Edward S. Livermore letter to Thomas Rotch, Tewkesbury Apr 2 1817

               
  B-117-1
                  Tewkesbury Apr 2 1817
  My Dear Sir
  I take the liberty of enclosing to you a
  few kernals of an extraordinary Grain
  and hope you will be kind enough
  to plant it in your Garden - Should
  an oppy present I will sned you some
  of the grain - Such the present may en
  able you to form an opinion of it.
  The history of it is this - One of Bonapart's
  Spies sent it to him from Persia - it
  grows in the Country bordering on the
  Caspian Sea - A Gentleman in Paris pro
  cured it from the Garden of Plants and
  sent some to Doct Dexter of Boston who
  distributed it in the Country a few years
  ago with information that it was a
  winter grain and must be sowed in
  the fall - the consequence was that it all 
  perished except three kernals which
  were preserved through forgetfulness