92 OLD-FASHIONED GARDENING 



— and it was at his suggestion that this site, abound- 

 ing in excellent water, was chosen for the large settle- 

 ment, when it came to be made. Here he already had 

 a garden plot and orchard when the immigrants of 

 1630 arrived. 



A letter written by the Rev. Francis Higginson in 

 1629, soon after his arrival in Salem, gives a gener- 

 ous list of garden products as common everywhere. 

 "Our governor hath store of green pease growing in 

 his garden as good as ever I eat in England. This 

 country aboundeth naturally with store of roots of 

 great variety and good to eat. Our turnips, parsnips 

 and carrots are here both bigger and sweeter than is 

 ordinarily to be found in England. Here are also 

 stores of pompions, cowcumbers and other things of 

 that nature which I know not. Also divers excel- 

 lent pot herbs grow among the grasses as strawberry 

 leaves in all places of the country and plenty of straw- 

 berries in their time, and penny-royal, winter-savoury, 

 sorrel, brooklime, liverwort, carvel, and watercress; 

 also leeks and onions are ordinary and divers phy- 

 sical herbs. Here are also abundance of other 

 sweet herbs, delightful to the smell, whose names 

 we know not, and plenty of single damask roses; 

 and two kinds of herbs that bear two kinds of 

 flowers very sweet, which they say are as good 

 to make cordage or cloth as any flax or hemp we 



