10 ADDRESS OP THE EDITOR. [January, 



and at Christmas^ when the ricks were threshed out, the roddins 

 as they are there called, were counted good fare. In Wales a 

 kind of drink is brewed from them. Probably a brandy might 

 be distilled from their juice. Nobody in Scotland or in Wales 

 has the slightest doubt about the harmlessness of this fruit. 



On this subject a brace of articles (not of bucks) have been in 

 hand several months, and they will appear soon. We hope that 

 none of our obliging correspondents w'ill believe that we are not 

 greatly indebted to them for sending us these and similar slips 

 and cuttings containing current news. They are useful to us in 

 one way or another. 



It may be satisfactory to some of our friends to introduce a 

 short paragraph about anonymous contributions, — articles which 

 are not subscribed with the names of the writers. When the 

 names are withheld, it is always done at the correspondent's spe- 

 cial injunction. It would be always agreeable to us to give the 

 author's name as a voucher ; but we fully admit the right of a 

 contributor to fix his own terms. The Editor begs to state posi- 

 tively that there is not a single fact recorded in the ' Phytolo- 

 gist ' for which he has not sufficient authority. He knows the 

 authors or authoresses of all communications that have appeared 

 in its pages since its change of ownership. Further, he believes 

 that there is not one of these anonymous contributors who would 

 have the slightest scruple about having his or her name privately 

 or confidentially divulged, if there were good cause for such re- 

 cognition. Of course the Editor neither would nor could take 

 such a liberty, without the permission of the respective parties 

 duly transmitted to him. But he know^s no i)arty to whom he 

 would not confidently apply for this permission, if he was form- 

 ally requested, for important purposes, to make such application. 



Before concluding, the Editor has something to tell the readers 

 of the ' Phytologist ' in general. The number of contributors 

 and correspondents considerably exceeds a hundred. This might 

 be considered an ample guarantee for at least a considerable di- 

 versity of matter. Yet some have complained that more variety 

 might be expected, — that there is a lack of large comprehensive 

 views of botany in general, — that our sympathies are too limited, 

 • — that we are not sufficiently catholic in our achievements and 

 aims. The Editor's opinion has always been that local botany 

 does engross too much of our attention and space, — that there 



