, Colombia, Guatemala, and Mexico, to 
the United States as far as Alaska, meeting there the starting 
point, Russia. 
The special aim in the installation of the objects in this de- 
partment has been to insure scientific arrangement, although enough 
display has been made to attract and please the general visitor ; 
especially has this been done when possible without detriment to 
the natural sequence of species. Sufficient time has not yet elapsed 
to study into the correctness of all the identification labels attached 
to the specimens when received, and which have so far been prin- 
cipally retained. This should be born in mind by those who de- 
sire to enter into discriminate study of the collections. All the 
identifications are being determined by the head of this depart- 
ment as rapidly as is consistent with careful and systematic re- 
sults, and printed labels substituted for the originals. The printed 
labels are J;o be considered correct as far as our knowledge extends 
at this date. 
