418 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXII. No. S22 



vicinity ; and, if they wish, to undertake in- 

 vestigations in the hope of doing what they 

 can to advance botanical science, they may 

 find it scarcely possible to ascertain what 

 has been already done and recorded by 

 others. 



For a time the knowledge of plants was 

 too much confined to the ability to name 

 them according to the system in vogue and 

 to a knowledge of their uses, real or im- 

 agined. The undue importance attached 

 to this side of the study, even by so great 

 a leader as Linnjeus, naturally led to a 

 reaction as the value of other aspects of 

 botany came to be realized, and as im- 

 provements in the instruments and meth- 

 ods of research opened up new fields of 

 study. The science has .gained much by 

 the reaction ; but there is danger of swing- 

 ing to the other extreme and of failing to 

 recognize the need to become well acquaint- 

 ed with plants ia their natural surround- 

 ings. The opportunities for study in the 

 laboratory are so great and so much more 

 under control, and the materials are so 

 abundant and of so much interest, that 

 there is for many botanists a temptation 

 to limit themselves to such work, or at least 

 to regard work in the field as subordinate 

 to it and of little value. It is scarcely nec- 

 essary to point out that each side is insuffi- 

 cient alone. Yet some find more pleasure 

 in the one side, and do well to make it their 

 chief study; while they should recognize 

 the value of the other also, and learn from 

 it. 



It is especially on behalf of the work 

 ia the field that I now wish to plead. 

 There are few paths more likely to prove 

 attractive to most students. The study of 

 the plants in their natural environments 

 will lead to an understanding of their 

 nature as living beings, of their relations 

 to one another and to other environments, 

 of the stimuli to which they respond, and 



of the struggle for existence that results in 

 the survival of certain forms and the dis- 

 appearance of others. In this way also 

 will be gained a conception of the true 

 meaning and place of classification as an 

 indispensable instrument for accurate de- 

 termination and record, and not as an end 

 in itself. To one that has once gained a 

 true insight into the pleasure and worth of 

 such studies, collections made for the sake 

 of mere possession or lists of species dis- 

 covered in a locality will not suffice. Many 

 questions will arise which will prove a con- 

 stant source of new interest. From such 

 studies a deep and growing love for botany 

 has in not a few cases arisen. 



The British flora has interested me for 

 upwards of forty years, and has occupied 

 much of my attention during that time — 

 not only as desirous to aid by my own 

 efforts to extend our knowledge of it, but 

 also, as a teacher, seeking to assist my 

 students to become able to do their parts 

 also, and making use of the materials with- 

 in reach to enable me to help them. Thus 

 our present knowledge of the plants of our 

 own country has become known to me, and 

 the difficulties of acquiring that knowledge 

 have also become known through both my 

 own experience and those of my students. 

 The nature of the hindrance and difficulties 

 that at present bar the way has also become 

 familiar, as well as the steps to be taken to 

 clear some of them away and to make the 

 path less difficult to those who come after 

 us; and I have also gained a fairly good 

 acquaintance with the means at the com- 

 mand of students of the floras of other 

 countries, so as to have a standard for com- 

 parison in the estimate to be formed of the 

 condition of matters in our own country. 



In how far is the present provision for 

 the study of the flora of the British Islands 

 sufficient and satisfactory? 



I venture to hope that the subject will be 



