174 EDWARD WILBER BERRY 



buried under mountains of rapidly accumulating materials col- 

 lected for the most part by the federal or the various state geo- 

 logical surveys. Both from a utilitarian as well as a scientific 

 standpoint there is an assured future for the exceptional beginner 

 in the study of fossil plants whether he turn his attention to 

 vascular or other anatomy, to leaf impressions, or to the strati- 

 graphic, ecologic or geographic aspects of fossil floras. The 

 rounding out of long projected lines of work so that the results 

 will be available for the general scientific public is eminently 

 desirable. 



Internal anatomy waits on the discovery of tractable materials 

 like the Kreischerville lignites or the Black Hills cycadophytes. 

 The great bulk of the remains of former vegetation will always 

 consist of impressions of the various parts of plants. It would 

 be criminal to neglect this class of remains for fear that we might 

 make mistakes in identification. 



i Turning in conclusion to lines of work pressing for accomplish- 

 ment, selection is difficult. The Cretaceous and later floras 

 of the Interior need bringing up to date, the Canadian floras of 

 all ages, Devonian to Pleistocene, are badly in need of revision, 

 the Tertiary floras of the Far West and of the Gulf area are largely 

 unknown, Alaska offers a rich field, Triassic floras are badly in 

 need of modern treatment, and the status of our Paleozoic floras 

 is sadly behind the times. 1 



One phase of the study of fossil plants alike disgraceful to 

 American geology and to American botany is our lack of knowledge 

 of the flora which immediately preceded the present one. As 

 compared with the monumental work on the Glacial, Interglacial 

 and Postglacial floras in Great Britain, Scandinavia, Denmark 

 and Germany almost nothing has been done in the United States. 

 Some few contributions to the study of our Pleistocene floras 

 south of the terminal moraine have been made but the really 

 important glaciated area is practically untouched, although it 

 is known to be rich in fossil plants at certain localities and they 

 are probably more widespread than has been imagined. A 



1 These statements refer to published results and do not take into account 

 work in progress by various students. 



