Trees of the United States
Specimens of woods, which were sent to the Centennial exposition, 1876 from the States and Territories numbered 432 specimens, many of which were repetitions o the same species; but the following distinct species were identified.
| Oaks | including the famous Live oak of the South and the Black oaks, both of the Eastern and Western parts of the Continent | White Species 30 |
| Pine family, of which more than one half are of the Rocky Mountains and Western Coast | ................. D 30 |
|
| Spruces, and other Conifers | ................. D 36 |
|
| making ninety six species of Oaks & coniferous trees |
96 |
|
The enumeration of the various species of Trees, growing in the Arboretum will be accompanied by such observations, as to their suitableness to the soil and climate of St. Louis, for use ornament, and shade, as the writer has gathered in an experiance of thirty years past, in planting and improving the Missouri Botanical Garden and Tower Grove Park. When the writer first visited these grounds in 1820 they were called "La Prairie de la Barriere a Denoyer," from Louis Denoyer who formerly lived at, and kept the gate of the fence (barriere) by which the Commons of the old village of St. Louis were surrounded. For a distance of nearly two miles from where Tower Grove Park is now laid out to Taylorwick Station, or rather the pond still existing there (1875), no trees were growing, except two or three venerable Cottonwoods, (Populus Canadensis) in the low ground, on the watercourse running to Rock Spring, and thence to Chouteaus Millpond; on this small watercourse were a few plants of the Nymphen ordorata Ait sweet scented Water Lily, and a clump of Hazel bushes on the rising ground, where the grove at the garden now exists. The prairie was grown over with a tall natural grass Andropogon prairie grass, with an occasional patch of the wild strawberry (Fragaria Virginiana) of which, neither a tuft of the grass, or a plant of the strawberry can now be found. There were no residences in sight nor any to be seen on the narrow road passing Rock Spring to St. Louis, till coming to the stone dwelling of Mr. John B. C. Lucas, on the street now called 7th Street, and the house and garden of Mr. Joseph Charless Sen., now 5th and Market Streets; where he was the first to cultivate the grape vine (Isabella) at St. Louis, and a zealous planter and protector of shade trees.
