360 THE JOURNAL OF BOTANY 



Sir Daniel Moms's British Association address on Botany and the 

 Empire, of which we gave some accomit on p. 296. 



Messes. Dulat: have piibUshed (10s.) an Index to the Plates 

 and Names in the fom-th Series (vols, i.-xxx.) of Iloolcer's Icones 

 Plantarum. 



TO OUR SUBSCRIBERS. 



It will be remembered that at the close of 1916, the financial posi- 

 tion of this Journal was so unsatisfactory that its discontinuance 

 seemed imminent. Until the first year of the War, it had always paid 

 its way, and had even left an infinitesimal margin of profit ; in 1915 the 

 balance was on the other side, and in 1916 the deficit was such that 

 it would not have been possible to continue publication had it not 

 been for the generous activity of friends, through whose exertions the 

 debt was removed, leaving a small balance on the right side. The 

 matter is dwelt on at some length in the volume for 1917 (p. 143) : 

 at the end of that year and of 1918, the balance, though small, was 

 still adverse, and the expenses of the present year are not likely to be 

 covered by the sales and subscriptions for the period. 



Under these circumstances, and acting on the advice of our 

 publishers, it is necessary to take further steps to meet the coming 

 liabilities, and it has been decided that this can best be done 

 b}^ increasing the rate of subscription and of sale. It is obvious that 

 an appeal such as that of 1916 could not be renewed, either with 

 reason or with any prospect of success ; moreover, although we may 

 look for cheaper paper, the rate of wages continues to increase, and 

 the cost of printing is thus not likely to diminish. As was remarked 

 in 1915, the Editor has never acted with a view to profit : so long as 

 expenses were covered, he was willing to carry on the work, and, at 

 the end of forty years, he is still prepared to do so ; but he is not 

 prepared to expend money as well as time and trouble. 



It is therefore proposed to make the Journal a net publication, 

 and to raise the Annual Subscription to 17s. iSd. (post free) ; single 

 numbers will cost Is. Hd. net. It is thought that those wdio feel that 

 the cessation of the Journal would be a misfortune, especially Biitish 

 botanists whose principal organ it has always been, will not demur to 

 this slight increase in view of its preservation. We need hardly 

 say that in the event of a lessening of the cost of output, of which 

 there seems no immediate prospect, we shall take the earliest oppor- 

 tunity of restoring the Jom-nal to its former bulk. It seems right to 

 add that the cost of the Supplements to the April and June numbers— 

 "The Phajophycean Zoid " and " The Plankton-phase and l^lankton- 

 i-^te "—was defiayed by the author, Dr. A. H. Church. 



The Editor. 



