784 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XXIV. No. 624. 



system that we in this country may take our 

 proper place in the general advance. If we 

 look abroad to centers of activity in systematic 

 work, I think we shall find the relation be- 

 tween the university, the herbarium and the 

 garden, to be an important factor in the case. 



When Mr. Britten says I would have botany 

 the sole possession of the schools, he falls into 

 error. He depicts me as one who would lock 

 the door and have a bonfire. His readers may 

 rest assured that the unique and precious col- 

 lections of our herbaria will suffer no hurt 

 should ' men of my stamp ' ever get a finger 

 in the pie; nor would the interests of the 

 various classes who consult them be preju- 

 diced. Possibly Mr. Britten has allowed him- 

 self to be misled by a too literal interpretation 

 of figures somewhat incautiously employed. 

 My meaning was this : We must not be afraid 

 to go ahead and if necessary modify the line 

 of attack on systematic problems, even if by 

 so doing our present collections should cease 

 to hold the same relative scientific value that 

 they now are supposed to possess. They will 

 always retain their interest; whilst their his- 

 toric value wiU ensure their being cherished. 



To read his words one might suppose violent 

 annexation of the herbaria and their cus- 

 todians had been advocated. But if Mr. Brit- 

 ten will turn to my address he will find noth- 

 ing more revolutionary than a proposal for a 

 working arrangement. 



These things, alas, are not burning ques- 

 tions — like district railway fares and the 

 Times Book Club. Some day let us hope a 

 minister will arise; one who sees and cares. 

 The readjustment wiU be effected without a 

 revolution and the only wonder will be that 

 we remained so long on the old lines. 



Eegarding the question of fusion of the 

 herbaria of Kew and the Natural History 

 Museum, surely this ancient proposal (which 

 Mr. Britten tells us dates from 1848) may be 

 discussed without emotion. In any case it is 

 of relatively secondary importance and the 

 case for it rests largely on the need of util- 

 izing effectively our resources. My motive in 

 raising it in my address was the knowledge 

 that unless you pack something concrete into 



the loading of your gun, the smoke clears off 

 and there is no effect. 



On its merits and for reasons already ad- 

 vanced I am disposed to view the proposed 

 fusion with favor, though age and wisdom, 

 according to my critic, are ranged on the 

 other side. As a site, Kew seems preferable 

 for the united herbaria in view of the con- 

 tiguity of the gardens, which offer such un- 

 limited facilities for the attack of systematic 

 problems from the cultural side. The disad- 

 vantage of distance is less serious than Mr. 

 Britten supposes, for the students who, it is 

 contemplated, would avail themselves of the 

 improved facilities would be mainly of the 

 post-graduate type, devoting the whole of their 

 time to systematic botany. The question of 

 * openings for trained students,' by which Mr. 

 Britten means remunerated posts was never 

 raised by me in this connection. It is re- 

 markable what a number of persons, thor- 

 oughly trained, remain in the universities 

 carrying out original investigations for love 

 of the thing, often making considerable sacri- 

 fices so to do. This is a hopeful sign for the 

 future of science, and it affects botany in 

 common with the other sciences. Perhaps 

 Mr. Britten will consider whether it is worth 

 while for the herbaria to lay this source under 

 contribution. All the same, I fully appreciate 

 Mr. Britten's point when he thanks heaven 

 that the museum is managed by trustees. In 

 so far as the trustees may be regarded as a 

 sort of half-way house between a government 

 office and a university, that is something to 

 be thankful for. Once you make connection 

 between the systematic institutions and the 

 university, the new growth will begin. In 

 time the university will be worthy to enter 

 more fully into the possession of its heritage. 

 Of course an immense part of the work of 

 Kew must remain outside direct university 

 influence. All the same my dream of the 

 future is a modified Kew discharging its eco- 

 nomic and imperial functions, and at the 

 same time supporting a great university de- 

 partment. It may not be realized in our time ; 

 its development at best must be slow; what 

 we want is a beginning, towards which, indeed, 

 the way is mostly paved. F. W. Oliver. 



