THE PAPAW THICKET. 



301 



in the discovery and preservation of our trees and 

 flowers/ It was but natural that the papaw, being an 

 unknown variety of the New World, should not escape 

 them. "A jar of papaw flowers and fruit" (along 

 with specimens and seeds of others of our trees, at that 

 time quite rare and curious) was consequently sent over 

 by John Bartram, the traveler, to Peter Collinson in 

 England in 1738 (acknowledged in April, 1739), 

 which is one of the first instances of any attempt at 

 its introduction abroad; and Lord Petre's similar ef- 

 forts, it is gratifying to know, met with great success, 

 as appears from Collinson's later letters. Collinson 

 was very inquisitive about the tree, and asked for all 

 the details as to its flowers, fruit, foliage, growth, soil 

 preferred, size of the tree, etc., that Bartram could 

 give, to enable Lord Petre to identify it among his 

 shrubs and plants, he having neglected to draw it when 

 in Virginia, and relying solely for its propagation on 

 the seeds; and, Collinson adds, in a postscript, "If it 

 has any virtues, pray mention them :" — information 

 which we fear, however, Bartram was never able to 

 give, — for it has no virtues ; it is only edible and beau- 

 tiful.^ Theodore Mason Harris, too, in his "Journal 

 of a Tour over the Alleghany Mountains into Ohio" 

 (Boston, 1805; pages 61, 97), made in the spring of 



^ I am indebted to the Librarian of Congress for an extended bib- 

 liography on the papaw ; in particular, I am under obligation to him 

 for my references to Collinson, Bartram, Harris, Mr. Mather, and Miss 

 Murfree. 



" See William Darlington's "Memorials of John Bartram and 



Humphry Marshall," Philadelphia, 1849. Pages 100, iii, 121, 128, 

 129, 145, 365. 



