﻿1 
  890. 
  J 
  BOTANICAL. 
  GAZETTE. 
  47 
  

  

  insight 
  into 
  the 
  botanical 
  activity 
  of 
  America," 
  and 
  from 
  this 
  standpoint 
  

   he 
  has 
  indicated 
  a 
  foreign 
  estimate 
  of 
  American 
  botany. 
  As 
  our 
  read- 
  

   ers 
  "will 
  doubtless 
  be 
  interested 
  in 
  the 
  opinion 
  of 
  so 
  eminent 
  a 
  writer, 
  we 
  

   reproduce 
  in 
  English 
  form 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  review 
  ; 
  it 
  seems 
  to 
  us 
  to 
  contain 
  

   important 
  suggestions. 
  "It 
  lies 
  in 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  things/' 
  Dr. 
  Goebel 
  says, 
  

   "that 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  only 
  a 
  little, 
  comparatively, 
  has 
  been 
  known 
  

   in 
  Germany 
  of 
  the 
  scientific 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States; 
  it 
  has 
  in 
  fact 
  but 
  

   just 
  begun 
  to 
  bloom, 
  and 
  is 
  of 
  recent 
  date 
  as 
  contrasted 
  w^ith 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  

   old 
  world. 
  The 
  works 
  of 
  Asa 
  Gray, 
  Engelmann 
  and 
  others 
  are 
  quite 
  gen- 
  

   erally 
  known, 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  admirable 
  reports 
  of 
  the 
  Geologi- 
  

   cal 
  Surveys, 
  but 
  much 
  less 
  is 
  known 
  of 
  the 
  Universities 
  and 
  their 
  Insti- 
  

   tutes, 
  which 
  are 
  constantly 
  becoming 
  more 
  numerous 
  through 
  magnifi- 
  

   cent 
  bequests 
  and 
  endowments. 
  There 
  can 
  be 
  no 
  doubt 
  that 
  the 
  literary 
  

   productions 
  in 
  the 
  domain 
  of 
  botany 
  will 
  soon 
  rise 
  into 
  importance 
  in 
  a 
  

   land 
  that 
  not 
  only 
  itself 
  possesses 
  a 
  highly 
  interesting 
  flora, 
  but 
  also 
  has 
  

   the 
  enviable 
  advantage 
  of 
  lying 
  very 
  near 
  tropical 
  regions, 
  so 
  that 
  one 
  

   may 
  reach 
  Mexico 
  from 
  New 
  York, 
  for 
  example, 
  in 
  less 
  than 
  a 
  week." 
  

   It 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  the 
  German 
  botanical 
  mind 
  is 
  in 
  a 
  receptive 
  condition 
  

  

  toward 
  American 
  botany, 
  and 
  that 
  it 
  already 
  recognizes 
  superior 
  natural 
  

   and 
  acquired 
  advantages 
  for 
  the 
  study 
  on 
  this 
  side 
  the 
  water. 
  The 
  re- 
  

   viewer 
  furthermore 
  gives 
  us 
  credit 
  for 
  "a 
  strong 
  endeavor 
  to 
  take 
  advan- 
  

   tage 
  of 
  the 
  experience 
  of 
  European 
  botanical 
  institutes." 
  Passing 
  to 
  a 
  

   consideration 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  being 
  accomplished, 
  "one 
  generally 
  misses// 
  

   he 
  says, 
  using 
  the 
  Gazette 
  for 
  1888 
  as 
  the 
  text 
  for 
  this 
  comment, 
  " 
  the 
  

   connection 
  with 
  the 
  literature 
  of 
  the 
  subject 
  treated 
  (e. 
  gr., 
  in 
  the 
  articles 
  

  

  of 
  Newcombe 
  and 
  Evans), 
  although 
  the 
  treatment 
  of 
  the 
  literature 
  as 
  

   known 
  in 
  European 
  botanical 
  publications 
  often 
  leaves 
  much 
  to 
  be 
  de- 
  

   sired." 
  The 
  two 
  articles 
  cited 
  emanated 
  from 
  two 
  of 
  our 
  prominent 
  bo- 
  

   tanical 
  laboratories, 
  and 
  between 
  thtm 
  contain 
  but 
  one 
  reference 
  to 
  liter- 
  

   ature, 
  although 
  treating 
  of 
  interesting 
  subjects 
  on 
  which 
  much 
  work 
  of 
  

   the 
  same 
  or 
  similar 
  nature 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  done. 
  If, 
  however, 
  German 
  

   authors 
  themselves 
  do 
  not 
  do 
  their 
  full 
  duty 
  in 
  the 
  matter 
  of 
  citations, 
  in 
  

   the 
  opinion 
  of 
  this 
  able 
  critic, 
  it 
  is 
  no 
  wonder 
  that 
  so 
  great 
  a 
  defect 
  in 
  

   American 
  writers 
  made 
  it 
  easy 
  and 
  natural 
  for 
  him 
  to 
  pass 
  on 
  without 
  

   specially 
  commending 
  their 
  productions. 
  The 
  Gazette, 
  he 
  says, 
  "will 
  

   be 
  the 
  more 
  valuable 
  for 
  European 
  readers 
  the 
  more 
  it 
  succeeds 
  in 
  

   giving 
  the 
  most 
  complete 
  survey 
  possible 
  of 
  all 
  botanical 
  publications 
  of 
  

   America. 
  Especially 
  to 
  be 
  desired 
  also 
  would 
  be 
  yearly 
  summaries 
  of 
  

   all 
  American 
  publications 
  in 
  the 
  domain 
  of 
  botany." 
  This 
  suggestion 
  is 
  

   manifestly 
  outside 
  the 
  sphere 
  and 
  the 
  present 
  ability 
  of 
  the 
  Gazette, 
  but 
  

   it 
  would 
  be 
  a 
  most 
  admirable 
  and 
  suitable 
  work 
  to 
  be 
  taken 
  up 
  by 
  the 
  

   National 
  Herbarium. 
  No 
  annual 
  resume 
  of 
  botanical 
  activity 
  in 
  America, 
  

  

  after 
  the 
  manner 
  of 
  the 
  excellent 
  year-books 
  of 
  Germany, 
  e. 
  g., 
  Justus 
  

   Jahresbericht 
  , 
  has 
  ever 
  been 
  attempted, 
  but 
  there 
  can 
  he 
  only 
  one 
  opinion 
  

   of 
  its 
  great 
  service 
  to 
  both 
  American 
  and 
  foreign 
  investigators. 
  

  

  