Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-06-21
SCIENTIST RETURNS
G. G. Pringle Has Completed His
25th Annual Mexican Trip.
Secured about 100 species to Distributc
among Best Herbnriums of the
World, for which He Is BOtan-
lcRI Collector.

Cyrus G.Pringle, keeper of the Pringlc
herbarium in the University of Vermont
and one of the foremost botanical col
lectors in the world. has returned to this
city from his twenty-fifth annual trip to
Mexico in the interests of science and for
botanical research Mr. Prinele is n ma
tive of Charlotte and has spent a life
time in working out the wonders of bot
nny, confining himself almost entirely 60
research, until he is now one of the best
known scientific explorers along botanical
lines in this country.
I Mr. Pringlo, besides being the botanical
collector of Harvard University, to which
position he was appointed by DIR. Asa
French, the father of American botany.
also collects specimens for fifty or sixty
of the leading educational institutions Of
this and many other countries, represent
ing the worlds best herbariums, such as
the royal museums of England. Scotland.
Germany, st Petersburg, British India
Japan and Australia.
Mr.. Pringlo left on his trip February
81. His Spanish assistant had spent the
winter at his home in Mexico and had
kept him Informed of the rains. which be-
gan in November and continued through
the winter. Tho assistant assured Mr..
Prngle that the country In that region
would be in fine vegetation. This was n
region which Mr.. Prngle began to ex-
plorc In 1889. making many discoveries at
that time. Since then the region had ex-
poricnced n cycle Of drauCht becoming
moro and more dry every year till it SEEM
cd as though tho plants had persisted from
lack Of water
81 returned thcre occasionally in those
years" said Mr.. Pringe TO Free Press
man Yesterday afternoon. and found
something that I never believed to he
possible. The century plant is largely
cultivated in that region for liquor pur-
poses and the soil had become SO dry
that the leaves Of this plant were wilted
PROSTATE on tho ground, a condition
never supposed to be possible"
Mr.. pringle arrived in Mexico toward
the latter part of February and began
) work, with his assistant. in this same
, region. now one of tho most luxuriant
regions he had ever seen. II have seen
= many countries where the land is bright
with nowerv vegetation, but never one
with such Il magnificent beauty as there
was in that region. Meadows We're pur-
pie with acres Of hyoenas. white Will
Mexican roppios, pink With primroses arc
'The point | would like 70 bring on
, Is this: I waited since 1889 for a gooC
season in which to return TO that re
;. gion. but the long cycle of drought KEEP
l down vegetation until this year. But thi!
year It was even more luxuriant thar
ever before. All of the old plants were
back again. after their long absence
> with a large number Of new ones which
U had grown there before.
1--WE stayed in that region for some time
" climbing into the mountains on alternat
days We stayed there until the veseta
Ition wilted. because the summer rain
. were late in coming. Then we passed 3
y miles west Of the city of Monterey, GU
lof this luXuriant land and into a perfec
, desert. We Travelled over l.5"omiles of cour
" try south of the Rio Grande and every
: where was the broad stretch of table Ian
" brown and dusty. waiting for the rains"
V Mr.. Prngle stated that his Spanish as
- sistant is firing of the outdoor worl
= Mexicans are very gentle and careful nc
- to over-exert themselves. Anything Tx
y real work Is dstasteful to them.
Mr.. pringle tells Of a conversation Il
had with a gentleman In charge of n MOI
y NAL school in the city OF Ohaco. 1t woul
he natural TO expect several students
. that school Win n hcnl Io"aru p"'d'lIc'
land scientific research. But the ma
stated that Mexicans are not anxious
= engage in that sort Of work. They preft
to be poets lawyers or orators. The pee
ple do not go out into tho sun more tina
~ is necessary, lest they become n-burne
~ They do not walk two blocks before the
y lookfor dust upon their shoes. They pr
fer the gentle in all things and leave II
hard work for the Americans from u
- north, who are overrunning the countr
w. and whom the gentle M2Xicans still rega'
as half barharians.
~ Mr.. Pringle will stay In Burlington tn
~ summer and expects to make anoth
trim to Mexico in the fall. On this la
81 trip he collected about lao different specie
J. many of them new. These he Is now dl
- tlibuting to his various patrons.