10 



more thoroughly enjoy the whole, so he who examines every 

 part of a fine view may also thoroughly comprehend the full 

 and combined effect. Hence a traveller should be a botanist 

 for in all views plants form the chief embellishment." Hum- 

 boldt often expresses his admiration of the plant world. In 

 his Cosmos he remarks that, " Although the character of differ- 

 ent portions of the earth depends on the combination of exter- 

 nal phenomena, as the outlines of mountains, the physiognomy 

 of plants and animals, the azure of the sky, the forms of the 

 clouds and the transparency of the atmosphere, it must still 

 be admitted that the vegetable mantle with which the earth is 

 decked constitutes the main feature of the picture." 



The ability of a person to eojoy and improve the constantly 

 changing scenes of travel will be readily seen to depend upon 

 his previous preparation by contrasting the experience of an 

 Agassiz with that of a common sailor upon the same journey. 

 The one is continually under the influence of interesting 

 thoughts and pleasurable emotions, during every waking hour 

 of health, whether on the land or on the sea. New facts rush 

 in upon his already crowded mind incessantly and are forth- 

 with arranged in their appropriate places to serve his great 

 purposes in the various departments of science. The igno- 

 rant, unthinking sailor, on the other hand, goes whistling 

 round the world, acquiring but little information and utterly 

 unable to use that. The mental habits and capacities of edu- 

 cated and uneducated men are just as different in every-day 

 life, on the farm, or at a meeting of the Board of Agricul- 

 ture. Other things being equal, he who has the best-trained 

 intellect and the most knowledge will everywhere learn the 

 most and accomplish the most. 



The general character of the vegetation in every country 



depends chiefly upon the nature of the soil and the climate, 



that is, upon the amount of heat and cold, moisture and 

 drought, sunshine and cloudiness, and the force of the winds. 

 The least-observant traveller can hardly fail to notice the pecu- 

 liarities of plant growth in different portions of the world. 

 Even in our own country, we have regions with singular and 

 remarkable vegetation, such as the giant cactus of Arizona, the 

 sagebrush of Nevada, the red-woods of California, the herbace- 

 ous carpet of the prairies, and the long-leaved pines of the 



