MONTEVIDEO TRIAL STATION. 289 
bloomed this year for the first time, showing clusters of creamy 
white flowers about two weeks after the other lilacs had gone. In 
its general appearance this lilac closely resembles an ash tree, to 
which indeed all the lilacs are closely related botanically. 
The Manchurian maples (Acer Tartaricum ginnala) appears to 
differ so much from the descriptions we have of the typical Acer 
tartaricum as to be entitled to rank as a separate species. The 
fruiting trees are now showy with the reddish wings of the abundant 
fruit. Some of the non-fruiting trees are showing variegated leaves. 
The Russian plums, 19 and 20 Orel, were accidentally placed 
in our shrub border. They make good border shrubs and promise 
some fruit this year. We have the Besarabian cherry, too, in the 
shrub border, where it is growing with great vigor and sprouting 
abundantly from the roots. Its great, green, glossy leaves, and its 
dense and vigorous habit make a dark and very attractive shrub- 
bery. If the shrub has any fruiting proclivities, they do not as yet 
develop. The European choke-cherry is rather more drooping in 
its habit than ours and is loaded with fruit. Prunus villosa 
is an ornamental early blooming shrub of much promise, and 
Prunus Maackii should be in every shrub collection where early 
flowers are desired. The sand cherry wasa disappointment this 
year. It suffered greatly from the drouth and shows much dead 
wood. It is strange that a South Dakota shrub should suffer where 
so many other things came through uninjured. 
Our native red-berried elder (Sambucus pubens) is ashrub of such 
thrifty habits as to almost crowd out the adjoining planting of 
European golden elder. The golden elder is occasionally cut back 
somewhat by the winters here, but starts again vigorously and is 
now covered with attractive flowers. A golden elder or two ina 
dark shrubbery is not amiss. Catalpa speciosa has to be treated as 
a shrub here, and much dead brush from it necessarily goes into 
the brush piles every spring. It is valuable to give a tropical effect 
to the other shrubberies, and occasionally it blooms. 
The flowering currant imported from Russia as number (?) 
appears to be identical with our old fashioned Ribes aureum, but 
the importation was of value to call attention again to a first class 
old fashioned shrub. 
The basswood trees are in bloom, and we catch their delightful 
perfume. This tree is a very common native here, but it has been 
found difficult to cultivate on the prairies. We have tried the plan 
of allowing it to sprout freely from the roots,with every prospect of 
success. 
The Russian olive, which according to Prof. Bailey is Elaeagnus 
hortensis Songorica, sent out by Prof. Budd as Elaeagnus Augusti- 
folia, ought not to be overlooked by the prairie planter. It improves 
greatly with age and becomes a large spreading shrub with beauti- 
ful silvery leaves. A form of this shrub sent out by Green’s Nursery 
Co., of Rochester, N. Y.,as Russian olive, has short and wider and 
less silvery leaves, and does not seem to be nearly so desirable. 
The Russian artemisia, sent out by Prof. Hanson, isarapid grow- 
ing shrub and sometimes reaches a height of five feet the first 
