UjeM Uoi*li botanical (garden, 
glwowar i’itvli, 
Hmv ^ovti City. 
January....l£.t.h,.1.906., 
Prof. J. F. Collins, 
Brovm University, 
Providence, R. I. 
My dear Prof. Collins:- 
Thank you very much for your letter of January 14th. 
I shall le glad to hear of any change that will enable you to have more time 
for the mosses. I will answer your questions in turn: 1. nothing would 
happen if you were unable to complete your work on the ITorth American Flora. 
There is no contract in regard to it. If you have not seen the two parts 
which have appeared of this work and decide to assist us,I shall be pleased 
to send you a sample copy. 2. There is no limitation as to time for com¬ 
pletion and every author is at liberty to either monograph or compile or 
both as seems best. 3. The nomenclature is based on the oldest sx^ecific 
name and would probably follow the Vienna Code.although so far and until the 
next congress is held in Brussels five years hence,there has been no decision 
for Bryophytes. 4. Each group requires more or less different treatment, 
but the plan is to get as many species on a page as possible. In the parts 
which have appeared there are four or five species on a page ,but this will 
hardly be possible in certain genera. The Engler and Irantl treatment wall 
be follow/ed as far as possible .although I find a good many omissions and 
corrections are necessary.. I am basing my sequeu6l* on a card catalogue com¬ 
piled from this work which includes all the llorth American species and Green¬ 
land, the Vest Indies and Central America, making the total 146 genera and 
1500 species. 
Dr. Best has only expressed a preference for the 
