Evening star., 1924-05-11

The American natural tree world has
completely lost one native tree by ex-
tinction and other trees of limited habi-
tat and names are believed to be in
danger of extinction. according to in
veStigations conducted by the research
bureau OF the National Lumber Manu-
facturers' Association.
The lost tree is the F'ranklinia, a
beautiful Towering shrub that was once
in great demand by landscape gardeners
and nursery men, There are a few
F'ranklinia in gardens and parks
throughout the country, it is stated, but
most of such paintings have died, the
reason being that the tree requires a
very acid soil In its original home in
Georgia the tree is no longer to be
found.
Two of the planted FranlSlinia grow in
a little piece of parkland at Chevy
Chase Circle. almost on the District of
Columbia boundary line. These trees
were saved from death last year
through the activities of the Chevy
Chase Citizens Association and p. l.
Kicker and Edgar wherry, scientists of
the Department of Agriculture. The
salvaging of these F>ranklinia was ac-
complished by pruning neighboring trees
to admit more sunlight and by cultivat-
ing and calculating the soil around the
rare trees.
The Franklinia was first found by
John Bartram Of Philadelphia, in 1866,
in the Altamaha River Valley near Fort
Darlington, in what is now the state of
Georgia, and had never been known
elsewhere Bartram had the distinction
of being botanist to the King of Eng
land, and was on a botanical collecting
trip when he found these rare trees
and named them after Benjamin Frank
lin.
Bartram, who was a native of Chester
County, Pa, is frequently called the
father of American botany" and he
founded at Kingsessing the first botani-
cal garden in this country Linnaeus
termed him 'the greatest natural bot
anist in the world" He was in con-
Stant correspondence with European
botanists. to whom he sent large col
lectionS of American plants. It was said
of him that he would readily undertake
a journey of hundreds of miles to see
new plant
His SON Carried On.
His son, William Bartram, carried on
his botanical research work and was
also known as an ornithologist- The
son spent. five years in the southern
states, and in 1873 and again in 177S
visited the AItamaha Valley to collect
Franklinia seeds, which he supplied to
nurserymen in this country and in Eu-
rope.
In 1890 DR.. Moses Marshall visited
the Fort harrington region and
identified the trees. So far as is now
known, this is the last time any of
them were Officially" seen in the
original locality.
There is no definite record concern
ing Franklinia from 1890 to 1881, al
though nurseryrnen repeatedly visited
the Fort Darlington region to get
seedlings and seeds, and it is regard
ed as probable that they virtually ex-
terminated the trees in its natural
site. The plants were listed extern
sively during this period by nursery
men here and abroad, and presumably
were widely distributed
During 1881, H. w. Ravenel. a well
known botanist of Aiken, S. c., made
two trips to the Altahamaha valley,
but without finding a specimen of the
Franklinia. A friend of his made
several other equally fruitless trips
in search of the lost tree.
There are very complete directions
for finding the locality IN the PUBL
cations of William Bartram, and the
original home of the F'ranklinia trees
has been searched over many times.
Indeed, it is stated that not a year
passes without several botanists or
nurserymen attempting to win the
honor of rediscovering the long-iost
tree.
officials and scientists of the De-
partment of Agriculture have long
been interested. and in June OF 1922
DR.. Edgar Wherry of the bureau of
chemistry and Harry w. Trudeli or
philadeIphia conducted a painstak-
ing search that proved barren of re-
suits. DR.. Wherry made still another
expedition the following year, but 1t
was equally unsuccessful.
All Of the recent explorations, cover
ing a period of more than forty years.
have been futile. The presumption.