JossKivYN Botanical, Society 



9 



Some Profitable Lines of Botanical Activity. 



By M. A. Chrysler. 



It is with pleasure that I accede to the request of your 

 committee by contributing a short paper, if only to show that 

 I take an interest in this veteran scientific society and appre- 

 ciate the work it has done for our favorite science. 



It is my purpose to suggest a few of the lines of botanical 

 inquiry which may profitably be pursued by members of the 

 club. In undertaking this I realize that there is considerable 

 danger of being counted a meddlesome fellow. Everybody 

 knows that a pedagog has a deeply grounded didactic instinct 

 and is fond of setting other people to work, so I hope that 

 the word "suggestions" may stand on the label of this sheet 

 in big type, so to speak. 



Let us recall first the familiar fact that botany may be to 

 one of us a vocation, to another an avocation — we may be 

 professionals or amateurs. This at once determines in some 

 cases the phase of the subject which engages our chief atten- 

 tion. For instance, at a state university it is necessary to 

 cultivate those branches which form the basis of agriculture, 

 forestry and other applied subjects. These branches include 

 plant physiology, identification and ranges of trees, morphol- 

 ogy and habits of fungi, and the only partly organized prin- 

 ciples of breeding or genetics. On the other hand, a man to 

 whom botany is an avocation is generally a free lance, at lib- 

 erty to ramble wherever his tastes lead. But to a certain 

 extent we may all claim this privilege, for the teacher of bot- 

 any may surely ride his botanical hobby, at any rate in the 

 summer time. 



Unless I mistake, the line which is pursued by the major- 

 ity of members of the club is systematic botany. What is the 

 outlook for this aspect of the subject? I think we must all 

 admit that this part of the subject is not so popular as it once 

 was. Mr. A. S. Hitchcock, of the U. S. Department of Agri- 

 culture, in his inaugural address as President of the Botanical 



