"J. W.," Houston, Texas, says: "Can you recommend any work for the south-western flora of Texas? Mrs. Young's so-called ' Botany of Texas,' is absolutely worthless."

Mrs. Young's book served a good purpose in its day; but, like so many similar works, it has been outgrown by the knowledge of the flora. As Dr. Asa Gray has in hand a work on the whole flora of the North American continent, it is not worth anyone's while to issue a separate flora of Texas, and so there is nothing to do but wait. Dr. Gray has, some years now since, issued one part of this work, and all the plants then known in Texas, referable to the orders that part treats of, gives, of course, all the Texan plants. This, with Mr. Watson's Bibliographical Index to tell us in what scattered papers the descriptions of Texan plants are found, are about all the guides to the Flora of Texas which can be had at present.