Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 74.djvu/129

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BOTANY AT ST. LOUIS
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in 1844. He also came into possession of some of Geyer's collections, as it is definitely stated that they had been deposited in the Engelmann herbarium.

In 1841 Geyer went with Fremont to the Des Moines River in Iowa territory, where he found a number of new plants. In 1843 he explored the upper Illinois territory and formed the herbarium which was first offered for sale. In 1843 he began the journey from Missouri to the Pacific coast, lasting through the years 1843 and 1844. He explored the northwestern country very extensively and penetrated to hitherto inaccessible places by accompanying missionary trains on their visits to the different Indian tribes. He finally reached Fort Vancouver, and from there sailed on November 13, 1844, for England, going by way of the Sandwich Islands and Cape Horn. He arrived in England May 25, 1845, and spent some months at Kew, working over his collections and sorting out small lots of plants to sell. A large part of his profits from such sales was used in defraying expenses caused by a sickness brought on by his previous hardships. In September, 1845, he again returned to his home in Saxony, after an absence of eleven years. At first he entered the employment of head-gardener Lehman in Dresden, and later in the Royal Botanical Garden. His wanderings had shown him the value of a home, and on August 24, 1846, he married Miss Emma Schulze. Besides his duties for the garden he taught students the English language, his pupils coming from every class in Meissen. Geyer also took a prominent part in the local society for the advancement of science. During the last three years of his life he was editor of Chronik des Gartenwesens und Feuilleton der Isis, a periodical published at Meissen on the first and fifteenth of the month, from January 1, 1851, to December 15, 1853. Geyer's death occurred just before the end of the third volume, and it was discontinued with the third volume. While in no wise neglecting his duties at the garden, he came in written communication with the prominent botanists of the time and rounded out his collections. Heart disease troubled him considerably in his latter days and finally caused his death on November 21, 1853.

In 1835 a physician, George Engelmann by name, settled in St. Louis and soon built up a lucrative practise. During his spare moments he worked upon botanical problems, and before long he had established a reputation among botanists such that at his death he was ranked among the foremost of botanical workers.

Dr. George Engelmann[1] was born at Frankfort-on-the-Main, February

  1. "Gray, Asa, Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts and Sci., 19: 516-522, 1884.
    Sander, Enno, Trans. St. Louis Acad. Sci., 4: 1-18 (Supplement).
    Anonymous, Pop. Sci. Monthly, 29: 260-265, 1886.