DEPARTMENT REPORTS. 43 



on a bank near a i)()iitl, because it afforded ;ui oppoitunity to place the 

 two poisonous species on an artificial island, where no one would be likely 

 to handle them. 



The limited area of the i!;arden precluded the <;rowtli of large trees among 

 the smaller plants. As soon as the soil in the vicinity is enriched and cul- 

 tivated, the trees spring into vigorous growth as though the extra care 

 was for their special benefit, and this growth is usually very detrimental 

 to the success oi the herbaceous j)lants and shrubs. For this reason, a con- 

 siderable number of fine ornamental trees have been from time to time 

 removed. In no case has a tree been removed unless there were ])lenty 

 of other good specimens elsewhere at the college. The only chestnut oak 

 on the campus is to be found in this garden. The same may be said of 

 three kinds of locust, two kinds of red bud, honey locust and others in the 

 garden. It doesn't seem worth while to spare a group of basswoods, a 

 large red oak, a Wisconsin weeping willow, a well-grown American elm, 

 a large Norway spruce, a silver maple, any one of which would make it 

 impossible to grow to perfection twenty or more kinds of honeysuckles, 

 spiraeas, a fine selection of j^hloxes, goldenrods, daisies, mints, legumes, 

 or roses. 



The slow brook that \\inds about through the garden passes between 

 sloping banks that are rather artificial and monotonous. For many years 

 these banks were mowed every two weeks during the growing season, and 

 the labor of mowing was far from eas}'. During a pressure of work, these 

 banks were left for a month or six weeks, without mowing, and then I real- 

 ized for the first time, that the banks looked better for aj^parent neglect. 

 Since then, we have .mowed the banks but once a year, and that time is 

 late in October when we are cutting off the dead tops of many plants. 



On the banks of the brook grow to perfection, blue violets, anemones, 

 cicuta, great-stemmed angelica, wild vetch, wild pea, ground nut, hog- 

 peanwt, swamp saxifrage, wild balsams, l)lue lobelia, swamp lousewort, 

 bitter cress, water cress, blue flag, fringed loosestrife, grasses, sedges, rushes, 

 wild asters, goldenrods, and ver}^ likely others not recalled at this moment. 



Among the improvements of the past year are the addition of some ce- 

 ment steps in four places to go down from the high land to the garden. 

 At the upper steps near the Physical Laboratory and those northwest of 

 the greenhouse, hand-railings have been put in, consisting of gas pipe. 



Seven spots were selected on the banks about the garden from which 

 the best views were to be obtained, and here were placed oak benches, set 

 on cedar posts. 



For many years, the paths in the upper part of the garden have been 

 covered with a good growth of grass that was mowed as often as needed. 

 Well trimmed paths seem to delight visitors. During the year, nearly all 

 the paths in the remaining ])ortions of the garden have been seeded to grass. 

 Until this year, many of the paths Avere marked by margins of cobble-stone. 

 A small amount of the grass-paths was sodded over, all the rest put into 

 grass by inoculation, a quicker plan than to sow grass seed. This process 

 consists in scattering small fragments of sod on well-prepared land which 

 w^as then rolled or pounded down. Wood ashes and commercial fertilizers 

 are freely applied, nearly every year to helj) grow a turf sufficient to 

 stand the tramping of many visitors. Throughout the garden pipes have 

 been laid, w^hich enables us to irrigate in dry seasons. AVhen a spot in the 

 path becomes conspicuously worn, a small stake two feet high is driven 



