488 ricker: botanical activity in district of Columbia 



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York where he had planned to start a Botanical Garden. ^ There 

 seems to be no evidence of his collecting specimens in the Poto- 

 mac region at this time except that as he was on a mission from 

 the King of France to collect seed for the Royal Botanical Gar- 

 den at Paris it is not at all improbable that some specimens were 

 collected here. 



It seems likely that the first local American who had any 

 accurate knowledge of the native plants and their names was 

 Thomas Jefferson, and this knowledge is abundantly proven in 

 his correspondence. He entered Washington's cabinet as Sec- 

 retary of State in 1789, and although the seat of government was 

 not moved from Philadelphia to the District of Columbia until 

 June, 1800, he was doubtless here frequently on his way to Mon- 

 ticello. That his official duties here were no bar to his collect- 

 ing plants is well sh^wn by the request of one William Hamilton in 

 1808 for seed of one of the hollies. After three failm-es by local 

 amateurs to secure the right seed, Jefferson was forced to do 

 the collecting himself and obtained it at the first attempt. 



In view of his well-known interest in plants, Jefferson, on the 

 removal of the government to Washington, was immediately 

 besieged by offers from gardeners^ to establish a botanical 

 garden in the District. At the time he did not consider it the 

 function of the government to do so. The plan was also opposed 

 in Congress, where the idea of a botanical garden seemed to be 

 an institution to furnish the District with cheap vegetables and 

 flowers. 



While none of the early nurser5anen of the District gave any 

 attention to the scientific aspect of their subject or of botany, 

 yet, considering them botanists in a broad sense, they have con- 

 tributed much to the practical side of the science. Thomas 

 Main, a Scotch gardener, who settled at Georgetown about 

 1804, was probably the first nurseryman of the District. His 

 attention was given almost entirely to raising grapes for wine. 



1 Washington correspondence, Michaux to Washington, June 20, 1796, and 

 Washington's diary of June 19, 1796. 



2 This garden was eventually estalished at Charleston, S. C, by the son, 

 Frangois Andre Michaux, who came there in 1805. 



3 Jefferson correspondence. 



