338 Isaac Bay ley Balfour. 
down to thirty-four years of strenuous and fruitful work. His genius found 
ample scope, and the great institution as it now exists at Inverleith may be 
said to be his creation. Struggles there were against local prejudice, and 
against powerful opposition elsewhere. Strong feeling was aroused when 
the walls dividing the arboretum from the rest of the Garden were demolished 
in the early nineties, and a storm of angry protest attended the throwing 
open of the Garden to the public on Sundays. But time healed all the 
sores, and he lived to see his work applauded at home, and the Garden for 
which he had done so much take its place as one of the greatest institutions 
of its kind in the world. 
No account, however brief, of his work in the Edinburgh Garden can 
omit reference to the rock garden which forms one of its greatest and most 
interesting features. Planned on large lines, no expense or trouble was 
spared to make it worthy of its great setting. No one who is interested in 
alpine plants can afford to miss making its acquaintance, and many who 
have walked with him through this fine collection must recall the stimu¬ 
lating presence of the man who had called it into existence, and who knew 
things of interest about every plant that was growing in it. Space fails 
for .more than a mention of the great collection of Rhododendrons and 
Primulas, which Balfour got together and cultivated so successfully—in spite 
of climatic and other difficulties. The grouping of trees in the Garden also 
demands a word, for wherever it appeared desirable, whether for picturesque 
or other reasons, there a mature specimen or a group has been moved 
and planted. Of course the expense was considerable, but the result is its 
complete justification. Doubtless the open soil, with water moving through 
it at a level not far removed from the surface, contributed to the success of 
so serious an undertaking, but it was characteristic of the Regius Keeper to 
assume large responsibilities with a very accurate knowledge of the factors 
necessary for success. 
The reorganization of the plant-houses was another task which was 
ably carried through, and the luxuriant way in which the plants growing in 
open soil thrive under the glass testifies to the skill and knowledge with 
which the whole work has been carried out and maintained. Indeed the 
Garden as a whole is what a botanic garden should be : of great scientific* 
value, full of beauty, and abounding in suggestive hints of how the cultiva¬ 
tion of a vast range of plants can best be carried on. If he had achieved 
nothing else in Edinburgh, Balfour’s claim to fame would have been suffi¬ 
ciently established, but although the Garden, and all it stood for, perhaps 
held the chief place in his interest, it was by no means the only one. He 
designed new laboratories for study and research which are second to none 
in the country. Furthermore, he was himself a great teacher. Not only 
was his outlook over his science wide and philosophical, but his immense 
store of knowledge and the readiness with which he could draw on his large 
