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The greater share of whatever is attractive in the 

 make-up of The American Botanist must be credited to 

 those correspondents who take sufficient interest in the 

 journal to criticise it and to suggest waj-s of improvement. 

 Often there are reasons, unknown to the writers, why we 

 cannot follow their suggestions, but we give each hint 

 careful thought and do all we can to please. We look at 

 the proposition somewhat like this : we do not consider 

 that we are merelj^ selling a certain number of printed 

 pages for a dollar, bat rather that we are investing the 

 dollars of plant lovers in the way that will bring them the 

 , largest return for the money. If anyone can get more 

 matter to his liking, elsewhere for his dollar, we ought not 

 to expect that he will become one of our subscribers ; but 

 if he cannot, then we claim the money. This is one of the 

 reasons why w^e are always willing to listen to the criti- 

 cisms and suggestions of subscribers. In so far as the se- 

 lection of matter for publication is concerned, we consider 



each subscriber a member of the company. 



* * 

 * 



In response to our request for more Note and Com- 

 ment, a subscriber sends us the following : Allow me to 

 make a suggestion. The public needs cheap publications. 

 "Why do the shilling "shocker" and the shilling (English) 

 popular authors circulate so universally ? Editors do not 

 realise the fact that the -world is more populous, that 

 means of communication have multiplied and more sub- 

 jects are required to be learned in the commonest affairs of 

 life. Everything offered for mental pabulum must be illus- 

 trated no matter how roughly. The day ol the three 

 volume novel is past and biographies that begin with the 

 life history of the hero's great grandfather will only be 

 read by the interested few. Condensation is the secret of 

 and cheap — say 25c or 50c — books containing good 

 matter without moralizing and packing are in demand. 



