THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. 



19 



To the large number of new readers to whieh this 

 issue of The American Botanist goes, we would say a 

 few words. In the best sense, this is your journal and 

 we shall endeavor to make it exactly as you want it. 

 If it does not contain the kind of articles 3^ou like, write 

 and tell us what you prefer and we will attend to the 

 matter or, better yet, write a similar article 3^ourself. 

 It will be your own fault if we fail to please. Since it 

 is not our wish to cater to the dry -as -dust sort of 

 scientist, we confess a distrust for the technical article, 

 the species-describing article and the categorical article, 

 and acknowledge a liking for those attractive reports of 

 original observations, individual opinions, curious expe- 

 riences and personal experiments. We want the scienti- 

 fic names, to be sure, but we also want the common 

 names when there are any. And above all we would 

 urge you to remember the department of Note and Com- 

 ment, An observant plant lover can scarcely take a 

 walk in the fields without seeing something worth not- 

 ing, but often such things are too trivial for a long 

 article and so the}^ remain merely as interesting remem- 

 brances in the observer's mind. We want all these notes.. 

 If you look through the back numbers of this magazine, 

 3^ou will be surprised to find how often some small note 

 or quer3^ has called forth many other valuable and 

 interesting observations. 



A large number of sample copies oi this issue have 

 been sent to those who ought to be on our subscription 

 list and we respectfully invite them to consider the 

 matter. W^e would point out that not a line in the 

 magazine is printed as ^'filler." Everything is selected 

 for its use to those interested in plants. Taking it for 

 granted that you already know the plants, we are en- 

 deavoring to provide further information about them — 

 information that is at once useful, instructive and enter- 

 taining. This feature operates to make back numbers 

 always of interest. Without impropriety each might be 



