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THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



of longer peduncles or broader leaves than the average is 

 considered sufficient to justify the making of a new genus. 

 There ought to be a sane basis for deciding what are, and what 

 are not, good genera. If some philosophical botanist would 

 take up the study of this subject and arrange the plants in 

 proper genera as they should be, he would make a name for 

 himself far more lasting than any that have thus far been 

 made in America. No doubt there would be plenty of oppor- 

 tunities to get one's name after a lot of new combinations 

 and in view of this fact we expect to see our suggestion 

 adopted as soon as the making of new genera has run its 

 course. 



BOOKS AND WRITERS 



The first volume of the now well-known 'TUustrated 

 Flora of the Northern United States and Canada," by N. L. 

 Britton and Addison Brown, appeared in 189G and the two 

 other volumes necessary to complete the work were issued 

 in 1897 and 1898. Though six thousand copies of the work 

 were printed, the edition was exhausted within ten years and 

 the continued demand for copies has induced the authors to 

 prepare a second and revised edition. This has just ap- 

 peared from the press of Charles Scribners' Sons. That the 

 period wdiich has elapsed since the first appearance of the 

 work has been one of great activity in systematic botany is 

 shown in the new edition which describes and illustrates about 

 five hundred species not in the original work. Many of these 

 are immigrants from other parts of the world, or newdy dis- 

 covered species, but a large share are segregates from older 

 and well-known species which a closer study has shown it 

 possible to separate, no matter however undesirable. There is 

 shown, however, a commendable inclination to exclude many 

 plants of doubtful specific value, including a large number 



