C7=—^ EDITORIAL y7=—=o 



It seems al)i»ul lime that botanists in general were again 

 stirred np regarding contrilniting to this magazine. It is sur- 

 ])rising what a lot of good people there are who think that the 

 only article worth reading is ,'ome extended affair that takes 

 up half the pages of the publicati(~in. 'Jdiey estimate the worth 

 of an article strictly according to its length, hut it would be 

 just as logical to value our friends in the same way. We have 

 no objection to longer articles when they bear upon subjects 

 in \\hich we are interested, but at this time we wish to make a 

 plea for the less extended items. Some time ago. we endeavor- 

 ed to ascertain the views of our readers in regard to the most 

 desirable kind of article to print, and the replies were over- 

 whelmingly in fa\-or of the short notes. Not a few people, 

 however, seem to have a vague idea that such notes are some- 

 how beneath their dignity, but this idea may be dismissed. 

 There is doubtless not a reader of this magazine who, in the 

 course of a single summer, does not see many things worthy of 

 record. Anything about plants that is of enough interest to 

 n]enti(-)n to your friends wonld certainly interest a larger 

 audience. We are well aware tliat the field occupied by this 

 magazine is a peculiar one, and that students of the topics it 

 treats of are none tou abundant, but this ])hase of botany is 

 most vigorous at present and bids fair to be \er}- prominent in 

 future, and we hope to brin^ out more obserwations along 

 these lines. To thoroughly enjoy economic and ecological 

 botany requires a considerable knowledge of plants in the 

 field and as a result our readers are all thoughtful, well-in- 

 formed people — a class from which we ought to exi)ect a 

 large number of such ol)ser\a!ions as we have indicated. Now 

 that the long evenings indoors are at hand, we hope to find a 

 large increase in such communications. 



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