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The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 6

Herbarium

Herbarium.

The most considerable contribution to this department, and, considering its importance in respect of the agricultural interests of this country, India, and the colonies, the most important of the kind, perhaps, ever contributed to such an institution as Kew, is the Mycological Collection of the Rev. M. J. Berkeley, F.R.S. For upwards of half a century Mr. Berkeley has been well known as the most accomplished and persevering student of the Fungi; his labours and writings on the ravages which these plants inflict on our field-crops, gardens, orchards, vineyards, forests, &c. have benefited mankind, and greatly enlarged the domain of science; whilst his systematic and microscopical researches into their structure and the classification of the vast natural family to which they belong have; been extended to species from every j quarter of the globe. The herbarium in question contains type specimens of the microscopic and other vegetable parasites, whose effects have been known from time immemorial, but the nature of most; of which has been determined only within the last half century; and it illustrates his numerous published contributions to the Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society, the Gardeners' Chronicle, Linncan Society's Journal and Transactions, and many other works of a like nature, As examples of the value to the country of Mr. Berkeley's labours, it needs only to allude to the potato, vine, hop, and onion diseases, upon which he has written valuable memoirs and suggested remedies that have earned for him the gratitude of his countrymen and the recognition of the Government.

Mr. Berkeley's herbarium is of great extent, in perfect order and preservation, and he is now occupied with its transference to Kew, to which it is presented.

The herbarium of the late N. J. Dalzell, Esq., of the Hon. East India Company's service, has been presented by his widow. As containing the type specimens of "The Bombay Flora," a work published by himself and the late Dr. Gibson, it is of special interest. It contains upwards of 1,200 species, and many duplicates; and its contents have been shared with the herbariums of the Botanical Gardens of Calcutta and Saharunpore.

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M. E. Cosson, of Paris, has been a most liberal contributor to the Kew Herbarium for very many years. His gifts during the present year amount to nearly 2,000 species, chiefly from Southern Algeria, Morocco, and Eastern Persia, on the borders of Afghanistan, which latter, collected by the veteran botanist and traveller, Bunge, are of especial interest.

Other contributions of exceptional interest are Godefroy-Lebeufs Cambodian plants; Welwitsch's Ango-Ian, &c. (from the Portuguese Government); Post's Syrian; Bur-bidge's Bomean, presented by Messrs. Veitch, and containing a magnificent series of pitcher-plants; Hildebrandt's tropical E. African; and many Central African were from Dr. Kirk, Col. Grant, Mr. Wakefield, &c.

Mr. John Miers, F.R.S., the eminent South American traveller and botanist, has presented the duplicates of his extensive herbarium. It contains many types of his published plants of Chili, Brazil, and the Argentine Provinces.

M. Casimir De Candolle has presented a valuable set of tracings of drawings of Aroideœ, and Mr. W. Saunders, F.R.S., photographs of upwards of 70 species of Agave.

The very complete collection of cones and leaves of Pines belonging to Mr. George Gordon, late of the Royal Horticultural Society's Gardens, has been presented by the Director, and deposited, the cones in the Museum, and the foliage specimens in the Herbarium. It contains the type specimens of almost every species scribed in Gordon's Pinetum, a standard work amongst nurserymen and foresters, of which a second edition has lately appeared. He has also presented the late Dr. Burchell's collection of drawings of St. Helena plants, made in the beginning of the century, and many of the plants of which are now all but or altogether extinct.

The following is a list of the names of the principal contributors to the Herbarium during 1878:—