interpretation of john bartram's garden by - University of Delaware ...

#
Thus when now & then thee observes
a Curious odd plant thee may treat it in
this manner by which thee will convey a
more Lively Idea then the best Description
& when the gathers seeds Hark the Same
Number on the seeds as thee Marks in the
Sheet where thee Specimen is So once a
year Returne ?le the Quire of Whited Brown
paper with the dried Specimens Tied Fast
between Two Boards & then I will send
some More in their Roome When the Sheets
of paper will. Hold it putt one Two or
Three Specimens of the same plant on the
Same sheet So they Play Lay smooth by each
other
Peter Collinson to John Bartram, January 24, 1735, Wildman
Transcriptions
Besides what I have further to propose by
this Tlethode is thy own Improvement in the
knowledge of plants for thou shall Send Nee
another Quire of Duplicates of the Same
Specimens.
I will get them named by Our
Most knowing Botanists & then Returne them
again which will Improve thee Islore then
Books for It is Impossible for any one
author to give a General History of plants.
Peter Collinson to John Bartram, 1752?, Wildman Transcrip-
tions
Had Specimens accompanied thy Curious account
of your Okes, it had been worth printing but
it is all a dead Letter without a view of
the Real Subjects & that is the Case of the
fine Specimen of Pine at the head (of)
Delaware No cone so is useless prethe
Dear John for the future never send no
accounts of any plant without a specimen
1 should be glad to see Specimens of those
anonimous plants thou observed in the
Beautiful plain of Egg Harboyr
John Bartram's Value to His Correspondents
Note in Feter Collinson's handwriting, p. 82 of Linnaean
Society's Nicrofilm f629, American Philosophical Society
. . . my corr!merce with our Colonies is the
Course of trade and my Love for plantings
and improvement put me early in the scheme
of procuring seeds as well for my own plant-
ing as Others but it was many years before
I could do anything to any purpose until