Botanical Writings of Rafinesque. 237 



A pamphlet (?) entitled " Neocloris or New Species of Western 

 America," is mentioned by Rafinesque, but neither the place nor 

 form of publication are given : we are wholly unacquainted 

 with it. 



1826. " School of Flora, with figures, Philadelphia." 



1828. " Neophyton Botanicon, or New Plants of North Amer- 

 ica." — Medical Flora of the United States, vol. 1, 12mo. Phila- 

 delphia. The second volume was published in 1830. It is illus- 

 trated with rather rude wood cuts, and contains much information 

 respecting the plants employed in popular medicine. 



1830. American Manual of the Grape Vines, and the Art of 

 MaJcing Wine. Philadelphia : a pamphlet of sixty-four pages, 

 12mo. — ^He describes sixty-two species of grape, of which forty 

 are natives of the United States ! One hundred varieties of our 

 species are characterized ! — " Botanical Letters to De Candolle." 



A gradual deterioration will be observed in Rafinesque's botan- 

 ical writings from 1819* to about 1830, when the passion for es- 

 tablishing new genera and species, appears to have become a com- 

 plete monomania. This is the most charitable supposition we 

 can entertain, and is confirmed by the opinions of those who 

 knew him best. Hitherto we have been particular in the enu- 

 meration of his scattered productions, in order to facilitate the la- 

 bors of those who may be disposed to search through bushels of 

 chaff for the grain or two of wheat they perchance contain. 

 What consideration they may deserve, let succeeding botanists 

 determine ; but we cannot hesitate to assert that none whatever 

 is due to his subsequent works. These, like many of the preced- 

 ing, are little known ; but we shall continue our enumeration, 

 and future writers can correct our opinion wherever they think 

 we have done the author injustice. 



1832. " The American Florist : thirty-six figures, 12mo. 

 Philadelphia." With this we are unacquainted. — Atlatitic Jour- 

 nal, and Friend of Knowledge. A periodical of which eight 



* It was in this year (1819) that I became alarmed by a flood of communications, 

 announcing new discoveries by C. S. Rafinesque, and being warned, both at home 

 and abroad, against his claims, I returned him a large bundle of memoirs, prepared 

 with his beautiful and exact chirography, and in the neatest form of scientific pa- 

 pers. This will account for the early disappearance of his communications from 

 this Journal. The step was painful, but necessary ; for, if there had been no other 

 difficulty, he alone would have filled the Journal, had he been permitted to pro- 

 ceed. — Sen. Editor. 



Vol. XL, No. 2.— Jan.-March, 1841. 31 



