The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-11-21
MOST COMPLETE on EARTH.
Representatives Of the Biltmorr Ar
boFetnm secure Many Specimens
of WashfngfOn Flora.

Seattle has just received a visit from
two very quiet and transformations men.
who represent one Of the most import
ant scientific undertakings on the Amer
lean continent These men were c. A
goyntoa and T. G. HARRISON They do
not call themselves hotanists. but simply
say that they are botanical collectors.
Notwithstanding this snodesty they are
seldom lost for the name OF a plant and
can usually give the generic name ny
looking at the plant. though they saw II
then for the first time. TIE two men had
an old friend In Seattle at whose home
they made their headquarters. This is 3
T. Kelsey. who has often carnpsd with
them In the hills OF North Carolina Mr.
Kelsey has long known Mr.. Patterson. OF
the city park service, and arranged with
that gentleman TO help in guiding the col
icctors around the vicinity of Seattle. This
was done in most thorough manner.
After collecting plants. cuttings and seeds
of a great number Of Puget sound plants
they visited the new grounds Of the Uni
versity Of Washington. as they under
stood 1t 10 be the plan to make on these
grounds an extensive arboretum and bot
anieaI garden. The party. consisting of
the two collectors. Mr.. Kelsey and Mr..
Patterson. were shown around the uni
yersity grouds by Professor Edmond s.
Meany, who university lecturer In for
estry and as president Of the Washington
State Forestry Association, takes delight
in aiding every effort al scientific work
among our plants and trees.
The two botanical collectors represent
the Biltuiore Arboretum of North Caro-
lima. This institution is in connection
with the magnificent estate of George W.
Vanderbilt near Asheyille. n. c. II Is
said that the estate embraces 30 GO acres
Of land in one of the best climates on the
American continent. Mr.. Vanderbilt has
erected for himself there a mansion at
a cost Of over s3.ooo.eo0. He employed Mr..
Oinnstead TO lay ont the grounds and
through the suggestions of this man and
perhaps others In whom Mr. Vanderbilt
has confidence, the scientific features of
the work have been developed to mag
niticent proportions.
AT first ii was determined TO place the
forests of the estate under a scientific
management. This branch of the work is
now in charge of DR.. c. A. Schenck. an
educated forest expert from Germany. AS
soon az this was begun the question natu-
rally arose as TO what kinds of trees and
shrubs would thrive best in that climate.
This developed the need of an arbore
tum. and ii was arranged to have one ex
tending on each side of a fine macadam-
lied roadway twelve miles long.
This gave rise to the need Of nursery
TO supply arboretum materials as well as
ornamental plants for the estate. This
nursery now occupies about 200 acres of
land and the nursery crew numbers from
thirty To fifty, according To the season of
the year.
In starting the arboretum Ii was natu-
raj to discover the utility Of well-flled
herbarium. This was at once begun, and
il is said that the work done on this
herbarium and arboretum during the last
year excelled that done by any other in.
stitution in America during the same pc
Rod. The arboretum and herbarium are
in charge of Mr.. C.. u. Beadle. whose title
is curator of the Biltmore Arboretum. 1t
Is designed to make the herbarium the
most complete on EARTH and the arbor-
etum will probably in time contain Iiy-
ing specimens of every kind of plant that
will thrive in that climate. 1t is now
certain that Washington's fora will be
literally represented. Messrs. HARRISON
and Boynton state that they have sent
more material from Washington than
from any other state in the union.
The collectors left here on Friday morn
ing and will visit Oregon and California
on their way home. In March they will
be IN Florida, as there is one whole cor
ner OF that interesting state as yet unex-
plored by botanists. 1t is hoped that
some important results viii flow from the
visit In Seattle OF these quiet but ener-
getic representatives Of the Biltmore Ar
boretum.