Creator
[Asa Gray]
Recipient
John Muir
Transcription
restrain evaporation, & so dried too much. I should have had oiled paper or oiled cloth to wrap them in. But I find the best and most avail= able thing to send live plants in by post is [underline: Segar-boxes], and the [transcript says "plants" - don't look like plants to me] packed [underline: snugly] in hardly damp moss. - [underline: peat moss (Sphagnum) by all means, if that is to be had. I should think it grew in the valley. The season for safe sending is at hand, and I will begin next sheet with a list of some of the things I am longing for, at the rate of a segar box full of each.
Botanic Garden - Cambridge, Mass. Sept. 11, '72
My Dear Muir
Your welcome letter of the 24th Aug. reached Cambridge before I did and I respond to it among the earliest. How you must have enjoyed Torrey, and what a surprise it must have been! And to us too, to know that he was at Salt Lake City, and almost on his way to Ogden when we were there going East. We (wife & I) had to the last a happy, successful, and instructive journey. - except that the driver upset us on the way to Calaveras - at Jamestown, & sprained Mrs Gray's shoulder. But it is all well now. We made no long excursions after our return to San Francisco.
But we went to Santa Cruz, by land, and had a day among the Redwoods of the San Lorenzo Velley - more of which, for size would do not discredit to Calaveras or Mariposa. Going E. we reached the Colorado Mts. via Denver. - found Dr. Parry settled for the summer at Empire City, in a cabin, by himself, which would have delighted you. - I climbed with him Mt. Parry & Mt [illegible] and he made with me & Mrs. Gray a most successful & gratifying ascent of Gray's Peak. - the finest mountain I know. I am going to send you & Mr. Hutchings, books &
00614
publications as soon as I can get them from New York. And my Dubuque discourse - which I rehearsed to you in our pleasant walks - I shall send by mail as soon as printed - in 2 weeks, way. - Now I am longing for some of the plants that grow around you - and seeds. The ferns we took from Nevada Fall neighborhood were, I find, sent too dry, & a considerable part are dead in consequence That is they were packed in a cotton bag without anything to
Botanic Garden. Cambridge, Mass.,
Sept. 11, '72.
My dear Muir:
Your welcome letter of the 24th Aug. reached Cambridge before I did, and I respond to it among the earliest.
How you must have enjoyed Torrey, and what a surprise it must have been! And to us, too, to know that he was at Salt Lake City, and almost on his way to Ogden when we were there going East.
We (wife and I) had to the last a happy, successful and instructive journey, except that the driver upset us on the way to Calaveras - at Jamestown, and sprained Mrs. Gray's shoulder. But it is all well now. We made no long excursions after our return to San Francisco. But we went to Santa Cruz, by land, and had a day among the Redwoods of the San Lorenzo Valley, some of which, for size, would do no discredit to Calaveras or Mariposa. Going E[ast] we reached the Colorado Mts. via Denver. Found Dr. Parry settled for the summer at Empire City, in a cabin by himself, which would have delighted you. I climbed with him Mt. Parry and Mt. ? [illegible] and he made with me and Mrs. Gray a most successful and gratifying ascent of Gray's Peak - the finest mountain I know.
I am going to send you and Mr. Hutchings books and publications as soon as I can get them from New York. And my Dubuque discourse, which I rehearsed to you in our pleasant walks, I shall send by mail as soon as printed - in two weeks, say.
Now I am longing for some of the plants that grow around you - and seeds. The ferns we took from Nevada Fall neighbourhood were, I find, sent too dry, and a considerable part are dead in consequence. That is, they were packed in a cotton bag without anything to restrain evaporation, and so dried too much. I should have had oiled paper or oiled cloth to wrap them in. But I find the best and most available thing to send live plants in by post is Segar-boxes, and the plants packed snugly in hardly damp moss - peat moss (Sphagnum) by all means, if that is to be had. I should think it grew in the Valley. The season for safe sending is at hand, and I will begin [the] next sheet with a list of some of the things I am longing for, at the rate of a segar box full of each.
[Remainder of letter evidently lost]
[Asa Gray]
575
Location
Cambridge, Mass Botanic Garden
Date Original
1872 Sep 11
Source
Original letter dimensions: 20.5 x 25.5 cm.
Recommended Citation
Gray, Asa, "Letter from [Asa Gray] to John Muir, 1872 Sep 11." (1872). John Muir Correspondence (PDFs). 1475.
https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/muir-correspondence/1475
Resource Identifier
muir02_0897-let.tif
File Identifier
Reel 02, Image 0897
Collection Identifier
Online finding aid for the microform version of the John Muir Correspondence http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt0w1031nc
Copyright Status
Copyright status unknown
Copyright Statement
Some letters written to John Muir may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Owning Institution
Holt-Atherton Special Collections, University of the Pacific Library. Please contact this institution directly to obtain copies of the images or permission to publish or use them beyond educational purposes.
Pages
3 pages
Keywords
Environmentalist, naturalist, travel, conservation, national parks, John Muir, Yosemite, California, history, correspondence, letters
