3 c6 THE POPULAR SCIEXCE MONTHLY. 



have a sufficiently large body of energetic botanists who would gladly 

 do original work if they could. Neither can a lack of requisite train- 

 ing, 1 think, be regarded as the main obstacle in the way of research. 

 It is true, to be sure, that it has been a serious obstacle in many cases, 

 but it need not be hereafter. If we have not so many well-equipped 

 laboratories of research, so many large libraries and collections as are 

 to be found in European countries, we do have a number of botanical 

 and biological establishments where a student can acquire the training 

 necessary to prepare him for good, original work in botany. However 

 desirable it may be, it certainly is no longer necessary that a young 

 man should go to France or Germany in order to prepare himself for 

 independent work. The great advantage to be obtained from a course 

 of study abroad is the stimulus derived from association with those 

 w ? ho devote most of their time to research, as is common in Germany ; 

 but, so far as acquiring merely the technical details necessary to one 

 who would carry on independent work or the general knowledge of 

 vegetable morphology, physiology, and histology, which must precede 

 special work in every case, there certainly are laboratories in this 

 country which are quite sufficient for the purpose. Whether a student 

 who can afford to study abroad had not better do so in preference to 

 remaining at home is, of course, another question, and has nothing to 

 do with the fact that one can get a good preparation for work here. 

 If one wishes to pursue botanical investigation, it is his own fault if he 

 does not fit himself for the work by thorough training, unless, indeed, 

 he is too poor ; and neither in this country nor any other is it ever 

 going to be possible for one without some pecuniary resources to ob- 

 tain a training in any branch of science unless he happens to be a per- 

 son of extraordinary ability. 



The two most serious obstacles in the way of research in this 

 country are the want of time and means among those who are men- 

 tally well equipped for the work, and who would gladly pursue special 

 investigations were it possible. The lack of time and lack of means 

 are closely related, and, in this country, are unfortunately often found 

 together. If a botanist were only wealthy, he could, of course, find time 

 for research. But, when I speak of lack of means, I refer not to an 

 absence of individual wealth for we all know that our active botanists 

 have been, and probably always will be, of a class in society only com- 

 fortably well off, at the best but rather to the lack of laboratory equip- 

 ment, suitable assistants, means of publication, etc. It is an unfortu- 

 nate fact, too, that those who have the most time at their disposal are 

 usually those away from laboratories and libraries, while those who, 

 like the instructors in the richer colleges, have access to good labora- 

 tories and libraries, have to spend most of their time in teaching. Of 

 the two, lack of time and lack of means, I am inclined to believe that 

 the former is the more of an obstacle in the way of research, since it 

 is possible for an energetic, well-trained botanist to do a good deal 



