Soon after Ellwanger & Barry offered to make the city a gift of land for Highland Park, in conferences had with them and with the Park Commissioners, it was understood, if I am not mistaken, that Ellwanger & Barry would like to have an Arboretum formed upon this ground. We pointed out that the special value of the site to the public lay in the eminence of its central parts above the surrounding country, more especially the country to the southward, and that nothing like a good collection of trees could be made upon it without planting parts of the ground upon which, if trees were allowed to grow to their full natural height, they would interrupt the view and so destroy the advantages of the site as a place of outlook. For this reason, we advised that, instead of a general arboretum, a collection limited to shrubs should be formed on this ground. The suggestion was approved by Ellwanger & Barry, and I am under the impression that it was said that they might be expected to give the Commission the shrubs required, or at least, to make an important contribution toward such a collection. A project of the character in a general way thus indicated has since been had in view by the Board and our plans have been prepared with constant reference to it. It is, however, somewhat difficult to give a definite form to such a project and the problem has occupied our minds not a little.

It may be assumed impracticable to attempt a collection in which all existing varieties of shrubby plants would be included that might be hoped to live under the conditions of climate. It would be of enormous extent; what [365]

would be a complete collection now would be far from complete ten years hence, and the distinction between varieties to which nurserymen have given distinctive names is so slight that completeness in this respect would have little practical value.

But if there is to be an incomplete collection, with a view to what ends shall the collection be made? We would propose to have two objects in view, each modifying such a selection as might be made with reference to one of them alone, or with regard to a purely scientific purpose. The first would be the gratification of such part of the general public visiting the grounds as would not be interested in Botany, or in any close discrimination of the distinctive qualities of the plants, but that would be pleased with the novelty and variety in foliage and flowers that might be represented; the second, the furnishing to people desiring to make plantations, a means of studying the character of a great number of plants in a fairly mature condition, under circumstances enabling them to make fair comparisons.

No one can form an idea of much value from any plant seen in the [366]adolescent state, and under the conditions in which it is ordinarily presented in nursery rows, what its appearance might come to be when well-grown in a pleasure-ground.

It cannot be questioned that a good collection of well-grown plants, clearly labeled, and to be examined with the advantage of a skillfully annotated catalogue, would be of very great value to the entire nursery interests of Rochester, and by enabling people to make their purchases with better knowledge of what could be reasonably expected of the plant which they bought, that it would greatly advance the popular practice of the planting art throughout the country. Indeed, such a collection would go far to make Rochester, in five to ten years, the capital for all the country in respect at least, to the shrubbery branch of the nursery business, which it is plain has a great future before it. We have visited the shrub collection of the late Mr. Lavallee at Segres in France, which you know has celebrity as the best in the world. The proposed collection we are planning at Rochester would display its contents to very much greater advantage, and would be far more valuable, at least, for popular edification. (The scientific value would depend largely upon who had charge of it and the facilities allowed him.)

Taking a list of all the plants likely to flourish in the climate of Rochester which nurserymen and commercial collectors of plants in Europe and America are at this time offering to provide striking out from such a list, which, as you know, would be enormously large, all names which may reasonably be supposed to be synonyms, and all others which may reasonably be supposed to apply to varieties having no valuable distinction from those retained, there would remain the names of not more than two thousand adapted to the purpose above suggested.

We enclose a list formed, as far as we have found practicable, in the manner thus suggested. We submit it now for your preliminary consideration. We would propose to take this list, when such corrections and additions have been made to it as shall seem upon further study to be desirable, and arrange, in more detail than we yet have, a plan for the planting of the collection in such a manner as to give suitable place to each of the plants named in it, and to allow space for a moderate number of additions as new plants may, from time to time, claim admission.

To obtain anything like the full value of such a collection we should think it necessary to have it placed at an early day under the immediate direction of some person qualified to supervise it with a reasonable degree of scientific accuracy who would be making constant adjustments of the labels and improvements of the catalogue from accurate and thoughtful personal study and familiarity with the advances always making by scientific observers, the world over, in the classification and nomenclature of plants. The collection should, as far as it is possible to make it so, be scientifically authoritative as to the names of the plants presented. Nurserymen throughout the country [367]should find it to their advantage to refer to it as an authority. That is to say, they should be able to state that the plant which they offer under a certain name has been compared with the mature plant under that name in Highland Park, Rochester, and its name verified.

We have desired in this communication to submit for your consideration the leading provisional ideas which we have formed of this project, and to obtain your comments upon them, and more especially upon the list submitted.

It would be practicable, if thought best, to set the larger number of the plants named in Highland Park next Spring. We do not think that it would be objectionable at this stage of the enterprise that the greater part of them should be very small plants, in which case, we need not advise you that the expense of obtaining them, if proper means for the purpose are taken, would be much less than might be supposed by those not familiar with facilities that may be availed of for the object.

Begging for a reply and the return of the List at your convenience,

We are, Dear Sir,

Very Truly Yours