BEETLE: KENNEDY AND HELLER 95 



the North American Species of Trifolium" which came as a surprise to nearly 

 everyone. To Heller it was a particularly annoying volume because (as he 

 wrote to E. L. Greene) "she recognized only 52 valid species out of 220 

 described species nearly all the others being worked into new combinations as 

 varieties, and forms of varieties following the 'German system, classifying the 

 plants into species, varieties and forms.' " Heller condemned it as "apparently 

 a deliberate attempt to forestall Kennedy's work on the genus." 



"Species crazy" was Kennedy's designation of Heller's taxonomic attitude, 

 and perhaps characterized much of the work of the period. At any rate 

 Kennedy seems to have influenced Heller's conception of taxonomic botany to 

 a considerable degree and both, already strong advocates of field observation 

 before monographic treatment, went so far as to write widely (even abroad) 

 for seed, Kennedy for Trifolium and Heller for Lupinus, which they grew 

 experimentally in their greenhouse. 



The academic year of 1910-1911 was a sabbatical year for Kennedy and 

 he used it for travel both in America and in Europe, especially England where 

 he visited his mother. He was also taken so ill that he was forced to undergo 

 an operation in London. He spent his time searching for types and gathering 

 separates of both grass and legume literature. 



In June, 1911, Heller travelled east to Pennsylvania State College where 

 he "went through the ordeal of having a degree conferred in very nice shape, 

 not being required to say anything at all, merely look pleasant and take what 

 was coming to me." While in the East he visited both the New York Botanical 

 Garden and the U. S. National Herbarium and returned to Reno in August 

 to find that Kennedy's return had been delayed by his sickness ; he was in 

 Kalamazoo, Michigan, awaiting recovery. This meant that Heller had to 

 undertake a considerable teaching load and was suddenly engaged all at once, 

 in general botany, economic botany, and dendrology. 



It may have been the lure of the land that persuaded Heller away from 

 academic life at Reno. He found a piece of land near Oroville, California, and 

 in April, 1913 wrote Kennedy "After looking over the property again am 

 better pleased with it than ever. It is going to be a fine tract shortly." Heller 

 then returned to Reno until June and finishing his duties, resigned and soon 

 was back at Oroville to plant sweet potatoes. In October, 1913, he was writing 

 "Melons grow like weeds here" and in December "We have lots of wet weather 

 which means good botanizing as well as good crops." 



Kennedy, himself, was not to stay long after Heller at Reno for in July, 

 1913, Prof. J. W. Gilmore, of the Division of Agronomy, College of Agricul- 

 ture, University of California at Berkeley, California, wrote to Kennedy in 

 regard to a position, and by the end of the year arrangements were complete. 



On Christmas day in 1913 Heller wrote again to Kennedy, not to Reno but 

 to Berkeley where Kennedy had moved, and this was the last letter for the 



