THE FERN BULLETIN 



63 



if desired, at no increase in price. It is therefore act- 

 ually to the advantage of the Society that the combina- 

 tion be made. One may be pardoned for wondering 

 why this evidence was withheld. At the time the An- 

 nual Report was being printed, permission was asked 

 to make a statement similar to this, but space was re- 

 fused. That the refusal was from disinterested mo- 

 tives we are not inclined to believe. 



Should the Society adopt a publication of its own, 

 what assurance have we that it would not degenerate 

 into a mere circular ol a few pages as soon as the 

 novelty of editing a magazine wore off or still worse, 

 cease to exist at all? In the past nine years nearly 

 thirty thousand publications in the United States have 

 ceased publication though every one of their thirty 

 thousand editors began business with great hopes of 

 success. We dare sav many of them were just as 

 wise and just as energetic as the small coterie that now 

 wish to edit a magazine for the Society. There are 

 only two botanical publications in America that are 

 older than Fern Bulletin. One of these is backed by 

 the University of Chicago and the other by the Torrey 

 Botanical Club. Scores of similar publications with- 

 out financial backing have died since Fern Bulletin 

 was began. These things are worth considering when 

 a new publication is suggested. 



A rather extended knowledge of the vicissitudes of 

 magazine publishing inclines us to strongly advise 

 against an official organ owned by the Society. If 

 others start a new publication and the Society enters 

 into contract with them for a copy for each member 

 there is no risk to the Society except the rather likely 

 one that the new magazine will soon fail and necessi- 

 tate the selection of another "official organ." But 



