The herald., 1897-04-08
A Botanic Garden for Griffith Parl

| DreV1ty as Tar as Is consistent With the
| proper expression of their views)
A Botanic Garden for Grifith Park
To the Editor of the Los Angeles
| Herald: 1 have been much interested
in the suggestions that have been made
by various persons regarding the es-
| tablishment of botanic garden in
Griffith park. That this would be high
ly desirable there is no doubt A bo-
! tanic garden could be developed there
that would excel anything of the kind
in the world and would be one of the
| most valuable and desirable attrac-
| tions Los Angeles could have. How the
matter is looked upon by outsiders may
be judged by the following extract from
| an article in Erythea, a journal pub
lished at the state university Speaking
Of Mr.. Griffith's donation to the city the
writer says:
1T has been proposed here to found
a great botanic garden. which shall IL
| lustrate in so far as possible the floras
of all the countries bordering on the
Pacific ocean. The conditions, climatic
and otherwise, are extremely favorable
for the carrying out of such plan. A
garden of this character would yield rich
|
attraction to travellers visiting Western
America, and would be of distinct eco
nomic value to California in the great
and growing commercial relations of the
state with transpaciic lands"
In an address upon Botanic Gardens
before the American Association for the
Advancement of Science last Au-
gust, Professor Britton of Co
lumbia university of New York
stated that the four main elements of
the modern botanical garden were: Qp
The utilitarian, or economic; (2) the
esthetic; (3) the scientific and (D the
philanthropic. Concerning the first ele-
ment he says: "In the broadcast extension
of this department of a botanical gar
den there might be included to advan-
tage facilities for the display and inves-
tigation of all plants and their products
directly or indirectly useful to man.
This conception would include forestry
pharmacognosy, agriculture, pomology,
pathology and organic chemistry"
Concerning the esthetic element he
says: The buildings roads, paths,
and planting of the garden should be
constructed and arranged With refer
ence to tasteful and decorative land
scape effect. The possibilities of treat
ment will depend largely upon the topo-
graphical character of the area selected
and the natural vegetation of the tract.
The buildings required are: A fireproof
| structure or structures for museum,
herbarium libraries, laboratories and
| offices; a glass house. with compart-
! ments, kept at several different tenn
peratures, for exhibition. propagation
and experimentation, or several glass
houses, and to them will usually be
added dwelling houses for some of the
officers, a stable, and other minor build
ings The cultivation of deco
rative plants, and especially the FOSTER
ing of a taste for them and the bringing
of unusual or rare species to atten-
ton and effecting their general intro
duction are important functions OF
| botanical garden. For the accurate de-
termination of plants, information con-
cerning their habits and structures, and
suggestions regarding the conditions of
their growth, the esthetic side must
rely on the scientific"
In speaking of the value of the latter,
Prof Britton says: "The library, herb
arium museum and laboratories are
the sources whence exact information
regarding the name, structure and hab-
it's. life processes and products of the
plants are derived, and they are the
more useful as they are the more COM
plete."
Concerning the philanthropic element
he saws: "A botanical garden operates
as valuable philanthropic agency both
directly and indirectly. It's direct infiu-
cnce lies through its affording an or
derly arranged institution for the in
struction, information and recreation of
the people, and it is more efficient for
this purpose than a park, as it is more
completely developed and literally main
tanned. Its indirect but equally i'm
portant philanthropic operation is
through the discovery and dissemina-
ton of facts concerning plants and their
products, obtained through the studies
of the scientific staff and by others
using the scientific equipment"
The admirable opportunities offered
for a botanic garden in Griffith park.
and the requisites necessary for its es-
tablishment and maintenance will be
better understood if a few facts con-
cerning other such gardens are given.
The largest botanical garden on the
globe is at Buitenzorg. on the island of
Java. 1t was founded by the Dutch
government in 1917, and contains 100
acres, at attitudes varying from sea
level to 5000 feet. This, in my opinion,
is the only garden, if any, that we could
not surpass in Los Angeles. The Royal
Botanic garden at Kew, England, con-
tains about 260 acres, and has sixteen
buildings devoted to greenhouses, mu-
seums, herbariums, laboratories and
library. Many valuable botanical
works have been published at Kew.
The Jardin des Plantes is sit
uated in the heart of Paris. on the
Seine, and has conservatories, labora-
tories, an enormous herbarium and a
library.
The most widely known one in the
United States is the Missouri Botanical
garden at ST. Louis. 1t was established
in 1859, through the provisions of the
will of Henry Shaw, who bequeathed
$40 acres for the purpose. From the
land not used for the garden large and
increasing income is derived that main
tains the garden in an excellent condi-
ton. 1t has several greenhouses, labo-
ratores and very large and valuable
herbarium and library. 1t publishes an
nual reports and Contributions from
the Shaw School of Botany"
The Arnold Arboretum, founded
through bequest of s100. 900 made about
twenty-five years ago by James Ar