416  Early  Botanical  and  Herb  Gardens.  {^ptembeS™* 
ested  in  the  cultivation  of  plants,  and  at  his  magnificent  country  seat, 
Stenton,  near  Philadelphia,  he  had  extensive  gardens  and  orchards. 
It  is  probably  at  Stenton  that  he  made  his  well-known  experiments 
with  Indian  corn  or  maize,  the  report  of  which  was  published  by 
Gronovius  and  republished  by  Collinson  in  English. 
Through  his  correspondence  with  James  Logan,  Peter  Collinson 
became  acquainted  with  John  Bartram,  the  first  native  American 
botanist.  Bartram  was  born  near  the  village  of  Darby,  in  the  Prov- 
ince of  Pennsylvania,  March  23,  1699.  He  died  at  Kingsessing, 
near  Philadelphia,  September  22,  1777. 
John  Bartram  had  an  early  inclination  to  the  study  of  physic  and 
surgery  and  acquired  considerable  knowledge  and  skill  in  the  prac- 
tice of  the  same.  Although  it  is  not  positively  known  that  he  ever 
regularly  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine,  his  name  is  included 
in  "The  American  Medical  Biography,"  by  Dr.  James  Thacher, 
published  in  Boston  in  1828. 
From  the  published  correspondence  between  Peter  Collinson  and 
John  Bartram  it  would  appear  that  the  latter  was  particularly  inter- 
ested in  medicinal  plants,  both  indigenous  as  well  as  imported.  As 
early  as  1738  he  sent  a  quantity  of  ginseng  to  Peter  Collinson,  to  be 
forwarded  to  China. 
Under  date  of  February  20,  1735,  Peter  Collinson  wrote  to  his 
"  Respected  Friend,  John  Bartram  :"  "  I  have  procured  from  my 
knowing  friend  Peter  Miller,  gardner  to  the  Physic  Garden  at  Chel- 
sea, belonging  to  the  Company  of  Apothecaries,  sixty-nine  sorts  of 
curious  seeds  and  some  others  of  my  own  collecting." 
In  1739,  Bartram  secured  the  seeds  of  Siberian  rhubarb  from 
Peter  Collinson,  who  in  turn  had  obtained  them  from  Dr.  Ammann, 
Professor  of  Botany  at  St.  Petersburgh.  Collinson  was  anxious  that 
John  Bartram  give  the  cultivation  and  use  of  rhubarb  a  fair  trial 
and  wrote  to  him  at  some  length  regarding  the  cultivation  of  the 
plant.  In  1770,  Bartram  secured  through  Benjamin  Franklin,  a 
quantity  of  the  seed  of  "  true  rhubarb,"  which  the  latter  had  obtained 
from  Mr.  Inglish,  "  Who  lately  received  a  medal  from  the  society  of 
arts  for  propagating  it."  In  answer  to  some  inquiry  by  Bartram, 
relating  to  the  origin  of  the  seed,  Benjamin  Franklin  wrote,  under 
date  of  February  10,  1773,  4 '  It  may  be  depended  on  that  the  rhubarb 
is  the  genuine  sort,  but  to  have  the  root  in  perfection  it  ought  not  to 
be  taken  out  of  the  ground  in  less  than  seven  years." 
