ECOLOGICAL WORK IN BOTANY. 
99 
traveled extensively through the tropics and temperate zones, 
studying the deserts and tropical forests. Since 1884 we have 
had numerous monographs each year on the flora of the less well 
known regions of the earth. Among the more prominent men in 
this school may be mentioned Johow, Volkens, Schimper, Schenck 
and Krassnoff. 
Professor Schimper, of the University of Basel, performed a 
lasting service by gathering the observations of many plant 
geographers and publishing them along with his own in his 
Pflanzengeographie which appeared in 1898. The book shows 
what had been done toward a complete study of the plants of the 
world up to the date of its publication. It also shows what large 
gaps there are in our knowledge as well as the difficulties to be 
met and overcome in accounting for some of the common facts 
of distribution. 
Schenck began a line of work to which modern ecology has 
recently turned. Leaving to his colleagues the task of traveling 
to distant lands, he took up a careful biological study of the 
plants near at hand. In 1885 he published his observations on the 
Biology of Water Plants which gave an admirable account of the 
common aquatic plants. He dealt with such subjects as the 
anatomy of the submerged organs, the wintering of the plants, 
the germination of the seeds, etc. Up to that time plant geog¬ 
raphers had paid little attention to the study of adaptation. 
Schenck’s work showed the value of such study for ecological 
work. In these days when landscape photography is so often 
made to pass for patient, accurate study, it is worth while to 
notice that the perspicuity and exactness of Schenck’s descrip¬ 
tions rendered few illustrations necessary. His work moreover 
ranks fully as high as that of his colleagues on the plants of 
regions which most of us never have, nor will, visit. 
Attention should also be directed to the studies of plant adap¬ 
tation carried on from an experimental point of view by Stahl, of 
Jena, and Vochting, of Tubingen. Each year witnesses an increas¬ 
ing appreciation of experimental work in ecology, and the sci¬ 
ence will have gained much when experimental work is the 
regular thing, not only in the laboratory but in the field. 
