ArebrXyT?9aor6m-}  London  Botanic  Gardens.  73 
Colonial  establishments  are  concerned,  while  Kew,  on  its  own 
initiative,  provides  the  latter  with  the  necessary  plants  or  seeds  for 
the  development  of  new  industries,  acting  thereby  as  a  connecting 
link  between  them.  The  staffs  of  the  Colonial  establishments,  more- 
over, are  recruited,  in  the  main,  from  men  trained  at  Kew,  so  that,  al- 
though Kew  has  no  official  control  over  these  institutions,  the  bond 
of  union  is  nevertheless  a  very  intimate  one.  The  functions  of  Kew 
in  this  connection  have  been  so  lucidly  summarized  by  M.  A.  Milhe 
Poutingon,  in  a  report  presented  to  the  French  Government,  that  I 
cannot  do  better  than  reproduce  them  here  : 
(1)  Kew  brings  together  new  species  and  varieties  of  economic 
plants,  and  selects  those  from  among  them  that  are  best  adapted  for 
propagation  in  the  Colonies.  It  is  hence  an  intermediate  house  and 
a  centre  of  supplies  for  Colonial  establishments. 
(2)  Kew  supplies,  or  is  instrumental  in  procuring,  botanists  and 
gardeners  for  the  official  botanical  institutions  of  the  respective 
Colonies,  and  also  for  private  ventures.  It  is  therefore  a  training 
and  recruiting  centre  in  this  connection. 
(3)  Kew  advises  and  supplies  information  to  the  Colonies  on  all 
matters  of  botanical  and  horticultural  interest.  It  is  hence  a  central 
bureau  of  information  for  the  Colonies. 
(4)  Kew,  finally,  by  the  example  o:  its  own  organization,  helps  to 
mould  that  of  the  Colonial  centres,  thereby  ensuring  a  continuity  of 
purpose  and  unity  of  plan  which  would  not  otherwise  be  attainable. 
Kew,  in  a  word,  may  be  looked  upon  as  the  botanical  headquarters 
of  the  whole  Empire  from  the  cultural  point  of  view. 
The  Colonial  botanical  establishments  referred  to  above  are  of 
three  grades,  viz.: 
(1)  Gardens  moulded  on  the  pattern  of  Kew  and  administered  by 
a  scientific  director  (e.g.,  Ceylon,  Calcutta,  Madras,  Mauritius,  etc.). 
(2)  Smaller  gardens  administered  by  a  skilled  superintendent. 
There  are  many  of  these  in  India,  and  others  in  Hong  Kong, 
Demerara  (British  Guiana),  etc. 
(3)  Up  till  1886  these  two  types  were  the  only  ones  represented- 
To  these  a  third  type  was  added  in  that  year,  on  the  recommenda- 
tion of  Kew.  This  type,  known  as  a  botanic  station,  is  organized  on 
a  smaller  scale  than  either  of  the  two  preceding  ones,  being  under 
the  charge  of  a  trained  gardener;  it  is  essentially  an  experiment 
station,  from  which  the  colonists  are  able  to  procure  suitable  eco- 
