344 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[November, 



What then are the condusions to be drawn 

 from the above remarks for the future of North 

 American Foi-estry. 



We have seen how all authority is wanting to 

 enforce even the simplest regulations on for- 

 estry. The only man in America who ever 

 understood to carry out his absolute will in this, 

 as every other respect was Brigham Young, who 

 in this one^ matter has our decided sympathy. 

 The communistic theory that the "forests are the 

 property of every single American," and that he 

 has a perfect right to cut down as much timber as 

 he needs, is so widespread ; the corruption in 

 official circles, an unavoidable consequence of 

 perpetual rotation in office, is so general ; the 

 necessity in which both parties find themselves 

 of not offending the mass of voters, is so great, 

 that we can hardly call unjustified the assertions 

 of competent and patriotic American authori- 

 ties as to the impossibility of enforcing any pro- 

 tective laws on forestry. In view of such condi- 



tions we can neither hope for any beneficial results 

 from the "Commission to inquire into the Euro- 

 pean Laws on Forestry," asked for by Mr. Sec- 

 retary Schurz in his annual report to the Presi- 

 dent ; nor expect Professor Sargent, of Harvard, 

 to achieve much by the three years' survey of 

 American forests, with which he has lately been 

 entrusted. A more competent man, or a better 

 authority on all incidental questions, could not 

 be found ; but of what use can laws be if there 

 exist no authority to enforce them ? It is to be 

 feared that, unless affairs take some entirely un- 

 expected turn, the words of the " Report of the 

 Secretary of the Interior " for 1877 will come 

 true ; that "in twenty years, at the most, the Uni- 

 ted States will no longer be able to fill the de- 

 mands for home consumption for their own for- 

 ests," and that they will have to import at an 

 enormous outlay what they might have had at a 

 trifling expense! What the consequences will be 

 in other respects, we have already foreshadowed, 

 it is impossible to overrate their importance. 



Natural History and Science. 



COMMUNICA TIONS. 



VIRGINIA AUTUMN SCENERY. 



BY MISS M. EVELYN HUNTER. 



Our own swamps and low grounds are display- 

 ing attractive pictures for us to treasure in our 

 memories of these autumn days, and bring forth 

 to brighten a dismal cold evening in winter. 

 There is one that I recall novv, seen only a few 

 days since, a low meadow with steep hills on 

 either side, overgrown with willows, alders, sweet 

 gum, and other of our forest trees. There is one 

 branch of gum that has turned a rich dark pur- 

 ple, while the rest of the tree is still green ; over 

 an alder bush the wild clematis has climbed and 

 thrown a spray directly on the purple branch of 

 gum. This falls like a grey mist, sparkling with 

 dew drops made brilliant by the morning sun. 

 None of our wild climbers are as graceful and 

 beautiful as the clematis, first with its perfectly 

 formed clusters of white flowers, with just a tint 

 of sea-green color in them, and then later on, as 



I saw them on the alder, when the flowers had 

 fallen and left the mist-like clusters of seed in 

 their places. Looking far up to the end of the 

 meadow we see the true morning mist rising 

 from the w^et ground and rolling upward in a 

 golden cloud, as the sunlight seems to dance 

 against its billowy masses, and then to fall back 

 in a shower of gold on waving heads of golden 

 rod, brightened here and there with bunches of 

 crimson, velvet-like cardinal flowers. 



At the foot of the hill, on the western side of 

 the meadow, the trees are literally covered with 

 grape vines and Virginia creepers. From the 

 first, large clusters of purple grapes hang tempt- 

 ingly among the cool green leaves, and the creep- 

 ers show amid scarlet and green leaves, bunches 

 of dark blue berries on red stems, that give them a 

 poisonous appearance. Here, too, a variety of 

 beautiful native grasses may be found and used 

 for winter decoration. But feeling sure that I 

 am giving only a dim idea of the beauties of 

 "Nature's Picture Gallery," I will give up the 

 attempt 



