354 A DECADE OF WORK AT HOME. [1848, 



anxiety. Two more years like the last would probably 

 destroy me. If I had an assistant or two, to take de- 

 tails off my hands, I might stand it ; as it is I cannot. 

 Carey spent three months with me last season, and 

 was to study and ticket your Texan collection in my 

 hands, take a set for his trouble, and Mr. LoweU 

 and Mr. S. T. Carey would take what they needed 

 and pay for them, so that I could pay your book-biU 

 at Fowle's. The utmost Carey found time to do was 

 to throw the collection into orders ; there they still lie, 

 in the corner ! There perhaps they had best lie, now, 

 till the collection of the past season reaches me, when 

 I will try to study them all together, along with Lind- 

 heimer's collections, a set of which still waits for me 

 to study them. Will you wonder that I am a little 

 disheartened when, in spite of every effort, I make so 

 little progress ? And in six weeks I begin to lecture 

 in college again ; and in April the Garden will require 

 more time than I can give it. Such are merely some 

 of the things on my hands, some of my cares ! StiU 

 I am interested in you, and in your collections, and 

 wiU do what I can. . . . 



Then if you will continue to send seeds (pretty 

 largely), also bulbs, cacti, tubers, etc., now in early 

 spring (and root-cuttings of some vines), taking pains 

 that they are sent in a direct way, so as to come 

 alive in May, etc., I will get an appropriation allowed 

 from the Garden for you. Don't try other live plants 

 till we have better communication with Texas. We 

 have sunk money in this already and had to give it 

 up. ... 



Forgive my long neglect ; accept my apologies. I '11 

 see if I can do any better hereafter, when I have a 

 wife to write letters for me. 



