BOTANY AT ST. LOUIS 499 



for publication in your valuable journal. Those species which are presented as 

 new are minutely described, and in all cases where the western specimens of 

 known plants differ from the eastern, this difference is stated. By this means 

 we shall become acquainted with, at least, some of the peculiarities in the 

 vegetation of that interesting section of the United States. Concerning the 

 more common plants, the habitats and times of flowering only are mentioned. 

 The catalogue, it is hoped will contribute somewhat to increase our stock of 

 knowledge, and will be particularly interesting to geographical botanists, and 

 to future waiters upon the botany of the United States. 



This annotated list, which was continued in three volumes of Silli- 

 mans Journal, mentions about two hundred species of plants, and is 

 the earliest extensive list known to the writer. Many of Beck's plants 

 are cited in BiddelPs " Synopsis of the Flora of the Western States," 

 published in 1835, but apparently only a portion of them are so men- 

 tioned. 



In 1822 Beck moved back to Albany and remained there the rest of 

 his life. He held positions as professor of botany and other sciences at 

 a number of institutions up to the time of his death; Bensselaer Poly- 

 technic Institute, Eutgers College and Albany Medical College being 

 those with which he was most prominently connected. Dr. Beck was 

 well known in botanical circles, being the author of a manual of the 

 botany of the northern and middle states, 6f which two editions were 

 issued. He also published a number of botanical papers. He was a 

 well-known writer on chemical and medical subjects besides; and 

 published a manual of chemistry which passed through four editions. 

 He seems to have been a conservative writer, as his bibliography con- 

 tains but twenty-three titles. Dr. Beck died at Albany on April 20, 

 1853. 



After Beck closed his work in the vicinity of St. Louis there seems 

 to have been a period of nearly ten years when there was no botanical 

 work done. In 1831, however, there began a period of activity which 

 has continued more or less regularly up to the present time. The first 

 botanist to start this activity was Thomas Drummond. 



(To be continued) 



