36 
flooring “because it is bright and free from knots.” Our other 
trees, lindens, birch, yew, poplar, alder, with various shrubs and 
lesser fruit-bearing trees are enumerated in order, with often the 
properties accorded to them by the Indians. 
t that time the country was covered with wild grape-vines 
and scarcely a nook of land was without its fragrant covering, 
even great trees were covered to their tops with that most luxur- 
ant of vines. The wild flowers of the country are also noticed 
along with those numerous ones which the ever-flower-loving 
Dutch settlers had brought with them. Very early in the his. 
tory of the colony the various fruits for the propagation of which 
the Netherlanders are famed, were brought to this country, vari- 
ous kinds of apple and pear trees, cherries, apricots and many 
sorts of the smaller fruits, currants and gooseberries. Flowers 
also were not neglected, and many varieties of white and red 
roses, gillyflowers, lilies and others were brought from Holland 
and added to the gardens where there were already many flowers 
of native growth, sunflowers, red and yellow lilies, “ red, white 
and yellow maritoffles (a very fragrant flower)” (Cypripedium ?\* 
and many others; “to whic ave not given particular 
attention, but mata: would hold them in high estimation, 
and make them widely known.”’ The kitchen garden products 
were also numerous and are mentioned in detail as well as the 
herb garden with its rows of rosemary, sage, balm, pimpernel, 
five-finger, tarragon, laurel, artichokes and asparagus. The me- 
dicinal herbs were not neglected and it is on record in one of 
the colonial MSS. preserved at Albany that seeds for this purpose 
were early requested of the botanical garden of the University at 
Leyden and were duly sent. 
The agricultural products were. elaborately gone into, maize, 
tobacco and other important crops and their manner of culti- 
vation described. Many details are given about the game, pel- 
tries, water-fowl and fishes. Of the latter an amusing story is 
told as to ‘a tradition that there were but ten species of fishes 
known to the Dutch when they discovered America, and that 
* The translation of ‘' maritoffles’’ would be ‘* Mary's slipper”? or Lady’ s-slippet. 
