I 



CO 



LiBRARY 

 NEW YORK 

 BOTANICAL 



TORREYA «-«-- 



December, 1909 

 Vol. 9 No. 12 



SOME AMERICAN BOTANISTS OF FORMER DAYS* 



By John Henoley Barnhart 



A hundred and twenty years ago, when Richard Pulteney had 

 written his " Historical and biographical sketches of the progress 

 of botany in England", he put into his preface these apt words : 

 " In tracing the progress of human knowledge through its several 

 gradations of improvement, it is scarcely possible for an inquisitive 

 and liberal mind, of congenial taste, not to feel an ardent wish of 

 information relating to those persons by whom such improve- 

 ments have severally been given : and hence arises that interest- 

 ing sympathy which almost inseparably connects biography with 

 the history of each respective branch of knowledge." And it is 

 as true as ever, that, if one would understand the progress of 

 science, he must study the personality of the men whose labors 

 have resulted in that progress. 



Our theme this evening, "Some American botanists of former 

 days ", is a very limited one. The term " American botanists " is 

 intended in its narrow sense, as referring only to those whose 

 scientific work has been accomplished, at least in part, within the 

 bounds of the United States as they were before our recent period 

 of expansion. And when we say " botanists of former days " we 

 must in fairness omit all reference not only to workers now living 

 but to all who would be living if they had not met with prema- 

 ture death, t By the latter limitation we exclude all specialists in 



* Paper presented at the meeting of the Torrey Botanical Club, October 12, 1909. 

 Reprinted with slight alterations from the Journal of the New York Botanical Garden, 

 Vol. X, No. 116, Augrst, 1909. 



f As a matter of fact, no man is mentioned who did not die more than five years 

 ago ; and, if all of those mentioned were still living, the youngest would be about 

 seventy years old. 

 [No. 10, Vol. 9, of ToRREYA, comprising pages 217-240, was issued November 18, 



1909.] 



241 



