40 



world renowned societies, and of men of learning, and 

 was a member of the Zoological and Botanical Society 

 of Vienna. 



"The best known of his works is "The Fungi Caro- 

 liniani Exsiccati," in five volumes; which appeared 

 1853-60. This was the first published series of named 

 specimens of American fungi, of which only thirty 

 were issued. At a later period he, in connection with 

 Prof. M. C. Cooke, of England, published in England a 

 second series, 'Fungi Americani Exsiccati.' These 

 copies were sold at five guineas each." 



"In 1869 he, with Prof. Gangee, was appointed by the 

 United States Government to investigate the cattle dis- 

 ease known as "milk sick," then prevailing in Texas. 

 The common opinion, and one may hear it all over the 

 mountains of Western Carolina to this day, is that cows 

 are affected with this disease, so dangerous to mankind, 

 by eating a poisonous plant. The exhaustive report of 

 these botanists is said to disprove this theory. 



"In a long article in the Botanical Gazette, published 

 at Crawfordsville, Indiana, August, 1887, it is said: 

 "The name of Ravenel will be perpetuated in the genus 

 Ravenelia of the Uredineae, a genus so peculiar in its 

 character that it is not probable that it will ever be 

 reduced to a synonym. One genus and fifty new species 

 of plants have beett named after him. His researches 

 were original, and it is fairly claimed that his knowl- 

 edge of the clryptogamic flora of the Southern States 

 exceeded that of any other person ; and for a long time 

 he and his friend, Dr. M. A. Curtis, were the only Amer- 

 icans who knew specifically the fungi of the United 

 States, 



It is said thkt he was better known and appreciated 

 in Europe than ih this country." 



