FRAAS

fraas, karl nikolas (1810-1875), german botanist and agriculturist, was born at rattelsdorf, near bamberg, on the 8th of september 1810. after receiving his preliminary education at the gymnasium of bamberg, he in 1830 entered the university of munich, where he took his doctor's degree in 1834. having devoted great attention to the study of botany, he went to athens in 1835 as inspector of the court garden; and in april 1836 he became professor of botany at the university. in 1842 he returned to germany and became teacher at the central agricultural school at schleissheim. in 1847 he was appointed professor of agriculture at munich, and in 1851 director of the central veterinary college. for many years he was secretary of the agricultural society of bavaria, but resigned in 1861. he died at his estate of neufreimann, near munich, on the 9th of november 1875. his principal works are: [greek: stoicheia tes botanikes] (athens, 1835); _synopsis florae classicae_ (munich, 1845); _klima und pflanzenwelt in der zeit_ (landsh., 1847); _histor.-encyklopad. grundriss der landwirthschaftslehre_ (stuttgart, 1848); _geschichte der landwirthschaft_ (prague, 1851); _die schule des landbaues_ (munich, 1852); _baierns rinderrassen_ (munich, 1853); _die kunstliche fischerzeugung_ (munich, 1854); _die natur der landwirthschaft_ (munich, 1857); _buch der natur fur landwirthe_ (munich, 1860); _die ackerbaukrisen und ihre heilmittel_ (munich, 1866); _das wurzelleben der culturpflanzen_ (berlin, 1872); and _geschichte der landbau und forstwissenschaft seit dem 16^ten jahrh._ (munich, 1865). he also founded and edited a weekly agricultural paper, the _schranne_. fracastoro [fracastorius], girolamo [hieronymus] (1483-1553), italian physician and poet, was born at verona in 1483. it is related of him that at his birth his lips adhered so closely that a surgeon was obliged to divide them with his incision knife, and that during his infancy his mother was killed by lightning, while he, though in her arms at the moment, escaped unhurt. fracastoro became eminently skilled, not only in medicine and belles-lettres, but in most arts and sciences. he studied at padua, and became professor of philosophy there in 1502, afterwards practising as a physician in verona. it was by his advice that pope paul