UNI V. 0 F C A L..M A Y 



DEAR DOCTOR, 



YOUR TWO LETTERS DULY REC'D. FIRST OF ALL LET ME TELL YOU, 

 THAT FEW THINGS CAN INTEREST ME MORE THAN BOTANICAL 8UESTIONS YOU 

 KNOW I USED TO PLAY BOTANY INSTEAD OF MARBLES, WHEN A BOY; AND I MIGHT 

 SAY LIKE ALEXANDER, THAT IF I HADN'T CHANCED TO BECOME A CHEMIST I WOULD 



BE A BOTANIST. THEN, WHILE MY BROTHER THEO LIVEO, WE WERE CONSTANTLY 

 CORRESPONDING ON BOTANICAL SUBJECTS; AND I HAVE MISSED THIS AMONG MANY 

 OTHFR THINGS SINCE HIS DEATH, ESPECIALLY AFTER COMING INTO SUCH A NEW 

 AND HIGHLY INTERESTING REGION. SO YOU NEED NEVER BE AFRAID OF ' " BOR I NS ' 

 ME ON THAT SUBJECT! —WHAT YOU SAY ABOUT THE CONIFERS IS BOTH NEW AND 

 STRIKING, ESPECIALLY AS COMING FROM SUCH A CONSERVATIVE. IN USING GRAYS 

 TEXT BOOK IN MY COURSE ON ECONOMIC BdTANY, THIS SESSION, I HAVE BEEN 

 A GOOD DEAL IMPRESSEO WITH THE CURIOUS MIXTURE OF TENACIOUS HOLD I NG ON 

 TO OLD NOTIONS, AMID THE WORKING OF THE NEW LEAVEN. I DON'T WONDER THEO 

 USED TO GET SO MAD* * ABOUT THE INCONSISTENCIES OF ACCEPTED CLASSI- 

 FICATIONS — E. G. THE HAIRSPLITTING DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN GROUPS AND OR DEB 

 ON THE BASIS OF APETAL I SM, EPIGYNISM 4C., WHEN SUCH ORDERS AS ROS.FLOR* 

 AND RANUNCULACEAE WERE LEFT INTACT; AND THE DISREGARD OF SIMILARITIES 

 AND D IS S. HILARITIES OF GENERAL TYPE, IN FAVOR OF DIAGNOSTIC MARKS THAT 

 IN A DOZEN OTHER CASES HAVE BEEN SET ASIDE BY GENERAL CONSENT. THINK OF 

 HAMAMELIS AND BA LSAM I F LUAE BEING PUT INTO ONE POT, AND AILANTHUS AND 

 NEGUNOO MILES APART— W I TH AR I STOLOCH I EAE AND NYCTAG I NEAE NEXT TO CHE NO - 

 PODIACEAE- — — ON THE OTHER HAND, THE WIDE DEFINITION GIVEN TO SUCH OR- 

 OERS AS HIS PRESENT GERANI ACEAE, RUTACEAE, AND SAP I NDACEAE, ARGUES A 

 STRONG TENDENCY TOWARD THE ONLY SENSIBLE AND LOGICALLY ATTAINABLE OB- 

 ECT OF CLASSIFICATION, VIZ: TO BRING AS MANY FORMS AS -<M#- POSS I BLE UNDER 

 A COMMON POINT OF VIEW. BUT THEN WHY SHOULD SUCH SUBTLE GENERIC DIS- 

 TINCTIONS BE MAINTAINED AS CYDONIA FROM PYRUS — WHY IN GENERAL 

 SHOULD ANY MORE G^ERA BE MADE THAN IS STRICTLY NECESSARY TO MA I NTA I N 

 A CONVENIENT SCOPE OF TYPE FOR PRACTICAL PURPOSES? 1F ORDERS AND GE- 

 NERA, UNLIKE MARRIAGES, ARE NOT MADE IN HEAVEN, BUT ON THE CONTRARY ARE 

 MERELY CONVENIENT GROUP^OR PURPOSES OF STUDY: DO LET US CUT DOWN AND 



";;;;; ,ze as mucm as ™«*™\ « ™ 8*™*™ W,™ ™e mak, ng * ^ 



TUITOUS GENERA AND SPEC I ES IN MY VAIN EFFORTS TO GET SOMETHI NG I NTELL I — 

 G.NLE OUT OF MY VENERABLE FRIEND CONRAD, WHO ' ' AUF OCTRO Yl I RTE * • A NEW 



Zt'lZZ F0SS ' LS EVERY L ' TTLC STAGE ° F ™ SOUTHERN TERTIARY, „ 



TRUE PHILADELPHIA STYLE. *E HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF * * GEDANKENLOSE HEUSAMM— 



etLJ ° EP!TS ° F NATURAL SC,ENC ^ cmem ' s ™v included; and we owe 



ETERNAL GRATITUDE TO DARWIN FOR BREAK I NG INTO THAT WRETCHED METHOD FOR 



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