BUCKEYES The position of seven Buckeye-trees (dEsculus octandra 

 variety) is shown on the plan. The seeds from which these trees were 

 grown were gathered by Washington near the mouth of Cheet River, in 

 what is now West Virginia, in September, 1784, and were planted by him 

 in April of the following year. To botanists these trees are of greater 

 interest than any other plants at Mount Vernon, for this species has 

 naturally yellow flowers, but these Mount Vernon trees have red, pink 

 and flesh-colored flowers on different individuals. Trees with flowers of 

 these colors have long been looked for in vain in the Appalachian forests, 

 and except at Mount Vernon are nowhere known to exist. The tree (No. 

 24) has dark red flowers and is 24 feet tall with a trunk 9 inches in diam- 

 eter. No. 28 is 53 feet tall with a trunk 1 foot 1 inch in diameter. The 

 bark of this tree is loose and scaling off; it is developing branchlets from 

 buds on the trunk and is in an unhealthy condition. No. 32 is 75 feet 

 tall with a trunk 2 feet 4 inches in diameter; this tree originally had two 

 stems; one of these was destroyed by the falling of the Hemlock (No. 31) 

 in the gale of June, 1914. The remainder of the tree is now in good con- 

 dition. No. 59 has rose-colored flowers and is 73 feet tall with a trunk 

 1 foot 9 inches in diameter; No. 85 has red flowers and is 58 feet tall 

 with a trunk 1 foot 5 inches in diameter; No. 92 has flesh-colored flowers 

 and is 71 feet tall with a trunk 1 foot 11 inches in diameter, and No. 79 

 has flesh-colored flowers and is 47 feet tall with a trunk 1 foot 5 inches in 

 diameter. With the exception of No. 28 the Mount Vernon Buckeyes are 

 in good condition. 



HORSE-CHESTNUTS There are three Horse-chestnut-trees (sEscu- 

 lus Hippocaslanum) at Mount Vernon. Two of them, Nos. 116 and 117, 

 in the rear of the Springhouse, are young trees, No. 1 16 being 42 feet tall 

 with a trunk 1 foot in diameter, and No. 117 only 20 feet tall with a 

 trunk 8 inches in diameter. The third of these trees, No. 46, is between 

 the Serpentine Walk and the Kitchen Garden and is 55 feet tall with a 

 trunk 1 foot 8 inches in diameter. This tree is overshadowed by an Ash- 

 tree and evidently has grown slowly. On April 13, 1785, Washington 

 entered in his Diary the fact that he was planting four Horse-chestnuts 

 along Serpentine Walks, and it is possible, although hardly probable, 

 that No. 46 is one of the trees planted by him. 



ELMS There are now ten American Elm-trees (Ulmus americana) 

 standing in the neighborhood of the Mansion. Of these No. 1 is a young 

 tree only 32 feet tall with a trunk 1 foot in diameter; No. 36 is also a 

 young tree only 23 feet tall with a trunk 5 inches in diameter. According 

 to his Diary, Washington was busy on January 27 and 28, 1785, in hunting 

 for Elm-trees for his plantations, and it is probable that some of 

 the Mount Vernon Elms were planted under his personal direction, 

 although if they were planted in 1785 none of them are large trees for 

 their age. It must be remembered, however, that the soil where these 

 trees are growing is not well suited for the best development of the 



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