58 JOURNAL OF THE ARNOLD ARBORETUM [vol. hi 



since it cracks and splits readily. Though slightly harder than that of 

 Juniperus virginiana L. the wood will do very well for pencils. This 

 African Cedar is a tree with a massive bole, gray, fibrous bark, a 

 wide-spreading crown and rather light green foliage. All in all it is 

 the most valuable tree in the highland forests of Eastern Africa and it is 

 a pity that so much of it is over-mature. Podocarpus gracilior is a singu- 

 larly handsome tree abundant in the semi-dry forests though its distribu- 

 tion is often sharply defined. It is found at altitudes between 7000 and 

 9000 ft. This Podocarpus grows from 80 to 140 ft. tall by 12 to 25 ft, 

 in girth of trunk and has a cylindrical bole clothed with scaly gray bark 

 red-brown below, and a neat rounded crown composed of small branches. 

 The wood is white, lustrous, free of resin and knots, but is somewhat 

 brittle. Trees containing from 5000 to 7000 board feet are common 

 and the maximum is about 10,000 board feet. Owing to the even 

 shape of the bole it is possible to cut large boards and slabs — say from 4 

 to 5 ft. wide and from 50 to 60 ft. long. The other Podocarpus (P. milan- 

 jiana Rendle) has rather stronger wood, pale brownish in color but faulty 

 from ingrowing bark. It favors the wetter forests at altitudes from 

 5000 ft. to 9000 ft. and is distinctly a shade-bearing tree. It is a tree of 

 moderate size, seldom exceeding 80 ft. in height by 12 ft. in girth of trunk, 

 and has gray, fibrous bark and a crown of unequal shape. In many respects 

 it strongly resembles the Japanese Podocarpus macrophyllus 1). Don but 

 its foliage is much lighter green. 



Of these two Podocarpus and the Juniper I have a fine series of photo- 

 graphs and plenty of herbarium material. Of most of the other trees 

 mentioned I have photographs and dried material. The Juniper fruits 

 readily but regenerates badly except in open country. I have a nice lot 

 of seed of it which I hope to send you later. This tree will probably grow 

 well in California and in other warm States." 



Additions to the Library. — To the large number of books published in 

 the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries, for which the Arboretum is indebted 

 to Mrs. J. Montgomery Sears of Boston, can now be added a copy of 

 Herbarius zu teutsch, or the German Ortus Sanitatis (called also 

 the smaller Ortus). In the Transactions of the Bibliographical society, 

 vol. vi, 1901, Dr. J. F. Payne writes of this edition as follows: 



44 This work which was the foundation of the numerous publications 

 called Hoiitus Sanitatis, was printed at Mainz early in 1485. The name 

 of the printer is not given, but the double red shield of Peter Schoffer 

 at the end assigns it to him. Appearing the year after the [Latin] Her- 

 barius, issued by the same printer, it has been regarded by some authors 

 as a second edition of that work, in German. But really, neither the 

 text nor the illustrations of the two books are the same (though one pari 

 shows some resemblance), and as the newer work was completed on the 

 28th March, 1485, and must have taken a long time to prepare, it would 



