His work was ignored because it was not widely distributed, and he didn't make an effort to promote himself. Actually, the reasons are more complex. He was part of the social and scientific circle of the time. He had opportunities to travel and to attend scientific conferences . When he published his paper in 1865, it was exchanged with the publications of at least 120 other associations and societies and was available in many libraries and scientific institutes. His mathematical ratio of inheritance was probably not understood by many botanists . Subsequent mentions of Mendel's results usually focused on the hybrids that Mendel made , ignoring the mathematics altogether.