THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 33 



ences of opinion and instabi]it3^ That this is the case is 

 shown by the fact that the members of the Neo-American 

 School do not always agree among themselves as to the 

 names which should be chosen under their own system. 

 Furthermore, the Neo-Americans do not make all the 

 changes in nomenclature which their system requires, 

 which indeed they admit, but confess in explanation that 

 the number of changes thus entailed would be too appal- 

 ling. Now the Neo-American School has but a sole claim 

 to consideration as compensation for the immense incon- 

 venience to Avhich it is putting the public by its many 

 changes, and that is, that it will give finally an automati- 

 cally stable system. But this they are not succeeding in 

 doing, and there appears to me no prospect that the 

 nature of the subject will ever permit them to do so. Fur- 

 ther, thej' cannot possibly' secure stability by themselves, 

 for there can be no stability as long as the other botanists 

 of the world persist in using a different system. During 

 the ten years of their propoganda, they have not been able 

 to secure a single convert among the prominent workers 

 of other countries. Their system promises no greater sta- 

 bility than the Gray an system, while it causes immense 

 confusion bj'^ overturning the great body of existent no- 

 menclature which the Grayan s^^stem conserves. This is 

 why I believe all disinterested persons should give their 

 support to the Grayan system. — W. F. Ganong in Bduca- 

 tional Review for January- 



.^ 



Note (siFiei ©©PFii^-i©pit. 



Wanted. — Short notes of interest to the general bot- 

 anist are always in demand for this department. Our 

 readers are invited to make this the place of publication 

 for their botanical items. 



Eucalyptus in Medicine.— According to the Medical 

 Annual an infusion of the fresh leaves of one ot the blue 

 gums — Eucalyptus globulus — is an almost certain cure for 

 diabetes if administered in the first stages of the disease. 



