RARB AND NOTABLE PLANTS 



came the parent of many trees of the 

 same species which have since be- 

 come so common." 



There are many white willow trees 

 about Germantown, two fine speci- 

 mens each with trunks 4 feet in diam- 

 eter by 70 feet in height, being lo- 

 cated on East Coulter street, corner 

 of Cumberland street; but nearly 

 all our best weeping willows (salix 

 babylonica) have disappeared. Now 

 no vestige remains of the rows of wil- 

 lows which lined both sides of Church 

 lane, east of Willow avenue, notable 

 trees which Thomas MacKellar de- 

 scribed for Rev. S. F. Hotchkin. Un- 

 der one of these trees, which stood 

 prominently in the middle of the road, 

 tradition says General Washington 

 was accustomed to spend an evening 

 hour in its shade. There yet remains 

 to us, however, interesting willows 

 near the entrance to Vernon, at Wyck, 

 and several large and beautiful speci- 

 mens are on the estate of Charles 

 Weiss, East Washington lane, near 

 Stenton avenue. 



As you may remember, the weeping 

 willow is a native of China, and by 

 the Dutch was introduced to Holland. 

 By these same people it was also in- 



25 



