714 The American Naturalist. [August, 
German edition had been read just enough to prepare botanists for the 
English volume, which was received with the greatest favor. It at once 
became the great reference book in many a college department of 
botany, and this place it has maintained in many cases to the present 
time, although it is now nearly a quarter of a century since the author 
wrote the German edition. In 1882, Dr. Vines brought out an English 
version of the fourth edition, with additions and explanations of his 
own, thus bringing the work forward practically to the date of its issue. 
This, like its predecessor, has been extensively used as a work of refer- 
ence. In 1887, Marshall Ward brought out the “Lectures on the 
Physiology of Plants,” and in 1890, Garnsey and Balfour the “ History 
of Botany.” 
The unusual clearness with which he was able to express his ideas 
contributed greatly to the popularity of Sachs’s writings, and this, added 
to his power of discriminating between the less and the more important 
factors in the problems which presented themselves, made him one of 
the most helpful of modern botanists —CHARLEs E. Bessey. 
Opportunities for Research in the Missouri Botanical 
Garden.—A recent circular by the director calls attention to the 
Garden as affording opportunities for certain lines of research*in botany. 
He says, “ For this purpose additions are being made constantly to the 
number of species cultivated in the grounds and plant houses, and to 
the library and herbarium, and, as rapidly as it can be utilized, it is 
proposed to secure apparatus for work in vegetable physiology, etc., the 
policy being to secure a good general equipment in all lines of pure and 
applied botany, and to make this equipment as complete as posible for 
any special subject on which original work is undertaken by competent 
students. 
“A very large number of species, both native and exotic, and of horti- 
culturists’ varieties, are cultivated in the Garden and Arboretum and 
the adjoining park, and the native flora easily accessible from St. Louis 
is large and varied. The herbarium, which includes over 250,000 
specimens, is fairly representative of the vegetable life of Europe and 
the United States, and also contains a great many specimens from less 
accessible regions. It is especially rich in material illustrative of Cus- 
cuta, Quercus, Coniferae, Vitis, Juncus, Agave, Yucca, Sagittaria, 
Epilobium, Rumex, Rhamnaceae, and other groups monographed by 
the late Dr. Engelmann or by attachés of the Garden. The library; 
containing about 12,000 volumes and 13,000 pamphlets, includes most 
of the standard periodicals and proceedings of learned bodies, 2 good 
