44 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



into the worn place, where it remains for a week or two. "Msitors go around 

 the stakes, thus sparing the thin grass in the vicinity. 



h To grow many interesting wild plants, there have been added two rich 

 bogs near the upper pond. 



|- Last year, and j'-ear before, the garden was considerably enlarged. Top 

 soil was scraped off into piles, the high banks adjoining used to fill in; and 

 deep and extensive excavations were made on the lower side, after which 

 the top dirt was replaced. In this way, some of the lower portions of the 

 garden have been raised four or five feet and brought up to or above high 

 water mark. When the excavations were made, it was understood that 

 the holes could be filled in a year or two by surplus dirt, when the tunnels 

 were put in. Without expense to the college, I was in autumn glad to see 

 great quantities of earth dumped in to fill all these holes save one small 

 place reserved for rubbish. 



High water removed some of the foot-bridges, one of them going down 

 the river half way to Lansing. As the timber and planks of such struc- 

 tures need renewing frequentl}^ the five bridges of wood have all been re- 

 placed by surplus pieces of artificial stone paths taken up where tunnels 

 were to be put down. Two pieces of steel plate were used as a portion of 

 two of the longest and highest of the bridges. The steel and stone are 

 supported by good cedar posts well set into the ground. 



The places occupied by plants are dug over once a year, when composted 

 manure is turned under. For many years, a hundred bushels or more of 

 hardwood, unleached ashes per year were applied to the ground under cul- 

 tivation. Surface clay from an old pasture, muck from a well-drained 

 cat-hole, and sand have been applied liberally where these materials were 

 most needed. Late last year the low spot south of the wild asters was 

 raised by taking advantage of some surplus dirt from the tunnel. 



During the year, plants of the family Ambrof^iaceae were moved by them- 

 selves to a spot south of the asters, and the Cichoriaceae were moved across 

 the brook near the lower bridge. These two transfers of plants formerly 

 considered tribes of the Compositae, left more room for the tribe Helian- 

 thoideae, which had become much crowded. * The grape-vine family was 

 transferred to the central portion of the lower part of the garden, where 

 the vines w^ill screen the unsightly compost heap. The moon-seed and 

 trumpet-creeper families were moved to the southwest near the grasses. 

 The Solanaceae were also moved to a new place near the grasses, leaving 

 more room for mock oranges. As the rose family became much crowded, 

 the Spiraeas were placed on the north bank next the legumes. The Phlox 

 family went to a sandy bank, sloping to the north, by the greenhouse, where 

 they find a congenial home, while an increased number of Irises have been 

 placed between the upper bog and the brook. Some of the ferns at the 

 east, artificially screened by mosquito netting since the removal of two 

 large Norway spruces, were moved west of the remaining ferns into the 

 shade of blue-beeches. Aristochia macrophjdla and all species of Asarum 

 were moved into the brush arbor, as were all plants of squirrel corn, and 

 Dutchman's breeches. 



The perennial grasses were all moved north by the path, leaving room 

 for annual grass on the south side of the garden. Our seven species of 

 Silphium took the place formerly occupied by the Cichoriaceae, while the 

 six species of balsams occupy the bank of the brook near the borage family. 

 The species of Vaccinium have been transferred to the upper bog. The 



