NEW AMSTERDAM GARDENS 63 



persimmons" (these may have been secured from Vir- 

 ginia; they are native, but only to southern regions), 

 "cornelian cherries, figs, several sorts of currants, 

 gooseberries, calissiens, and thorn apples; and we do 

 not doubt but the olive would thrive and be profitable, 

 but we have them not." Grapes were not yet estab- 

 lished, however, as he felt they should be, evidently; 

 for "Although the land is full of many kinds," he 

 writes, "we still want settings of the best kind from 

 Germany for the purpose of enabling our wine plant- 

 ers here to select the best kinds and propagate the 

 same." Every kind of fruit which has been intro- 

 duced, however, he declares, thrives better than at 

 home, "particularly such as require a warmer climate." 

 From the fruits he passes to the flowers. Of these 

 there are "the white and red roses of different kinds, the 

 cornelian roses and stock roses"; (may these last two 

 not refer to Rosa canina — the dog rose — which has al- 

 ways been much used as a "stock" for grafting upon? 

 There is a possible connection in the term "cornelian," 

 this being the name applied to a cornel or dog wood — 

 the cornelian cherry or Cornus Mas; possibly he used 

 it in this sense to designate the dog rose) "and those 

 of which were none before in the country, such as 

 eglantine, several kinds of gilly-flowers, jenoffelins" 

 (no one can even guess what these were), "different 

 varieties of fine tulips, crown imperials, white lilies. 



