THE MAGAZINE 



OF 



HORTICULTURE 



OCTOBER, 1847. 



ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 



Art. I. On the Study and Pursuits of Botany. By A. Mitch- 

 ell, M. D. In a Letter to the Hon. H. A. S. Dearborn. 

 Communicated by Gen. Dearborn. 



Dear Sir, — In the various branches of natural science, there 

 are none of more ancient date than the study and pursuits of 

 botany. The jfirst account of plants may be traced to the 

 history of the creation, by Moses ; and from that period up to 

 the birth of our Savior, when he noticed in his beautiful com- 

 parison of the lily of the valley, with the wisdom of Solomon, it 

 continued to be a theme of study among the ancients; although 

 rude in its conceptions and erratic in its views, it may be 

 said to constitute the basis of this science ; when the illus- 

 trious Linnseus, or the great northern light, emerging from 

 obscurity, gave order and regularity to the study, which ren- 

 dered comparisons more easy ; and, from that date, the spe- 

 cific arrangement and physiology of plants engaged the atten- 

 tion of the most eminent men of the world, and laid the foun- 

 dation of agricultural science. 



The great civilizer of man was agricultural pursuits, and 

 those patriarchal tribes which adhered to the strict rules of 

 husbandry and agriculture, grew into power and became 

 great and powerful nations, while the precarious subsistence 

 of nomadic tribes, that have depended on the hunt and chase, 

 are rapidly becoming extinct, and the time is not far distant 

 when historical records will be the only proof of their exist- 

 en e. 



In order that the naturahst should practically benefit his 

 country, his mind should be placed on those objects that may 



VOL. XIII. — NO. X. 39 



