DR. CURTIS TO THE STATE GEOLOGIST. 13 



North Carolina. I have brought these together in 

 one view, because they are the most important, the 

 best known, and can be more intelligibly arranged 

 for general use, than upon a plan strictly scientific. 

 Botanists will of course find fault with it ; but as 

 my sole purpose herein is to make this essay of pop- 

 ular service, and as intelligible as possible to those 

 who know nothing of systems and would not take 

 the time or trouble to master a scientific treatise, I 

 have adopted the present course as the most likely 

 one that occurred to me to accomplish the end pro- 

 posed. It has its difficulties, as you will readily see, 

 but you will at the same time confess, I think, that, 

 though it might be better done, the end could not be 

 so well attained but by some such arrangement. I 

 must therefore crave your indulgence for this de- 

 parture from established usage in this first portion 

 of my Report. 



I have felt somewhat hampered by the limits to 

 which I was restricted, and, as it is, have unavoid- 

 ably overrun them ; but I hope, nevertheless, that 

 nothing essential has been often omitted, either in 

 the descriptions, or in noticing the valuable uses, of 

 the various Trees, Shrubs, and Vines of the State. 

 In instances where the plant is well known and 

 needed no discrimination from similar or kindred 

 species, I have omitted all description, as being in 

 such cases superfluous. But whenever one is less 

 known, or may be easily confounded with others, I 

 have endeavored to present all the distinctive char- 



