May, 1920] MISCELLANEOUS 2G9 



1845. Coultkk, John M. The botanical opportunity. Science 49:363-367. April, 

 1919. — In this address, delivered before the meeting of the American A ion for tin; 



Advancement '■!' Science at I ialt iinore, the author oalls attention to the necessity of carry- 

 ing forward the progress which botany lias made during the war, anil of strengthening the 

 spirit of cooperation which has developed under the stress of war. In connection with the 

 period of reconstruction, a great opportunity lias come to botany. A response to this oppor- 

 tunity for public service does not mean less science but more science. The history of botany 

 shows that the science has been passing through the analytic phase, and the older botany, a 

 term practically synonymous with taxonomy, has been split into a large number of divine 

 Segregation and a narrowing of interest have resulted. Now, however, the movement is in 

 the other direction: synthesis of the subject. This synthetic view recognizes not the rigidity 

 of separate fields, but the cooperation of all fields. Botanists should see to it that their 

 science is recognized as the greatest field for universal service; they should emphasize the c 

 nection between pure science and applied science; they must see to it that the spirit of com- 

 petition between individuals, between research institutions, between investigators in other 

 institutions and in the U. S. Department of Agriculture, is replaced by the spirit of coopera- 

 tion. — A. H. Chivers. 



1846. F airbridge, Dorothea. Food plants and those of economic value. South African 

 Gard. 9:235-237. 2 fig. 1919. 



1847. Livingston, Burton E. Some responsibilities of botanical science. Science 

 49: 199-207. Feb., 1919.— This is vice presidential address given before Section G, American 

 Association for the Advancement of Science, Baltimore, Dec, 1918. It emphasizes through- 

 out the need for greater cooperation and esprit du corps among botanists. Two quite differ- 

 ent aims are to be kept in mind by botanists: first, the preservation of botanical knowledge; 

 second, addition to botanical knowledge. For the accomplishment of the first aim, a national 

 or international institute for the furnishing of bibliographical information is needed. Such 

 an institution, furnishing bibliographies on any topic, with or without abstracts, would con- 

 serve an enormous amount of time for scientific workers and research institutions. In dis- 

 cussing the second aim the author suggests that scientific research is unorganized and unrecog- 

 nized as a reputable occupation and that this fact demands serious attention. The planning 

 of research could be more effectively and consistently carried out if greater cooperation existed 

 among competent thinkers; data could be more consistently procured, especially when prac- 

 tical difficulties arise, if the investigator would call upon competent colleagues for advice; 

 the interpretation and presentation of results, too frequently poorly done, could be made 

 easier if the possibilities of cooperation were employed. It seems highly desirable that 

 several competent minds might be asked to make suggestions regarding any research, at 

 several times, from its inception to the publication of the resulting contribution. Finally, 

 attention is called to the fact that botanists, in working over the mass of botanical knowledge 

 for the purpose of presenting it to others, and in selecting lines along which research is to be 

 undertaken, will fail in discharging their responsibilities unless they give special attention 

 to the scientific and philosophical aspects of the application of botanical science to all the 

 various needs of man. — A. H. Chivers. 



1848. Moore, George T. Botanical participation in war work. Science 49:269-274. 

 March, 1919. — -The address (read at the symposium of Section G, American Association for 

 the Advancement of Science, Baltimore, Dec, 1918) discusses some aspects of the way in which 

 botany accomplished its full share in the war, and points out the importance of a recognition 

 of the place which the subject should occupy in peace plans. The author calls attention to 

 the services of specialists for their assistance; in suggesting botanical raw materials for the 

 commercial man; in their work in connection with the Bureau of Air Craft Production and the 

 Sanitary Corps; in the perfecting of gas masks; in connection with agriculture. Hundreds, 

 perhaps thousands of determinations of plants have been made since the outbreak of the 

 war for the purpose of giving the manufacturer definite knowledge of the source and value 



