GEORGE HEUSLER. 31 



and successfully cultivated. 1 The potato is said to have been in- 

 troduced into this country by a colony of Presb3 r terian Irish, who 

 settled in Londondeny, N.H., in 1719 ; but its cultivation did not 

 become general for man} T 3'ears. 2 



The variet} 7 of maize known as sweet corn was found by the offi- 

 cers attached to the expedition of Gen. Sullivan, sent against the 

 Indians in the Genesee county, in 1779, and brought to Connecti- 

 cut, whence it proceeded south. 8 Another account 4 is, that it was 

 introduced into Massachusetts, from the country of the Susque- 

 hannah, by Capt. Richard Bagnol of Plymouth, on his return 

 from Sullivan's expedition. Whatever the truth of these reports, 

 there is no doubt that the Six Nations, against which Sullivan's 

 expedition was directed, had made much progress in agriculture, 

 and cultivated not only large fields of corn, but fine gardens of 

 beans, pease, turnips, cabbages, melons, carrots, parsnips, and 

 potatoes. At one village of the Indians the corn fields comprised 

 two hundred acres. The apple and peach orchards were very 

 extensive : at one village an orchard of fifteen hundred fruit trees 

 was destroyed, and, at another, fifteen hundred peach trees alone. 5 



In 1769 Benjamin Coates of Salem advertised garden seeds, im- 

 ported from London, for sale. Susanna Renken of Boston gave a 

 similar notice at the same time. 6 



The first regularly educated gardener of whom we have any 

 account in this vicinity was George Heusler, a native of Landau in 

 the Province of Alsace, Germany. He had been employed in the 

 gardens of several German princes and of the King of Holland, 

 and came from Amsterdam to this country in 1780, bringing pro- 

 fessional diplomas and recommendations. Soon after his arrival, 

 he commenced the practice of his profession in the emplojnnent of 

 John Tracy of Newburyport. In 1790 he removed to Salem, and 

 continued his vocation on the farm of Elias Haskett Derby in 

 Danvers (now PeabocVy) , and in man} r of the gardens of Salem, 

 Danvers, and other towns of Essex Count} 7 , until nearly the time of 

 his decease, which occurred April 3, 1817, at the age of sixty-six 

 years. As early as 1796 he gave notice that he had choice fruit 

 trees for sale at the farm of Mr. Derby. The latter gentleman had, 



i Felt's Annals of Salem, Vol. II. p. 146. 

 8 Horticultural Register, Vol. HI. p. 214. 



3 Loudon's Gardener's Magazine, Vol. VI. p. 483. 



4 Transactions of the New York State Agricultural Society for 1848, p. 836. 



5 Addresses by Rev. David Craft at the Centennial Anniversary of Sullivan's Expedition, 

 o Felt's Annals of Salem, Vol. II. p. 145. 



