THE STORY OF THE GINKGO 



interesting story is on record as related by M. Andre 

 Thouin, when delivering his annual Cours d'Agricul- 

 ture Pratique in the Jardin des Plantes, Paris. In 

 1780 a Parisian amateur named M. Petigny voy- 

 aged to London in order to see the principal gardens 

 there. Among those he visited was that of a nur- 

 seryman who possessed five young Ginkgo plants, 

 all in one pot, raised from seeds received from Japan. 

 The plants were very rare and the nurseryman val- 

 ued them highly but after abundant hospitality, in 

 which wine was not omitted, he parted with them for 

 twenty-five guineas which the Frenchman promptly 

 paid, and lost no time in taking away his valuable 

 acquisition. Next morning the Englishman's gene- 

 rosity of spirit induced by the wine was replaced by a 

 keen sense of business acumen and he bewailed his loss 

 of the five Ginkgo plants. He sought out M. Pe- 

 tigny and tried to buy them back, finally offering 

 for a single one the twenty-five guineas he had 

 received for the five. The Frenchman refused and 

 carried the plants to France. His story of out- 

 witting a native of "perfidious Albion" was much 

 enjoyed in Paris, and, as each plant had cost him but 

 about 120 francs or 40 crowns, the tree was chris- 

 tened "Arbre aux quarante ecus!" Most of the older 

 trees in France are said to have been derived from the 

 above five, but Sir Joseph Banks, in 17S8, gave to 

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