THE BOTANISTS OF PHILADELPHIA. 169 



familiar with all the plants in the neighborhood, with per- 

 haps the exception of some of the most inconspicuous. The 

 culture of rare plants around his dwelling commenced and 

 progressed with his study of botany. Annual, or more 

 frequent visits were paid to the old Bartram Botanic Garden 

 — then in possession of Colonel Carr — and to other gardens 

 in the vicinity of Philadelphia. The supply from this 

 source was soon exhausted when he turned his attention 

 to Europe, entered into a correspondence with Sir William 

 J. Hooker, Director of the Gardens of Kew, near London, 

 and by forwarding to that learned botanist, annually, for 

 many years, seeds and specimens of American plants, fre- 

 quently obtained by long journeys and much labor, he 

 received in return, new and often very rare plants from 

 various parts of the world, scarcely obtainable from any 

 other source by purchase. During part of the period occu- 

 pied by this correspondence. Dr. Hooker, the son of Sir 

 William, made a botanical tour to the Himalaya Mountains, 

 in Asia. Seeds from that almost unexplored region, many 

 of them produced by unknown plants, were forwarded to 

 John Evans. He bestowed a great amount of labor and 

 care upon the propagation of plants from these seeds. 

 Besides Professor Hooker, he for a time had a correspondent 

 in Germany. He also had a number of correspondents in 

 different parts of the United States, but most of his rare 

 American plants were collected by himself during his 

 frequent botanical tours. These tours were generally made 

 to mountainous regions. 



The premises of John Evans .afforded no suitable 

 grounds for an extensive garden specially designed for 

 show and ornament, and yet it is doubtful whether another 



