RARE AND NOTABLE PLANTS 



Wister in 1803, and now adorning Ver- 

 non Park. 



There are several fine trees on 

 Fisher's lane, but we shall now stop 

 only at T. Charlton Henry's place, 

 where Alexander Lawson was long 

 gardener, to record a century plant 

 (agave Americana), which here 

 bloomed a few years ago. 



Retracing our steps through Wis- 

 ter's woods, we pass a declivity on 

 which once grew a celebrated memo- 

 rial beech. This tree stood to the 

 north of Fisher's lane and Wakefield 

 street, and through age and abuse 

 came to its end in the year 1870. The 

 Germantown Telegraph, January 29 

 of the named year, gave an account 

 of this venerable and venerated tree. 

 Near the earth its trunk was 3 feet in 

 diameter, and "many very ancient 

 scars and markings were on its sur- 

 face, and among them within an es- 

 cutcheon, deeply engraved and quite 

 legible, were the initials D. L. W., 

 1771," cut there by Daniel and Lowry 

 Wister. It is a pleasure to note that 

 this interesting work has been pre- 

 served, and is now among the treas- 

 ures of "Grumblethorpe." 



35 



