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

The problem Is only half solved when provision
is made for flowers for member Of Congress and
for the present limited output Of shrubs and
cuttings. There is a demand for a real botanic
garden, In which the public may examine living
specimens OF the enormous varieties OF trees,
shrubs, vines, and herbaceous plants native to this
locality or capable Of being grown here. freely,
out OF doors. These plants should be classified,
and the public should be made free of the grounds
for recreation and study.
A large area Is required to grow well-developed
specimens Of the different kinds of trees which
are native to the District alone, to say nothing
Of showing the very different aspects Of those
trees when grouped as in a wood and when grown
singly as lawn or street trees. The great numbers
of native shrubs, the equally important and In
teresting trees and shrubs which have been In
troduced and will be introduced from all over the
world, requires an outlying area running into
some hundreds of acres. 1t presents a wholly
different problem from that Of a place limited
primarily to the exhibition Of garden flowers In
the usual sense of the term. 1t calls not only for
a large tract Of land but for one Of diversified
soil and varied exposure.
An exhaustive search has been made Of areas
available for garden purposes In the District Of
Columbia. The commission has sought a location
on which q botanic garden might be established,
with such area and such diversity of soils as
would enable it to take rank as a great Institution.
examinations were made Of tracts at Rock Creek
Park, B~rightwood, Foundry Branch, Mount Hamil.
ton, on the eastern side Of the Anacostia River,
and In Virginia.
OF the sites suggested, the one at the head of
Rock Creek Park is given first consideration, be-
cause 1t has frequently been mentioned as avail
able at no cost for land. The entire park COM
prises 1,606 acres, most of which Is in steep wood
ed hillsides.
One objection to Rock Greek Park is that it has
many steep slopes. so that the layout and adj
ministration would be inconvenient and costly.
A more vital objection Is that the park is a natural
beauty spot, which is too scenic as 1t is to be
used for any other purpose.
1t is not necessary to express an opinion as to
whether the purposes of a national botanic garden
are more or less important than those for which
Rock Creek was acquired. The point is that both
purposes cannot dominate the management of one
piece Of ground without conflict, and this piece
of ground was set apart by Congress for the pres
e~rvation of its natural scenery. If the original
Of Congress In this instance Is to be
observed, the Introduction Of such a foreign ele-
ment as a botanic garden is too dangerous to be
Therefore, the use Of Rock Creek Park
for this purpose cannot be
The Mount Hamilton site Is situated between the
Bladensburg Road and the new Anacostia reclama.
ton project, just south of the National Training
School for Boys. 1t is now privately owned. 1t
has three r~ound-top peaks Immediately adjacent to
the Bladensburg Road which In themselves cover
about 80 acres. The tract fronts on the Anacostia
les a large variety of soils in such condition that
little preparation for te uses Of a botanic
garden would be needed. Little grading other than