740 



HORTICULTURE 



December 7, 1907 



THE GINKGO AS A STREET TREE. 



Read what the highly respected and 

 learned superintendent of the Botanic 

 Gardens, Washington. D. C Mr. Wil- 

 liam R. Smith, had to say on the 

 above subject in Meehan's Monthly. 

 November, 1S98: 



"I thinlc for a curbstone tree among 

 the best is Ginlfgo of the .Japanese. 

 Salisburia adiantifolia, or Maidenhair 

 Tree of tlie bolaui&ts. Two of the.se 

 interesting trees have flourislied in 

 Washington, D. C, for sixty years or 

 more, apart, however, and being uni- 

 sexual, no seed was produced. We 

 were two years rooting a hard wood 

 cutting and liave a good tree thus 

 propagated. Mr. Jardiue. a French- 

 man, an importer of trees and shrubs, 

 sold to the British legation two Ginlv- 

 gos to plant each side of the porte- 

 cochere. He charged $7.50 apiece 

 for them. The bill was disputed, and 

 we were made referee. The matter 

 was compromised at $'j each. Short- 

 ly after, when searching for street 

 trees, we visited Hoopes Brothers and 

 '1 nomas. West Chester, Pa. Walking 

 through the nursery with my friend 

 Josiah Hoopes we came to a large lot 

 of Ginkgos. 'There.' he says, "you 

 kDow that's a good thing, but our 

 agents won't touch it. It won't sell.' 

 'What will you take for it'?' I asked. 

 "I'll take forty (40) cents apiece, just 

 to get rid of them,' was his reply. We 

 bargained for three hundred. 



"Pierce St., Washington, D. C, is 

 now planted with them and another 

 short street, 17 1-2 St., just west of 

 Lafayette Square, where they are not 

 so fine as in Pierce Street, owing to 

 their being robbed by adjoining elms 

 in the square, and the soil is not so 

 good. Here may be seen the effects 

 of planting too close; nevertheless, 

 they are very fine and fruit freely. I 

 have never seen an insect near them. 

 "This tree has a very interesting 

 Boston history which we find in , 

 Hooker's Kew Gardens Miscellany. 

 Vol 2, 1850, under the heading 'The 

 Ginkgo in Boston Commons.' A 

 Ginkgo tree formerly stood in a gar- 

 den belonging to Mr. Green, which 

 garden was in the centre of Boston. 

 After his death (1832) the house and 

 grounds were sold. This tree was 

 removed at the partial cost of the 

 city (each of Mr. Green's children 

 paying $100 toward the expense) to 

 the walk encircling the Common, and 

 planted before the windows of Mrs. 

 Green's house, in which she resided 

 since her husband's death. The tree 

 is a native of China, and was of full 

 size when Mr. Green, Sr.. purchased 

 the garden in 1798. It is now in fine 

 leaf and beauty. The accompanying 

 lines appeared in the public papers 

 some months after the tree's removal. 

 Dr. Bigelow is the author. This poem 

 consists of fifteen stanzas. We quote 

 the last; 



*' 'And so thou hast survived thy fa\l 

 And fairly disappointed ail 



Who thought to see thee down; 

 And better days are stored for thee. 

 Long; Shalt thou live, triumphant tree. 

 And spread thy foliage I>road and free 



A credit to the town.' 



"Is this individual tree still trium- 

 phant? If not. how long did it live? 

 Mr. Downing, three years afterward, 

 wrote with approval of the operation 

 of transplanting it. He gave its 



A Fine Assortment of 



-- iv^ A r^ E> iv S-- 



Extra fine lot of FIREFLY in bloom from 



THANKSGIVING to EASTER 



WRITE FOR PRICES 



MAJOR BONNAFFON 



The best all 'round Yellow Chrysanthemum. Strong stools, 

 $5.00 per 100 



W. W. EDGAR CO., Waverley, Mass. 



Orders taken now for December or January 



Delivery 



Phoenix Roebelini Seed 



1000 



$7 



5000 

 $31.25 



10,000 

 $60 



YOKOHAMA NURSERY CO., Ltd., 31 Barclay St., N. Y. 



height as forty (40) feet and its cir- 

 cumference as three feet. How is it 

 now? A full history would be inter- 

 esting." W. R. SMITH. 



WHOLESOME CHESTNUTS. 



Lilies are worth money at Christ- 

 mas, and plants to be in bloom then 

 should now be in such an advanced 

 state as to put the question of whether 

 they will or will not be ready beyond 

 the realm of doubt. Buds of increasing 

 size are the only sure sign of their 

 timely arrival in proper condition. A 

 temperature bordering on 60 degrees 

 is agreeable to plants coming along 

 easily, but if there is cause to suspect 

 that in such a temperature all or any 

 will not be on time, a few degrees 

 higher may without any danger be 

 given them, beginning with a slight in- 

 crease. Besides the necessity of the 

 proper temperature to bring lilies in 

 on time there is the ever present need 

 of constant watchfulness in keeping 

 the plants clear of green fly. Careful 

 watering is also very important; allow- 

 ing the roots to get dry is ruinous and 

 spasmodic watering, resulting often in 

 a soggy condition of the soil, is none 

 the less so. 



Now is the time most propitious for 

 the satisfactory and rapid propagation 

 of many kinds of indispensable stock. 

 No time should be lost in making a 

 start, in order that when the time ap- 

 proaches for a forced discontinuance 

 there may be a breathing spell instead 

 of a confused rush and a frenzied ef- 

 fort to catch up. Keep the propagating 

 bench comfortably filled right along 

 with cuttings that require bottom heat 

 to root. 



Mignonette, to do well, must be 

 grown cool and the soil kept in a 

 sweet mellow cotidition. The same with 



stocks and antirrhinums, all of which 

 are satisfactory and remunerative when 

 well grown. 



It is very injurious to plants of Bos- 

 ton fern and its improved varieties to 

 have them growing jammed together. 

 Allow as much air and light in among 

 and upon them now as possible. 



Poinsettias sufficiently advanced to 

 insure their fitness for disposal at 

 Christmas are very likely to be much 

 benefitted by moderate application of 

 liquid manure; that made from cow 

 manure is the best and safest to use. 



Keep stevias at a temperature above 

 the freezing point, but as near thereto 

 as the reliability of resources safely 

 warrants. 



Begin at once on a thorough reckon- 

 ing of what is available for utility 

 throughout the holidays, and if the re- 

 sult indicates a shortage take meas- 

 ures for getting on the right side in 

 good season. 



Dahlias and cannas put away for the 

 winter with some dry soil adhering to 

 them and kept dry where frost will 

 not penetrate, may confidently be ex- 

 pected to turn out in good condition 

 in spring. If there is any fear of their 

 not keeping, put them in barrels or 

 boxes filled afterwards with very dry 

 soil or sawdust. 



Many evergreens, especially choice 

 sorts, are killed every winter or left 

 in debilitated condition through laclc 

 of moisture at the roots. This can be 

 remedied considerably by putting a 

 good coat oi manure on the ground 

 over the roots. Newly planted trees, 

 shrubs and hardy plants of various 

 kinds are much benefited by an appli- 

 cation of manure in winter. With 

 roses, either Hybrid Perpetual or oth- 

 ers, some such covering is likewise 

 needful. - 



Beds of rhododendrons niav^ be'' 



