86 The Botanical Gazette. t March - 



tissue showing the mycelial threads of the aecidium which permeate 

 the leaf tissue in all parts of the affected spots; 16, a few of the 

 pseudoperidial cells highly magnified to show their true shape. 



EDITORIAL. 



One of the hard questions that working botanists are called upon 

 to answer, especially those who are also concerned in training botan- 

 ists, is "what original work shall I do?" The background of the 

 (juestion usually contains no literature and no appliances other than a 

 few standard botanical works and a microscope. There seems to be 

 a widespread notion that when one comes into the possession of a 

 compound microscope he is equipped for " original work." The lack 

 of literature and collections precludes the recommendation of any 

 systematic work. The general lack of knowledge as to the ease with 

 which certain important physiological phenomena can be observed, 

 usually excludes any such answer to the question. Besides, the appli- 

 cant for " original work " expects that it will involve doing something 

 with his microscope. Nine times out of ten the advice will be given 

 to study the minute anatomy of some plant, as the easiest thing to do. 

 Naturally this is the expected advice, and sectioning and drawing 

 begin at once. But the proper study of the minute anatomy of any 

 plant is far from being "the easiest thing to do/' and to recommend 

 any such study to one who has not been thoroughly trained by a com- 

 petent instructor, is to make a great blunder. 



In the first place, the ability to correctly interpret is not in the pos- 

 session of any tyro who can cut a section or focus a microscope. There 

 are more optical illusions due to the microscope than to anything else, 

 and it is chiefly these illusions that will be drawn and reported when 

 difficult, and hence interesting, structures are being investigated by an 

 untrained observer. The unrecognized hiatuses in what appears in 

 the field of the microscope may be small enough when measured by 

 the metric system, but they may be of infinite importance in the inter- 

 pretation of structures. Such work can only be done by the most 

 careful and reiterated labor of a trained observer. Of course all this 

 only applies to cases where publication is contemplated, for any 

 amount of valuable information may be obtained in a very pleasant 

 way by anv one who is doing such work merely for his own edification- 

 But when work rises to the dignity of being called kk original investi- 

 gation," it is proper that it be hedged about by a full knowledge of its 

 real difficulties. 



