BOTANY IN ESSEX COUNTY. 123 



SO common as grasses or so conspicuous as the forest 

 trees ; there are noiie of more value considered economi- 

 cally and none of greater importance to the practical 

 farmer and mechanic. Happily, however, it cannot be 

 said that the Essex Institute has materially erred in this 

 direction, as may be shown to-day, by the present excel- 

 lent local herbarium originally begun by the Essex County 

 Natural History Society and the numerous natural history 

 field-clubs, children, so to speak, of the Essex Institute, 

 successfully established in various parts of the county, 

 whose members hold their meetings and collect and study 

 the native plants and animals. 



To consider the progress of botany in Essex County for 

 half a Century three points present themselves : (1) The 

 condition of botanical knowledge now as compared with 

 that of fifty years ago. (2) The progress made in fifty 

 years' work here, as shown by the increase of libraries, 

 public museums, private herbaria, etc. (3) The practi- 

 cal benefit and general knowledge bestowed upon the 

 people of the county by such increased accurate knowl- 

 edge of the subject and the facilities for obtaining it. 



Prior to 1834, the young zoologist had little in the 

 way of books or coUections to aid bis studies. Through- 

 out the county but few students of animal life had been 

 developed. No convenient text-book had thenbeen writ- 

 ten applicable to this region, and many of the common 

 forms, among the lower animals, had not eveu been de- 

 scribed. The expense and difficulty of preserving speci- 

 mens prevented the formation of private collections in 

 many departments. In this part of the country, the mu- 

 seum of the East India Marine Society had alone attained 

 any considerable size, and that coUection was only open 

 to the public as a special favor and contained but little in 

 the way of specimens illustrating local natural history. 



