304 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



NATIVE ORNAMENTAL SHRUBS AND PLANTS 

 WORTHY OF CULTIVATION. 



FRANK H. NUTTER, MINNEAPOLIS, 



At the beginning of this paper I wish to make it plain that I do 

 not speak as a botanist but from the standpoint of one who is in- 

 terested, not only personally but from business motives, in seeing 

 the lists of available material for ornamental planting in our un- 

 deniably severe climate substantially increased. 



In consulting the catalogues of many of our local nurseries one 

 cannot but be struck by the meagre list of ornamental stock. Of 

 course in a new country the requirements of the orchard and 

 garden must first be met, and the nurseryman will tell us that 

 the limited demand is responsible for the scanty stock he carries 

 in the department under consideration. Demand regulates sup- 

 ply, to be sure, but I think the time is now at hand when the en- 

 terprising nurseryman will' find the converse of this statement to 

 be also true and that a goodly supply will create demand. 



In orcharding we hear much in favor of northern grown 

 stock, propagated on hardy roots, and in ornamentals the same 

 rules hold true, and the practice of grafting some of the rarer 

 shrubs on tender roots may often explain the failures that attend 

 the planter's experiments. The nurseryman must therefore draw 

 on his experience with apples and small fruits to guide him with 

 his ornamental stock. If, therefore, he can find native varieties 

 satisfactory for his purpose, a great gain has been made ; in ad- 

 dition to this is the chance that the observer may stumble onto 

 or propagate some new and valuable sprout from standard va- 

 rieties. Examples of these are found in recent catalogues : for 

 instance, two or three varieties of cut-leaf elder, weeping red 

 cedar and yellow-barked dogwood. 



In preparing the descriptive list which follows, I have used the 

 latest catalogue of a large Eastern nursery which makes a specialty 

 of xultivating, not collecting, native species, checking the same with 

 various handbooks, especially the reports of our State Geological 

 Survey. 



Although not specified in our title, let us glance for a moment 

 at our native deciduous trees. Of course the majority of them, 

 the elm, linden, ash, hackberry, etc., are well known and in general 

 use. The Kentucky cofifee-tree, with almost tropical foliage, is 

 native as far north as the Minnesota River valley and is a valuable 

 asset to the planter. How few recognize the fact that the ironwood. 

 or hop-hornbeam, is a vigorous and shapely small tree, especially 



