— 4 — 



that nothing further might be expected from us, that we considered the connec- 

 tion at an end. No reply being received I considered my duty done. Unfor- 

 tunately being entirely new to the editorial business, and not wishing to carry 

 things with too high a hand I let the statement on the inside of the cover stand 

 for some time after this discontinuance, and even yet a communication to the 

 Sullivant Moss Chapter of the Agassiz Association will occasionally be received. 



Volumes i and 2 were edited by Dr. Grout. With volume 3 (1900) I took 

 up the work, and till volume 9, 1906, our names appear jointly associated, thotigh 

 with the first number of volume 3, I became also proprietor and solely responsible 

 for the management and financing of The Bryologist. It was our plan to work 

 together, share and share alike in the good or evil fortunes of the journal. The 

 agreement dated November 16, 1899, is "Dr. Grout and Mrs. Smith begin work 

 together on The Bryologist, share and share alike." On that date I sent Mr. 

 Clute $25.00 and took over his share of the interest in the magazine, crediting a 

 like amount to Dr. Grout "For stock in trade, good-will, etc." On November 

 24, 1899, I paid Mr. Clute $15.00, thereby getting all the back numbers, making 

 my initial outlay $40.00, and for that sum I was the proud owner of various 

 bundles of magazines, plates, electros, etc., and I proceeded to run things as 

 near as I could to my ideals. Of course I had to learn the business, and made 

 many mistakes and committed many extravagances. In order to have a free 

 hand without criticism from a financial point of view, I soon took all the re- 

 sponsibility and made up from year to year the deficit, amounting at last to 

 $2131.28, out of my own pocket, counting it my contribution to the advance- 

 ment of science. You see my aim was to publish a perfect number and then 

 give up the work, but alas this was never realized, though the later numbers 

 were a vast improvement on the earlier. 



As has been stated, the first four volumes were issued quarterly. With Janu- 

 ary, 1902, volume 5, The Bryologist became a bi-monthly of 20 pages, later 

 increased to 24. It is still a bi-monthly though one of my dreams had been to 

 make it a monthly. Alas I was not young and strong enough to do all I would 

 have liked doing. During 1909 I became convinced that a younger person as 

 editor would do better work, and began to look for such a one, going to Boston 

 where our Society held its 6th meeting in connection with the A. A. A. S. in the 

 hope of there finding him. On returning from Cambridge on the afternoon of 

 December 31st, I fell on the ice and broke my arm, being incapacitated for 

 several months. During this time Miss Warner, my ever faithful co-worker, 

 with Dr. Grout's supervision got out the two succeeding numbers. 



A plan had been devised and was sent out in a circular letter dated Decem- 

 ber 9th, 19 10, stating that The Bryologist had grown from a four-page quarterly 

 to a 24-page bi-monthly, and the Society from 34 to over 200 members. To the 

 Society I proposed to give all my interest in the journal, turn over all back num- 

 bers, including the Ten- Year Index, with plates, book accounts, and so called 

 "good-will," the journal to be published for the Society by an Editor-in-chief and 

 a board of Associate Editors. The re-organization was completed in January, 

 1911, as explained by a second letter dated February ist, and Dr. Grout was 



