THE PLANT WORLD 169 



tribution to science. In his work on tlie soutliern forests, his frequent 

 visits to relatives in other parts of the State, his numeroiis trips with 

 Dr. Chapmen, Professor Sargent, Dr. Engelmann and others, the mak- 

 ing of a complete flora of Alabama was always in his mind, and as soon 

 as he was relieved from the cares of business, he began to prepare his 

 notes for publication. The completed manuscript which had cost him 

 nearh^ forty yesus of labor was ready for the printer in 1899, but vari- 

 ous causes delayed the printing of this monumental work, the most 

 complete and philosophical local flora ever published, was not issued 

 until July 31, 1901, just two weeks after the author's death. It was 

 published under the title "Plant Life of Alabama," and as Volume VI. 

 of the Contributions from the U. S. National Herbarium. 



Dr. Mohr's first appearance in the scientific world was not as a 

 botanist, but as a geologist, in a lecture delivered in Vienna in 1847 at 

 a meeting of Der Verein der Freunde der Naturkunde, on " The Geo- 

 logical Relations of the Surinam Region." His earliest botanical paper 

 which we have been able to find is a series of "Additions to the Bry- 

 ology of the United States," published in the Bulletin of the Torrey 

 Botanical Club in 1884. Since that time his botanical writings have 

 been quite frequent, many of them being published in the pharmaceu- 

 tical journals of Germany. 



The high character of his botanical work needs no eulogy here. 

 Although very conservative and reluctant to make changes in the 

 established order, he was always among the first to adopt new rules 

 and new methods when he was convinced that they were really better 

 than the old. Those who heard him speak on the nomenclature ques- 

 tion at the Madison meeting of the Botanical Club, will never forget his 

 earnest plea for the retention of the names by which he had learned to 

 know and love his plants, and how the tears stoo'd in his eyes as he 

 made his protest against unnecessary changes. Nor vrill they forget 

 how he closed his talk by an equallj^ urgent plea that if the adoption 

 of the Rochester code was really necessary- for stability and uniformity 

 it should be adopted at once, no matter what trouble it might give to 

 the present generation. The writing of his "Plant Life" was begun a 

 few months after that meeting, and in that, as well as in his other writ- 

 ings, he was careful to adhere closely to the new nomenclature. 



After completing the manuscript of his "Plant Life," a complete 

 set of specimens illustrating everj^ species mentioned in the work was 

 deposited in the herbarium of the Alabama State University, while the 

 remainder of his herbarium, some 17,000 sheets of phaenogams and 

 several thousand cryptogams, have been placed in the National Museum 

 at Washington. His librarj^ which was quite extensive, will be offered 

 at private sale. 



