No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 309 



front five retinispora aurea. The latter is, to my notion, the finest 

 small evergreen we have in cultivation. It belongs to the cypress 

 family, is perfectly hardy and wonderfully beautiful either for 

 grouping or as a specimen tree. The new growth is of old gold 

 color and keeps bright from May to October, when it changes from 

 gold to a dark green, retaining this color until growth starts in 

 the spring. At the topiary garden on the Hunnewell place, in Wel- 

 lesley, Mass., there are huge wedge-shaped sheared masses of this 

 evergreen eight feet high and twenty long, which I have seen twice, 

 and in the August and September sun they gleamed like a fret work 

 of furnished gold. This combination of trees I have in different form 

 on my own grounds. The group as suggested takes nine trees which 

 could be purchased for from three to five dollars, according to size 

 ordered. 



Now we will go past the house to the other corner and plant it to 

 entirely what is generally known as red willow, but really is a mem- 

 ber of the dogwood famil3\ This shrub, which grows wild in the 

 Central States, has most of its branches cinnamon color and would 

 not be recognized as the beautiful red winter shrub it makes when 

 grown on rich, dry soil, and annually cut back and old wood thinned 

 out. It is a deep crimson when the leaves drop, and grows brighter 

 and brighter until the new leaves start, when it changes to a greyish 

 green. A group makes a most effective and striking winter orna- 

 ment to a lawn, and in large lawns the effect is enhanced by having 

 ing beyond it a Norway spruce or other dark green tree. 



We have still one corner down by the road to fill, and we will 

 place first, an althea, then each of Tartarian honeysuckle, and golden 

 spirea. Then a row of four or five Japan quince. 



This finishes our little lawn for the present, and before we go 

 any farther I wish to call attention to two important points. One 

 is that by the group system we can occasionally add a new shrub or 

 tree to our collection without dissipating our lawn as when we plant 

 something in the middle of the biggest spot of grass we have, as 

 most men and all women invariably do, unless educated to a higher 

 standard. The men have to mow around the various bushes, so they 

 learn wisdom along this line sometimes. In planting the new bush, 

 we may place it most anywhere next the group as little promontories 

 do not injure the outline of the lawn to any extent. Exactly as a 

 lake is made more attractive by bays and projecting points, so a 

 large lawn may be judiciously treated in the same way. In a large 

 lawn not already over planted, one may start new groups with one 

 or two plants at a time, and thus keep up with the times, making 

 quite a unique collection in time. In fact, it is not best to complete 

 the planting of a place all in one season, or in two, as one wants 

 fiomething: to njo je.ar by year, in the way of new planning and plant- 



