The Kevin courier. [volume] (Kevin, Mont.) 1922-1922, 1922-08-09

used for the purposes for which i
was originally intended. The loca
- ton of Grant Memorial on part OF
The grounds occupied by the Botanic Garden is
proof that Congress means business and that
Uncle must move his flower and plant show
Wherever 1t points out.
Besides, the Botanic Garden Is a cheap affair.
comparatively speaking. Several American cities
have far larger and better gardens. And compared
with such shows as the Royal Botanic Gardens of
Kew and the botanic gardens of Berlin. Paris.
Edlnburgh, Glasgow and Rio de Janeiro-why.
washington simply isn't in it.
Congress is considering the various aspects of
the botanic Garden question. 1t appears likely
that the public features of the present garden will
De transferred from the west side of the Capitol
20 the north side and that a new botanic garden
ana arboretum on an adequate scale will be
established not far from the Capitol.
Senate resolution 165, affecting the acquisition
OF a site, is now before the committee on the
library. The fine arts commission, of which Lie1t.-
Col. Clarence 0. Sheriff., Corps Of Engineers.
is secretary and executive officer, has made a re-
port OF the Botanic Garden. Following are Soma
of tho points made in this report:
The present Botanic Garden was begun about
1920 under congressional permission granted to
the Columbian Institute for the Promotion of
Arts and Sciences, which went out Of existence
In 1887. Then in the years 183S-1S42 the Wilkes
surveying and exploring expedition of six gov
eminent ships to the South Seas, collected a
large assortment or horticultural and botanical
specimens. These formed the nucleus Of the
present garden. The total expenditures on the
garden from 1912 to date, including the original
appropriation for the expedition, amount to about
$1,416.748 1t appears that the garden, wisely and
adequately begun. now serves mainly as a dis
tributer Of plants and flowers.
By way of comparison, our Botanic Garden con-
tains less than ID acres, while the famous Kew
Gardens contain 2SS acres and are closely identi-
fed with twenty-four colonial botanical gardens of
the British Empire. Berlin has 1925 acres in It's
botani. garden, which was established at a cost
o. $E,O00,0O0.
The location problem may be stated thus:
For reasons that will appear, the Botanic Gar
den must be removed from it's present location.
Congress, when it located the Grant Memorial in
the garden area, forced the garden out. Such was
the intention of Congress. The action was entire
ly l5g.ca.. That space was designed by President
Washington and Maj. L,Enfant as an open ap-
proach TO the Capitol, and is so shown on the
orig.na; plan of the city. 1t was proposed at
that time that this area should be suDJect TO
ornamentation with memorials, foundations, and
the like, but not shut off by walls and fences.
Locating the Botanic Garden in this area was one
of those serious mistakes made in the early part
of the century whereby the great plan for the
Nations Capital suffered damage that has con-
tinued to this day. The location OF the Grant
Memorial was the first step toward repairing THIS
damage. The subsequent location of the Meade
Memorial in the same area Is a further advance
in the restoration of the original plan.
In furtherance of its purpose to restore the Mall
to its original status as a park connection between
the legislative and executive departments, Con-
gress paid the Pennsylvania Railroad S1,5OO,OOO
70 remove it's tracks from the Mall. The public
plaza or square on the west front of the Capitol
Grounds is a feature of this large plan. The New
National Museum Building, the Agriculture De
partment buildings, and the gallery for the Freer
collections all have been located with reference
TO the general plan. Slowly, but steadily. changes
in conformity with that plan are now being car
ried out throughout the entire PA miles from the
Capitol Grounds to the Lincoln Memorial. The
removal of the Botanic Garden is essential to the
development of the great composition.
II Congress desires to continue a garden for
the purpose Of obtaining flowers for Its members
and for growing shrubs to disseminate through
the country, both of these purposes can be
quite as well by glass houses and gar
lens In other accessible locations.
The enlargement Of the Capitol Grounds on the
north affords an area for gardens of great beauty
nd distinction through which will pass all visitors
n Washington and q large proportion Of those
PERSONS who daily go to the Capitol and the
,ihrarv and Congress. The present Botanic Gar
Is seen by an insignificant fraction Of visitors
: residents. The removal Of the garden features
rom the west side Of the Capitol to the north
;de simply makes such features more available.