

89 







to recover. In December, during a short squall, a big 

 of c< crack M willow, Salix fragiiis, at the south-east e 



themselves on that side of the Dell may be provided with a way 

 into it, without having to walk to either end, or, as more fre- 

 quently happened when the rhododendrons were in flower, crush 

 their way through the bushes down the slope to the walk below. 

 The collection of willows lias so largely increased that it has 

 lately been quite impossible to find room for them round the 

 margins of the lake — the original site allotted to them — without 



completely clothing its banks. Some years ago the collection 



was in consequence extended into the adjoining portion of the 

 Queen's Cottage Grounds, This is the best position now avail- 

 able for them from a cultural poinl of view, as it is near the 



liver and the soil is fairly good. By removing another the 



{plantations of nond< script trees, additional spare lias this winter 

 >een provided to extend the Salix collection there. 



No storm of exceptional violence passed over Kew during the 

 year and no loss of famous trees has to he reported. But during 

 the summer a tree of Hippophae solid folia, an ally of our nntiv< 

 sea-buckthorn, probably the finest in the kingdom, was struck 

 by lightning and its trunk partially stripped of bark. Judging, 

 however, by its appearance during the autumn it seems likely 



specimen 

 , u , ._, ____ „ end of the 



lake, was blown down. 



An interesting event in the grounds was the copious bloss* • -til- 

 ing of many of the trees of Davidia mvolvcrata in May and the 

 subsequent development of a sufficient quantity of seeds to 

 enable us to offer them for distribution in the annual seed list 

 for the first time. This tree, about which so much has been 

 written and so many expectations have centred, may now be 

 regarded as definitely established in the British Isles. It ma; 

 be worth while to mention here, in order to avoid possible dis- 

 appointment and the premature throwing away of seeds that 

 may be distributed, that they sometimes lie dormant two or 

 even three years before germinating. 



Valuable contributions of hardy trees and shrubs were made 



by Mr. Reginald Farrei [Chinese species), 31 r. J. C. Williams 



(rhododendrons, &c), The Hon. Vicary Gibh- (miscellaneous), 

 and Mr. E. C. Xotcutt "(cistuses, etc). 



The following new rhododendrons flowered: — R. Houlstoni, 

 Hems. & Wils., R. lucidum, Franch., /?. neriiflarum, Franch., 

 II. oleifolivm, Franch., R. rupicolum, W. W. Smith. R. 

 scintillansj Balf. et W. AV. Smith, R. sulpkureum, Franch.. 

 and R. trichocladuTn, Franch. 



Perhaps the most interesting of recent additions to the Arbore- 

 tum is NotJiofagus Dombeyi. Since the re-introduction of N. 

 antarctica and N. obliqva by Mr. H. J. Elwes in 1902, a great 



interest has sprung up among tree-lovers in the 'beeches* of 

 the southern hemisphere. So far as we know, N. Dombeyi has 

 never before been introduced alive to this countrv. After 



v 



several unsucessful attempts its introduction has been iuccess- 

 fully accomplished through the efforts of Lieut. -Col. F. B. S. 

 Balfour. In August, 1917, a package of several hundreds of 

 seeds was received by him from Chile which he presented to 



