100 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XXIII. No. 577. 



present unfortunate decentralization of our 

 national effort. 



It should be clearly understood, though, 

 that conflicting duties of this kind are of 

 necessity to be expected, and that their 

 occurrence is not inherently harmful. This 

 is a proposition of easy demonstration, 

 whatever may be the status of national 

 scientific cooperation. The clearest note 

 in the Chicago discussion that preceded 

 our own organization was the pressing call 

 for local societies. 



It has been generally conceded that meet- 

 ings at least once a year are vitally neces- 

 sary for men having closely allied profes- 

 sional interests. It is equally conceded 

 that our land is too large for all workers 

 in a given field to flock to a single central 

 point. However desirable it may be for 

 us to have our interests represented in 

 national societies that do meet together and 

 that speak for us all in the way that unified 

 action alone can make possible, it is evident 

 that more of us must necessarily stay at or 

 near home during Convocation_Week than 

 can possibly go to any general meeting- 

 place, even when this chances to be central 

 —and the stimulus afforded to local growth 

 by great national gatherings in every sec- 

 tion is too valuable an agent in the further- 

 ance of our purposes to be subordinated to 

 the obvious immediate advantage of their 

 restriction to easily accessible places. By 

 going to the general meeting we shall 

 'always gain personal touch with men whom 

 we never meet in any other way. But when 

 we can not participate in the general meet- 

 ing, we can get in the same personal touch 

 with a smaller number of equally good men 

 by attending the local meeting; and con- 

 centration of effort on our own specialties 

 without the necessary distraction of con- 

 flicting attractions seems likely to yield us 

 more real individual good at these local 

 meetings. It is also •possible that persons 



who go to remote national meetings may 

 be given the privilege of attending those of 

 a more local nature by the ultimate shift- 

 ing of the latter into the short Easter recess, 

 which, though too short for extended travel, 

 may be found to suffice for this purpose. 



We Botanists of the Central States may 

 unaffectedly congratulate ourselves on the 

 successful way in which our organization 

 committee has performed its task. A 

 charter membership of 124 men profes- 

 'sionally trained in one science affords evi- 

 dence of intelligent search for available 

 timber. It affords equally gratifying evi- 

 dence that botany between the Appalach- 

 ians and the Rocky Mountains has enlisted 

 the effort of men among whom mutual con- 

 tact is to be now more possible than before ; 

 and in quality the list is as satisfactory as 

 in numbers. 



The mechanical trades have largely 

 grown out of the journeyman system that 

 once gave them a breadth that they no 

 longer possess. In our professional life 

 the migration of men from college to col- 

 lege is frequent and beneficial. Perhaps 

 some of our charter members have already 

 removed from our territory before the hold- 

 ing of our fix'st regular meeting. If so, let 

 us urge them to withdraw their names from 

 our list and promptly add them to those of 

 botanical organizations in their neAV homes 

 —always cultivating the strongest possible 

 federation of interests in national enter- 

 prise. Others have doubtless come within 

 our range since the organization committee 

 completed its work, and some already here 

 may have escaped even the keen-eyed 

 search of this committee. Can I close bet- 

 ter than by expressing my earnest hope— 

 which I am sure you all endorse— that all 

 such, now and always, will promptlj' unite 

 with us? 



William Trelease. 



