Circling the Square Flora's End

The Botanical Gardens are no more. A University-sponsored housing development will soon take their place, but until then only a bleak, blank space will great passers by at the corner of Linnean and Garden Streets. Above this barren area stands the Grey Herbarium, a Botanic Research center, the sole remaining part of the Cambridge landmark.

Although the Gardens have had trouble several times in their history, a combination of low funds, lack of interest, and need for building space finally closed them this year. When the Botany Department's report to the Corporation failed to include any provision for the new degenerated properly, that august body voted to transfer the land's endowment to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. With the city of Cambridge pressing for more housing, the Corporation made plans for the project on which work began last month.

"We'll miss the Gardens all right," a Herbarium staff member said, "but they left us this building and a bit of the land around it. The Herbarium will continue our work won't be interrupted."

The institution, founded by professor Asa Gray in 1864, contains one of the world's finest collections of plant types. The six-member staff studies everything from the flora of Bolivia to plant life in the Rocky Mountains, carefully cataloguing material in three floors of steel cabinets, or in the library which stands on the spot once occupied by Gray's home.

Although no one is certain of the exact date of their beginning, the Gardens were already highly developed in the nineties. There professor Gray did research work for Charles Darwin, sending the results across the ocean to the author, who used them in developing his theories. In gratitude Darwin forwarded the proofs of "Origin of the Species" to Gray long before the book went to press.

Cambridge residents may not have appreciated experimental research, but they did enjoy the bright, colorful display of rare plants and trees. The Gardens were a showplace for visitors; several generations of citizens spent summer afternoons in the shade of the big Austrian Pine and the prehistoric Gingko tree.

An employee pointed out a strange speciman: "That's a Chinese Umbrella tree--only one in these parts for many years," he explained. 'That Austrian Pine is pretty rare for this section of the country too." These are among the trees still standing which will be saved to landscape the new development.

Hard times are an old story to the Gardens. The first World War took experienced help away and cut public support; deterioration reached such a point that the curator resigned in despair. Only revived interest and generous benefactors saved them--the thirties found the Gardens beautiful once more, and the visitors still came.

Gradually, however, the Botany Department began to replace the Gardens with modern equipment; new greenhouses now hold rare live plants. War brought another shortage of expert help, and money ran low as interest lagged. The Gardens had outlived their usefulness.

"Well," commented an old bystander watching this week's construction progress, "it was a nice place to take your girl walking ... I hope they save the Gingko tree."