Weber files 



to Dr. Engelmann, St. Louis, Mo. 



June-July 1870 



My dear and very honored colleague, 



I hope that it is well understood, once and for all, that you will excuse me if my 

 correspondence is a little irregulär. 



Not wanting to write you short letters, I will resolve to write you the next day at 

 greater length. Tomorrows arrive with such haste and then pass. I beg of you not to think 

 there is ill will on my part. On the contrary your correspondence honors and interests me 

 mfinitely. I always dedicate a large portion of my time to the study of Cacti. 



First of all many thanks for the seeds that you were kind enough to send me through 

 the mtermediary Pfersdorff Ellis. They interested me infinitely. Düring the winter I 

 studied with great interest the diverse seeds comparing them to each other. 



The study of the Cereus pecten aborigenum have interested me very much. I would 

 not be surprised if this species were not a Cierge columnaris but a Cierge rampant. It.has 

 fohated cotyledons that are very big and long. Could it be coincidental that it is a neighbor 

 of the Cereus serpentinus from which I gave you unripened seeds that had already dried? 

 (You will question as an afterthought if the Classification of the Cereus serpentinus is 

 exact. I can guarantee in the strengest fashion, as I know this species very well, as it is 

 frequently seen around here, that it is correct) 



In regards the other two Cereus from which you sent me seeds, the first being 

 Cereus thurbori known by the Bound Commission's Report, in a catalogue in The Haage 

 and it has been described by Muehlenpfordt as Cereus ater. The second, Cereus palmeri 

 is known to me. The seeds indicate that they are Cierge columnare. When and where 

 have you described these? Who is this Mr. Palmer? It was he that wrote a treatise on the 

 cultivation of cacti at Versailles. 



Already last year but mostly this one, I have taken every possible opportunity to 

 gather flowers from the Cacti for the herbarium that I am making and that is very 

 successful. The flowers preserve themselves with their natural colors and can be used for 

 study and comparison nearly as well as if they were fresh. One must only take the 

 precaution of cutting the flowers in half. The longitudinal cut has the advantage of being 

 able to study the interior of the plant. The dried flowers, specially are admirably preserved. 

 The shades of pmk, red, violet and yellow remain very beautiful; only white does not look 

 as mce. I would like to continue this collection and little by little try to build a herbarium 

 which would be as complete as possible. I collect two of each as often as I can. It is my 

 goal to make this herbarium of great use in the comparison of flowers with each other. I 



