October  30,  1902. 
405 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
Botanic  Gardens. 
( Continued  from  j, age  381.) 
The  mode  of  arrangement  of  botanic  gardens  varies  much 
in  detail,  yet  more  or  less  faithfully  reflects  the  state  of 
scientific  knowledge  and  of  horticultural  and  general  taste 
at  the  period  of  its  foundation  or  reconstruction,  hence  we 
see  the  advantage  of  more  modern  botanic  gardens.  The 
Linnean  system  of  arrangement  of  the  plants  has,  of  course, 
now  been  replaced  by  the  natural  system,  but  in  their  mode 
of  expressing  this,  few  gardens  agree.  In  some,  the  arrange¬ 
ment  of  the  plants  according  to  their  geographical  distribu¬ 
tion  is  followed,  while  economic  and  medical  interests  have 
had  a  place  in  others. 
The  grouping  of  plants  as  trees,  shrubs,  perennial  herbs, 
annuals,  aquatics,  &c.,  is  generally  followed.  The  best 
garden  may  be  taken  as  that  which  best  combines  all  these 
advantages  and  reconciles  them  with  the  respective  claims 
of  simplicity  and  beauty,  yet  no  garden  is  complete  without 
its  herbarium,  library,  museum,  its  laboratories  for  research, 
and  its  lecture  rooms  for  teaching  purposes.  A  botanic 
garden  is  concerned  with  the  introduction  of  new  plants  and 
their  distribution  to  other  gardens,  public  or  private,  and 
to  new  countries,  and  thus  requires  a  colonial  and  inter¬ 
national  organisation  of  exchanges  and  correspondence. 
The  advantage  to  horticulture  by  the  establishment  of 
such  gardens  was  of  the  first  importance.  No  plant  can  be 
cultivated  with  success  unless  its  native  climate,  soil,  and 
habitat  are  taken  into  consideration.  This,  and  much  more 
is  considered  in  a  botanic  garden  where  plants  are  associated 
in  cultivation.  National  establishments  of  this  kind  have 
the  power  both  by  a  command  of  foreign  intercourse  and 
liberal  funds  to  collect  specimens  of  new  or  rare  plants 
from  other  countries,  especially  such  as  have  been  little 
explored. 
Here  the  man  of  science  can  pursue  his  studies  under 
favourable  circumstances  otherwise  unattainable,  in  ascer¬ 
taining  the  relationship  of  individuals,  comparing  dubious 
species,  witnessing  their  state  at  different  periods  of  growth, 
as  well  as  the  soil  and  situation  that  suits  them  best.  It 
forms  a  natural  centre  for  the  pre¬ 
paration  of  scientific  travellers, 
and  the  training  of  gardeners, 
foresters,  &c.,  while  it  owes  ser¬ 
vice  both  to  medical  and  general 
education. 
The  earlier  botanic  gardens  con¬ 
sisted  necessarily  of  plants  grown 
in  the  open  air.  Indoor  cultiva- 
tion  did  not  commence  till  about 
the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  cen¬ 
tury.  The  greenhouse  and  hot¬ 
house  in  the  Chelsea  Physic  Gar¬ 
den  were  probably  the  earliest 
erected  in  this  country.  The  cul¬ 
tivation  of  herbaceous  plants  in  the 
open  air  or  with  merely  winter 
shelter  in  frames  still  remains  one 
of  the  most  important  features  of 
botanic  garden  work.  Where  the 
great  aim  is  to  get  together  as 
large  and  representative  a  collec¬ 
tion  of  plants  as  possible,  so  that 
people  may  see  them  in  a  living 
state,  features  of  special  plants  are 
sometimes  made,  such  as  Orchids, 
Ferns,  Succulents,  Alpines, 
Aquatics,  or  trees  and  shrubs,  or 
special  prominence  may  be  given  to 
plants  used  in  medicine,  arts,  or 
manufactures,  or  such  as  provide 
food  in  any  shape  or  form.  Experi¬ 
ments  and  tests  are  often  carried 
on  and  the  results  published  in  the 
various  scientific  journals.  For 
the  full  performance  of  all  these 
varied  functions,  the  resources  of  a 
great  botanic  garden  are  never  too 
ample.  It  is  important  to  note 
that  for  the  purpose  of  teaching,  a 
much  smaller  one,  illustrating  all  the  chief  natural  orders,  or 
the  plants  used  in  any  particular  industry  in  the  neighbour¬ 
hood,  or  the  plants  of  the  county  or  those  that  are  native  of 
°^T,C°Untry’  coul?  be  easily  grown*  at  trifling  cost,  and 
vi thin  veiy  narrow  limits.  Several  such  small  gardens  have 
Sample  aISsfdAreSentl?  Cnited  KingSon,.  as,  for 
Leeds^  atd  at  AberSeenW  3  Un,VerS,,y>  Y°rkshire  College, 
S?™  l!,lr,ge  schooIs’  *9°.  Possess  them  now,  and 
J’  1  say\  are  in  contemplation.  Those 
results^  ®Mabf1Sh®d  hav-e  been  followed  by  most  beneficial 
results.  Most  universities,  cities,  and  large  towns  of  foreion 
countries  have  their  botanical  gardens.  ° 
Most  botanie  gardens  issue  annually  a  list  of  the  seeds 
collected  from  the  plants  grown.  These  are  available  for 
xchange.  This  is  very  useful,  not  only  in  keeping  up  a 
general  collection,  but  also  when  any  particular  genus  or 
natural  order  is  under  consideration. 
I  will  now  give  a  brief  account  of  the  following  botanical 
gardens  Kew,  Edinburgh,  Glasnevin,  Cambridge,  Oxford, 
and  the  Chelsea  Physic  Garden. 
The  Royal  Gardens,  Kew, 
is  popularly  known  as  a  great  botanical  institution, 
!'^;sse(l  ?/  a  garden  wherein  is  grown  the  most  compre¬ 
hensive  collection  of  plants  ever  brought  together  in  any 
country  Her  influence  in  science  and  commerce  has  long 
been  acknowledged  as  pre-eminent  among  botanical  estab- 
Kr\1S  a  x°  c?  gre,at  traming  school  for  gardeners, 
rut  the  important  part  she  plays  m  horticulture  has  not  until 
recently  been  recognised.  Kew  men  are  everywhere  as 
directors,  curators,  superintendents,  head  gardeners,  fore¬ 
men,  nurserymen ;  and  as  editors  and  assistant  editors  on 
the  horticultural  press,  as  botanists— Fellows  of  the  great 
scientific  societies. 
The  term  for  employment  at  Ivew  has  been  limited  to 
about  two  years,  in  order  to  give  a  large  number  of  young 
men  an  opportunity  of  gaining  experience  there.  There  is 
a  well-stocked  library  of  books  on  botany,  horticulture,  and 
kindred  subjects.  Courses  of  lectures  are  now  given  on  the 
following  subjects  : -Economic  botany,  geographical  botany, 
descriptive  arid  systematic  botany,  and  physics  and 
chemistry.  There  is  also  a  British  Botany  Club  for  field 
Bambusa  palmata.  ^See  ja  c  409.) 
j  work  during  the  summer  months.  The  director  grants  two 
half  holidays,  so  that  the  members  may  go  further  afield, 
i  These  outings  are  generally  conducted  by  one  of  the 
