V. 



THE LOCUSTS, APPLES, PEARS AND CHERRIES. 



How do you define a native plant? is a question 

 which has been asked. There seems to be an erroneous 

 impression in some minds that plants which botanists 

 term "naturalized," and which, like our wood-wax, 

 butter-cups and white-weed, have established themselves 

 and increase each year by seeds, must be considered as 

 natives, very much as we speak of strawberries and 

 tomatoes as natives, when we wish to distinguish those 

 raised near home from the same fruit brought from New 

 Jersey or Carolina. A native plant is established in a 

 region by natural means and without the agency of 

 man. Among our common trees, even among those 

 which are undoubtedly natives of this country, there 

 are several which have probably been introduced into 

 Essex County by the early settlers or later. The tulip 

 tree, catalpa, and black walnut are undoubtedly among 

 these ; and it is hardly less probable that the wild 

 black cherry, button wood and locust must be added to 

 the list, although they are found growing naturally in 

 the region at the south of us from New York State to 

 Alabama, and westward to Ohio and beyond. 



The common locust (Robinia pseudacacia) has long 

 been a favorite roadside tree and was introduced at an 

 early date from Pennsylvania. Old trees, however, 

 show signs of insect ravages, and this species is no 

 longer so common about Salem as it was a generation 



