RARE AND NOTABLE PLANTS 



feet. Here also is a rare virgilia, the 

 first, and once the finest specimen in 

 cultivation, — a tree now showing the 

 ravages of old age, but none the less in- 

 teresting. A virgilia younger (cladras- 

 tis tinctoria), vigorous and beautiful, 

 overhangs the gate of "Grumble- 

 thorpe," Main street, opposite Queen 

 street, and is the best of its species 

 I know in our territory. 



The charms of "Caernarvon" have 

 flown, but Manheim possesses a 

 beauty of its own, one of its many at- 

 tractions being the finest group of 

 rhododendrons (rhododendron maxi- 

 mum) in Germantown. The neighbor- 

 hood of Manheim to me is of great in- 

 terest, but we may not stop to con- 

 sider its historic associations nor to 

 refer to all its plants worthy of no- 

 tice. 



By far the finest silver maple in 

 Germantown stood on the grounds of 

 Xiouis Clapier Baumann, at corner of 

 Manheim and Henry streets. This 

 fine tree some years ago I measured, 

 and when it was felled to make way 

 for improvements these measurements 

 were verified by John Holt. The tree 

 was perfect in every particular, of 

 commanding height, and was a nota- 



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