THE PLANT WORLD 



A MONTHLY JOURNAL OF POPULAR BOTANY. 



F. H. KNOWLTON. Ph. D., Editor, U. S. National Museum, Washington, D. C. 



ARTICLES AND NOTES ON ANY SUBJECT OF INTEREST TO PLANT-LOVERS ARE SOLICITED, AND SHOULD 



BE ADDRESSED TO THE EDITOR. 



Subscription Price, $1.00 per annum. i^ Advertising Rates upon Application. 



WILLARD N. CLUTE & CO., Publishers, - - BINGHAMTON, N. Y. 



Entered at the postoffice, Binghamton, N. Y., as second-class mail matter. 



We hope soon to begin a series of articles on collecting and pre- 

 serving plants and the making of a herbarium. 



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The study of botany may of course be begun at any season of the 

 year, for during even the bleakest winter weather many interesting 

 things may be observed about plants, but it is nevertheless true that 

 spring seems the most appropriate season for the commencement of 

 this study. The snows of winter are giving place to milder days and 

 the seemingly endless procession of floral riches is being inaugurated. 



* 



The December number of this journal contained a brief summary 



of the report of the Forest Commission of the National Academy of 

 Sciences on the United States Forest Reserves, and plans for their 

 administration. Based on these recommendations, President Cleve- 

 land, on February 22, 1897, issued a proclamation establishing thirteen 

 forest reservations, containing an aggregate area of 21,379,840 acres. 

 These reservations are located in South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, 

 Idaho, Washington, Utah and California, and were planned to include 

 and preserve the head-waters of many important streams. The es- 

 tablishment of these forest reserves was violently opposed by the local 

 population, who had come to look upon the timber belonging to the 

 government as personal property. This influence was so powerful 

 that Congress was induced to suspend the proclamation until March 

 I, 1898, providing in the meantime for an extensive survey and map- 

 ping of the areas in dispute. The Sundry Civil Bill, as recently 

 reported, contains an amendment providing for the indefinite suspen- 

 sion of the Cleveland proclamation, thus in effect completely destroy- 

 ing the good work begun after so many years of wasteful extravagance. 

 It is possible that certain of the areas are larger than absolutely 

 demanded for a satisfactory conservation of the water supply, and can 



