72 



HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY OF TREES. 



PART I. 



raised from seeds sent to Dr. Fothergill, by Dr. Russell of 

 Aleppo, in 1756 ; and that the original plant was sold by auction 

 in August, 1781, after the doctor's death, for 531. lis. There 

 appears to be some mistake in this relation, as Dr. Fothergill 

 did not purchase Upton till 1762, and the Arbutus ^ndrachne 

 was cultivated in 1724. Dr. Fothergill, however, may have 

 raised his plant somewhere else, and removed it to Upton ; and, 

 though it was introduced in 1724, it may not have flowered 

 before the period mentioned. Collinson was such a careful ob- 

 server, that this remark appears due to his memory. Upton 

 House is now in the possession of S. Gurney, Esq. 



Purser's Cross was planted by John Ord, Esq., in 1756 ; and 

 " it is not a little extraordinary," says Lysons, " that this garden 

 should, within the space of little more than fifty years (such 

 have been the effects of good management and a fertile soil), 

 have produced trees which are now the finest of their respective 

 kinds in the kingdom." The following is an account of some of 

 the most remarkable trees at Purser's Cross, as measured by 

 Lysons at three different periods, and for us in Jan. 1835 : — 



Girth in 



The Sophbra japonica, planted in 1756, being 



then about 2 ft. in height ; it flowered for 



the first time in August, 1807, and has con- 

 tinued to flower almost every year since 

 The gingko tree ( Salisbtirifl), planted in 1767 



(about 37 ft. high in 1809; and in 1835 



between 50 ft. and 60 ft.) 

 A tree, the seed of which was given to Mr. 



Ord, by the late Mr. Aiton, as an Illinois 



nut, and which was sown in 1760 (about 



40 feet high) 

 A black walnut tree (./uglans nigra) sown 



where it now stands, in 1757 (about 



64 ft. high) 

 A cedar of Lebanon, planted in 1756, then 



two years old (in 1809 about 55 ft. high) 

 A willow-leaved oak (sown in 1757) 

 The Rhus vernix, or varnish sumach 



Purser's Cross contains a greater number of fine specimens, in 

 a very limited space, than any garden we know of in the neigh- 

 bourhood of London. In October, 1834, we found there Mag- 

 wb\ia tripetala, acuminata, and other species, of considerable size, 

 Liriodendron Tulipifera ; Negundo /raxinifolium, 40 ft. high ; 

 Asimina triloba, 10 ft. high, flowering every year ; another plant, 

 which died a few years ago, having ripened fruit every year; 

 Ailantns glandulosa, 30 ft. high; Gymnocladus canadensis, 30 ft. 

 high ; Sojj/ibra japonica, 40 it. high, which flowers every year ; 

 Robinia and GleditschzVz, very fine specimens; Crataegus, several 

 species, very large ; Pyrus Morbus, very fine specimens ; Celtis, 



1793. 



1808. 



1809. 



f 1835. 



ft. in. 



ft. in. 



ft. in. 



ft. in. 



8 



9 4 



9 7i 



13 



2 3 



3 6 



3 9 



5 2 



2 2 



2 10 



2 11 



4 5 



5 4 



6 11 



7 3 



9 



8 8 



9 11 



9 9 



11 10 



4 



5 5 



5 7 



7 



4 



4 10 



4 10 



— 



