NOTES ON EUROPEAN HORTICULTURE. 499 



g-ardening and well versed iu western horticulture, and actiiiainted 

 with the peculiar conditions of our soil and climate, should be en- 

 trusted with the laying out and nianap^enient of parks. There 

 should be permanence in the manaj^ement to jfuard aj^ainst unde- 

 sirable changes in half completed plans. Park-making demands a 

 prophetic eye, one that can see what the park looks like after one, 

 two or three decades. 



The botanic gardens of Europe interested irie greatly. America is 

 certainly far behind in this respect. We have very few botanic 

 gardens. Every city of any importance in Europe has a large and 

 well kept arboretum and botanic garden. Every tree is labeled with 

 both the scientific and common name and that of its native country. 

 In this way the gardens are great i)opular educators, and people be- 

 come able to recognize the various plants as familiar friends. If 

 one knows the name and habitat of a plant, it certainlj' increases 

 one's interest in that plant. 



Atuvrican Trees in Europe. — I found many of our native species 

 of trees and shrubs planted freely in the parks and gardens. But 

 our trans-Atlantic brethren have done much more with them than 

 we have. Plants tend naturally to vary a great deal from the seed 

 or by bud-variation. Taking advantage of this tendency to variation, 

 the European gardeners, who are constantly on the alert for novelties, 

 have originated and propagated a great number of varieties of our 

 American species, as well as of their native species. Hence, we find 

 these ornamental sports or variations very common; some with weep- 

 ing, upright, pyramidal, dwarf or other unusual habit of growth; oth- 

 ers with red, purple, yellow or white variegated leaves; still others 

 with leaves of unusual size and shape, or with characteristic manner 

 of flowering. In the largest nursery on the continent (L.Spaeth, Rix- 

 dorf, near Berlin, Germany), I found one species of European oak of- 

 fered in upwards of lifty named varieties, while many American spe- 

 cies, such as arbor vit;i-, box elder, soft maple, black locust and white 

 ash, were grown in many distinct named varieties. These remarkable 

 variations were indeed an interesting study. But many, if not most 

 of these variations will not be hardy in the west, because they have 

 been developed from eastern forms of the species, which are not 

 adapted to western conditions. Hence, we must repeat this work 

 and develop these desirable varieties from the northwestern form 

 of the species. 



Schools of Jlortirulturc.-l visited a large number of the leading 

 schools of horticulture, agriculture and forestrj', and was very fav- 

 orably impressed with them. Their courses of study are shorter 

 than ours, being from one to three years; but considerable prepara- 

 tion is usually' required for entrance and a practical experience of 

 two years. This period of practical experience is a great help, as the 

 students grasp the instruction much tjuicker. The courses of in- 

 struction are strictly technical, the underlj-ing sciences being sttul- 

 ied only with reference to their horticultural or agricultural ap- 

 plication. The schools are nearly always distinct juid separate from 

 any other school, so that all the students are interested in the same 

 line. Field excursions in ail lines are a prominent feature. In the 



