Cboice ZTrees anb Sbrubs 319 



they are dying in many old New England towns. The 

 trouble is that nothing will quite take the place of the 

 American elm. The wine-cup form is quite unique. 

 It is to be hoped the use of the American elm will not 

 pass away. 



The English elm is very hardy and stands all sorts 

 of difficult exposures, especially on the seashore and in 

 cities. For instance, it suits the streets of Boston 

 better than almost any other tree. It is not as beauti- 

 ful as the linden and maple or even the American elm, 

 but the massive dark green fohage is fine and the tree 

 grows to great size and age. Its growth is quite rapid. 



There is a tree, the ginkgo, which is so unique and 

 excellent that it demands a few moments' attention. It 

 is a strange looking tree. It might have come from 

 another planet. Indeed, it is one of the oldest trees 

 on earth, having been found in one of the lowest strata 

 where fossil plant life appears. There is but one species 

 and one variety and it is found native in the region of 

 Northern China. The leaves are fan-shaped and weird 

 and eastern looking. It is, moreover, hardy and free 

 from disease to an extent that can scarcely be said of 

 any other tree. The cones grow on the branches in a 

 curious way, but it seldom fruits and then only if it 

 stands near a female tree of the same kind, for it is 

 dioecious. The great arms of these trees thrust them- 

 selves in the sky in strange fashion and yet some of the 

 most notable specimens in America, in front of the 

 Smithsonian Institute in Washington, District of 

 Columbia, are broad and massive. The forms it as- 



