2 



THE FERN BULLETIN 



these trips, usually in company with one or two friends, 

 would continue for several days, the party stopping 

 where night overtook them. On such expeditions he 

 was sure to make friends with the farmers along the 

 route answering their queries about plants with an en- 

 thusiasm that never failed to interest his hearers and 

 which made him a welcome guest when he next came 

 that way. 



The last quarter of Mr. Grave's life was spent in 

 Susquehanna, Pa., where he was engaged in the marble 

 cutting business. Previous to this he resided at 

 Waverly, and at Deposit, N. Y. Although not soli- 

 citous of political honors, he for a time represented the 

 town of Deposit in t'.ie Board of. Supervisors and in 

 Susquehanna was at various times a member of the 

 Borough Council and of the Board of Health. His 

 common sense and unassuming ways gained him the 

 honor and respect of all who knew him. 



He was from boyhood interested in science especi- 

 ally in mathematics and astronomy, but it was not until 

 comparatively late in life that botany, for which he 

 was best known took first rank among his pursuits. He 

 was entirely self-taugh; but soon got out of the manu- 

 als all they had for him and then struck out alone. He 

 was attracted to the serious study of botany by the 

 contemplation of an hepatica blossom and this was 

 ever after one of his favorite flowers. He was an in- 

 defatiguable collector of all kinds of plants, but the 

 ferns, sedges and grasses were the objects of his ser- 

 ious study. Living plants also engaged his attention 

 and in the grounds surrounding his home he had some 

 hundreds of species under cultivation. His herbar- 

 ium was sold some years ago to Mr. Alfred Twining 

 of Scranton, Pa., in whose possession it has since re- 

 mained. 



