100 THE PLANT WORLD 



hovering in the eighties, certainly completes the illusion of summer 

 fulness. Mrs. Britton's letter from Florida, published elsewhere in this 

 issue, illustrates strikingly how great are the extremes of climate and 

 temperature at this season. The circuit is not complete until we visit 

 Canada, and there find great banks of ice and snow, with the buds on 

 the trees not yet swelling, and the frosty air conveying little promise 

 of the birds or the flowers. In the Western States the climate is more 

 equable and there is less diversity between North and South ; but altitude 

 there plays a more important part in the regulation of plant life. 



It is a joyous season, and a time when popular interest in plants is at 

 its height. Go to the woods and see what there is to be seen. Trans- 

 plant, if you will, some of the wild flowers to your home garden ; but 

 remember the lessons of the past months and guard the rare species. You 

 can do better missionary work in the spring than at any other time. Let 

 us help you in this by sending literature to those whom you think might 

 be benefited by reading it. Send us your notes and observations freely. 

 Get all the enjoyment there is to be had from close contact with the 

 sweet, fresh breath of the woods and the companionship, not of animals 

 or plants alone, but of life — wholesome, invigorating, outdoor life. 



The Home Garden and Greenhouse. 



Conducted by Dr. F. H. Knowlton. 



[The editor of this department will be glad to answer questions of a rele- 

 vant nature, and also to receive short articles on any phase of this subject.] 



Japanese Maples. — To those who have but a limited lawn space we 

 would recommend the growing of a specimen plant of the Japanese maple. 

 It is of very graceful though slow growth, the branches having a tendency 

 to droop somewhat, while the deeply -lobed and cut leaves are very at- 

 tractive. It makes a compact crowded shade when grown in the open, 

 and not the least of its attractiveness is the bright color of the foliage 

 assumed in fall. 



Spring Flowering Shrubs. — In the southern and middle portions of 

 the country, where there is usually a protracted period of very hot, dry 

 weather during mid-summer, and when many residents are sojourning 

 at seaside or mountain resorts, it is difficult to secure a succession of 

 blooming shrubs or hardy perennials that will fill up this trying period. 

 We have in mind a small suburban place which meets these conditions, the 

 family being usually absent for three months during the hottest period, 



