VII. 



THE ASHES, CATALPA, AND SASSAFEAS. 



With the discovery of America there came at once a 

 desire to know something of its natural products, and 

 even before the settlement of its northern shores the 

 plants of the country were taken to Europe by ex- 

 plorers. This desire, of course, increased after the 

 settlements were begun, and accounts of the country, 

 its animals and plants, had been sent home to friends. 

 In England, especially, are to be found numerous 

 examples of American forest trees, many of which have 

 been in cultivation for ornament much longer than they 

 have here. 



The shag-bark hickory was carried to England in 

 1629, the locust in 1640, the black-walnut and butter- 

 nut in 1656, the red-cedar in 1664, the liquidambar in 

 1681, the white pine in 1705, one of the buckeyes in 

 1711, the white oak in 1724, the ash at about the same 

 time, and many others soon afterward. 



Of course many of our native trees were taken to 

 other countries besides England, but, owing to the 

 natural channels of commerce, they were chiefly carried 

 to England and France. It is stated that the original 

 locust tree planted by Vespasien Robin, for whom and 

 his father John, herbalist to Henry IV., of France, the 

 genus (Robinia) to which the locust belongs, was named, 

 is still standing in the Jardin des Plants in Paris. The 

 tree was planted by Robin in 1636 and shows evident 

 signs of its great age. 



