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ty 412 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. © 
While our severe climate excludes many choice ornamentals ~ 
found in parks further east and south, there are still left a good 
many which are adapted to this locality—varieties, too,ifthey could 
be called by some foreign name would be thought highly desirable. 
By the way, | wonder how many years it is going to take usto 
learn that we have in America some of the finest botanical enc 
specimens in the world, things which we never appreciated till | 
European gardenerscame over after them,took them home,and gave ’ 
us lessons in artistic effect which revealed some of the undeveloped 4 
art resources of this country. I have heard American touriststo — % 
Europe say that they had no conception of the beauty of some of is 
our American trees and vines until seen in the old world under he 
favorable culture and training. SoI repeat that itis not necessary Wy 
to go to foreign lands to obtain suitable trees, shrubs and vines for 
parks or for home planting. We need to look around us and utilize Ue 
some of the beautiful specimens which God has adapted to our ie 
environment. 
Varieties, even when hardy and desirable, should be selected with i 
reference to size of grounds, their contour and the uses to which | 
they are to be applied. Trees of large growth and spreading habits 
are permissible in parks of large extent, while they would hardly 
be suitabie in a small lawn. When there is room to plant a variety, 
some should be selected for their dense foliage and complete shade, 
and others because of their smallleaves andability to admit spark- 
ling bits of sunshine through their sprightly branches. As ex- 
ample of these types, let me mention the sugar maple and the lin- ~ 
den as representing the former and honey locust the latter. 3 
Among the many hardy and beautiful trees adapted to park pur- 4 
poses in this climate may be mentioned those recommended for xh 
street purposes and, in addition thereto, hackberry, honey locust, 
coffee-bean, buckeye, larch, laurel-leaf willow, European white and 
cut-leaf birch, caragana (pea tree), etc. All of these will be found 
hardy here, I think. There are many others. It will not be neces- 
sary for me to extend the list. 
It is always safe and generally desirable to have in your parks all 
the trees of your woods. A jack oak that will thrive is far better 
than an catalpa that needs a fur overcoat in winter. This is also 
true of vines and shrubs. The Virginia creeper and bittersweet 
are so common in our woodlands that we do not recognize their 
worth as ornaments for our home grounds. And the somewhat 
common tree cranberry and black haw are not to be despised when 
making a list of ornamental shrubs. 
There is one foreign shrub to which I would like to call your at- 
tention. I obtained it under the name of Russian snowball, but its 
blossom is more like the haw. The shrub itself is a beauty aside a. 
fromthe blossom. Itisas hardy asa bur-oak. Its leaves are very 
thick, and limbs tough and leathery. 
Evergreens produce such a pleasing effect, especially in winter, 
that we should plant every variety which promises success—the 
large growing kinds, like white pine, where there is room for devel- 
opment, and the dwarfs on small lots or in places where it is desir- 
