H () RT I C r LTT' RE 



May 22. 1920 



RAMBLING OBSERVATIONS OF 

 A ROVING GARDENER 



I have just received from Miss 

 Marian Roby Case, of Hillcrest Farm 

 at Weston, Mass., an attractively bound 

 report of the work done at the farm 

 last year. For ten summers now Miss 

 Case has been conducting Hillcrest 

 Farm for the benefit of the boys whom 

 she has gathered there, and to the ad- 

 vantage of the community. Miss Case 

 herself is a woman of rare insight in- 

 to human nature, combined with un- 

 usual business aibility and a keen 

 sympathy for every form of outdoor 

 work. At Hillcrest Farm she grows 

 a surprisingly large number of flowers 

 and foliage plants, as well as fruits 

 and vegetables. The boys under her 

 care learn by doing, and in addition 

 to the. practice work of the farm are 

 given the benefit of many lectures by 

 well known men and women through- 

 out the summer months. The current 



report has a summary of last season's 

 lectures written by the boys them- 

 selves, and is full of much interesting 

 and valuable information. It would 

 be a fine thing if more |)eople having 

 the means to do so would take up the 

 kind of work which Miss Case is so 

 capably carrying on. 



Many people who have met Woon 

 Yun Chun at Hillcrest Farm or at the 

 Arnold Arboretum where he studied 

 with Professor J. G. Jack for several 

 years, will be interested to know that 

 he has now returned to China in order 

 to undertake quite extensive botanical 

 explorations. Mr. Chun received a 

 Sheldon scholarship, which is given 

 each year to enable students to study 

 and travel abroad. He expects to 

 spend much of his time in the prov- 

 inces of Chekiang, Kiangsi and Fukien, 



which are probably the least known 

 of China's domains and from which 

 almost no knowledge of scientific 

 value has yet come. Mr. Chun will 

 devote himself to botanical research 

 and will collect seeds and fruits of 

 beautiful or useful trees, shrubs and 

 flowers for introduction to American 

 gardens. With him are three gradu- 

 ates of American colleges who are 

 taking up other lines of work, includ- 

 ing the collection of insects, snakes, 

 lizzards and so on. Mr. Chun spent 

 five years at Hillcrest Farm, going 

 there when he was only 19, and for 

 three ye^rs he was manager of the 

 boys, proving very eflicient in that 

 capacity. 



The late season has been a great 

 disappointment to flower and plant 

 lovers. This fact in addition to an 

 abnormally large number of rainy 

 days has interfered with displays of 

 all kinds in the Arnold Arboretum, as 

 well as in other parks and gardens. 

 Many of the trees also suffered from 

 the severe cold, so have not bloomed 

 as freely as usual. Tliis applies even 



Magnolia Glauca 



