30 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 



the name more quickly, Prof. Bolley contends, with reason, 

 that it will deprive him of much valuable botanical training. 

 The tendency of school children, and even of adults, to make 

 the name the end and aim of botany needs to be curbed rather 

 than fostered. In the manuals we have greater need for ac- 

 curate keys so worded that the terms, themselves, shall not lead 

 the pupil astray, than we have for pictures of plants. It may 

 even be suggested that common names be omitted as their 

 presence is a constant temptation to the student to rely upon 

 the index instead of upon his own abilities. 



* * * 



The statement by the publishers of Wood's "Class-book" 

 that this most valuable manual has just gone out of print, will 

 affect a large number of botanists like the death of an old 

 friend. For more than sixty years the book has held an hon- 

 ored place in the library of botanists. Time has shown some 

 of its statements to be incorrect, the extension of our knowl- 

 edge has added many new species to our flora, the battles of 

 the nomenclaturists have changed many of the old familiar 

 names ami yet the book has held its own through the sheer 

 genius of its author for knowing and vividly describing plants. 

 Alphonso W^ood was not a closet naturalist. He knew his 

 plants in the iield and many of his descriptions read as if made 

 with the living, growing plant before him. His keys siezed 

 upon the most salient features for distinguishing species, 

 whether along strictly scientific lines or not. After the more 

 technical matter relating to a plant it was his custom to add 

 more or less infomiation of a more popular character — what 

 the plant was good for. how and where it grew, its height, etc. 

 In our species-naming days when the technical descriptions 

 in Gray left us in some doubt as to the exact identity of a 

 given plant, we turned t(^ these more popular descriptions and 

 made sure. We have never ceased to recommend the book to 

 those studying botany alone and would rejoice to see a re-issue 



