PREFACE TO THE THIRD AMERICAN EDITION 



The demand for the second American Edition of this book (now out of 

 print) greatly exceeded expectations. While the third American edition, the 

 present one, contains improvements, nevertheless it is, in general, the same 

 as the second. 



The editor's notes prefixed to the two earlier American editions set forth 

 in some detail the origin and development of this surprisingly successful Ameri- 

 can publication. An English translation of the German edition (itself based 

 on the sixth Russian edition) was made by Miss Aleita Hopping, working in 

 this Laboratory. That translation was gone over by the present editor, who 

 inserted numerous editorial notes and additions. At the same time the English 

 text was made to conform in the main with changes that had been introduced by 

 Doctor Palladin in the seventh Russian edition. The first American edition 

 was thus produced. In the second American edition a number of verbal 

 improvements were introduced, some new editorial notes were added and a 

 summary by the editor was appended to each chapter. 



All of the excellent features of the German edition are still retained in this, 

 the third American edition. The German edition met a real need. Its small 

 size, together with its generally excellent arrangement and manner of presenta- 

 tion rendered it very well suited to the use of beginning students who really 

 desire to obtain a general grasp of the subject in a comparatively short time. 

 Its brevity, its conciseness and the readableness of its story were its first attrac- 

 tions, but further examination reveals the facts that Palladin was exceptionally 

 thorough in much of his treatment, and that a wealth of well-chosen citations 

 from the literature of plant physiology gave the reader a ready guide to many 

 original sources. In the latter regard the text-books originating in our own 

 language are usually deficient. The key to science really lies in its literature, 

 which consists of the contributions made by many hundreds of serious workers 

 writing in many languages. 



Palladin approached the subject from the point of view of a student of 

 physiological chemistry, and the chemical aspects of plant physiology received 

 greatest emphasis. Most workers in the science will doubtless agree that this 

 is an excellent method of approach. It was emphasized that the future of 

 plant physiology must rest largely in the development and application of the 

 technique and methods of thinking that characterize the more fundamental 

 sciences of chemistry and physics. 



Aside from its usefulness to university students, Palladin's treatise ought 

 to be of great value to more advanced investigators, especially as it furnishes 

 a summary of a large amount of literature of the subject, and it is hoped that 



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