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first place among enterprises of the kind in this country. It was creditable alike 
to the city and to science. Mr. Cleveland further says of Professor Babcock’s 
industry at this time: “Every hour that he could secure from his school duties 
was devoted to the interests of the garden, and although Saturday was the only 
day of which he had full control, the amount of labor which he accomplished in 
collecting and arranging specimens and seeds and in conducting the extended 
correspondence which of necessity ensued, was such as to astonish all who were 
in position to observe it.” His assistant, Mr. James Bowen, also says of him: 
“No man accomplished more in so short a time and at so small an expense.” Ac- 
cording to the records, at the end of the second year, Professor Babcock had 
sent to different botanic gardens upwards of 5,000 packages of seeds, plants and 
specimens, had received nearly 15,000, and had upwards of 6,000 species under 
cultivation in .the garden. 
But to the shame of the city, be it said, that she permitted a work so auspic- 
iously begun to fail for lack of friendly support. She threw away the opportu- 
nity which was within her grasp of securing a distinction worthier than that of a 
mere center of wealth and business enterprise. In the autumn of 1877 the South 
Park Commissioners notified the Director and Managers that the garden would 
be discontinued. Here were the labor and the hope of years brought to naught; 
scientific treasures of inestimable value were wasted; faith with contributors 
was violated; the cause of science in Chicago was disgraced. Could anything 
more crushing than this happen to a sensitive nature like that of Professor Bab- 
cock? He was wont to say little about this, the great misfortune of his life, but 
he felt the disappointment most keenly, and there is little doubt that it had to do 
with the undermining of a constitution already somewhat impaired by close and 
long-continued application to study. His death occurred about four years after, 
on the 7th of November, 1881. 
GEOLOGY OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS. 
It is proposed to give, in this article, only so much of the geology of the 
region covered by the Catalogue, as may have some bearing upon its flora. 
Plants have very definite relations to soils and soils have a geological origin. The 
introduction and sometimes the extinction of species of plants in any locality 
may be due to geological causes, such as the presence of salt or fresh water, to 
currents in the adjacent waters, to climatic and dynamical changes which have 
taken place in the locality. The flora of every locality has had a history, and it 
is the duty of the botanist to read that history if possible. 
The flora of this region presents some problems which can be satisfactorily 
solved only by reference to geological history. These problems are presented by 
the presence of such plants as the Beach Pea, the Beach Plum and the Sea-side 
Crowfoot. 
The presence of pines and several herbaceous plants at the south end of Lake 
Michigan which do not exist on the middle portions of its shores but only at its 
northern part, suggests transportation by currents and a deposition of seeds 
with the great amount of material which has been torn from the sides of the 
lake, and piled in ridges on the southern shore. 
The territory under discussion lies to the south and west of the head of 
Lake Michigan. The map given covers most of Cook County, Illinois, and some 
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