﻿1 
  890. 
  J 
  BOTANICAL 
  GAZETTE, 
  

  

  99 
  

  

  EDITORIAL. 
  

  

  The 
  recent 
  annual 
  report 
  of 
  the 
  president 
  of 
  Harvard 
  University 
  

   contains 
  some 
  information 
  that 
  should 
  be 
  in 
  the 
  possession 
  of 
  American 
  

   botanists. 
  The 
  impression 
  that 
  Harvard 
  University 
  is 
  exceedingly 
  well 
  en- 
  

   dowed 
  may 
  be 
  true 
  enough 
  in 
  general, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  far 
  from 
  being 
  true 
  

   of 
  the 
  Herbarium. 
  We 
  have 
  the 
  somewhat 
  anomalous 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  

   famous 
  herbarium 
  in 
  America, 
  for 
  many 
  years 
  under 
  the 
  direct 
  care 
  of 
  

   the 
  most 
  distinguished 
  botanist 
  in 
  America, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  possession 
  of 
  the 
  

   oldest 
  and 
  nearly 
  the 
  wealthiest 
  university 
  of 
  America, 
  living, 
  last 
  year, 
  on 
  

   a 
  beggarly 
  income 
  of 
  $3,300, 
  out 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  curator 
  is 
  paid, 
  the 
  collec- 
  

   tion 
  increased 
  and 
  kept 
  in 
  order, 
  and 
  the 
  library 
  kept 
  up 
  with 
  the 
  times! 
  

   The 
  final 
  touch 
  to 
  this 
  showing 
  is 
  that 
  $2,200 
  of 
  this 
  amount 
  was 
  derived 
  

   from 
  the 
  gifts 
  of 
  Dr. 
  Gray 
  himself, 
  copyrights 
  which 
  he 
  had 
  bequeathed 
  to 
  

   the 
  herbarium. 
  To 
  an 
  outsider 
  it 
  looks 
  as 
  if 
  the 
  university 
  was 
  making 
  

   a 
  rare 
  bargain 
  in 
  devoting 
  $1,100 
  of 
  its 
  own 
  income 
  to 
  the 
  maintenance 
  

   of 
  so 
  famous 
  an 
  establishment 
  as 
  the 
  Gray 
  herbarium 
  and 
  library. 
  Many 
  

   a 
  college 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  would 
  be 
  willing 
  to 
  give 
  ten 
  times 
  that 
  amount 
  

   annually 
  for 
  the 
  support 
  of 
  an 
  institution 
  which 
  wields 
  such 
  an 
  influence 
  

   over 
  American 
  botany. 
  American 
  botanists 
  have 
  no 
  sympathy 
  with 
  the 
  

   corporation 
  of 
  Harvard 
  University 
  in 
  this 
  matter, 
  but 
  they 
  do 
  have 
  a 
  

   lasting 
  pride 
  in 
  the 
  great 
  collection 
  of 
  plants 
  it 
  possesses, 
  and 
  a 
  still 
  

   stronger 
  love 
  for 
  the 
  memory 
  of 
  him 
  who 
  made 
  it 
  what 
  it 
  is. 
  For 
  this 
  

   reason 
  they 
  should 
  be 
  ready 
  to 
  use 
  their 
  influence 
  towards 
  securing 
  

   a 
  proper 
  endowment. 
  If 
  endowment 
  for 
  botanical 
  research 
  is 
  a 
  desirable 
  

   thing, 
  the 
  endowment 
  of 
  the 
  Gray 
  Herbarium 
  will 
  secure 
  the 
  largest 
  

   amount 
  of 
  botanical 
  work 
  for 
  the 
  least 
  outlay 
  of 
  money. 
  It 
  requires 
  a 
  

   vast 
  amount 
  of 
  money 
  to 
  found 
  such 
  an 
  establishment, 
  even 
  were 
  such 
  a 
  

   thing 
  possible, 
  but 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  require 
  very 
  much 
  to 
  make 
  such 
  an 
  estab- 
  

   lishment 
  productive 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  already 
  founded. 
  

  

  The 
  speedy 
  completion 
  of 
  the 
  Synoptical 
  Flora 
  is 
  about 
  the 
  most 
  ar- 
  

   dent 
  desire 
  of 
  American 
  botanists, 
  and 
  the 
  man 
  who 
  must 
  direct 
  its 
  com- 
  

   pletion 
  is 
  Dr. 
  Sereno 
  Watson. 
  But 
  how 
  can 
  he 
  even 
  hope 
  to 
  accomplish 
  

   so 
  vast 
  an 
  undertaking 
  with 
  his 
  hands 
  tied 
  by 
  the 
  drudgery 
  of 
  a 
  great 
  

   collection 
  ? 
  It 
  is 
  astonishing 
  that 
  he 
  can 
  do 
  any 
  monograph 
  work. 
  There 
  

   IS 
  need 
  of 
  ample 
  assistance 
  in 
  caring 
  for 
  the 
  plants 
  ; 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  further 
  

   need 
  of 
  associating 
  with 
  Dr. 
  Watson 
  a 
  corps 
  of 
  investigators. 
  Only 
  in 
  

   mis 
  way 
  can 
  we.hope 
  for 
  any 
  prompt 
  completion 
  of 
  the 
  Synoptical 
  Flora. 
  

   It 
  has 
  occurred 
  to 
  us 
  that 
  if 
  American 
  botanists 
  bestir 
  themselves 
  the 
  

   required 
  endowment 
  can 
  be 
  easily 
  secured. 
  

  

  