THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 99 



with less f.'uored plant collect" ir> rcMilted. as he states, in 

 l)rint(in,i;' to him re(|iiest> ti'oni ■"flower-loxers trom all o\er 

 the I'nited States." This may he accepted as e\ ideiice of 

 the \vide-s[)i"ead interest that would he i;i\en to an authori- 

 tati\e classification 1)\' Mr. llute. 



W ith the hope that Mr. Tjoar ma\ he induced to suhmit 

 one of hi.s lu.xuriant specimen^ in time for decisiou in the 

 coniinj^ issue 1 am sending- him a copy of thi.s proposal. .\nd 

 should he ac(|iiiesce 1 am sm-e that in the forthcomint^- nimi- 

 her of the .\uicricau Hoiainst a irood time will he had 1)\- all. 



THE PIONEERS OF BOTANY 



"jV/r.\ N"S hr>t interest in plants was undouhtedly connected 

 with his need for food. From the \er)- heginning it 

 was necessary for him to know which plants were edil)le. 

 which were harmless and which actually harmful, if he was 

 to maintain or advance h\> interests anion;!;' li\in<,^ thin,i;s. The 

 word hotanw itself, under which we now arran^^e all of our 

 knowledj^^e relating to ])lants. comes from a Greek word mean.- 

 ing to eat and indicates how closely plants and foods w ere as- 

 sociated in the minds of oiu' primiti\e ancestors, (^riginalh' 

 all food came from wild i)lants. hut the desire to li\e well and 

 to enjoy the hest must ha\ e ultimately suggested the cultiva- 

 tion of the more useful species. 



Plants other than food plants that early engaged man's 

 attention were those used in divination and incantations, in 

 charms, for garlands and other decorations, and lastl\- as 

 medicines, .\niong uncixilized peoples, however, there was 

 seldom any great distinction made hetween herhs used for 

 sorcery and those used for healing, and priest and ])hysician 

 were commonly comhined in a single i)ersou. the medicine 



