EXhibition and Collection

B.11156  BARASCH, Iuliu Manualulu de botanica silvica: in usulu eleviloru de la scola de silvicultura si pentru forestieri practici / Iuliu Barasch. – Bucuresci: imprimeria statului, numita Niphon, 1861 . - [302] p. ;  22 cm Exemplar cu ultimele pagini numerotate gresit 630.14 630.17 592/599 582

The work was issued shortly after the establishment of the School of Silviculture from Bucharest. The author, Iuliu Barasch (1815-1863), was doctor, philosopher and professor of natural history. His opus includes books of medicine, natural sciences and philosophy. As stated in the preface, the "foreword" of the textbook, the latter was written by the author in guise of "commissioner" of the minister of religious affairs. The book has didactic purpose: "Scopulu acestui manualu este d'a da în mâna eleviloru de la scóla de Silvicultură, ca şi a forestieriloru practici, o carte care resumă totă ce ei trebue să scie în privinţa cunnoscinţei naturei arboriloru, a modului crescerei şi reuşirei plantaţiunei loru, şi a principieloru vătămătóre ce se opunù la desvoltarea loru normale" (The purpose of this textbook is to place in the hands both of the students attending the Silviculture school and of the foresters, a book that summarizes everything they have to know with reference to the tree nature, to their growth manner and to the planting success, as well as to the main pests opposing their normal development).

The foreword of the textbook is interesting, offering a series of information on the work related to the systematization of the submitted material, to its elaboration form and to the used information sources.  

The book is partially conceived as questions and answers which, as mentioned in the explanations, facilitates problem-memorizing and presents in a brief matter, the content of a long description, and the student’s attention is therefore better set on the “leading” points (s)he must know. Probably, at the time, this was a didactic method used in organizing the teaching and learning process and in elaborating the textbooks.

Part of the submitted material has descriptive character, well systematized, particularly interesting and appealing. The fir-tree is called "mountain forest ornament".

The textbook ends with an index of terms in Latin, named "Indiciulu (Index) Alfabetică Silvicu Latinu" (Latin Alphabetical Index for Silviculture).

In the foreword, the authors whose works constituted the documentation source are also mentioned:

Auguste Mathieu (1814-1890) - Flore forestière [ Probably editions 1 and 2, Nancy, Paris,1858, 1860], Massaloup, Collar – Nachturgeschite and Julius Theodor Christian Ratzeburg (1801-1871) - Die Waldverderber und ihre Feinde, Berlin, 1841.

As shown by the ownership stamps, the copy currently existing in the documentary collection of Transilvania University Library of Braşov originally belonged to the Polytechnic School Library of Bucharest. It stood for a duplicate copy and was transferred to the Silviculture Institute of Braşov.

"Manualulu de botanică silvică" is quoted in the paper entitled "Pinus strobus: past and future in Europe. A page of silvicultural history and international scientific cooperation", written by S. Radu and published in the magazine; Annals of  Forest Research, 2008, vol.51, p. 133-140, ISSN  1844-8135, magazine edited by ICAS and included in Master List of ISI Thomson. That paper specifies that the white fir-tree was mentioned, within the Romanian literature, for the first time, in "Manualulu de botanică silvică", during 1861, by Iuliu Barasch.