THE FERN BULLETIN 



VOL. Ylll 



OCTOBER, 1900. 



NO. 4. 



JOHN GOLDIE. 



By Willard N. Clute. 



HE history of American botany shows that the pioneers in 



the study found the road to knowledge anything but 



smooth. What with poor and uncertain means of com- 

 munication, few and small libraries and no herbariums or 

 botanical manuals, the pursuit of "the amiable science" must 

 have been much less attractive than at present. Bat even those 

 days were not lacking in men with sufficient patience, courage 

 and energy to surmount every obstacle between them and their 

 chosen study. They threaded the trackless wildernesses on foot 

 and often alone, carrying their plants and other baggage on their 

 backs and counting it good fortune if the cabin of some remote 

 settler gave them an occasional night's shelter. Of this class of 

 botanists was John Goldie, who explored parts of Canada and 

 the United States early in the present century and of whom it is 

 written: "Of a hardy constitution, fearless disposition, patient 

 in his investigations, accurate in his judgments and with a fond- 

 ness for his favorite science that no fatigue or discouragements 

 could overcome, he is not unworthy of a place among those 

 brave spirits of the Old World who became the pioneers of re- 

 search in Canada." 



John Goldie was born in the Parish of Kirkoswold. Ayrshire, 

 Scotland, on the 2ist of March, 1793. In his youth he served an 

 apprenticeship as gardener and afterwards entered the Glasgow 

 Botanic Gardens, where he received a thorough training in botany. 

 In 18 1 7, at the suggestion of Sir William Hooker, he took ship for 

 America with the purpose of investigating the flora of the New 

 World. As the vessel approached our shores, stress of weather 

 drove her into Halifax. Here Goldie landed and wandered to 

 northern New Brunswick and on to Quebec, carrying with him 

 all the roots and specimens collected. During this trip he made 

 many sketches of the scenery, with notes upon the geology and 

 botany of the region. Upon reaching Quebec he placed this ma- 



