ROYAL’ BOTANIC GARDEN, CALCUTTA. 7 
seeds from which'they sprang.’ When the plant—or several plants if 
of- the -same spécies and intended to form a compact group—is taken 
fromthe nursery to be permanently planted out in the Garden, it 
receives its permanent number, a zinc label with this number stamped 
on-it is fixéd.on the- plant}: and a: life-history ‘sheet: bearing the 
same péermanent~ number and, the letter. and figure or figures of the 
square in-which the plant has-been planted out.is filled in, all the in- 
formation: given-on'the seed sheet being transferred under the second- 
ary heading “Source and History.’’ to the life-history, sheet: In this 
way. every plant-hereatter planted out should start with its lifechistory 
recorded up: to: the date‘of planting out and it will be the duty: of the 
Gfficersof the Garden to-see-that the record iscontinued. 
The life-history sheets’ are atranged consecutively according: to: 
their’ numbérs in’ bundles.of 50 in‘vertical-file cabinets:. Each'bundle 
of 50-is-contained ina stout.brown'paper. cover on which. is printed, 
in bold: type; the: numbers: of the’ first and last sheet it contains ; thus 
“ Garden Cat: Nos: 401-450; It-is-thus quite easy to pick out at 
once the life-history sheet of any plant in the Garden. 
In numbering the plants it. was obviously impossible to arrange 
for the numbers in adjoining squares, both north to south and east 
to’ west being consecutive. For practical reasons it; was. most. con- 
venient to work off-either an irregular group of squares at a time, such 
as ‘those oi any of the tongtes of land: projecting.into the lakes, or a 
single row: of squares or a double. row. Thus the numbers in square 
K-7 are‘amongst'the: second and third; centuries, whereas those in 
square’ K»8sare in'the second thousand. . At preseut all-the numbers 
within a given square are: consecutive within-that'.square. . As, how- 
ever, aiumber~ once’ given is never to be repeated, it follows that the 
numbers—necessatily always higher and higher—of the plants planted 
out: hereafter~ will beat no-close ordinal relation to the numbers of the 
plants ‘already inthe squares ia’ which the new plants will be-.planted. 
So- in the future one may find; say,-No. 14025,amidst. plants bearing 
numbers-in the centuries only, _ So long, however, as the square. letter 
and figure or figures as well as the actual number of the plant‘are 
quotedsinevery reference to the, plant, the approximate position of 
the latter in- the Gardén is indicated, however mixed-up the numbers 
May be. . bens é ges : 
The numerical list‘is arranged in the order of. the plant numbers 
grouped’ in squares: irrespective of the. alphabetical or numerical 
sequence of the squares themselves, but to facilitate cross reference an 
index to the- squares will be’ given in-each ‘part: of the list and a°com- 
plete index of squares when~ the numerical list is finished. Several 
