48 ANNALS NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 



by some man of wealth who practically supported him and gave him oppor- 

 tunities for study and research. 



"Either genius was rarer in those days than now, or else it received more 

 substantial recognition." 



In 1706, Nils Linnaeus, a Swedish pastor, and his bride Christina, began 

 their home life in his parish in RSshult in SmSland in southern Sweden. 

 About their cottage he had planted a garden of flowers according to a taste 

 developed while living with an uncle. In this garden the young bride took 

 special delight, only to grieve sorely at the effects of the heavy winter frosts, 

 but reacting to the hope and anticipation of the awakening of spring. Here 

 were more than four hundred species of exotic plants. For such a latitude 

 and for such a period of the world's history, this was a most unusual col- 

 lection. 



In the midst of the spring advent of the flovvers, in iSIay, 1707, there was 

 bom a son in the home of the parish leader. He was baptized "Carl." 

 To-day we celebrate, in honor and praise, the birth of Carl Linnoeus. 



The follovv'ing year, the family moved to Stenbrohult, to which were also 

 removed most of the plants from the garden at Rashult. 



As soon as the boy Carl could walk, he daily visited the new garden with 

 his father, where he was the more attracted to the flowers because in his 

 babyhood the parents had often attracted his attention by many bright 

 blossoms. A little later be had a bed for his own flowers, which he chose 

 from the main garden. Later still, he was given a plot for his own garden 

 beside his father's. At four years of age, after a visit to a country fair, he 

 so persisted in asking questions that he practically knew all his father could 

 tell him, — the Swedish names and the uses of the native plants. 



Typically, his mother delighted in the boy's absorption in the flowers 

 (she was fond of them too), besides, this often kept the boy occupied for 

 hours, — an important item in the daily program of the young housekeeping 

 mother. 



Boylike, oftener than not Carl forgot the answers to his questions. His 

 father noticed this and called the habit mischievous, and refused to answer 

 further questions till the boy promised to remember what was told him. 

 This parental training became of the highest value to the future Linnaeus. 



Many of the relatives of Nils Linnteus were ordained to the service of the 

 church. It was in the wife's heart to have their son be the same. But 

 he was averse to all reading not related to natural history or more particu- 

 larly to botany. His chief activity was to wander over the fields and 

 through the woods, bring home every new species he found, plant some, 

 and dry and preserve others. With these he brought in several weeds, 

 which caused no end of trouble to his father, as they spread to the beds of 



