XXVlll 



have involved a vast amount of research into the older botanical 

 works, not a few of which have been thus rescued from oblivion. 



The ' Vorlesungen ueber Pnanzenphysiologie,'* which appeared 

 in 1882 (second edition 1887), was prepared to take the place of the 

 physiological sections of the t Lehrbuch,' the preparation of a revised 

 edition of the morphological and systematic portions being assigned 

 to a former colleague, Professor Goebel.f The method of the 

 ' Vorlesungen ' is, however, altogether different from that of the 

 ' Lehrbuch.' There is in it but little trace' of that laborious compila- 

 tion of facts from all sources which is the characteristic feature of 

 the 'Lehrbuch.' On the contrary, the references are comparatively 

 few. The book is, in fact, an exposition of the physiology of plants 

 from his own standpoint ; it is his confession of faith. In reading it 

 one seems to hear Sachs himself speaking, an illusion which is to 

 some extent justified by the fact that it Avas taken down from his 

 dictation. 



In closing this brief appreciation of his scientific work, it only 

 remains to point out that there is scarcely a branch of botanical 

 knowledge to which Sachs did not make some important and lasting 

 addition. 



As a lecturer Sachs was pre-eminent : he possessed great readiness 

 of utterance, together with rare force and lucidity. His experimental 

 lectures in particular will not easily be forgotten by those who have 

 had the privilege of attending them. The eloquent speech, the 

 pictorial illustration — generally by means of a stick of charcoal and 

 large sheets of white paper — the manipulative dexterity, all combined 

 to make these lectures fascinating aud to rivet attention, even though 

 their duration was never less than, and often exceeded, two hours. 

 But, beyond all his other gifts, Sachs was endowed with a vigorous 

 and stimulating personality, with the faculty of arousing in others the 

 enthusiasm with which he himself was overflowing. In his best days 

 at "Wiirzburg, his laboratory was filled with students from all the 

 countries of Europe. Among those who worked there are many well- 

 known Continental botanists, such as Pfeffer, Goebel, de Vries, Prantl 

 (who died a few years ago), Errera, Wortmann, JSToll ; and not a few 

 Fellows of the .Royal Society, I. B. Balfour, F. 0. Bower, F. Darwin, 

 W. Gardiner, D. H. Scott, H. M. Ward, and the present writer. 

 Great as has been the direct influence of his own work upon the 

 j)rogress of botany, the indirect effect exerted through his pupils has 

 been even greater. 



Apart from his botanical knowledge, Sachs was a man of wide 



* An English translation of this work was published by the Oxford University 

 Press in 1887. 



f An English translation of this book, with the title ' Outlines of Classification 



and Special Morphology/ was publisher! by the Oxfoivl University Press in 1837. 



