BOTANICAL SURVEY FOR LOCAL NATURALISTS' 

 SOCIETIES. 



WILLIAM G. SMITH. B.Sc. Ph.l>.. 

 Vnrk shirr Collesv. Leeds. 



It has frequently been sus^-g-ested, since the publication of the 

 first two maps of a method of botanical survey new to Britain,"' 

 that the local Naturalists' Societies should undertake reg^ional 

 surveys of this kind for their respective districts. The subject 

 has been discussed at the conference of deleg'ates from societies 

 to the British Association both at Glasg-ow and Belfast. As 

 yet, however, we have heard of no contribution to the survey 

 from any society, althoug'h we know of about a dozen individual 

 workers who have the survey in hand in different parts of 

 England and Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. In Yorkshire three 

 of us have during the past three years endeavoured to continue 

 the botanical survey, and hope soon to place the results at the 

 disposal of naturalists in the county. The work has brought us 

 into contact with several botanical members of the Yorkshire 

 Naturalists' Union, who liave become interested in the work, 

 and have induced the Union to ask us to link ourselves more 

 intimately with it. It seems natural that men familiar with 

 a neighbourhood after years of observation should be useful 

 colleagues in such a survey. They have already given most 

 valuable aid both in Yorkshire and in Scotland. Yet we have 

 not succeeded so well as we might, and my experience is that 

 a local botanist, however willing and able he may be to assist, 

 has a certain difficulty in grasping the method. Even local 

 floras, including Mr. Baker's ' North Yorkshire,' to our mind 

 the best of all, are disappointing when consulted for botanical 

 details. On the own hand, we have the local societies willing" to 

 assist in botanical survey, a work which claims their interest, 

 and which lies within their sphere. On the other hand, there are 

 the few workers who have, more or less single-handed, attempted 

 the work, and find themselves unable to get much assistance 

 from the local botanical records or the local societies. Why 

 should this be so? The Y.N.U. has recently appreciated the 

 difiiculty in appointing a committee for botanical surve}', and 

 appointing to it representatives of both classes. It seems 



"Smith, Robert, Botanical Survey of Scotland : i. Edinburtfh district; 

 n. Northern Perthshire. John Bartholomew & Co., Edinburg-h, 1900.— 

 Also Scot. Geog. A/ag-., July and Aug-ust 1900. 



1903 January 3. 



