UNIVERSITY ACQUIRES OWNERSHIP OF FARLOW BOTANICAL LIBRARY

The Farlow botanical library, considered one of the most valuable collections of books dealing with eryptogamic botany in the world, has become the property of the University, quarters having been provided for it which meet satisfactorily the conditions of gift contained in the will of the late. Professor William G. Farlow '66, who died in 1919.

Under Professor Farlow's will, this collection, comprising about eleven thousand volumes, was given to Harvard on condition that, within three years, after the testator's death, suitable arrangements should be made for placing it in fire-proof quarters in proximity to the Farlow harbarium of cryptogamic plants, already owned by the University. These conditions have been met by the decision of the Corporation to house both the Farlow library and the herbarium in the Divinity Library building on Divinity Avenue, Cambridge.

Alterations Being Made

The necessary alterations are now being made in the building and a fire-proof addition is being constructed to hold the herbarium, the money for this purpose having been given by friends of the University and of its botanical department. The Farlow library will be installed as soon as this work is done.

The Divinity Library building is available for this purpose because the Harvard collection of theological books, formerly kept there, has now been moved to Andover Hall on Francis Avenue, the headquarters of the new University Theological School. At present the Farlow library is still housed in Dr. Farlow's house on Quincy street, and the herbarium is located on the top floor of the University Museum.

The Farlow library and herbarium are known by reputation in botanical establishments all over the world. The former is full of rarities not to be found elsewhere in America, or procurable for consultation only with the greatest difficulty, and also includes full sets of the more important journals and proceedings in various languages and wonderfully complete gets of special papers and treatises. Professor Farlow spent over 50 years assembling the library.

The Farlow collection of books will be a valuable asset to the University both because of its completeness and because of the importance of the subject of cryptogamic botany, which deals with non-flowering plants and includes the mosses, lichens, fungi, bacteria, and other lower forms of plant life, many of which are of great economic importance on account of their destructiveness