NOTES AND COMMENT 



In 1911 The Plant World asked a number of representative botanists 

 at home and abroad to name one or two contributions which they 

 regarded as the most important that had been made to botanical 

 science in the preceding year or two (see vol. 15, p. 166). It will be 

 remembered that the work of Winkler on graft hybrids was regarded 

 as the most important, while a total of some 18 papers were named in 

 the replies. As considerable interest was expressed in the results of 

 this ballot it has just been repeated. Fifty American botanists were 

 asked to name one or two contributions that had appeared in the last 

 two or three years. Thirty-one replies were received to this difficult 

 and perplexing question. Some of those who were interrogated found 

 it impossible to frame a reply to wliich they would be willing to sul)- 

 scribe. One reply states: "I do not see that any one or two contri- 

 butions so far outrank all the others that they should be singled out 

 for special mention. There have been many contributions, and our 

 science is progressing rapidly, but it seems to me that in these days we 

 are marching by platoons rather than singly." Six letters were received 

 which gave expression to a similar feeling, wliile a number of others 

 spoke only for the advances in the particular fields known to the 

 writers. One correspondent has stated a very definite set of rulings 

 by which he arrived at his vote, while others have given their choice 

 in a more off-hand manner, or have covered their doubts by mention- 

 ing five or six pieces of work. All of the replies have been treated 

 alike, and all of the papers voted for have been listed below, regardless 

 of the number mentioned and regardless of their date. The figures 

 in parentheses following the first five titles indicate the number of 

 votes received by these papers, all others receiving one each. 



Erwin F. Smith. Work on Crown Gall and its relation to cancer (several papers). 

 (5). 



Frederick E. Clements. Plant Succession (Publications of Carnegie In- 

 stitution). (3). 



N. Svedelius, in collaboration with H. Kylin. Work on the alternation of 

 generations in red algae (various papers). (2). 



L. J. Briggs and H. L. Shantz. Work on the water relations of plants (several 

 papers) . (2) . 



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