464 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [DECEMBER 
REJOINDER 
In spite of Ewart’s very energetic objection to my criticism of his 
paper, I maintain that the criticism is entirely justifiable. To escape 
personal bias I have asked several persons to read passages of EWART’s 
article and to say who contributed the data. In every case they decided 
that they were Ewart’s, though this is not the case. 
As an example, I cite the first part of the paragraph beginning at the 
foot of p. 197, dealing with Plantago major, P. Rugelii, Thiaspi arvense, 
and Avena fatua. The data are all given in my article,4 but one would not 
know from Ewart’s statement that this was their source. Again, in the 
paragraph beginning near the top of p. 192, EwArT gives the arguments 
against FISCHER’s conception of the cause of delayed germination in the 
seeds of water plants as if based on his own work. All these arguments 
are given in another paper of mine,’ issued five months before Ewart’s. 
In the same paragraph, he says: “‘Since the above was written, CROCKER 
(Bot. GazETTE 1907, 374) has shown, etc.’”? One would have expected a 
writer who is so careful to give credit where it belongs to recast this para- 
graph after he discovered my article, so as to indicate proper priority. I 
mention these as two instances out of several that furnished the basis of 
my criticism. 
Ewart speaks again of his results contradicting mine in a number 
of cases. I must therefore point out again that the matters in dispute are 
minor details and not cardinal principles in- the physiology of delayed 
germination; and I should be glad to have anyone compare his paper and 
my criticism to judge in how far there is evidence that his results disprove 
mine. I have repeated the experiments upon the disputed points, and have 
had various competent students do so independently. The results in every 
case agree with my previous conclusions, as my criticism points out. 
I am sorry that what I considered and still consider a fair criticism has 
led to undue publicity. I am sure, however, that neither a public nor a 
private apology is necessary from Ewart, as the case will rest upon ” 
merits.—WILLIAM Crocker, The University of Chicago. 
4 Crocker, W., Role of seed coats in delayed germination. Bor. GAZETTE 
42: 282-284. 1906. 
5 , Germination of seeds of water plants. Bot. GAZETTE 44 2375-380 
Igo7. 
