60 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XII. No, 289. 



of a body like a section of the American 

 Association, but I am convinced that the 

 numerous discussions which have taken 

 place before the Botanical Club and our 

 own Section have resulted in a much clearer 

 general understanding of the proper mean- 

 ing of many terms that most of us use 

 almost daily, than would otherwise have 

 been possible, and that each of us has 

 profited to the benefit of his readers by the 

 information elicited by these discussions ; 

 and I cannot conceive a more useful way of 

 spending a part of the time of this body 

 each year than in the discussion of subjects 

 of this kind, carefully selected and referred 

 in advance to members or committees cap- 

 able of discussing them authoritatively from 

 different points of view. 



Some of the facts of plant distribution, 

 whether referring to the occurrence of a 

 given genus, species or variety over the 

 earth's surface or at dilferent altitudes, or 

 to the minuter details of distribution de- 

 manded for an accurate presentation of 

 some phases of ecology, demand the use of 

 maps, more or less detailed according to the 

 matter to be presented. Nothing is simpler 

 than to so shade or color these maps as to 

 indicate what the author desires to bring 

 out, but, unfortunately, different maps deal- 

 ing with the same general facts are usu- 

 ally colored very differently. Map evolu- 

 tion consists primarily in the indication of 

 physiographic features, on which political 

 boundaries are more or less artificially su- 

 perimposed, the representation of geological 

 structure, and the further indication on this 

 foundation of the biological facts which are 

 intended to be shown. The work of the 

 physiographer and geologist is already done 

 to the hand of the botanist, in most cases, 

 and when it is not he is early confronted 

 with the need of supplying deficiencies 

 which exist. It is not many years since 

 the geologists turned their attention to a 

 sta.ndardization of their maps which is al- 



ready simplifying geological literature. 

 Will it not be better for botanists, who al- 

 ready know fairly well the main biological 

 facts that are capable of expression on maps, 

 to confer with the zoologists, who have 

 comparable though different needs of map 

 employment, and with the geologists and 

 topographers, on whose work both can most 

 profitably build, so as to secure an early 

 standardization of method, than to wait 

 until the otherwise necessary confusion due 

 to independent individual practice shall 

 have forced this upon them ? I cannot con- 

 ceive a better outcome of the conference to 

 be held this summer on plant geography 

 than the appointment of a committee to 

 consider this question in detail, not only 

 with reference to their own needs, but to 

 the needs of botanists at large and in con- 

 sultation with those in other parts of the 

 world who are considering the same prob- 

 lem and the best way of solving it. 



If I have confined my remarks thus far 

 to details of internal editing, I should 

 not wish it supposed that other and more 

 general matters do not exist which are 

 worthy of equal thought. No small part of 

 the confusion in citing publications comes 

 from the issuance of the same matter in 

 several different places, either at the same 

 time or at different times, either similarly 

 or differently paged, not infrequently with 

 different titles, and sometimes under a title 

 so phrased as to give no indication of the 

 contents. Books are always likely to 

 undergo revision between different editions 

 and, unfortunately, this is sometimes true 

 of difi'erent issues which do not purport to 

 be editions, and an article once published 

 in a journal or book which is not copy- 

 righted becomes by common acceptance the 

 property of the world and may be reprinted 

 legitimately under the author's name, and 

 properly with the further citation of the 

 original place of publication, for an indefi- 

 nite number of times, during which process 



