DEVELOPMENT OF BOTANY IN NEW YORK CITY. 



OD 



Writing of the period about 1814, made memorable l^y the pub- 

 lication of Pursh's Flora Aiucricac Scpfciitrioiialis and Bigelow's 

 Florida Bosfoniciisis. Darlington says " Botanical works now be- 

 gan to multiply in the United States — and the students of ' the 

 amiable science ' found helps in their delightful pursuit, which 

 rendered it vastly more easy and satisfactory than it had been to 

 their predecessors." 



DAVID HOSACK AND THE ELGIN BOTANICAL GARDEN. 



The next botanical undertaking in this city was of the greatest 

 importance in connection with our study, and calls for our par- 

 ticular attention. The successor of Dr. Alitchill as professor of 

 botanv and materia medica in Columbia Colle2:e was Dr. David 



Fig. 21. The Elgin Botanical Garden, including what is now 46th and 

 50th Streets, and Fifth and Madison Avenues. (Courtesy of the New 

 York Botanical Garden.) 



Hosack, a man of equal breadth and of great strength and energy. 

 His interest in botany was chiefly medical. Alost of the amateur 

 botanists of that day were practicing physicians, and many, if not 

 most of the professionals had received a medical education and 

 training, so that Dr. Hosack's attitude toward the science was 

 not at the time peculiar. This fact reminds us that outside of 



