302 THE PIvANT WORIvD 



The Story of a Magazine. 



By Charles lyouis Pollard. 



The closing years of the nineteenth century witnessed a remarkable 

 awakening of public interest in outdoor life. The copious literature 

 which sprang into being in response to this demand was eagerly pur- 

 chased, and the desire to know more about plant life, in particular, led 

 to very significant changes in the policy of primary and secondary schools 

 toward nature study. A remarkable circumstance attending this wave 

 of interest was that practically all the writers on the subject were ama- 

 teurs, some of them with an extremely limited knowledge of plants. 

 Professional botanists had not previously considered it worth their while 

 to attempt to educate the public, and to this fact must be ascribed much 

 of the ignorance and prejudice against botany as a serious study. The 

 demand for popular articles on technical subjects increased to such an 

 extent, however, that many botanists took up the literary vein, and the 

 magazines teemed with contributions relating to plants. 



Among those who did much to popularize the science was Dr. F. H. 

 Knowlton, of the National Museum. His experience with various peri- 

 odicals led him to believe that a special magazine should be created to 

 serve as a medium for just the contributions that were being publi.shed in 

 so many different media. For some time this idea gathered strength, and 

 the project was encouraged on all sides. A partnership was formed be- 

 tween Dr. Knowlton and Mr. Willard N. Clute, of Binghamton, who 

 undertook the publication and business management of the new periodical, 

 which was christened "The Plant World," and made its first appear- 

 ance in September, 1897, under the editorship of Dr. Knowlton, assisted 

 by Dr. A. W. Evans, Mr. Walter Hough, Professor Clara E. Cummings, 

 Mrs. N. L. Britton and the writer. The following extracts from the 

 editorial of that issue will serve to explain the proposed scope of the 

 magazine, and also fixes definitely the source of the suggestion from 

 which it sprang : 



" In presenting a new journal for the consideration of the public it is 

 necessary to explain some of the reasons for its being, to outline its scope 

 and policy, and to state what, it is confidently hoped, it may accomplish. 

 That there has been a great awakening in recent years of popular interest 

 in plants and plant-life, can not be denied. * * * With this increase 

 of attention it is but natural that many additions should have been made 

 to our knowledge of plant-life, but much of this information is still locked 

 up in the more or less technical language of science. The chosen field of 

 this journal will be to divest this language of its technicality, and to pre- 

 sent the facts in readable form, but without the sacrifice of scientific ac- 

 curacy. * * * The journal will not be * * * for the advance- 



