MINUTES  OP  THE  COLLEGE. 
285 
have  made  50  excursions,  and  collected  about  400  species  and  varieties  of 
phanerogamous  plants,  officinal  or  otherwise  useful,  either  in  medicine, 
the  arts,  or  as  ornamental  plants. 
Of  these  plants,  we  have  remarked  the  following  as  growing  wild  :  Papa- 
ver  somniferum,  P.  Rhoeas,  Brassica  rapa,  Raphanus  sativus,  Viola 
odorata.  Althaea  rosea,  Matricaria  parthenium.  Cannabis  sativa,  Aspara- 
gus officinalis.  All  were  found  in  the  neighborhood  of  dwellings  or  farms, 
but  with  the  exception  of  the  last  two,  can  scarcely  be  considered  as  suf- 
ficiently naturalized  in  this  locality.* 
We  have  commenced  to  prepare  tbe  Gollectio  Plantarum  Officinarum 
as  authorized  by  the  College  in  September  last ;  until  now  we  have 
mounted  on  suitable  boards  84  different  species  and  varieties  of  plants, 
mostly  of  our  own  collection,  all  of  which  either  are,  or  have  been,  or  are 
likely  to  become,  officinal ;  some  others  require  to  be  mounted  yet.  Along 
with  the  plants  from  our  own  soil,  we  have  also  mounted  the  correspond- 
ing foreign  species,  likewise  sections  of  the  root,  the  fruit  and  the  seed. 
Herewith  we  present  to  the  College  two  of  the  cases  prepared  for  the 
reception  of  this  collection. 
The  plants  collected  by  ourselves,  and  the  various  smaller  collections 
in  possession  of  the  College,  we  are  now  busily  engaged  to  arrange  into 
the  principal  herbarium,  for  the  better  keeping  of  which  we  had  some  of 
the  book  cases  altered,  after  obtaining  an  appropriation  from  the  Board 
of  Trustees.  We  expect  to  finish  this  work  in  about  two  weeks,  when  we 
will  be  ready  to  prepare  our  exchanges  for  Europe. 
In  accordance  with  the  authority  granted  to  us,  we  have  entered  into 
correspondence  with  various  pharmaceutists  and  botanists,  both  in  the 
United  States  and  Europe.  Besides  to  Dr.  Fliickiger  in  Berne,  we  shall 
prepare  a  collection  for  Professor  Theobald  in  Chur,  and  for  Mr.  Daniel 
Hanbury  in  London,  who  has  consented  to  further  our  object  by  induc- 
ing some  of  his  friends  to  exchange  with  us.  On  the  European  continent 
we  are  in  hopes  of  having  another  correspondent  through  the  influence  of 
Professor  Buchner  in  Munich. 
The  Committee  feel  indebted  to  Messrs  C.  A.  Heinitsch  of  Lancaster, 
Pa.,  F.  Stearns  of  Detroit,  Mich.,  Dr.  Rob.  Battey  of  Rome,  Ga.,  and 
E.  L.  Massot  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  for  the  kindness  and  the  zeal  which  they 
have  manifested  in  securing  us  exchanges  from  their  respective  localities. 
Some  of  the  gentlemen  to  whom  we  have  been  referred,  have  not  yet  di- 
rectly expressed  their  inclination  to  exchange  with  us  ;  but  we  believe 
that  we  shall  enter  upon  our  first  year's  exchanges  with  eight  correspond- 
ents in  this  country  and  Europe. 
It  is  obvious  that  your  Committee  will  be  kept  very  busy  during  the 
approaching  season  with  collecting  medicinal  and  other  plants  ;  most  of 
those  of  our  last  year's  collection  will  have  to  be  gathered  anew,  to  meet 
the  probable  demands;  for  a  number  we  have  to  find  new  places  of 
growth  ;  and  natural  orders,  which  had  to  be  more  or  less  neglected  last 
year,  will  receive  more  attention  in  consequence  of  greater  faculities 
being  offered  after  the  expected  arrival  of  the  microscope.  It  shall  like- 
wise be  our  endeavor  to  complete  as  nearly  as  possible  the  officinal  col- 
lection by  next  fall,  so  that  it  may  be  used  in  the  lectures  during  the 
coming  winter. 
While  the  gathering  of  plants  in  the  fields  and  forests  of  our  neighbor- 
hood is  connected  with  great  pleasure,  and,  we  hope,  benefit  to  ourselves 
and  the  College,  we  wish  to  draw  attention  to  a  circumstance  which 
*  Note.  The  list  of  plants  collected,  with  the  locality  where  found,  we  have 
had  to  omit  for  want  of  space.  Editor.] 
