INTRODUCTION. 15 



Those who do, often think only of how much 

 the root or the seed or the specimen will fetch 

 at home or in their garden. 



When you ramble by turns in the shady 

 groves, grassy glades, rocky hills, or steep 

 mountains, you meet new charms peculiar to 

 each ; even the gloomy forest affords a shady 

 walk. livery rock, nook, rill . . . has peculiar 

 plants inviting your attention. When nothing 

 new nor rare appears, you commune with your 

 mind and your God in lofty thoughts or dreams 

 of happiness. Every pure Botanist is a good 

 man, a happy man, and a religious man ! He 

 lives with God in his wide temple not made by 

 hands .... 



To these botanical pleasures may be added 

 the anticipation of the future names, places, 

 uses, history, &c. of the plants you discover. 

 For the winter or season of rest, are reserved 

 the sedentary pleasures of comparing, studying, 

 naming, describing and publishing. A time 

 may come, when if all plants are well known, 

 little will be left to be done, except seeking rare 

 plants or occasional deviations and varieties ; 

 but a long while will elapse before this may 

 take place, since so few of our plants are com- 

 pletely known as yet. Then will begin the la- 

 bors of the draftsman, the collector of rare 

 plants and roots, or the seeking of special and 

 generic deviations. 



In this another wide field of researches will 

 be open to the enquiring mind. My thoughts 

 have often been led thereto when noticing 

 singular deviations. I admit like Adanson, 

 Necker and Linneus himself that plants do 

 vary gradually and constantly, although often 

 very slowly, both in the specific and generic 



