USE OF AN HERBAUTUiVL 383 



It was a sin.^ular instance of indulgent liberality in 

 him to allow his disciples Fabricius and Giseke to 

 make notes, for their own use, of what he considered 

 himself as scarcely competent to lay in a finished form 

 before the public. We are obliged to th(f editor for 

 preserving these valuable though crude materials, and 

 he has shown ability in digesting and elucidating them. 

 I should scarcely, for my own part, have thought it 

 right to furnish still more crude and imperfect guesses 

 and opinions, from manuscripts which their illustri- 

 ous author had purposely, as it appears, withheld from 

 his auditors, lest he should lead them into error. 

 This will explain a note in Professor Giseke's preface, 

 p. 19, which however was printed before his request 

 came to my knowledge ; for two very intelligent 

 friends, through whom it was meant to be conveyed, 

 judged it unreasonable to be made, as well as im- 

 proper to be complied with, and therefore suppressed 

 the message. 



I have only to add a few practical remarks on the 

 preparation and use of an Herharium or Hortus Siccus. 

 The advantages of preserving specimens of plants, as far 

 as it can be done, for examination at all times and sea- 

 sons, is abundantly obvious. Notwithstanding the 

 multitude of books filled with descriptions and figures 

 of plants, and however ample or perfect such may be, 

 they can teach no more than their authors observed ; 



