AiebSy5h9i3m'}     Next  Ste^s  in  Botanical  Science.  77 
consider  the  trend  of  scientific  thought  that  there  will  be  greater 
unity  of  action  among  the  botanists  of  the  country.  At  present  we 
are  still  in  the  guerrilla  stage  of  botany,  in  which  every  man  acts 
independently  and  for  himself.  And  it  must  be  admitted  that 
much  effective  work  is  done  by  guerrillas  in  war  and  in  science, 
but  in  both  there  is  far  too  much  waste  of  energy.  Let  me  pause 
a  moment  to  explain  more  fully  what  I  mean  by  this  guerrilla  con- 
dition in  botany.  Although  we  profess  to  be  botanists  acting  for 
the  best  interests  of  science,  we  have  actually  no  uniform  standard 
by  which  we  may  measure  our  actions.  In  one  particular  we  have 
tried  to  set  up  a  standard,  in  certain  international  rules  pertaining 
to  nomenclature :  and  yet  after  several  congresses  of  botanists  we 
have  the  humiliating  spectacle  of  a  set  of  laws  that  nearly  every- 
body disobeys  !  In  other  matters  also,  every  man  does  as  he  pleases  ; 
and  the  worst  of  it  is  that  he  vehemently  defends  this  free,  un- 
trammeled  mode  of  action.  We  have  been  guerillas  so  long  that  we 
resent  the  suggestion  of  conformity  to  any  regulation. 
Brethren  of  the  ancient  order  of  botanists,  this  is  scientifically 
quite  unseemly.  We  must  cease  this  personally  independent,  but 
disorderly  life,  and  enroll  ourselves  in  the  regular  army  as  good 
soldiers  who  will  obey  orders,  and  who  will  act  in  unison  for  the 
common  good.  And  this  is  no  illusory  vision.  It  is  one  of  the 
things  that  the  future  will  bring  us,  yes,  I  may  say,  is  bringing  us. 
For  already  we  find  the  beginnings  of  a  reduction  of  some  of  the 
disorder  in  certain  fields  of  work.  In  the  management  of  the  work 
of  the  agricultural  experiment  stations  there  are  hopeful  signs  of 
a  healthy  progress.  Certain  officers  in  Washington,  having  general 
supervision  over  the  stations,  seeing  that  there  is  much  useless 
duplication,  have  begun  suggesting  more  harmonious  planning,  one 
station  to  emphasize  this  line  of  investigation,  and  another  that 
line,  instead  of  working  quite  independently  of  one  another.  This 
beginning  is  suggestive  of  what  might  and  should  be  done 
elsewhere. 
And  we  shall  not  confine  unification  and  co-ordination  to  in- 
vestigation alone,  but  will  carry  it  into  the  teaching  departments. 
As  a  matter  of  course  the  more  general  aspects  of  the  science  must 
find  place  in  every  college  department  of  botany,  requiring  to  this 
extent  the  quite  legitimate  duplication  of  the  best  laboratory  and 
other  facilities  that  can  be  provided.  But  beyond  this  the  duplica- 
tion should  cease,  especially  of  facilities  that  are  costly  in  installa- 
