26 
Gardens  of  Medicinal  Plants. 
f  Am.  .lour.  Pharm. 
i     January,  1904. 
vote  their  entire  time  time  to  the  growing  of  medicinal  plants. 
These  various  plantations,  great  and  small,  limited  or  extensive  in 
the  number  of  species  grown,  devoted  to  the  cultivation  of  medicinal 
and  related  plants  for  commercial  purposes,  are  not  gardens  of 
medicinal  plants  in  the  present  acceptance  of  that  term,  any  more 
than  a  wheat  or  corn  field  is  a  botanic  garden  in  the  sense  in  which 
the  term  is  here  used. 
In  the  United  States  beginnings  have  been  made  to  establish 
scientific  gardens  devoted  wholly  to  the  cultivation  of  medicinal 
plants.  A  small  area  is  set  aside  for  that  purpose  in  the  St.  Louis 
botanic  gardens.  A  similar  small  garden  is  maintained  at  Ann 
Arbor  in  connection  with  the  department  of  pharmacy  of  the  State 
University.  The  Berkeley  (State  University  of  California)  gardens 
have  about  100  species  of  medicinal  plants  among  the  economic  plants 
under  cultivation.  Similar  beginnings  are  no  doubt  made  in  other 
States.  In  addition  to  these  there  are  instances  of  private  individuals 
who  have  attempted  such  gardens  with  more  or  less  success ;  but 
so  far  as  known  to  the  writer  there  is  no  extensive  garden  of  medici- 
nal plants  in  the  United  States. 
With  this  brief  historical  review  an  attempt  will  now  be  made  to 
outline  briefly  a  plan  for  the  establishment  of  gardens  of  medicinal 
plants  in  the  United  States.  The  criticism  may  be  made  that  this 
is  premature,  but  in  consideration  of  the  fact  that  partially  successful 
and  abortive  efforts  have  been  made  to  establish  such  gardens,  and 
furthermore  the  fact  that  to  the  writer's  certain  knowledge  plans  are 
now  being  matured  to  establish  several  such  gardens  on  a  compara- 
tively large  scale  makes  it  highly  appropriate  and  desirable  that  there 
should  be  an  opportunity  for  exchange  of  ideas  and  plans,  in  order  that 
there  may  be  a  minimum  waste  of  energy  and  money  in  establishing 
these  gardens  and  that  they  may  work  for  mutual  benefit.  The  follow- 
ing suggestions  are  based  upon  facts  thus  far  obtainable  and  give  the 
writer's  idea  of  what  should  be  the  scope  and  purposes  of  such  gar- 
dens. It  should  also  be  noted  that  the  time  has  passed  when  it  is 
excusable  to  start  a  new  and  desirable  or  necessary  enterprise  on  a 
small  scale.  In  order  that  the  undertaking  may  fulfill  requirements 
and  expectations  it  should  be  liberally  supported  and  given  the  right 
start.  Of  course,  allowance  must  be  made  for  a  reasonable  length  of 
time  to  mature  full  plans  and  to  put  them  in  operation. 
