1388. | BOTANICAL GAZETTE. 1gT 
able to pass an infallible judgment upon any plant from Clematis to Quill- 
wort. Fortunately, this a of smattering seems to be passing away, an 
_ systematists, even a hanerogams, are confining their attention 
more and more to “rans groups. The consequence must be a more 
exhaustive study of these groups, an elaboration of all possible means 
as gross struc ctures, a com- 
Py. 
leer Ta 
80, until the best manual will be a very composi 
authorship. It is commonly supposed by the uninitiated that every bot- 
anist whois more or less well known can unerringly determine “ off-han da” 
_ any plant that is presented to him. It would be far more comfortable for. 
some botanists if the “ uninitiated ” could be made to understand that . 
that every botanist knows, but such are not the ones most frequently — 
thrust athim. He is called upon ‘to decide upon critical ‘eases—-some spe- 
_ informed, has to “dig out” all such plants from the books, and is in no 
: case ready with an “offhand” opinion except in the group which he 
May just then be abd ye A man may even have written am 
Jeet. Specializing avoids all this, and critical points 
submitted to some botanist who is paying special attention to the grouRy 
A botanist ‘should no sooner think of sending a Composite to a m 
chiefly familiar with Carex than a zodlogist now thinks of sending @ gist? Be 
urchin to a specialist in Crustacea. ne 
OPEN LETTERS. 
Is the strawberry Lian title oe 
a. 28 age to Prof. Prentiss’ “open let under the above’ : 
(his ol volume, p. 19), the cases recorded are is por itt hea teste 
- of fae in the a to = peculiarity of the fruit, but liarity 
oe ere re of these idi 
in 
ee 
ze 
8s 
E 
As) 
ee 
ete, 
se8 
as 
r 
oo 
eee 
2 
3 
: — the ea, t : ' 
; ears is evidence that irritation was cau 
‘ tic nerve, which is connected with the nok cae by a twig, 
