278 ANNUAL REPORT 



EXTRACTS AND NOTES FROM PROFESSOR 

 BVDUS EUROPEAN LETTERS. 



The material for notes referred to in the foregoing letter of De- 

 cember 3, consists of copies of the ''Western Farm Journal ,' and 

 clippings from the " Iowa State Register," both published at Des 

 Moines. 



NOTES FROM FRANCE. 



The first letter is from Barres, France, and gives an account of 

 his visit to " the ancestral home of the De Vilmorins, known over 

 the world during the past century as leaders in all lines of horti- 

 culture and economic botany." He visited the place by special 

 appointment, and had " the real and unexpected pleasure of being 

 guided over the rare old place by Maurice De Vilmorin in person.'* 

 Here he first notes some remarkable 



VARIATIONS IN THE SCOTCH PINE, {Pin US SylvestHs) 



Ranging from very valuable to nearly worthless. Two of the 

 extreme variations he describes- -one is a Russian form, called Riga 

 Pine. The original plantation of this form, grown from seed is 

 now of a size suitable for sloop or small schooner masts, and as 

 straight as arrows, and the Professor says: " I cannot describe the 

 pleasure I experienced in wandering through these acres of tower- 

 ing pines growing nearer to each other than would be supposed 

 possible where attaining such size and height. In other parts of 

 the grounds are plantations of this upright form of the Sylvestris 

 pine, grown from the seed of tJiose first planted. Even the third 

 generation of them have attained a height of 20 to 30 feet, and as 

 straight as candles. The other is the French form found on the 

 mountains of Central France. In all respects this form is unsuit- 

 able for a timber tree. The specimens are crooked, irregular in 

 growth, and have no comparative value when grown either for orna- 

 ment or timber. Yet Mr. Vilmorin assured us that this form of 

 Scotch pine bears the greatest quantity of seed, and that the seed 

 is far more certain to germinate. Hence it has been the commercial 



