231

Original in the New York Botanical Garden Library, Bronx, New York

UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA.

CHANCELLOR'S OFFICE.

LINCOLN, NEB., March 1st., 1890. 18

Dr. N.L. Britton,

Columbia College, New York,

My Dear Doctor:-

I have a question to ask. In the Catalogue of plants in the vicinity of New York City, published by the Torrey Botanical Club, you made a number of changes in the specific names of plants. For example, you have changed Phragmites communist of
Trinius, to Phragmites vulgaris, thus restoring the specific name given by Lamarck. Now the serious question comes whether we are to write this Phramites vulgaris (Lam.) Britton, as I observe that some writers are doing, or are we to quote, in place of your name, some other fellow, or set of fellows? Are we to use some contraction of the names of the three committee men, Sterns, Britton and Poggenburg? Be kind enough to reply at your earliest convenience.

This is not written in joke, but we have before use the serious problem of doing a thing in the right way, and in this case I confess we do not know how. I hope that your name alone is to appear, for that is euphonious and all that sort of thing, but I must confess to a sort of shudder when I think of the possibility of having to put in all the names of the committee-men.

Very truly,
Charles E. Bessey (signature)