l8 9i-l The Future of Systematic Botany. 251 



of the deep secrets of affinity than perhaps any other. The 

 tremendous amount of material to be thus investigated, and 

 the numerous obstacles to be overcome, have been the 

 chief stimulus of recent botanical .activity; and there has 

 sprung into existence a race of workers whose powers of man- 

 ipulation are little short of marvelous. These observers are 

 bringing the hidden things to light, and out of the facts they 

 are accumulating is to be constructed the Natural System. 

 But the field is comparatively a new one, and the material so 

 exhaustless that it can well satisfy the ambition of the most 

 diligent. I would consider this work of searching for the af- 

 finities of great groups the crying need of Systematic Botany 

 to-day. The need is so evident, and the work so attractive, 

 that there is no lack of numbers in those who are undertaking 

 it. The multiplication of facilities for this work is all that 

 could be asked; but too often "facilities for work" and a little 

 knowledge of technique are considered to be the only thing- 

 necessary for this difficult kind of investigation. The conse- 

 quence is that "life histories" have been published which are 

 not histories of any living thing. The amount of work 

 to be done is so great, and the use to be made of the result- 

 is so important, that incompetent works's peculiarly exasper- 

 ating. Nothing is more capable of misinterpretation than 



the observations made in work of this nature, and the ten- 

 dency to generalize upon few or even doubtful facts is a con- 

 stant temptation. 



It is really a question as yet, whether, even among skillful 

 investigators, too much stress is not laid upon certain single 

 characters, and the sum-total of development not sufficient!] 

 considered. There is a marked tendency to select certain parts 

 of certain organs and square the affinities of the whole organism 

 by these, rather than to consider them in the light of cumula- 

 tive testimony, to be used in connection with others. The 

 tendency is not pernicious, for it is rapidly accumulating a 

 vast amount of partial testimony, but the broadest generali- 

 zations concerning affinity cannot be made until every part ol 

 every organ is considered, and the position of the organism 

 be made the resultant of all. There is no question but that 

 certain periods in the development of a plant, or certain n 

 portant organs, notably the sexual ones, are it ighted wi 

 deeper meaning than others and rightly exercise a dominating 

 influence in determining affinities; but development at every 



m- 



th 



