66 THE HORTICULTURE OF 



heartilie thanck you for your last lettre of newes 

 &c, for the trees you sent mee." And in 1645 he wrote 

 to John Winthrop, Jr., at "Tenne Hills," "what trees 

 you want at any tyrne send to mee for them, I will 

 supply you as longe as I have a tree." Horticulture 

 seems to have been much esteemed by the wealthy 

 people of Salem, and before the commencement of the 

 present century her merchant vessels brought home 

 trees, plants, and seeds from foreign lands. Mr. Ezekiel 

 Hersey Derby had, early in the present century, an 

 extensive garden, greenhouses, orchards, and belts of 

 ' forest trees a most elegant and delightful home. 

 He was one of the founders of the Massachusetts 

 Society for Promoting Agriculture. 1 



The first record we have of the introduction of the 

 tomato is, that it was brought here in 1802 by Michele 

 Felice Corne, an Italian painter. 2 



The most important public benefit conferred on 

 the Pomology of New England, if not of our whole 

 country, was the establishment of the Pomological Gar- 

 den in Salem, by Robert Manning, in 1823. This was 

 for testing fruits, both native and foreign, and ascer- 

 taining what were adapted to our own climate. Mr. 

 Manning opened a correspondence with the cebbrated 

 Dr. Van Mons, of Belgium, Robert ThompsDn, the head 

 of the fruit department in the garden of the Horti- 

 cultural Society of London, and others in Europe and 

 our own country. From these various sources he re- 

 ceived trees and scions to carry on his work. He was 

 one of the founders of the Massachusetts Horticultural 

 Society, prosecuting his labors with great enterprise 

 and zeal till the time of his death in 1842, when the 



1 Felt's Annals of Salem, Vol. II, pp. 148 and 150. 



2 Felt's Annals of Salem, Vol. II, p. 631. 



