334 A DECADE OF WORK A T HOME. [1845, 



TO W. J. HOOKER. 



October 14, 1845. 



Your excellent father lived to a truly patriar- 

 chal age. Mine, who has been in failing health for 

 some time, I learn to-day is suddenly and extremely 

 sick, and I set out for my birthplace immediately, in 

 hopes yet to see him once more. 



His father died October 13, before he reached 

 Sauquoit. He had made his son a visit in Cambridge 

 after he was established at the Garden house, more 

 especially to consult a physician for his failing health. 



TO JOHN TORRE Y. 



CAMBRIDGE, November 15, 1845. 



My visit to Oakes 1 was chiefly to this intent. You 

 know, that I have been waiting and waiting for Oakes 

 to give, not his New England " Flora " (which I fear 

 he will always leave unfinished), but a prodromus of 

 it, for my use and for New England. The conse- 

 quence of waiting is that Wood 2 is just taking the 

 market, against my " Botanical Text-Book," mostly by 

 means of his " Flora." Letters from Hitchcock 

 and elsewhere all point to the probability that they 

 will have to use his book (of which, by the way, he 

 is preparing a second edition, which he cannot but 

 improve), and ask me to prevent it, by appending a 

 brief description of New England or Northern plants 

 to my " Botanical Text-Book." A plan has occurred to 

 me by which this might be done, were it not that I 

 will not tread on the heels of anything that Oakes 



1 William Oakes, 1799-1848. " The most thorough and complete 

 collector and investigator of New England plants " [A. G.]. 



2 Alphonso Wood, 1810-1881 ; author of popular botanical text- 

 books. 



