DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY 



we are so neai eacli other. I liope to run up to Gamtcpidge some time this 



189 



year and if I do I shall siirely not pass you "b^i I am getting in just as 

 fast as possible a 11 the cryptogams that are in sights European exsicca- 

 tae of all sorts especially algae, and lichens* With the Columbia collec- 

 ti/on, the Ellis collection of Pungi^and my own collection of about 50 0 



00 (thirty thousand I meant to say) specimens ranging from ferns to Alg- 

 ae we have the foundation tffor Miat I am sure will be the best collection 

 of the lower plants in this country and very full of types* I shall 

 strive as macJg as in me lies to make it of the widest use to those who 

 are competent to use It and shall not maintain the policy which I suf *' 

 fared from the year I was at Camlxpidg© which closes everything up to 

 the -worlcer, I do not refer to the ca?ay Herbarium where my experience 

 that year as well as always before has been the most ftee possible* a?* 

 Watson let me into the Sullivant and Taylor collection and during my 

 Spring there my experience was delightful* 



Now I am going to remind peu of a matter that you did not answer 

 last year in one of our friendly spats over the subject of npyopteris. 



1 aslced you why you did not consistently object to the use of Polygo- 

 natum^ Asinina and several otlier of Adanson's genera on the same ground 

 as DryoptOTis * they being described in the same work in just the same 

 way? I want to Icnow if there is any good reason because I have been 

 unable to find any. If we are going to throw out genera that are meagre- 

 ly characterized let us throw out all of the Linnaean genera and species 

 tooi Why not? I do not wish to revive the discussion but I am anxious 

 to know if there is any special reason why Dryopteris will not rise or 



