p.1

[left side]

To Alex Mitchell

May 5. 1865

[right side]

Milwaukee May 5. 1865

Dr Sir

One hundred thousand dollars
in Wisconsin State Bonds would be sufficient to
establish and permanently endow an institution
which would have the same relation to botany
and the cognate sciences as the Smithsonian
Institution has to more general objects. -
Its purposes would be to extend and diffuse
a knowledge of the vegetable kingdom in all
its branches and relations. This would
be best accomplished, in part, by the formation
of an herbarium to include, ultimately, specimens
of all known plants, a museum of vegetable
products, and a library of books on the
subjects of botany, horticulture, vegetable
chemistry &c. Such a collection would
be constantly consulted by teachers, physicians,
druggists, farmers, gardeners, nursery-men,
manufacturers, merchants, dyers, cabinet-
makers, and men of science. It would
aid & encourage scientific research & thus
promote new discoveries, leading to important
results.

over.

[left side]

To Alex Mitchell

May 5. 1865

[right side]

Milwaukee May 5. 1865

Dr Sir

One hundred thousand dollars
in Wisconsin State Bonds would be sufficient to
establish and permanently endow an institution
which would have the same relation to botany
and the cognate sciences as the Smithsonian
Institution has to more general objects. -
Its purposes would be to extend and diffuse
a knowledge of the vegetable kingdom in all
its branches and relations. This would
be best accomplished, in part, by the formation
of an herbarium to include, ultimately, specimens
of all known plants, a museum of vegetable
products, and a library of books on the
subjects of botany, horticulture, vegetable
chemistry &c. Such a collection would
be constantly consulted by teachers, physicians,
druggists, farmers, gardeners, nursery-men,
manufacturers, merchants, dyers, cabinet-
makers, and men of science. It would
aid & encourage scientific research & thus
promote new discoveries, leading to important
results.

over.