INTRODUCTION 



James E. Canright 



The six papers published here as a unit were presented in the Golden Jubilee 

 Symposium of the Botanical Society of America during the AIBS meetings 

 at the University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, on August 29, 1956.^ 

 The writer, in his capacity as chairman of the General Section of the Botanical 

 Society of America, organized this symposium entitled "Progress and Out- 

 standing Achievements in Various Fields of Botany during the Past Fifty 

 Years" as part of the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the founding 

 of the Society. The various sections of the Society, together with the American 

 Bryological Society, American Fern Society, American Society of Plant 

 Physiologists, American Society of Plant Taxonomists, Mycological Society 

 of America, and Phycological Society of America cooperated fully in sponsor- 

 ing this symposium. The following papers by the six participants were 

 planned with the thought in mind that both current and future generations 

 of botanists might now have available a single publication where it will be 

 possible to read about the development of most of the principal fields of 

 botany in the United States. These papers are all the more significant because 

 of the fact that each of the participants has played a major role in the advance- 

 ment of his particular field of botanical endeavor during the past fifty years. 

 It is regrettable that, because of time limitations, all areas of botany could not 

 have been represented in this symposium. The splendid cooperation of the 

 six participants, the sponsoring societies, and the officials of the host institution 

 is gratefully acknowledged. 



1 See AIBS Bull. 6(4) :6S, August, 1956. 



553 



