460 



BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. 



first knowlednje John Evans had of anj 

 work descriptive of our local flora. He 

 had then some little practical acquaint- 

 ance with plants and their culture, but 

 it was the opportune visit of his relative, 

 Corson, and this early publication of Dr. 

 Darlington, that first opened the way for 

 him to enter upon the study of botany 

 systematically. From this time, until 

 the close of his earthly career the study 

 of that science and the cultivation 

 of plants, especially of hardy ones, 

 have been with him a primary occu- 

 pation. 



The tastes of his visiting kinsman 

 were congenial with his own. They 

 often visited each other, and frequently 

 made botanical excursions together. 

 AVhat one had acquired was freely com- 

 municated to the other, till they both 

 became familiar with all the plants in 

 the neighborhood, with, perhaps, the 

 exception of some of the most incon- 

 spicuous. The culture of rare plants 

 around his dwelling commenced and 

 progressed with his study of botany. 

 Annual, or more frequent visits, were 

 at first paid to the old Bartram botanic 

 garden — then in the possession of 

 Colonel Carr — and to other gardens in 

 the vicinity of Philadelphia. The sup- 

 ply from this source was soon exhaust- 

 ed, when he turned his attention to 

 Europe, entered into a correspondence 

 with Sir William J. Hooker, Director 

 of the Gardens of Kew, near London, 

 and by forwarding to that learned bo- 

 tanist, annually, for many years, seeds 

 and specimens of American plants, 

 frequently obtained by long journeys 

 and much labor, he received in return, 

 new and often very rare plants from 

 various parts of the world, scarcely 

 obtainable from any other source by 

 purchase. During part of the period 

 occupied by this correspondence. Dr. 

 Hooker, the son of Sir William J. 

 Hooker, made a botanical tour to the 

 Himalaya mountains, in Asia. Seeds 

 from that almost unexplored region, 

 many of them produced by unnamed 

 plants, were forwarded to John Evans. 

 It will be remembered by his botanical 

 visitors at that time, the great amount 

 of labor and care bestowed by him in 

 the propagation of plants from these 

 seeds. Besides Professor Hooker, he, 

 for a time, had a correspondent in 

 Germany. He also had a number of 

 correspondents in different parts of the 



United States, but most of his rare 

 American plants were collected by him- 

 self during his frequent botanical 

 tours. These tours were generally 

 made to mountainous regions. 



The premises of John Evans afforded 

 no suitable grounds for an extensive 

 garden, specially designed for show and 

 ornament, and yet it is doubtful whe- 

 ther another spot of the same extent 

 can be found so well adapted to the 

 culture and growth of a great variety 

 of plants. There is a place on these 

 grounds for plants of every habit, and 

 every plant is found in the best place 

 for its propagation and growth. On 

 the densely wooded hillside, north of 

 the dwelling, we find magnificent Rho- 

 dodendrons, and other mountain shrub- 

 bery and herbaceous plants, natives of 

 the Himalayas, the Rocky Mountains, 

 the Adriondacks, the Catskills and the 

 Alleghanies, growing side by side, and 

 mingling their gaudy colors and rich 

 perfumes in deep-shaded seclusion, 

 moistened by the spray from the adja- 

 cent cascade of the mill-pond. Below, 

 upon a flat on the opposite side of the 

 creek, is an arenaceous alluvial deposit. 

 Here we find the well known " Sand 

 Garden " of the late proprietor, and 

 clustered within it almost countless 

 species from New Jersey, and many 

 strangers from similar soil in more re- 

 mote regions. The arid rockj^ hills are 

 covered with pines, and other Coniferee, 

 of the rarest species. The damp ravine 

 has its miniature cane-brake ; the arti- 

 ficial pond, its odoriferous JVi/mphcca, 

 and other aquatics. Every border is 

 crowded with its appropriate specimen 

 of rare and curious productions of the 

 vegetable kingdom, brought together 

 from remote parts of the earth Every 

 nook and corner has a fitting tenant, 

 whose right of occupancy no horticul- 

 turalist would dare to question. In his 

 planting, John Evans observed no order 

 but the order of nature. A large pro- 

 portion of the labor required for the 

 care and cultivation of this vast collec- 

 tion ot plants, was performed by the 

 hands of their late owner. But time 

 and labor were economized in every 

 possible way consistent with projier 

 culture. The saiv-dii.st from his mill, 

 was used extensively around the grow- 

 ing plants to smother out weeds. This 

 soon decayed into a rich vegetable 

 mould that promoted the growth of the 



