
          222

Domitzer (Domnitzer, Donitzer, or Donizer), Johann.
Pflantzbüchlein. 1529 et seq.

Pritzel, 1st ed., no.2674, says nothing is known of this author
and nobody has seen his book since Camerarius and Fuiren ("Bib. Med.
Henrici Fuiren"). Pritzel also remarks that Haller (Bib. Bot. 1:297)
queried whether this might be a work of Lonitzer, presumably under a
mistaken spelling, but that Abraham Kail, "Programma ad promotionem
P. Thorstensen" (1775), p.6, concluded the two authors were distinct.
We do not have access to Kail’s work, but it seems rather improbable
that Adam Lonitzer, the botanist, born in 1528, could have produced
the work mentioned by Haller as "Johann Donizer De stirpium cultura.
Francf. 1547." The latter date, however, falls within the period of
literary activity of Adam’s father, Johann Lonitzer (1499-1569), and
the fact that Domitzer had the same forename adds to the interest of
Haller’s conjecture.

Moreover, there must have been many issues of this work without
the author’s name. It is bracketed in many bibliographies, and many
titles are entered anonymously. The variety of spellings for the author’s 
name may have resulted from the fact that it rarely appeared
in his book. In recent times Pritzel’s spelling, "Domitzer," is generally 
accepted, altho Camerarius, the earliest authority we can find
for this work, spells it "Donitzer." Seguier and Haller both give it
as "Donizer," possibly after Münchhausen; it is spelled "Donnizer" by
Boehmerj "Domnitzer" by Miltitzj and "Donnitzer" by Burchardt. Camerarius 
is also sometimes cited for the Latin title quoted by Haller:
"De stirpium cultura," but in his "De re rustica opuscula nonnulla"
(Noribergae, 1577, 52d leaf), the book is entered as "Ioannis Donitzer 
pflantzbüchlein. in 8. anno 1547. Francof." This clearly shows
the title was German, not Latin, and there is little doubt that the
book itself was a German text. This being the case, we think there
never was a Latin edition of this work.

The edition listed by Camerarius is more widely known than the
other German ones, but the book was many times republished from 1529
to 1598, and in the 17th century there were three issues of a Danish
version. It was rather vaguely entered in the first edition of Pritzel’s 
"Thesaurus" (1851), but is one of the few works of horticultural 
as distinguished from botanical scope that are found in the 2d ed.
(1872), where the entry under Domitzer is an altogether new one, suggesting 
that the discovery of one or two copies of such a rare work
may have justified its reinstatement after it had originally been intended 
to omit it from the new edition.

There is enough similarity in title between Domitzer's book and
the "Lustgärten mid pflantzung mit wunsamer zyerde,” first published
at Augsburg, 1530, by H. Stayner, who also published a "Pflantzbüchlein" 
in 1534, so that the two may have sometimes been confused. But
the contents of the two books show considerable differences both in
style and scope. Domitzer's book relates especially to the growing
and training of fruit trees, and does not give so much on gardening
in general as the "Lustgärten," neither does it present so many fanciful 
notions and superstitions. But inasmuch as the copy of Domitzer's 
work examined was published in 1587, it may have been greatly
revised and improved since the original edition of 1529.

Domitzer (p.222-225) revised. May 3, 1940 -- MFW
        