A  January  rig™*}         Gardens  of  Medicinal  Plants.  23 
wholly  on  wild-growing  species,  but  with  the  increased  population 
and  the  cultivation  of  the  soil,  it  became  necessary  to  cultivate  these 
plants  and  these  earlier  monastic  gardens  are  really  the  progenitors 
of  our  modern  gardens  devoted  to  the  cultivation  of  economic  plants, 
especially  gardens  of  medicinal  plants. 
Extensive  public  gardens,  established  on  a  scientific  and  far-reach- 
ing economic  basis,  are  of  comparatively  recent  origin.  There  were 
none  worthy  of  note  prior  to  the  latter  part  of  the  sixteenth  century. 
The  first  European  public  garden  was  established  at  Padua  about 
1533  or  somewhat  later  (1 545) ;  in  this  garden  considerable  attention 
was  given  to  the  cultivation  of  "  simples  "  (medicinal  herbs).  Shortly 
after  these  dates,  other  public  gardens  were  rapidly  established  in 
different  parts  of  Italy,  notably  the  Palermo  gardens  and  the  botanic 
garden  at  Venice,  which  was  formerly  the  monastic  garden  of  San 
Giobbe. 
The  first  extensive  scientific  and  economic  garden  was  the  Jardin 
des  Plantes  of  Paris,  founded  by  Louis  XIII  in  1610  and  put  into 
active  operation  in  1634.  La  Brosse,  "the  first  director,  remarked 
that  during  that  period  it  had  "  eighteen  years  of  persecution  and 
six  of  culture."  Under  the  direction  of  Thouin  (during  the  first 
years  of  the  consulship),  this  garden  became  firmly  established  as  a 
school  of  botany  and  plant  culture.  Its  objects  were,  first,  to  col- 
lect useful  or  remarkable  plants  from  every  part  of  the  world  and  to 
distribute  them  to  every  part  of  France  and  so  far  as  practicable  to 
every  other  country,  and,  second,  to  form  a  school  of  botany,  botan- 
ical research,  and  an  experimental  garden.  A  universal  correspond- 
ence was  established  through  which  plants  were  secured  from  all 
over  the  world.  Collectors  were  sent  out  at  the  expense  of  the  gov- 
ernment, and  all  material  secured  was  conveyed  duty  free.  Every 
war-like,  exploring  or  commercial  expedition  was  accompanied  by 
officially  appointed  naturalists,  to  whom  every  facility  was  given  for 
work  in  the  interests  of  the  garden.  Plants  received  were  propa- 
gated without  loss  of  time  and  distributed,  in  the  first  place,  to  other 
botanic  gardens  of  France;  next,  seeds  and  plants  were  sent  to  such 
of  the  French  colonies  and  possessions  as  might  profit  by  them,  and 
lastly,  material  was  sent  to  foreign  correspondents  in  exchange  for 
similar  favors  received  or  expected.  The  influence  of  this  garden  has 
been  far-reaching.  All  other  extensive  botanic  gardens  of  the  world 
are  copied  after  this  one.  The  garden  is  the  means  of  each  year  add- 
