INTRODUCTION 
“3 
I recall one of the most striking illustrations of the data 
collected in the chemical work which Miss Abbott accom¬ 
plished in the arrangement of series of plants to illustrate the 
development of certain particular compounds by genera and 
species, and this arrangement of genera and species showed 
in a most marked manner the development of the chemical 
compounds forming important constituents of the plants ex¬ 
hibited. 
The study of the principles of evolution during the last 
fifty years has shown the dominating influence of environment 
on the development of animals and plants. The investiga¬ 
tions conducted by Miss Abbott also show the dominating 
influence of environment upon the particular composition 
of the plant. Thus were laid the first stones of the foun¬ 
dation on which the important study of securing variations 
in plants which change their environment is based. In the 
careful breeding of plants there are two important things 
which are to be kept in view. First, the development of new 
forms or kinds of plants; and second, the development of a 
more abundant content of valuable constituents of plants and 
the elimination of the undesirable constituents. All of these 
ideas were outlined in Miss Abbott’s work, and from the 
starting-point of these investigations most of the more im¬ 
portant contributions to plant chemistry in this country in 
relation to environment have been made. 
H. W. Wiley. 
Washington, D. C., October ist, 1906. 
