RK-881

Smithsonian Thursday Morning March 26th

My Dear Paternal.

No Bruno yet, but he will doubtless appear to day or to night if he started monday night. - I've gotten things ready for him. - He will have to work awahile, he will when he gets here.

I think I wrote that I'd seen Saunders who will send you the Gladioli and some flower seeds - I enclose sending this mail a list of plants for distribution - I wonder if some of 'em would be worth to you the cost of transportation - I could get from Smith (of Govt Greenhouse) some few things you might like, also. -

I find they have very few of our commonest hardy herbacious plants in the so called Botanic Gardens & Government Green huse of which Smith is superintendant. He, Smith, says he is dividing the grounds into sections and that he is now trying first to get as many monocotolydons as possible, leaving the others till next year - He says you could hardly go amiss in sending him monocotolydons Monocotyledonous plants of any kind foreign or native -

I would suggest that if you and Major will kindly send a lot of plants you should send any herbacious plants that you can spare, more or less according to your conveniance, and nothing that is of any considerable cash value. - Send him no woody shrubs or vines. He particularly wishes

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to get some Phloxes, Iris, and Peonies; I told him he might not get many of the latter. He wishes everything named every species named, for the names of varieties he cares less. He would like one Yucca - flaccida - has the rest.

Tom Baird would be glad of anything you could send, shrubs small plants small shrubs etc. Some of your commenest things are rare or unknown here and vice versa, therefore dont send anything which is certainly salable for cash like fine roses etc - In fact the fine roses are the thing most easily obtained here - Perhaps some climbing roses could be shared and they would be good.

I want to put some plants in Prof Bairds very small yard and also in the very small space which the Misses Henry have to cultivate and I thought you

you and the Major while sending the rest to Tom Baird and Smith could without much inconveniance make up a little lot each f for this purpose - If that would'nt be coming it too strong, I would like three of these small lots of a dozen or twenty plants & shrubs in each and the third I would send to Cassin. - You see it was Cassin who got me the $60. from the Phila Acad and he has always been very kind to me; and he would be pleased with the attention from you - In fact I wish you would send three small lots, one of which I can send to Cassin from here - He is by no means rich and I could thus save him express charges - If the stock of these If it is easy to make up these three lots to two or three dozen plants each there can be found space for them - But dont send any thing that you cant

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will spare.

You'll see Bruno and I will have some benefit from these plants yet.

I enclose a seperate Mem with the address to which the things may be sent etc. Dont prepay anything.

I believe the express charges from here to Chicago are about $5 per 100. - Would a small lot of roses etc from Patent office and Go'vt Greenhouses be worth that to you? - Ill make more special enquiries as to what could be gotten - Not very much probably.

Love to you all. Bob

Prof Baird says I ought not to let you send anything to Smith