New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-05-17
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
GRAYs FLORA OF NORTH AMERICA.

.nneared in numbera aft convenient intervals until
1910, when, having reached. in the accepted ar
rangement of orders, to the end OF Composite its
publication ceased. So valuable was TINS floia 10
the working botanists, that its discontmuance was
a source of great disappointment and those who
were not aware of the which made lis inter
mission almost imperative, were not little impa-
tent To those best advised the discontinuance of
the work was known to be really in the interest of
American Botany. The acquisition of Texas
and of new territory at the close OF the
war with Mexico essentially changed our
botanical, as it did our geographical area. Up 10
that time, our knowledge of the far Northwest the
far West and the Pacific coast. was mainly due 10
the labors of European explorers, to when were
added the results of the journeys OF Nutta "yeth,
Long and few Others but nothing like genera
exploration had been made OF those vast helds
which have since yielded such rich botanical har-
vests. The two journeys of Fremont, the forced
march to the Pacific on the line of the ella, by
Emory with the volunteer expeditions Of Lind
hiemer Wiszenus Fender, Wright and some
others, resulted in such wealth of new material,
opening, in cases, an entirely new Flora, that
il at once became evident to its authors that the
"Flora of North America" could not yet be written
with any approach to completeness. These cxplora-
tiOns indicated that the number of genera III the
families, and the number of species in the genera,
already published in the Flora, were in many cases
doubled and it became evident that the authors
must either continue work which would be unsat-
isfactory when finished. or suspend 1t for time,
and devote themselves to the elaboration
of the rapidly accommodating new material,
which would otherwise pass into other hands.
They wisely adopted the latter course, decision
which proved all the more judiciOus when the sur
vey of the Mexican boundary, and the surveys
of numerous routes for Pacific railroad,
added most essentially TO the already rich
collections. and opened to botanical exploration
such breadth of territory, that but few important
localities were left unvisted. Besides these Gov
eminent expeditions, and nearly contemporaneous
with the later of them came the private explOra-
tons of Parry Hall and Harbour and others, while
the rapid settlement of mining and other localities
brought out q number of local collectors, who made
important additions to the rapidly accommodating
treasures. The State Geological Survey of Cafor-
MIA, and the survey under Mr. Clarence King under
the fortieth paralel-thanks to Serene Watsons en-
ergy and perseverance-also yielded important bot
anical results. The time has now arrived when the
Flora of North America may be written with the
hope of presenting fairly complete record OF
course species and new genera are yet to be
discovered, but such bonanza of botanical riches
as the past thirty years have developed can be
looked for in the future, and present knowledge
may properly be embodied in q work which will
serve as a standard around which the clustering of
future accessons will be an easy matter.
One of the illustriOus botanists, whose name APP
peared as joint author of the earlier Flora" and
which will ever be identified with North American
botany, has passed away; but the results of DR..
TOrreys many years of labor since the first Flora"
was discontinued, will appear in the new work, the
pages of which will show how industriously he
labored during that long interval.
We have said that the present is most fitting
time for making Flora of North America y; it is
30, not only in the fullness of materials but espe
cially so that its author is the funess of his in
dustrious and useful life. Prepared as no other can
be, by years of study of our plants from every
part of the country and also by the experiences of
extended field observations on two journeys to the
Pacific coast our first botanist presents this which
we may regard as bis GROWING work. 1t is for
tnn99ts1 &c this oHtaGlsss
Bentham and Hooker have presented in their =" Ge-
nera Plantarum" complete revision of the genera,
made, so far as American genera are concerned in
full sympathy and correspondence with Dr. Gray.
While in the Flora" DR.. Gray may not adopt all
the views of these gentlemen it is not the less graft
flying to American botanists to know that the ge
nera recently elaborated by three such botansts
as Gray, Bentham, and Hooker, arc likely to be ac-
copied as established for long while to come
cedenp to the "Flora of North America" which have
more interest for the botanist than the general
reader we glance at the work itself.
The present first in order of appearance, but not
in botanical sequenee is the first part of the second
volume taking up the orders where the former Flora
left of. 1t begins with the GooGenidceG, and ends
with the PLintdgindce9. Two more parts will be re-
quired to complete the second volumes tho one to
i'm medIately follow this will be devoted to the
Apet alous and GymnOspeImOus Exogens, and the
final part will contain the MOnocOty ledOnOus
plants and the Vascular Cryptogama. The first
volume will include the Polypetalous Orders, and
the GamOpetale tothe end of Composite. 1t is ex-
pected that each volume will contain about ], 200
pages.
The first thing which will strike the working
botanst on opening its pages is the excellent me-
chanical arrangement of the Flora, and especially
its compactness as compared with the former Flora
of North America" This is attained in part by
ciseness of description, but mainly by the omission
of extended synonymy. This lack of synonyms
is happily supplied by the cOntempOraneous pubca-
ton, by the Smithsonian Institution of the "BibliO
graphical Index to North American Botany" by that
most industrious of botanical workers. Mr.. Serene
Watson, of the Herbarium of Harvard College. This
work gives full references for each species, and
while it is of the greatest importance that its
matter should be recorded. it is not of a kind
needed by the majority of those who will use the
Flora" and its preservation in separate work is
most fortunate. especially as it allows the Flora
20 be much more compact.
1t is hardly necessary at this day to say anything
praise of DR.. Gray as a systematic botanist.
Those familiar with his other works will be pre-
pared for the admirable method which character
zes this; the same concseness of description, the
keen perception which seizes upon and points out
the distinctive characters. and the same broad