58 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [JULY 
whether through its friends or enemies we are not informed, 
But as it has received already the cordial endorsement of a con- 
siderable number of the foremost scientific men and societies, it 
is be to hoped that it will yet be carried to success. What may be 
the condition in other lines of scientific work we do not know, 
but we do know that under the present division of labor in botany 
there is a dissipation of energy and a duplication of work that 
might be largely avoided under a more logical and consistent 
organization, such as could probably be secured by a wise and 
broad-minded scientific executive. Now that the head of the 
department holds a cabinet portfolio, it is out of the question to 
expect other than a political adviser of the President to be 
appointed. If under him there were a permanent chief, empow- 
ered to organize and harmonize all the scientific divisions as the 
president of a university directs its policy in consultation with 
heads of departments, we should find increased economy an 
efficiency of every division. Under the present conditions there 
is a division of botany, a division of agrostology, a division of 
forestry, and a division of vegetable physiology and pathology . 
It is needless to point out the absurdity of the naming of these 
divisions, which have been split off one by one from the original 
division of botany. Each now is wholly independent of the 
others in control, appropriations, quarters and equipment. There 
is a force of live young men in these divisions and a very great 
amount of work is done, on whose high quality we have had 
occasion frequently to comment. There should be a chief of the 
division of botany, with general direction of all botanical work; 
the present “division of botany” should be rechristened, while 
it and the other botanical divisions should be made sections, each 
in charge of an assistant chief. This would make it possible 
concentrate the office and routine work so that each chief would 
be left freer to push the work of his section, There can be 1° 
doubt that under some such plan we should see even more impo™ 
tant advances in pure and applied botany than have been possible 
under the present system. 
