330 A DECADE OF WORK AT HOME.  [1845, 
Dr. Gray is said to have stated that Mr. Sprague 
had but one rival,— Riocreux; and he considered 
that draughtsman’s classical drawings inferior to Mr. 
Sprague’s. 
TO JOHN TORREY. 
CamprincE, March 8, [1845 ?] 
. I finish Lichens this afternoon; and have 
neck _ lectures on Fungi and spontaneous genera- 
tion to give. I interweave a good deal of matter, 
such as, on Ferns, the part they played in the early 
times of the world, 4 la Brongniart. Mosses, filling 
up lakes and pools; Sphagnum, Peat. Lichens, first 
agents in clothing rocks with soil. I have noble illus- 
trations of rust in wheat, ergot, etc., and Sprague is 
now hard at work on smut, 4 la Bauer. 
You remember the letter I sent you from Prestele of 
“Ebenezer, near Buffalo,” and which you still hold. 
Well, he has sent me for inspection a most superb set 
of drawings, both of cultivated and of some native 
plants, exceedingly well done. Also specimens of his 
work in cutting on stone, which he does admirably. 
He did the work in Bischoff’s “ Terminology,” which 
perhaps you remember, two quarto volumes. What a 
pity he did not have the State-Flora plates to execute! 
If Dr. Beck and yourself go on with your plan, he 
is your man to engrave the plates on stone. Our TIli- 
cium is now in full flower ; but I cannot spare § Sprague 
a moment to draw it yet; unless, indeed, it is quite 
certain you will want it this year, when I would try. 
He must work hard for me two weeks longer. . . . 
My cutting up of “ Vestiges of Creation” was a 
fine hate and told. Peirce, who you know was rather 
inclined to favor Rogers a while ago, is now sound 
