278 Recognition in America 



from whom he would rather have " encouraging words " than 

 from him, since, like his " old teacher and friend Spalding," 

 Farlow knew " good from bad " work and did not " waste breath 

 on mediocrity. Frankly," wrote Smith, " I wish there were more 

 like you. There would be less slipshod, disgraceful work done." 

 Professors of botany were wanting in this country, especially those 

 who possessed " a proper knowledge of the subject " and who 

 " instilled into their students a love of truth for its own sake, and 

 an adequate conception of the dishonesty [in] doing any piece 

 of scientific work in a hasty, crude way, or in any way but 

 thoroughly." In fact, this had motivated his acceptance of Cope's 

 offer to edit a department of vegetable physiology and pathology 

 for the American Naturalist: 



it was partly to show the young men of the country (such as read only 

 English) how botany [is] studied abroad that I began the series of 

 abstracts in the Am\_erican'] Naturalist. It is my intention to continue these, 

 noticing generally only what I consider the better class of papers, and 

 occasionally mentioning an American publication. 



Farlow agreed the present status of botany in America was 

 "' unsatisfactory." But he and Smith took pleasure in the promise 

 of American students abroad. Some, like Farlow, D. H. Campbell, 

 B. L. Robinson, W. R. Dudley, W. F. Ganong, Humphrey and 

 perhaps others, had returned from their first studies there. By 

 1895, according to a letter to Farlow from H. M. Richards studying 

 at Leipzig, there were " at least nine Americans studying botany " 

 at Leipzig, Bonn, or some other university research center. Farlow 

 wrote Smith, 



The advanced botanical students in German laboratories are nearly all 

 foreigners. The young Americans now abroad will find it hard work to 

 get places when they come back. They will however come back well 

 trained although not always in fields where there is a demand here. They 

 will, at least, be able to appreciate real work and will form a nucleus for 

 a higher group of workers than we now have. In fact, the standard of work 

 is beginning to rise already but for years to come we must expect more 

 of what we are now having. 



Smith's important study, " The Path of the Water Current in 

 Cucumber Plants " ^ had been undertaken " to verify some of 



^ Atnerican Naturalist 30:372-378, May 1896; 451-457, June 1896; 554-562, 

 July 1896. 



