184 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [MARCH 
like Jordan and others in Europe, have essentially abandoned 
these finer discriminations in classification, has been made per- 
fectly evident in their past work, and now we are informed that 
‘there is also a growing tendency to discard the use of varietal 
names, and to call all plants species which have characters 
enough to justify the use of a distinctive name.”* To the 
critical student, who is familiar with growing plants and the 
causes which so often control their variations, such action as 
this cannot appeal; and, though the author of the Catalogue is 
not alone in his standpoint, there are still many students whose 
conceptions of plants and their relationships can be expressed 
only by the retention of categories which are subordinate in 
rank to the species, 
However, even if, by putting essentially all variations within 
the genus upon a common level, the author chooses to obscure 
the minor degrees of relationship in plants, there should be no 
question of personal choice or opinion in judging the method so 
often adopted by him in order to increase the number of so-called 
species. In the introduction to the new Catalogue (as well as in 
the original edition) many new combinations of names are made; 
but, finding that space would not permit the publication there of 
all the changes he desired to make, the author has ventured a 
new private journal,3 the first issue of which is occupied by an 
appendix to the nomenclatorial changes begun in the Catalogue. 
It seems that the author has, or did have on November 10, 1900, 
some conception of the unsatisfactory methods he was employ- 
ing, for in apologizing for so proceeding he says: ‘‘The bare 
citation without discussion in most cases is undesirable, but lack 
of time forbids a more extended treatment of the different species | 
under consideration | italics ours}.”+ Does anyone suppose that 
by careful botanists such an apology can be accepted as a pledge 
of sincere desire to advance botanical science; or can it be that 
SHELLER, 2:¢, 3: 
3Muhlenbergia, a Journal of Botany. Edited and Published by A. A. HELLER, 
Lancaster, Pa. 
4+ FPLLERS 7. 63 22%, 

