32 HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY OF TREES PART I. 



British tree culture, began to be introduced into our gardens, as 

 objects of rarity and value. 



The ornamental trees, or the trees of curiosity, that would first 

 be introduced into any country after those that recommended 

 themselves by their fruit or their medicinal virtues, would be 

 such as were generally planted about houses and in gardens, 

 or such as bore conspicuous seeds. Hence the cypress, the bay, 

 the box, the elm, the lime, and the plane, as being domestic 

 shrubs and trees; and the chestnut, the ilex, the walnut, and the 

 pine, as being trees with conspicuous seeds, would, we may sup- 

 pose, be those that were first brought over by the Romans, or 

 by the heads of religious houses, ambassadors, or travellers. 



In tracing the introduction of foreign trees into this country, 

 from the earliest ages to the present time, we shall first collect 

 such notices as we have been able to obtain of the period from 

 the invasion of the country by the Romans, to the end of the 

 15th century; and, next, take in succession the 16th, 17th, 

 18th, and 19th centuries. 



Subsect. 1. Of the Foreign Trees and Shrubs introduced into Britain 

 by the Romans, and during the Middle Ages, to the End of the 1 5th 

 Century. 



There can be no doubt whatever that the Romans introduced 

 most of our cultivated vegetables and fruits. Some curious 

 proofs of this are occasionally found in the springing up of 

 Italian plants in the neighbourhood of the ruins of Roman villas, 

 where ground, which had long remained in a state of rest, had 

 been turned over in search of antiquities. Though, as far as we 

 know, no trees or shrubs of Italy have sprung up in this manner 

 from dormant seeds; yet there cannot be a doubt but that some 

 of the trees and shrubs of the Romans would be cultivated in 

 the gardens of their governors and generals, most of whom, it is 

 understood, must have been practically acquainted with hus- 

 bandry. Such trees would not only be interesting to them as 

 reminding them of their native country, but they would serve 

 to decorate and distinguish their residences, and command the 

 admiration of the Roman army and of the natives. 



We have seen, in the preceding chapter (p. 22.), that most of 

 our fruit trees, and in all probability the plane, chestnut, walnut, 

 lime, elm, and box, were introduced by the Romans. Many trees 

 and shrubs introduced by the Romans, or by the monks of the 

 middle ages, may have been afterwards lost; because this is, 

 sooner or later, the case with all neglected plants that are placed 

 in a climate which will not enable them to ripen their seeds. 



In the 9th century, during the reign of Charlemagne, some 

 exertions appear to have been made in France for the extension 



