Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1866-03-15

0IO, vi bHt lnauuNl III "hANA ~
boro shoemaker has become one of the
most learned botanists In the world, Is
q wonderful story, but no less true than
wonderful. 1t first appeared in print
year ago, but scarcely any notice was
taken of 1t by the Vermont press.
whether this was owing to a want of
belief in the truth OF the story, or some
hess creditable cause, we know not A.
d. Hager, Esq, of Proctorsville, Is the
responsible author of the article, and his |
character alone should have disarmed |
skepticism in the matter.
The story is so wonderful, so credita-
BILE to its subject, and so much a matter
for natural and just state pride, that we
have taken the liberty to copy the fol-
lowing from private letter which we
have recently received from Mr.. Hager.
In writing us about the manner in
which his account of Mr.. Frost's re-
markable progress in botonical science
was received, he says:
at is true, and knowing it to be true,
supposed others would believe 1t If
the story were told and put my name
TO 1t. But that conclusion proved er-
roneous; for while every state paper
could find space for brief notices that
Mr.. Somebody had raised a pig that
weighed $40 IL, and Mr.. Somebody else
had raised one that weighed 1872 IA, or
that Mr.. Somebody of Somewhere was
cutting tree and somehow it fell upon
him, and nearly or quite killed him;
there was no space found to make men
lion of the rare instance of self-culture,
embraced in the article concerning Mr..
Frost. To me it is quite as wonderful
that man should, in the space Of TWEEN
ty years, in addition to attending to his
ordinary business, acquire good knowl-
edge of three or four languages, rise by
his own efforts and became authority for
the npans of the country, as it is that a
man by feeding pig should make it
grow fast, or that man who would not
keep from under tree should get
crushed by its fall. And is not the In
1uence exerted in the former case quite
IS salutary as in the latter.
Mr.. Frost is remarkable man, and 1t
is no disparagement to Others to say he
Is the most scientific man in tie State. Dur
Ing the recess of the Teachers Conven-
tian in Brattleboro, called upon him
~(as / always do when in Brattleboro) and
he showed me I think over 700 speci-
mems of preserved Fungi, every one Of
which was Systematically arranged with
the generic and specific names appended,
and to many of them were attached des-
criptions which he had given to the
hitherto undescribed species or genera.
Nearly all of his works of reference
relating to the cryptogamous plants are
in foreign anguages-mostly in Ger
man. So too are many Of his works on
the science of Entomology have fire.
quently seen him consult his German or
French books, and heard him read and
translate the descriptions OF the speCi-
mems submitted for his examination. 1t
is from the Greek and Latin that he OBJ
tains his names (Which must be chayae-
sefStto of the genus or species to get the
approval of such men as Gray, Tucker
man and other botanists Of the country
which he has had the honor of applying
TO probably over hundred different
plants or Fungi that were undescribed
and unnamed till he took hold of them.
His monograph on Fungi is probably far
ahead of any thing else Of the kind in
this country. In original research he is
probably ahead or fully equal to any
man in New England. The fact of his
having collected 700 species of Fungi,
embracing all the species from rust on
wheat or the mold on cheese to the
s'hshroom from the dung hill, attest to
the fact of his being an industrious man.
When not engaged in waiting upon a
customer, he is at lis books in the rear
of his store. His industry and pereever-
snee are proverhlal in Brattleboro. A
few In his village appreciate him and
realize that they have man of profound
scientific attachments in thei.r midst
but generally he Is considered not much
Of man to be fooling away his time in
the atudy of such worthless things as
toad-stools, bugs, butterflies and flowers
But he is favorably known to the scien-
tific men of the country and his works
will last through all time If they are
not lost by accident or the inattention
of those into whose hands they may fall
How ably would he I'll the ProfessorshiE
of Natural History in any of our New
3 England Colleges-but he is too modest
and unassuming to ever move in that
direction, and those positions are toe
often filled by brainless copyists who nc
more equal him than does candle tn,
sun at midday"
CAuFoRsIA.-The California delega
ZION in Congress have received a dispatcf