THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE OF AMERICA 
y>7 
"In the amendment to the bill 
which your committee propose it 
is intended to follow out the 
ideas of the park commission, 
simply substituting flower gar- 
dens and conservatories for 
lawns and trees, thus in no way 
affecting the vista from the Lin- 
coln Memorial to the Capitol, 
which was sought to be created 
and preserved by the park com- 
mission, and obviating every pos- 
sible objection that can be made 
to the proposed legislation. 
"The Botanic Garden was es- 
tablished on its present site in 
1850, sixty-six years ago, when 
the population of the United 
States was about 23,000,000 and 
that of the city of Washington 
about 40,000. Since that time the 
population of the country has in- 
creased over four-fold, and the 
city is about nine times as large 
as it was at that date. But the 
Botanic Garden has never had an 
addition to its area, although the 
collection of plants has been 
steadily added to. 
"Need for the increase has Ion 
it has been suggested by some that the garden be re- 
moved to a point in Rock Creek Park, some five miles 
north of the White House. While an arboretum might 
well be located at that place for the development of use- 
ful and ornamental trees and shrubs, as well as flowers, 
to remove the entire garden to a place so inaccessible to 
the general public would be to deprive most of the people 
of its attractions who now visit it. 
"It is imperative, however, that the garden should be 
European Hornbeam {Carp 
Lincoln. Said to Be th 
been recognized, and 
inns Bctulus). Planted in U. S. Botanic Garden by Abraham 
: Finest Specimen in the United States. To the Right Is a 
Cedar of Lebanon (Ccdrus Libaui). 
enlarged to permit of its proper development, and the 
proposed method will not cost the government a dollar 
for additional land, will result in the beautification of a 
most unsightly portion of the city, and be in keeping 
with plans for the future improvement of the Mall. 
"The capital of the United States is far behind foreign 
capitals and the large cities of this country in the main- 
tenance of a botanic garden, and the proposed enlargement 
will be a step toward giving the people of the country 
what they have a right to demand." 
