BETTER SERVICE TO SUBSCRIBERS 



The subscribers to Botanical Abstracts generally approve of the new plan 

 of publication, by which all material is published just as soon as it is ready, with- 

 out reference to the number of pages required per year. Promptness of publica- 

 tion is one of the prime features of an abstract journal and the new plan definitely 

 assures this feature for Botanical Abstracts. 



Since the number of pages to be published in any year cannot be predicted, 

 depending, as it does, on the number and length of the various entries in the 

 journal, and since the annual cost of publication depends on the number of pages 

 published, it clearly follows that the cost of publication for any year cannot be 

 predicted. Realization of this point led to the adoption of the new plan. 



The price of Botanical Abstracts is to remain the same during 1921 as it 

 has been from the beginning: namely, $3.00 per volume of from 300 to 325 pages. 

 Botanical Abstracts is, therefore, not sold by the year, but by the volume, 

 and the subscription price per year cannot be stated, because it cannot be known 

 in advance just how many volumes will be issued in any year. 



In changing from the usual journal plan of annual subscriptions to the new 

 plan of volume subscriptions, and to bring Botanical Abstracts up to date 

 after overcoming the difficulties following the war, it was necessary to issue more 

 volumes in 1920 than were originally planned, but it is improbable that any year 

 in the near future will call for as many pages (i.e., as many volumes) as did 1920- 



PRICES FOR 1921 



Although Botanical Abstracts is not as yet self-supporting, the total 

 receipts from subscriptions not yet covering the cost of its production, yet we 

 have decided not to increase the subscription price per volume for 1921. Before 

 raising the price, it has seemed desirable to test the matter out for another year, 

 to determine if there may not be enough of those who will subscribe, but have 

 not yet done so, to make the publication self-sustaining. 



All readers of Botanical Abstracts are urgently requested to cooperate with 

 the Board of Control and with the publishers, by aiding in every possible way to 

 increase the subscription list. The journal was inaugurated to advance the 

 science of plants and to aid those interested in plants. These aims are surely 

 worthy ones and should appeal to all readers. If all persons interested in the 

 scientific aspect of plant life will help the enterprise, there is no doubt that the 

 publication of Botanical Abstracts will become self-supporting and that the 

 subscription price per volume may eventually be reduced rather than increased. 



THE PUBLISHERS. 



