52 HELEN ABBOTT MICHAEL 



"The Pringsheims were charming. The old professor espe- 

 cially was kind, giving me cards of introduction to those for 

 whom I asked, also to others. The wife spoke only German 

 and French, but the daughters spoke very good English. I 

 cannot speak enough of the genuine kindness shown me. Mrs. 

 Pringsheim invited me to come to her home and stay with her. 

 My letter from Ladenburg must have been especially intro- 

 ductory from the reception I received. Mrs. Pringsheim thought 

 that of course it was strange for a lady to come over for such a 

 purpose as I had, also that Fannie would cause attention, but 

 she said nothing of an objectionable nature could come from 

 it as the object of my visit was so apparent, and Fannie held 

 her place so thoroughly as a servant. Her quiet dressing and 

 respectful manner gave at once a dignity to my position. 



"At the dinner were Professor, Mrs. and Miss Pringsheim, 

 also Miss Du Bois Raymond. The table was set with autumn 

 leaves as decoration. They blended beautifully with the fruit 

 on the table. Professor Pringsheim rather showed signs of 

 slight displeasure with the decoration. Mrs. Pringsheim re- 

 sponded that Professor Pringsheim cared only for chlorophyll. 

 I replied that I did not like chlorophyll, it was too difficult a 

 subject. Professor Pringsheim in his list of botanists of all the 

 world (it was a printed volume) had written down my name 

 in ink as one of the botanists of Philadelphia. The dear old 

 man showed it to me. He has a laboratory of his own, where he 

 works when he feels like it. His home is large, and has a garden 

 attached. Some figs on the table had grown in it." 



She also describes interestingly an hour spent with Kny 

 in his laboratory at the Agricultural School. "I went to him 

 on Thursday, Oct. 13, after my visit to Landolt's laboratory. 

 Kny has a good library attached to his rooms. The 'Botanischer 

 Jahresbericht ' contains extracts of all the botanical publica- 

 tions, and Kny said I should send to Dr. E. Koehne (Friedenau 

 bei Berlin) my papers for notice. He has, in connection with 

 his rooms, a hothouse for the cultivation of the necessary plants 

 required for use in teaching. Both Schwendener and Kny are 

 principally occupied with the mechanical rule of plant-phy- 

 siology. Schwendener told me there was just now wanting 



