1879.1 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



information throngh its columns, on the Thorn- 

 less Honey Locust? Is it of any value as an 

 ornamental tree? Does it grow from seed or 

 cuttings y And can any nurseryman furnish the 

 young trees?" 



[The Thorneless Honey Locust is simply the 

 common Honey Locust, that has not the power 

 of producing thorns. It is in every other re- 

 spect a Honey Locust, timber and all included. 

 It is only raised from seed. — Ed. G, M.] 



The Eucalyptus in California. — A cor- 

 respondent writes : The one hundred and fifty 

 six species (or varieties, perhaps), of the Euca- 

 lyptus tree, from Australia, has, owing to its 

 raau}^ excellent qualities for both timber and 

 medicine, been largeh' planted in California. 



some of which are even now nearly one hund- 

 red feet high, and fifteen inches in diameter, al- 

 though only some twelve j'ears old ; proof be- 

 yond question of its rapid growth, and if hardy 

 enough, would be a valuable addition to the 

 timber of our Western prairies. The quality of 

 hardiness however has yet to be tested, in this 

 State, it being planted only below the line of 

 frost as a general thino-. 



American Groavn European Larch. — A 

 Wilmington, Del., correspondent of wide expe- 

 rience amongst timber trees, writes : "My experi- 

 ence with the Larch as to its durability coincides 

 with your views. In a trial a few years ago, I 

 found it hardly more durable than White Pine 

 of the same ase." 



Natural History and Science. 



COMMUNICA TIONS. 



HiSTORY OF SCIADOPITYS, AND OTHER 

 JAPAN TREES. 



BY MR. THOMAS HOGG. 



Your correspondent, Prof. C. S. Sargent, in 

 his communication to the Gardener's Month- 

 ly, published in the last issue of that journal, 

 takes especial pains to warn the public against 

 "too great expectations," as to the merits of 

 that " much heralded plant " the climbing hy- 

 drangea, (Schizophragma hydrangeoides,) and 

 claiming, by inference, the credit of its prior in- 

 troduction to his friend Col. Clark, President of 

 the Massachusetts Agricultural Society ; also of 

 Sciadopitys verticillata, and directly for the 

 "first introduction" of Cercidiphyllum japon- 

 ic um. 



Permit me to say that I am far from wishing 

 to derogate from the honor due Col. Clark's 

 efforls in adding to the horticultural wealth of 

 our country, but in justice to myself, I may also 

 be permitted to correct several errors into which 

 his friend, Prof. Sai'gent has fallen. 



As to the horticultural value of these several 

 plants I shall leave it to others to decide, when 



they have seen them in a mature state, and 

 confine myself to the matter of historical facts 

 as to the priority of introduction. 



In the indefinite expression of "some years 

 ago," Prof. Sargent intimates that he received 

 seed of the Schizophragma from Col. Clark. 

 JiTow, why does he not mention the precise date 

 of their receipt, which he could surely do, and 

 thus set at rest any doubts on the subject. Mr. 

 Samuel Parsons, to whom I sent a large portion 

 of my plants, published the fact of its introduc- 

 tion by myself at the time he received it, and if 

 Prof. Sargent can show that he received it from 

 Col. Clark earlier I should be most happy to 

 relinquish my claims. 



In the matter of Sciadopitys and the Cercidi- 

 phyllum, I emphatically deny Prof. Sargent's 

 claim for their introduction to Col. Clark. At 

 this writing I am not sure whether the first 

 named was among the plants which Dr. Hall 

 sent to Messrs Parsons, in 186"2, but I am sure 

 it was sent by me to my brother, Mr. James 

 Hogg, prior to 1869, for in that year, on my 

 return home from Japan, he had growing 

 j several well established plants which I had pre- 

 viously sent him. Of this Prof. Sargent must 

 I have been aware if he had taken the trouble to 



