The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1922-08-24


the grounds occupied by the Botanic Garden Is
proof that Congress means business and that
Uncle must move his flower and plant show
wherever it points out.
Besides, the Botanic Garden is a cheap affair
comparatively speaking. Several American cities
have far larger ami better gardens. and compared
with such shows rs the Royal Botanic Gardens of
New and the botanic gardens of Berlin. Paris
Edinburgh, Glasgow and Rio de Janeiro-why
Washington simply isn't in ii.
Congress is considering the various asppcts of
me Botanic Garden question. 1t appears likely
mat the public features of the present garden will
be transferred from the west side of the CuDitol
To the north side and that a new botanic garden
ana arDoretum on an adequate scale will be
established not far from the Capitol.
Senate resolution 100. affecting the acouisition
Of Site is now before the committee on rho
library. The fine arts commission of which Iieut
Col. Clarence o. Sheriff., Corps of Engineers
Is secretary and executive officer has made a re-
port or the Botanic Garden. Following are some
Of tn" points made in this report:
The present Botanic Garden was begun obout
lS2O 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 1S}S-1S42 the Wilkes
surveying and exploring expedition of six gov
eminent ships To the South Seas. collected a
large assortment of 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
Sl,4lG,74S. Ii appears that the garden wisely and
adequately begun, now mainly as a dis
tributer of plants ami flowers.
by way of comparison, our Botanic Garden con-
tanS less than Is acres. while the famous Kew
Gardens contain 2SS acres and are closely identi-
fled with twentyfour col ,nial botanical gardens of
the British Empire. Berlin has 1,325 acres in its
botani- garden which established at a cost
o $A,0OOO0O.
The location problem may be stated thus:
For reasons that will appear the Botanic Gar
den must be removed from its present location
Congress, when ii located the Grant Memorial in
the garden area, forced the garden out. Such
the intention of Congress The action was entire
Iy l,g.ca That space was designed by President
Washington and Maj. LEnfant as an open ap
p:oach to the Capitol and is so shown on the
org.na: plan of the city. 1t was proposed at
that time that this area should be subject to
Ornamentaton with memorials, foundations and
the like, but not shut off by walls and fences.
Locating the Botanic Garden in this area was one
Of tlOse 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
Memorial in the same area is further advance
In the restoration of the original pan.
In furtherance of its purpose to restore the Mali
to It's original status park connection between
the legislative and executive departments, Con-
gress paid the Pennsylvania Railroad Sl,5OOOO0
to remove its tracks from the Mall. The public
plaza or square the west front of the Capitol
Grounds is feature of this large plan. The New
Museum Building, the Agriculture De
partment buildings, anG the gallery for the Freer
collect Ons all have been located with reference
TO the general plan. Slowly, but steadily changes
in conformity with that plan are being car
ried out throughout the entire 212 miles from the
Capitol Grounds to the Lincoln Memorial. The
removal of the Botanic Garden is essential to the
If Congress desires to continue garden for
the purpose of obtaining flowers for its members
and for growing shrubs to disseminate through
out the country. both of these purposes can be
subserved quite well by glass houses and yar-
liens in other accessible locations.
The enlargement of the Capitol Grounds on tho
north affords an area for gardens of great beauty
and distinction through which will pass all visitors
to Washington and large proportion of those
persons who daily go to the Capitol and the
Library and Congress. The present Botanic Gar
len is seen by an insignificant fraction of visitors
from the west side of the Capitol to the north
side simply makes such features more available.