Chapter XXVI 



TREE HERITAGE 



People often ask me, "What gave you a love for trees?" 

 Or, "What took you to Africa?" These questions are 

 better answered by giving my readers some insight into 

 my personal background and early experience. 



My father was a great tree lover and from his youth 

 upwards devoted his life to the culture and care of 

 trees. For many generations my family have been land- 

 owners in England. They sprang from Kentish stock, 

 their lands in the first place being granted to them by 

 Henry I. One of my ancestors had a remarkable record, 

 being Lord Chancellor of England during three suc- 

 cessive reigns. The family estate was lost when a later 

 ancestor stood surety for his wife's brother, and was 

 thrown into a debtors' prison, where he wrote Baker's 

 Chronicles of England, dedicated to Charles II, which 

 was the recognized standard work for over a century. 

 In addition to his monumental history he wrote a 

 book on the Psalms which was frequently quoted by 

 Spurgeon, the well known Evangelical Preacher who 

 referred to the writer as brave Sir Richard, Knight of 

 the Flowing Pen. 



My great-uncle, another Richard Baker, after having 



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