300 
reply to the propositions contained in your recent 
letter : 
1. You propose that, in return for certain specified 
changes in the Centralblatt, a certain annual subsidy 
(or else a certain number of subscriptions) to the Cen- 
tralblatt shall be guaranteed by this Committee or Ly 
‘some other body of American botanists. The Com- 
mittee is firmly assured that such a guarantee in either 
form could not secure the support of any botanical 
organization in this country, and hence regards it as 
useless to consider this point further. 
2. Your offer toincrease the size of the Central- 
blatt from 104 to 129 Bogen yearly does not appear to 
the Committee an improvement in the direction de- 
sired by American botanists. As pointed out on page 
6 of the report, there is no dissatisfaction on the score 
of relatively insufficient attention to American liter- 
ature, and hence no reason on that account for an in- 
crease in the size of the Centralblatt. 
3. You propose to separate the Referate from the 
Originalmittheilungen and to publish Referate in one 
Abtheilung, and Originalmittheilungen and Neue Lit- 
teratur in another, the two, however, not to be ob- 
tainable separately by subscribers. While the pro- 
posed separation has certain advantages, its value is 
practically entirely destroyed by the condition that 
the two Abtheilungen cannot be subscribed for sepa- 
rately. The Committee regards it as an indispensable 
condition to the future active support of the Central- 
blatt, or any other journal of like aims, that it shall 
be possible to subscribe for Referate and Neue Littera- 
tur without being obliged to pay for Originalmittheil- 
ungen, which have no logical place in a journal de- 
voted to reviews. 
4. You propose the establishment of an American 
Board of Hditors. This proposition has been received 
by the Committee, and as well by the members of the 
Society and by other botanists, with much satisfac- 
tion. The opinion appears to be general that such a 
step would contribute greatly to make the Centralblatt 
acceptable to American botantists. 
The Committee finds itself obliged to state, there- 
fore, that in its opinion no change in the Centralblatt 
will make it acceptable to American botanists which 
does not permit of subscribing for Referate and Neue 
Litteratur without having to pay for Originalmittheil- 
ungen. If this change were made in the Centralblatt, 
and if an American Board of Editors were appointed 
as proposed by you, the Committee has no doubt that 
the minor reforms, the need for which was referred to 
in its former letter, could gradually and satisfactorily 
be brought about. Such changes would remove all 
reason for the existence of another and competing 
journal, and would, in the opinion of the Committee, 
attract to the Centralblatt an additional support which 
SCIENCE. 
[N. S. Von. XIII. No. 321. 
would not only compensate for any present pecuniary 
loss, but prove ultimately greatly to its financial 
advantage. The opinion appears to be nearly unani- 
mous among botanists consulted by the Committee, 
that it would be far better that the Centralblatt should 
be modified to meet what appear to be but reasonable 
requirements in a journal devoted primarily to reviews 
than that a new journal should be started, and that 
the starting of a new journal should be resorted to 
only after every effort has been made to secure the 
desired reforms in the Centralblatt. 
Under these circumstances the committee ven- 
tures to hope that the editors and publishers of the 
Centralblatt will take these matters again into con- 
sideration, and may be able to returnareply that 
will be proved a solution of all present difficulties. 
To this letter, Dr. Uhlworm replied as 
follows : 
After mature consideration of your propositions, 
in regard to the justice of which we have had no ob- 
jections from the beginning, we have come to the 
conclusion to publish nothing but Referate and Neue 
Litteratur in the regular series of the Botanisches 
Centralblatt, which is to be of the same size and 
price as heretofore, and which can, of course, be 
subscribed for by itself. The Beihefte, however, 
which appear from time to time and may likewise be 
subscribed for alone, would then contain the orginal 
articles. In regard to the financial support of the 
American botanists, concerning which we had spoken 
only because we had concluded from your first com- 
munication that you proposed a considerable increase 
in the size of the Centralblatt, we shall of course say 
nothing more under the existing circumstances. We 
should feel deeply grateful, however, if your Commit- 
tee, and especially the two gentlemen whom you 
select as associate editors, would give us your, support 
by an active cooperation, and would bring the Cen- 
tralblatt to wider notice in America. * * * Above 
all things, [am naturally desirous of presenting the 
new American literature as rapidly and completely 
as possible to our readers in the future. In this con- 
nection, however, I must ask for support from you to 
the extent that you cause the American authors, in- 
stitutions, societies and periodicals to send me a copy 
of newly published articles as quickly as possible for 
publication in Neue Litteratur. Written titles con- 
duce, as I know from years of experience as a libra- 
rian and editor, only to unfortunate errors and to 
confusion. 
It is to be hoped that a union of the American 
“and European botanists will result in a real advance 
in the Centralblatt. I shall do all in my power to 
bring this about. I shall do my best to make this 
