80  World's  Columbian  Exposition,  etc.  {Lmi2™\m&™- 
THE  WORLD'S  COLUMBIAN  EXPOSITION  FROM  A 
BOTANICAL  STANDPOINT.1 
By  Henry  Kraemer. 
The  botany  of  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  may  be  said  to 
have  been  a  subject  of  at  least  some  interest  to  everyone  that  visited 
the  Fair.  And  while  attention  has  been  called  to  the  fact  that  in 
only  three  places  in  the  great  Exposition  did  one  see  the  placard 
with  the  name  "  Botany,"  still  it  was  important  and  noteworthy 
that  three  buildings  were  entirely  devoted  to  the  exhibition  of  some 
of  the  products  of  the  vegetable  kingdom  and  that  all  of  the  others 
contained  more  or  less  exhibits  of  a  botanical  nature.  Much  may 
be  said  regarding  the  momentary  inspiration  one  received  upon 
beholding  the  building  and  grounds  for  the  first  time.  It  might  be 
compared  to  that  of  an  ideal  realized  and  personified.  In  reality  it 
was  akin  to  that  which  one  receives  upon  beholding  a  young  man 
(say  on  his  commencement  day)  whose  powers  are  not  only  strong, 
but  whose  pecuniary  position  is  as  strong  and  whose  every  action  is 
a  story  of  ideal  endeavors  and  splendid  successes. 
In  endeavoring  to  select  that  which  will  be  of  interest  to  us  and 
of  bearing  upon  our  subject  to-day  we  must  forego  mention,  certainly 
in  detail,  of  those  objects  which  are  likely  to  be  seen  again  or  are  of 
a  purely  external  character.  For  convenience  let  us  first  look  into 
that  building  which  was  one  of  the  most  conspicuous  at  the  Exposi- 
tion— the  Agricultural  Building.  In  this  building  37  of  the  States 
of  the  United  States  and  35  foreign  nations  had  exhibits.  The 
nations  and  States  participating  utilized  their  principal  products  in 
the  construction  and  ornamentations  of  their  pavilions.  The  medi- 
cinal specimens  were  not,  generally  speaking,  of  much  interest,  not 
so  much  because  these  were  not  interesting  exhibits,  but  mainly 
because  the  arrangement,  labelling  and  nomenclature  was  so  poor, 
that  it  was  difficult  without  considerable  labor  to  obtain  even  the 
slightest  information  relating  thereto.  Mention  may  be  made  of 
Eucalyptus  oils;  an  assorted  Cape  gum,  being  an  exudation  from 
Acacia  horrida ;  a  solid  block  of  Cape  Aoles,  18  inches  wide,  2  feet 
high  and  one  foot  thick.  Several  blocks  of  honey  and  wax  of 
about  50  pounds  each.  Rolls  of  cinnamon  with  cinnamon  peelers 
tools. 
1  Abstract  of  paper  read  at  Pharmaceutical  Meeting,  Dec.  19,  1893. 
