KERN: TAXONOMY OF THE FUNGI 75 



to farmers. And again, even though there may be institutional approval so far 

 as the time of the worker is concerned, it is often difficult to secure the 

 maintenance support which is essential. For a project requiring special 

 apparatus, machinery, glassware, and chemicals, it is usually not difficult to 

 secure funds. But to secure funds for the purchase of specimens, photographs, 

 particular books, separates, periodicals, indexes, and exploration it may be 

 difficult or well-nigh impossible. It is generally conceded that a research worker 

 is not expected to get along with the equipment and supplies which are in 

 general stock but is entitled to special expenditures for his project. Not so 

 with library facilities. He may be expected to get along with what the institu- 

 tional library provides. He may of course compete for more than his share 

 of the general library funds but this is not always satisfactory even if partially 

 successful. The use of research funds for special library facilities is much less 

 common than for special material equipment. The problem of publication is a 

 closely related one. Monographic treatises are often expensive to publish and 

 the demand for them may be slight and slow. The fact that publication is diffi- 

 cult tends to discourage this type of work. 



A few weeks ago I received a letter from a former associate in which he 

 said, 'T notice, with much interest, in the last issue of Science, that you are to 

 have a part in the 'Symposium on Taxonomy,' June 23, in connection with the 

 Seventy-fifth Anniversary Celebration of the Torrey Botanical Club .... I 

 assume that you will speak for the fungi." Of course. Whether I have said, or 

 still can say, anything which he would have me say is another matter. I assume 

 that he expected me to make some reference to the problem of nomenclature 

 and it seems impossible to close this discussion without bringing up this 

 vexatious topic. 



I propose to make comments of a general nature and to confine them to 

 two aspects of the nomenclatorial situation: (1) on getting rules, and (2) 

 on getting them into effect. 



It is generally conceded that "Natural history can make no progress with- 

 out a regular system of nomenclature, which is rccogiihcd and used by the 

 great majority of naturalists in all countries." This is a quotation of the first 

 article of the International Rules of Botanical Nomenclature; the italics are 

 mine. The necessity of establishing international rules to govern the applica- 

 tion of names of plants has been recognized by botanists for many years. But 

 it is easier to recognize the problem than to solve it. The world well knows 

 the difficulties of securing unanimity of action on any matters calling for 

 international consideration. 



One of the chief difficulties is to get together a group, the personnel 

 of which is truly representative of the science and at the same time really 

 international in standing. Institutions and governments have been willing to 



