﻿90 
  William 
  Qilson 
  Farlow. 
  

  

  full 
  advantage 
  of 
  the 
  rare 
  opportunity 
  presented 
  to 
  gain 
  

   an 
  extensive 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  vascular 
  plants 
  as 
  a 
  whole, 
  

   in 
  close 
  association 
  with 
  a 
  master 
  whose 
  broad-minded 
  

   outlook, 
  wide 
  knowledge 
  and 
  contagious 
  enthusiasm 
  were 
  

   in 
  themselves 
  an 
  inspiration. 
  His 
  predominant 
  interest, 
  

   however, 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  plants 
  and 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  

   Marine 
  Algae; 
  and 
  his 
  studies 
  on 
  the 
  last-mentioned 
  

   group 
  in 
  various 
  parts 
  of 
  New 
  England 
  and 
  especially 
  at 
  

   "Woods 
  Hole, 
  where, 
  in 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1871 
  he 
  joined 
  a 
  

   scientific 
  party 
  under 
  the 
  charge 
  of 
  Professor 
  S. 
  F. 
  Baird 
  

   of 
  the 
  Smithsonian, 
  had 
  already 
  made 
  him 
  an 
  authority 
  

   in 
  this 
  subject. 
  Since, 
  however, 
  it 
  was 
  almost 
  impossi- 
  

   ble, 
  in 
  America, 
  to 
  learn 
  anything 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  groups 
  

   of 
  the 
  lower 
  plants, 
  he 
  decided, 
  by 
  the 
  advice 
  of 
  Gray, 
  

   to 
  seek 
  this 
  knowledge 
  in 
  Europe 
  ; 
  desiring 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  

   time 
  to 
  come 
  into 
  personal 
  contact 
  with 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  lead- 
  

   ing 
  European 
  botanists, 
  and 
  to 
  familiarize 
  himself 
  with 
  

   the 
  new 
  botanical 
  points 
  of 
  view 
  and 
  methods 
  of 
  teaching 
  

   and 
  investigation 
  then 
  rapidly 
  developing 
  on 
  the 
  Conti- 
  

   nent. 
  He 
  therefore 
  sailed 
  for 
  England 
  in 
  June, 
  1872, 
  

   going 
  thence 
  immediately 
  to 
  Denmark, 
  Norway, 
  Sweden 
  

   and 
  Russia, 
  where 
  he 
  had 
  an 
  opportunity 
  to 
  see 
  a 
  number 
  

   of 
  distinguished 
  botanists, 
  and 
  especially 
  algologists, 
  

   with 
  whom 
  he 
  found 
  that 
  he 
  was 
  able 
  to 
  meet 
  on 
  equal 
  

   terms. 
  

  

  After 
  a 
  short 
  trip 
  to 
  Moscow, 
  of 
  which 
  he 
  wrote 
  that 
  

   what 
  most 
  nearly 
  appealed 
  to 
  him 
  was 
  the 
  railroad 
  sta- 
  

   tion 
  by 
  which 
  he 
  left 
  it, 
  he 
  took 
  the 
  long 
  journey 
  across 
  

   Eussia 
  to 
  Germany, 
  visiting 
  Berlin 
  and 
  various 
  other 
  

   German 
  cities 
  and 
  finally 
  settling 
  in 
  Strassburg 
  early 
  in 
  

   October, 
  where 
  he 
  had 
  decided 
  to 
  study 
  with 
  Anton 
  De 
  

   Bary, 
  then 
  Professor 
  of 
  Botany 
  and 
  Regent 
  of 
  the 
  Uni- 
  

   versity 
  of 
  Strassburg, 
  whose 
  reputation 
  was 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  

   second 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  no 
  other 
  European 
  botanist. 
  

  

  His 
  sojourn 
  in 
  Europe 
  extended 
  over 
  two 
  years 
  which 
  

   were 
  spent, 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part, 
  in 
  De 
  Bary 
  's 
  laboratories 
  ; 
  

   but 
  included 
  some 
  weeks 
  devoted 
  to 
  an 
  intensive 
  study 
  

   of 
  the 
  Lichens, 
  with 
  Dr. 
  J. 
  Miiller 
  at 
  Geneva 
  ; 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  

   Algae, 
  with 
  Bornet 
  and 
  Thuret 
  at 
  Antibes, 
  all 
  of 
  whom 
  

   were 
  men 
  preeminent 
  in 
  their 
  specialties. 
  During 
  this 
  

   period 
  he 
  corresponded 
  regularly 
  with 
  Asa 
  Gray; 
  and 
  

   his 
  letters, 
  which 
  are 
  preserved 
  in 
  the 
  Gray 
  Herbarium, 
  

   are 
  not 
  only 
  extremely 
  interesting 
  from 
  a 
  botanical 
  

   standpoint, 
  but 
  are 
  otherwise 
  very 
  entertaining 
  and 
  sug- 
  

  

  