THE PLANT WORLD 167 



DR. CHARLES MOHR. 



By S. M. Tracy. 



DE. Charles Mohr was born in Esslinger, Wurtemburg, Germany, 

 on December 28, 1824, and died at Aslieville, N. C, on July 17, 

 1901. In liis death the country has lost one of its ablest botan- 

 ists as well as one of its best men. 



He was educated in the polytechnic school of Stuttgart, where he 

 gave special attention to the study of the natural sciences, and on leav- 

 ing the school in 1845, he was appointed botanist of an exploring expe- 

 dition sent to investigate the natural resources of the country along the 

 Surinam river in Dutch Guiana, South America. The climate there 

 proved unfavorable to his health, and at the end of a year he was 

 obliged to return to Germany. He soon secured emi^loj^ment as a 

 chemist in a manufactory of chemicals at Brunn, in Moravia, where he 

 remained until the stormy times of 1848 compelled the closing of the 

 establishment with which he was connected. He then came to this 

 country, reaching New York in October, 1848, and Cincinnati a few 

 days later. He soon found employment in a chemical establishment 

 there, but early the next spring he, like thousands of others, deter- 

 mined to seek his fortune in the newly discovered gold fields of Cali- 

 fornia. He joined the "Cincinnati Gold Mining and Trading Co.," 

 composed of about fifty of the best young men of the city, and in March 

 began their long journey. The party outfitted at Independence, Mis- 

 souri, and made rapid progress for a time, but lacking in experience, 

 their fast travel was done at the expense of their teams, which were 

 compelled to draw heavily loaded wagons across the open prairie day 

 after day. On reaching Fort Laramie their horses were so broken 

 down that a different mode of travel became a necessity. Mining tools, 

 scientific instruments, apparatus for assaying, and everything except- 

 ing articles of the barest necessity were abandoned, pack-saddles were 

 substituted for wagons, and the party divided itself into a number of 

 independent squads. Fort Hall was reached early in July, when a still 

 further reduction in baggage became necessary, and Dr. Mohr was com- 

 pelled to abandon the collection of plants to which he had made almost 

 daily additions since leaving the Missouri river. This was a loss which 

 caused the deepest regret to the young collector, and one which can be 

 appreciated only by those who have known by experience the labor, 

 cost, and delight of collecting unrecognized material in an unknown 

 region. It was a foot-sore, starved and ragged party of seven which 

 finally reached Sacramento on Aiigust 12th, and began its search for 

 gold. The party had fair success in mining, but the following si)ring a 

 severe attack of mountain fever left Dr. Mohr so weak that he returned 



