THE ROMANCE OF OUR TREES 



" I have some hopes of the Horsechestnut though 

 most of them- were blue moulded yet some seemed to 

 be pretty sound." J. Bartram. 



And finally, p. 252, London, August 4, 1763: "But 

 what delights me is, to hear that our Horse- 

 chestnut has flowered. I think it much excells the 

 Virginia, if the spikes of flowers are as large with 

 you as with us. To see a long avenue of these at 

 Hampton Court — of trees 50 feet high — being per- 

 fect pyramids of flowers from top to bottom, for all 

 the spikes of flowers are at the extremities — is one 

 of the grandest and most charming sights in the 

 world." P. Collinson. 



I have had some experience in sending seeds from 

 distant lands and consider the Horsechestnut among 

 the most difficult to transport safely. 1 marvel 

 that in those days of slow sailing ships it should have 

 been successfully done. From the lapse of time be- 

 tween Collinson's reply it may be inferred that more 

 than one consignment was sent. But sticking to it 

 does wonders, and to-day we benefit from these grand 

 old plant-lovers' successful efforts. In this one accom- 

 plishment they made the American people their 

 debtors and such debts are pleasant to acknowledge 

 and to bear. 



So well known is the Horsechestnut that it seems 

 superfluous to attempt a description of the tree. 



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