﻿G. 
  L. 
  Goodale 
  — 
  Possibilities 
  of 
  Economic 
  Botany. 
  273 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  the 
  session 
  to 
  which 
  I 
  refer, 
  we 
  received 
  

   in 
  the 
  daily 
  papers, 
  a 
  cable 
  telegram 
  relative 
  to 
  the 
  Bering 
  Sea 
  

   difficulties 
  (which 
  were 
  then 
  in 
  an 
  acute 
  stage). 
  In 
  your 
  stead, 
  

   I 
  ventured 
  to 
  say, 
  " 
  In 
  these 
  days 
  of 
  disquieting 
  dispatches, 
  

   when 
  there 
  are 
  rumors 
  of 
  trouble 
  between 
  Great 
  Britain 
  and 
  

   the 
  United 
  States, 
  it 
  is 
  pleasant 
  to 
  think 
  that 
  ' 
  blood 
  is 
  thicker 
  

   than 
  water.' 
  " 
  This 
  utterance 
  was 
  taken 
  to 
  mean 
  that 
  we 
  are 
  

   all 
  English-speaking 
  kinsmen, 
  and 
  even 
  before 
  I 
  had 
  finished, 
  

   the 
  old 
  proverb 
  was 
  received 
  with 
  prolonged 
  applause. 
  

  

  The 
  next 
  meeting 
  of 
  the 
  Australasian 
  Association 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  

   held 
  in 
  Hobart, 
  the 
  capital 
  of 
  Tasmania, 
  under 
  the 
  presidency 
  

   of 
  the 
  governor, 
  Sir 
  Robert 
  Hamilton. 
  The 
  energetic 
  secre- 
  

   taries 
  Professor 
  Liversidge, 
  Professor 
  Hutton 
  and 
  Mr. 
  Morton, 
  

   promise 
  a 
  cordial 
  welcome 
  to 
  any 
  of 
  our 
  members 
  visiting 
  the 
  

   Association. 
  Should 
  you 
  accept 
  the 
  invitation, 
  you 
  will 
  enjoy 
  

   every 
  feature 
  of 
  the 
  remarkable 
  island, 
  Tasmania, 
  where 
  the 
  

   meeting 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  held. 
  You 
  will 
  be 
  delighted 
  by 
  Tasmanian 
  

   scenery, 
  vegetation 
  and 
  climate, 
  but 
  that 
  which 
  will 
  give 
  you 
  

   the 
  greatest 
  enjoyment 
  in 
  this 
  as 
  in 
  other 
  English 
  South 
  Sea 
  

   colonies, 
  is 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  you 
  are 
  among 
  English-speaking 
  

   friends 
  half 
  way 
  around 
  the 
  world. 
  You 
  will 
  find 
  that 
  their 
  

   efficient 
  Association 
  is 
  devoted 
  to 
  the 
  advancement 
  of 
  science 
  

   and 
  the 
  promotion 
  of 
  sound 
  learning. 
  In 
  short 
  you 
  will 
  be 
  

   made 
  to 
  feel 
  at 
  home. 
  

  

  The 
  subject 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  selected 
  for 
  the 
  valedictory 
  

   address 
  deals 
  with 
  certain 
  industrial, 
  commercial 
  and 
  economic 
  

   questions 
  : 
  nevertheless 
  it 
  lies 
  wholly 
  within 
  the 
  domain 
  of 
  

   botany. 
  I 
  invite 
  you 
  to 
  examine 
  with 
  me 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  possi- 
  

   bilities 
  of 
  economic 
  botany. 
  

  

  Of 
  course, 
  when 
  treating 
  a 
  topic 
  which 
  is 
  so 
  largely 
  specu- 
  

   lative 
  as 
  this, 
  it 
  is 
  difficult 
  and 
  unwise 
  to 
  draw 
  a 
  hard 
  and 
  fast 
  

   line 
  between 
  possibilities 
  and 
  probabilities. 
  Nowadays, 
  possi- 
  

   bilities 
  are 
  so 
  often 
  realized 
  rapidly 
  that 
  they 
  become 
  accom- 
  

   plished 
  facts 
  before 
  we 
  are 
  aware. 
  

  

  In 
  asking 
  what 
  are 
  the 
  possibilities 
  that 
  other 
  plants 
  than 
  

   those 
  we 
  now 
  use 
  may 
  be 
  utilized 
  we 
  enter 
  upon 
  a 
  many-sided 
  

   inquiry. 
  * 
  Speculation 
  is 
  rife 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  coming 
  man. 
  May 
  we 
  

   not 
  ask 
  what 
  plants 
  the 
  coming 
  man 
  will 
  use 
  ? 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  an 
  enormous 
  disproportion 
  between 
  the 
  total 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  of 
  species 
  of 
  plants 
  known 
  to 
  botanical 
  science 
  and 
  the 
  

   number 
  of 
  those 
  which 
  are 
  employed 
  by 
  man. 
  

  

  The 
  species 
  of 
  flowering 
  plants 
  already 
  described 
  and 
  named 
  

   are 
  about 
  one 
  hundred 
  and 
  seven 
  thousand. 
  Acquisitions 
  from 
  

   unexplored 
  or 
  imperfectly 
  explored 
  regions 
  may 
  increase 
  the 
  

  

  * 
  For 
  references, 
  notes, 
  etc., 
  see 
  p. 
  300. 
  

  

  