236 THE PLANT WOELD 



botany at tliat time, and the methods pursued in its study with those 

 of to-day. The contrast is, of course, striking, and brings very force- 

 ably to mind the rapid strides which have been taken in the various 

 lines of botanical investigation. At that time there were but two per- 

 sons in America who were following botan}' as a profession and secur- 

 ing a livelihood by this means. These were Asa Gray, of Harvard, and 

 D. C. Eaton, of Yale, The teaching was almost entirely from text- 

 books, and limited mostly to systematic botany, which was restricted 

 chiefly to flowering plants. Graduate students read Mohl on the "Veg- 

 etable Cell," and Lindley's "Vegetable Kingdom," We should remem- 

 ber, however, in noting the work done at that time, that the science of 

 botany was in its infancy almost, so far as teaching was concerned, and 

 that modern facilities, methods and appliances were largely unknown. 



The January Country Life in America is a California number with 

 superb pictures characteristic of this unique and beautiful magazine, 

 and wholly devoted to the out-door world on the Pacific coast. The 

 special covers show big trees of the Sierras, and a magnificent frontis- 

 piece the blooming orchards at the foot of snow-capped mountains. 

 The leading article, by L. H. Bailey, tells of the diversified beauties 

 and peculiarities of the land that flowers in winter and sleeps in sum- 

 mer, where thunder storms are not, and where the sun shines everlast- 

 ingly. Pioneer days are recalled by "The Heroes of the Firing Line," 

 a poem by Joaquin Miller; the trend of wonderful development is the 

 theme of "Country Life in California," by A, J, Wells: and "The Story 

 of a Great California Estate," by Charles Howard Shinn, naturally fol- 

 lows. Throughout, the unusual opportunities for illustrating Califor- 

 nia at its best have been well taken, but of particularly striking beauty 

 are several series of photograi^hs. Of these, "The Cj^presses of Mon- 

 terey" show a picturesque feature of the southern coast; the Yucca 

 palms and Gila monsters, the weird life of the Mojave desert; and the 

 poppies and poppyworts furnish the color that gives California its fame 

 as a laud of flowers. Then, in a practical way, a portion of the number 

 is devoted to the making of homes and gardens, the culture and com- 

 mercial handling of fruits, and to many aspects of the soil. Certainly 

 Country Life in America grows better with every number, and proves 

 the grip that life under the open skies has upon us Americans, 



