JanuabY 1, 1904.] 



SCIENCE. 



17 



such men has not been equal to the demand. 

 The reason for this is not far to seek, for 

 there still exists in the minds of most 

 young men who go to college an idea that 

 their future welfare in large measure de- 

 pends on taking some academic course. It 

 seems important and necessary, therefore, 

 that botanists should put forth their best 

 efforts to bring about a better appreciation 

 of the advantages to be gained in the field 

 of botanical work. A number of colleges 

 and universities already have courses of 

 study which pretty well equip graduates 

 for the advanced work in botany now re- 

 quired. In the future there will be more, 

 and at the same time there will be a greater 

 encouragement for applied work than there 

 is at present. In most colleges it is not 

 practicable at the present time to give men 

 the necessary training for government 

 work. A few years ago this was different, 

 for at that time a graduate from one of 

 our best universities was able at once to 

 meet the general requirements of govern- 

 ment investigations. The government re- 

 quirements, however, have been broadened, 

 so that men capable of handling the prob- 

 lems which now present themselves must 

 necessarily have some preliminary experi- 

 ence with men and affairs before they are 

 in a position to take up independent prob- 

 lems. With a good foundation training in 

 botanical science, especially plant physiol- 

 ogy and pathology, a good training in lan- 

 guages and a proper appreciation of the 

 relation of science to practice, men can 

 soon get a sufficient grasp of broad prob- 

 lems to make themselves exceedingly valu- 

 able. Those who from temperament or for 

 other reasons are interested only in pure 

 science must necessarily have their field of 

 work limited. For this reason it is be- 

 lieved that in the future colleges will more 

 and more endeavor to emphasize the value 

 and importance of applied work. 



After reviewing, necessarily with more 



or less haste, these various questions as to 

 the probable future development of botany, 

 I have left for the last the question which 

 seems to be of primary importance, for 

 upon a proper appreciation of it will de- 

 pend much of the success of whatever is 

 undertaken in botanical lines during the 

 years to come. I refer to the necessity for 

 properly organizing the botanical forces 

 which not only exist now, but which are 

 likely to come into existence as the years 

 go by. We have developed in this country 

 a group of botanical organizations, all of 

 which are doing good work and most of 

 which have arisen largely out of the ex- 

 igencies of the moment. There has as yet 

 been little attempt toward a proper co- 

 ordination of these various forces, with the 

 object of bringing about unity of action 

 upon all matters which will be for the best 

 interest of botany and botanical work in 

 the broadest sense of the word. 



This society was organized primarily to 

 take the lead in botanical work in America. 

 Its standards are high and should be main- 

 tained. Criticism, if criticism may be of- 

 fered, of the work of the society, is that 

 it has so far not developed the individuality 

 that might have been developed, in the light 

 of the questions which were in mind at the 

 time of its organization. The papers which 

 are offered do not differ materially from 

 those presented by other societies and or- 

 ganizations. To my mind it has not been 

 so much a question of the presentation of 

 papers as some would think. Unless the 

 papers presented can be in soine way made 

 different from those offered in other organ- 

 izations, there is little to be gained by pre- 

 senting them except affording an oppor- 

 tunity for those who wish to bring their 

 problems before coworkers. It would seem 

 to me that this society might very well dis- 

 pense with a considerable portion of this 

 plan, and devote its energies more in the 

 future to broad questions of shaping policy 



