196 



An examination of the conditions affecting plant distribution, as has 

 been admirably shown by F. V. Coville, V. S. Botanist (Botany of the 

 Death Valley Expedition, pp. 10-19), from a utilitarian point of view, is of 

 the greatest importance. In speaking especially of trees and shrubs he 

 says : " They therefore stand as the most complete summation that can be 

 attained of the natural light, heat, moisture, food, air and mechanique of 

 any area : in other words, a sure index of the natural agricultural capacity 

 of the soil upon which they grow. It has been the practice of 



agriculturalists to gauge the capacity of soils, in regions new to the plow, 

 by observations on rainfall, temperature, cloudiness, chemical composition 

 of the soil, drainage, and many other phenomena, or by the even more la 

 borious process of experimenting on every farm with each kind of culti- 

 vated product ; ignoring the fact that this determination can be greatly 

 hastened, cheapened, and authenticated by correlating the natural vege- 

 tation, especially that made up of the trees and shrubs, with that of other 

 regions whose agricultural capacities are known." The list then is merely 

 incidental, and its accompanying data furnish the only scientific or eco- 

 nomic reasons for its preparation. 



With this in mind it is evident how completely our existing local lists 

 fail in furnishing facts from which any useful conclusion can be drawn. 

 In most cases nothing beyond the words " common, " " not rare," " abun- 

 bant," " very rare," are given, and in some of the lists even these are 

 omitted. In one list only, which at the moment I recall, are any facts 

 bearing upon the habitat given. It is true that in exceptional forms, such 

 as SulUvantia 0/( /on/.s,. T. and G. or Bmch>/ch;vta cordata, T. and G., valuable 

 notes may occur, but the instances are exceptional. 



That the proposed biological survey of the state may fully accomplish 

 its purpose, the work upon the phanerogamic flora should in therfuture 

 proceed under certain definite conditions and for the accomplishment of 

 certain definite results. Primarily the data collected should be of such 

 nature and in such form as to be readily correlated with similar work done 

 in other states. That this may be accomplished it is necessary that simi- 

 lar data be collected and terms technically employed shall have an uniform 

 meaning. 



The words which have given rise to perhaps the greatest confusion by 

 lack of uniformity in meaning, are the words : range, localUy, station and 

 habitat. I quote from F. Y. Coville (Botany of Death Valley expedition, 

 pp. 10), " The meanings that should logically be attached to these words 

 are as follows : 



