American Weeds and Useful Plants: Being a Second And; Illustrated Edition of Agricultural Botany (Classic Reprint) - Softcover

Excerpt from American Weeds and Useful Plants: Being a Second And; Illustrated Edition of Agricultural Botany

Agriculture, in a broad and legitimate sense, being a comprehensive system Of Natural Science - involving more especially a practical acquaintance with the useful portion Of the Vegetable Creation, I have long thought it due to the Profession, and desirable in every point Of view, that the young Farmers of the United States should acquire an exact knowledge Of the Plants which it immediately concerns them to know and that they should be enabled to designate, and treat Of them, with the precision and methodical perspicuity which belong to scientific language and arrangement. Under this impression, and in the hope Of promoting an Object deemed so important, the present work has been compiled. In submitting it to those for whom it is more particularly intended, I am not unaware that its technical features are ill-suited to the notions Of many plodding disciples Of the Old school of Agriculture, who despise every form of knowledge derivable from Books, - and whose ideas never stray beyond the manual Operations Of the field and the barn yard. It is scarcely probable, indeed, that any written treatise-though couched in the most familiar dialect - would obviate the Objections, or conciliate the prejudices of such antiquated tillers of the soil. My views, therefore, have not been directed to that unpromising quarter. I address myself to the youthful and aspiring Agriculturists of our country, who seek to elevate their noble Profession to its just rank among human pursuits, - and who feel that the exercise of intellect, as well as Of muscle, 18 indispensable to the accomplishment of their purpose.

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This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Excerpt from American Weeds and Useful Plants: Being a Second And; Illustrated Edition of Agricultural Botany

A now edition of Dock Darlington's Agricultural Botany having been called for, and as the author, at his advanced age, felt indisposed to assume the labor of a revision, the work was placed in my hands to prepare for tho press, with the author's permission to make such changes and additions as might seem desirable. Such alterations have been made in the botanical arrangement, and names, as the advance of the science required, and descriptions have been added of such plants, not included in the former edition, as are generally known as weeds. Besides these, I have noticed the common medicinal plants, and such of our native shrubs as arc worthy of cultivation, - those that are both ornamental and easily obtained. These latter may not strictly come within the class of "useful," but arc introduced with tho hope of inducing farmers to render the exterior of their homes more attractive by surrounding them with beautiful shrubbery, which, once planted, will be a permanent source of gratification not only to tho possessors, but to travelers who pass them. Tho yards of our country dwellings generally present a forlorn appearance, which the attempt often made to cultivate a few coarse flowering plants, rather increases than removes.

In the introduction of new plants, the plan of the original work has been conformed to, and the descriptions of these are taken from Darling-ton's Flora Cestrica, when that work contained them; in other cases, those in Torrey's Flora of the State of New York, and Gray's Manual of the Botany of the Northern States have been used.

I am exceedingly indebted to Prof. Gray for permission to use his Analytical Key to the Natural Orders, and have modified it, as well as some of his Synopses of Orders and Genera, to suit the present work.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.