PLANK. 1 23 



dentalis, grows naturally within the same 

 latitudes in the western world, that the pla- 

 tanus orientalis flourishes in the East. The 

 American plane appears to have been known 

 to us about two hundred years, as Johnson 

 says in his edition of Gerard's Herbal, printed 

 in 1633. " There are two young ones at this 

 time growing with Mr. Tradescant ;" and 

 Parkinson states, that " the American plane- 

 tree was introduced by Mr. John Tradescant, 

 jun." 



This species of plane-tree is now much 

 more common than that of the East, although 

 it is not superior to the latter in any parti- 

 cular. Mr. Gilpin tells us, that one of the 

 finest occidental planes stood in his garden at 

 Vicar' s-hill, where its boughs, feathering to 

 the ground, formed a canopy of above sixty 

 feet in diameter. 



These trees love a moist soil, and should 

 therefore be plentifully watered when young, 

 which will ensure them as rapid a growth in 

 modern times, as the irrigating them with 

 wine did in ancient days. 



Tantumque postea honoris incrcrif, id mcro infuso enutri- 

 antur: compertum id maxime prodesse radicibus ; docuimusquc 

 etiam arbores vina potare. — Plin. 



