2 
Editorial. 
questions. Topics are constantly arising on which such discussion 
would be valuable not only to the one or two people immediately 
interested, but to the rest of their colleagues. 
At tne same time the possibility of readily publishing observa¬ 
tions or views which would probably never be worked up into an 
elaborate paper suitable for publication through one of the regular 
channels at present existing, would often be of use both to the 
author and to his fellow workers. It must be within the experience 
of most of us that observations are constantly being made and 
views suggested, which at present never see the light because 
their authors are engaged on other work, and lack the time or 
perhaps the inclination to follow them up. Meanwhile they might 
afford a much needed help or clue to some other investigators. 
It is not intended to make this journal specially the medium of 
that often abused form of publication the “preliminary note.” 
We quite agree with the opinion which is frequently expressed, 
that this type of production is rather overdone in the existing 
periodicals. On the other hand there are special cases in which it 
is desirable, and authors may find the new' journal a convenient 
medium for announcing discoveries or theories which seem to call 
for immediate publication. In other cases papers which may be 
considered unsuitable for any of the existing journals will here find 
an appropriate home. 
Short notices of important new books and papers will also, we 
hope, be a regular feature of our pages. Such notices (which need 
not necessarily be exhaustive reviews) are easily enough written by 
those au courant with special branches of the science, and would 
often be of very widespread interest. 
It soon became clear that if a journal devoted to the objects 
sketched above were successfully started, it would appeal to another 
class besides that of the working botanist and original investigator. 
There is a considerable number of persons in this country keenly 
interested in the progress of botany, but cut off from contact with 
the centres of botanical activity. Many of them are teachers in 
secondary schools, and others are amateurs, whom circumstances 
prevent from actively following their favourite study. The response 
which the preliminary circular met with from this class leaves no 
