1895.] Botany. 49 
BOTANY. 
The Wild Flowers of America.’ —When Dr. Goodale and 
Isaac Sprague gave to the world, a dozen or more years ago, their 
magnificent work entitled the “ Wild Flowers of America” no one 
then supposed that within a few years the title would be disgraced by 
such a work as we have now before us. In spite of the extravagant 
claims upon the title page, as to the “ special artists and botanists” 
who are said to have prepared it, and the “ leading artists of America 
and Europe who are said to have approved it, as well as the “ univer- 
sity botanists of both continents” whose “ endorsement” is alleged, we ` 
venture to affirm that no-one with any artistic ability whatever, or 
even the slightest knowledge of the science of botany, could “ approve ” 
or “endorse” the hideously inartistic monstrosities here gathered to- 
gether. We are not told who the “special artists” are, nor is the 
identity of the “ botanists” revealed to us, but the publishers assure 
us that these unknown persons gave “ years of unwearied toil, careful 
research and immense expenditure” to the gathering of the material! 
The publishers further state that the work was originally intended for 
“public institutions, universities and laboratories,” but that “ at the 
solicitation of some of the principal educators of the country” they 
have brought out an edition on “a popular basis.” They speak of its 
“enormous educational value,” and urge that school teachers and 
school children should be supplied with it. Finally, they connect the 
name of the American Association for the Advancement of Science 
with the work in a most unwarranted way. 
Now what is the work so loudly praised by its publishers? It is a 
collection of very poorly drawn pictures of flowers, very badly colored. 
They have no botanical value, and to the non-botanical they are mis- 
leading, both in form and color. When one attempts to read the so- 
called descriptions, the extreme illiteracy of the author is as evident to 
the ear as the lack of artistic ability in the “artists” was plain to the 
eye. There is nothing like it anywhere. It is positively the worst. 
piece of work all around that we have ever seen offered to the Ameri- 
can people.—CHARLES E. BEssry. 
1 Edited by Prof. C. E. Bessey, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska. 
2 Botanical Fine Art Weekly.—Wild Flowers of America, published by G. H. 
Buek & Co, New York. Flowers of every state in the American _Union, by a 
corps of speil artists and botanists; Approved by the leading artis 
ica and Europe, and endorsed by university botanists of both continents. 
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