430 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



of some, furnishing' in its peculiarly flavored fruit an opportunity 

 to those who have a weakness that way of indulg-ing- their appetites 

 and at the same time appeasing their consciences with the excuse 

 that it is done strictly "for the stomach's sake." Not only is it of 

 value to the planter of ornamental trees, but to the forester it has 

 the recommendation when mature of furnishing the most valuable 

 of native lumber with but one or two exceptions. 



In our six varieties of dogwoods (Cornus), we have most valuable 

 shrubs, and although they may be commonly referred to by the 

 country boy as only "killikinick," still they are about the most gen- 

 erally used species in extensive plantings for parks and large 

 grounds. In moderately wet lands they form large clumps, and 

 their panicles of white flowers in spring, luxuriant foliage in sum- 

 mer, vari-colored berries in fall and brilliant bark in winter, make 

 them ornamental the year around. A golden-barked variety of the 

 Cornus stolonifera has been discovered which promises to be a rival 

 in beauty to the golden willow. 



Any one who in early summer has journeyed along the river val- 

 leys of the south-eastern Minnesota and admired the many thickets 

 of "thorn-apples" transformed into bouquets of white and pink must 

 have had some slight idea of the inspiration which the poets of 

 England have breathed for many centuries past "when the haw- 

 thorn was in bloom." The four varieties credited to this state fur- 

 nish abundant material for the propagator. 



We can only pause to name as other interesting shrubs, the leath- 

 erwood (Dirca palustris), with its yellow flowers, light colored foli- 

 age and exceedingly tough bark; the winter berry (Ilex verticillata), 

 whose scarlet fruits decorated the swampy thickets in winter, 

 storms and birds permitting; the shrubby trefoil (Potentilla fruti- 

 cosa), bidding defiance to drought and summer's heat with its bright 

 golden blossoms, and the prickly ash (Zanthoxylum Americana). 

 Any one who, like myself, has frequent occasion to work a passage 

 through a thicket of the last can appreciate the force of the sug-- 

 gestion of Prof. S. B. Green, that doubtless it would make an in- 

 penetrable hedge. 



The sand cherry (Prunus pumila) has often been discussed as a 

 prospective fruit bearer; it may be of interest to know that grafted 

 into the top of a wild plum tree it will speedily give a weeping tree 

 fit to ornament any lawn. The imported flowering plums can also 

 be top-worked on our native -wild plums and have been known to 

 produce heads of bloom even up to twenty feet in height and di- 

 ameter. 



One of our native mountain ashes (Pyrus sambucifolia), is found 

 growing wild almost to the northern timber line. Of it, Prof. C. S. 

 Sargent, the highest authority on the subject, says: "The most beau- 

 tiful of all mountain ashes; requires a long cold winter to develop 

 all its beauties." Such being- the case, it must be just the tree for 

 Minnesota. It has recently been noted that in north-eastern Europe 

 a variety of this tree has been discovered and cultivated for the edi- 

 ble qualities of its berries, which are unusually large and palatable 



