84 THE BOTAXISTS OF PHILADELPHIA. 



There are, however, quite a number of hirge, black 

 birches left, a tall, long-stemmed hackberry of great size, 

 some yellow buckeyes, a European larch, several rhodo- 

 dendrons (R. maxima), which have grown into trees with 

 short, thick stems, and four or five very large and fine 

 ailanthus trees, which must have been among the first 

 specimens of this tree planted in America. There are also 

 some remarkable box trees, and until a short time ago, 

 when it was blown down in a severe storm, probably the 

 largest cherry tree in this part of Pennsylvania was growing 

 in the garden. It was a common black cherry, but had 

 attained an enormous height. " I got nearly §70 worth of 

 good wood out of that tree," said Mr. Lilley, " and there 

 w^ould have been nearly twice that much if the tree hadn't 

 been so rotten in parts on account of its great age." 

 There were indications about the garden that many other 

 trees had once grown there, but had been felled. Mr. 

 Lilley acknowledged their destruction ; but said it was 

 necessary, as the shade was too dense. Xot long ago he also 

 had the thick undergrowth of shrubs, many of them rare 

 varieties and planted by ]\Iarshall himself, cleared away 

 Avhen a general tidying up took place. 



Humphry Marshall's old house faces the highway, 

 but stands some distance back from it, being shut off" from 

 the street by the gardens. It is a larger house than the 

 little stone building of Bartram's on the Schuylkill, and 

 more pretentious in many ways, yet it was erected by 

 Marshall, with his own hands, in the j^ear 1773. 



In one corner of this dwelling he contrived a small but 

 convenient stove, or hot house, and immediately above 

 from the second story he projected a little observatory in 

 which to indulge his fondness for astronomical observations. 



