lit; 
JOURNAL OF MYCOLOGY. 
[VOL. II, 
This catalogue covered his mosses, liverworts and fungi, and although 
quite full, it was impossible to ascertain its completeness without a more 
careful examination of the herbarium itself than could be given during 
a short visit. 
It is said that Mr. Frost’s systematic study of botany began through 
the advice of an eminent physician of New York, whom he consulted for 
a severe dyspeptic disorder. Finding that the former was fond of dowers, 
this physician advised him to take exercise in walking and botanizing, an 
hour at a time, twice each day. This regimen not only speedily altered 
Mr. Frost’s health for the better, but he soon developed that same eager 
but quiet enthusiasm in the study of plants that he had shown for other 
sciences. It was not long before he became interested in cryptogamic 
botany. He made a large collection of ferns, native and foreign, which 
is still preserved, also one of the mosses and liverworts. Next he began 
to collect and study the fungi. Having obtained the ordinary English 
works on this subject, he sent tor Fries’ Systema Mycologicmn. He found, 
on its arrival, that it was in Latin. He immediately procured a Latin 
grammar, and in six months, during the intervals of business and at 
night, he had learned enough Latin to easily read scientific works. In 
the same way, he acquired French and German, and it is said that other 
foreign languages, in which scientific works were written, were also read 
by him with comparatively little difficulty. 
Mr. Frost’s life was very methodical. He occupied the same store for 
‘ forty-nine years, and accumulated, by thrift and good judgment, a con¬ 
siderable fortune ; but, from a very early period, he maintained fixed 
daily hours for study. He regularly allowed himself a half hour for 
dinner, and from half past twelve till one p. m. he as regularly spent in 
the little attic study. He frequently went into the woods in the fresh, 
early morning, before business hours, and often devoted his evenings to 
some botanical work. Beside these hours for the study of specimens, he 
lead much in his store, and several of the inhabitants of Brattleboro' 
have given the writer exactly the same reminiscence of him, viz.: that 
when customers called at his place of business, he almost invariably laid 
down a book in order to wait on them, and took it up again immediately 
on finishing. Every spare moment seemed to have been utilized for study. 
In short, his life, like that of most men, successful in the way he was, 
was very orderly and well arranged, and really comparatively simple, i. e.: 
Directed with considerable intensity toward comparatively few ends. 
Apparently, it had but two prominent aspects : First, its business side, 
where he was shrewd, careful and economical; second, its student side, 
where his accumulations were equally steady and uninterrupted. He 
had also strong religious convictions, and has himself said that he had 
not been absent from church for tliirty-two years. But he steadily 
declined public office, and is said to have never held any of any kind. 
He declined to give up his business for a complete devotion to science 
and study. His characteristic remark. “ Whatever I have accpiired of 
