employed by Dr. Emmons to carry out the "botanical" survey 

 was one who was already familiar with the* "botanical produc- 

 tion" of every part of North Carolina, the Rev. M. A. Curtis, 

 rector of the Episcopal Church at Hillsboro, N. C. His pecuniary 

 compensation was $500 per annum for the years 1859 to 1865. 



Moses Ashley Curtis was born May 11, 1808, at Stockbridge, 

 Mass., the son of the Rev. Jared Curtis. His mother was Thank- 

 ful Ashley, daughter of Gen. Moses Ashley. A graduate of 

 Williams College (1827) he came to Wilmington in 1830 as tutor 

 in the family of Governor Dudley. In December 1834 he married 

 Mary DeRosset of Wilmington and a year later was ordained a 

 minister in the Episcopal Church. After three years' missionary 

 work out from Lincolnton, N. C. and two years teaching in 

 Raleigh, he spent a year in our mountains on account of his 

 health. Then after a short period of mission work at Wash- 

 ington, N. C. he removed early in 1841 to Hillsboro where he 

 lived until his death in 1872, except for the years 1847-56 when 

 he took the pastorate at Society Hill, S. C. Practically his only 

 publication, outside of articles in the scientific press, were "The 

 Woody Plants of North Carolina," (1860) of which this "Shrubs 

 and Vines of North Carolina" was the latter part; the first part 

 dealt with the "Trees of North Carolina." His studies, however, 

 extended to all plant life and greatly extended our knowledge of 

 the fungi, lichens, liverworts, etc. Donald C. Peattie, in sum- 

 marizing his biological sketch of Dr. Curtis, in the Dictionary 

 of American Biography, says : "Like the evolution controversy 

 the great military conflict (the War between the States) seems 

 scarcely to have touched his tranquil nature, given as it was to 

 religion and science which for him transcended all animosities," 

 and Thomas F. Wood, in his paper on Dr. Curtis, read before the 

 Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society May 22, 1885, quoted this very 

 pertinent verse : "For him the earth was crammed with Heaven, 

 and every common bush afire with God." 



In recommending the publication of this old report, it is rea- 

 lized that changes have taken place in the classification and 

 scientific nomenclature* of our native plants but the common 

 names have changed very little. Since no recent book on North 

 Carolina shrubs can now be had, it seems wise to make available 

 this painstaking and popularly written report until something 

 else is available. "Common Forest Trees of North Carolina," 

 published by this Department, and the much more adequate 

 books, "Trees of the Southeastern States," by Coker and Totten, 

 and "Trees of the South," by Charlotte Hilton Green, already 

 supply information on the trees of the state. There has for some 

 time been under preparation a book on the shrubs of the state 



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