CENTRAL EXPERIMENTAL FARM NOTES. 



497 



on the north and east, while to the south 

 there is a pleasing" view across country with 

 glimpses of the Rideau river in the distance. 

 The Arboretum is bounded on one side by 

 the Rideau canal, which at this point has 

 marshy banks which take away much of the 

 sameness which the canal would otherwise 

 have, and also afford a splendid opportunity 

 for experiments with aquatics, though little 

 has yet been done in this direction. 



Twelve years ago, when the first planting 

 was made, comparatively little was known 

 of the hardiness o^ a large number of trees, 

 shrubs and herbaceous plants, as the number 

 of species and varieties found in gardens was 

 limited, but now more than 3100 kinds of 

 trees and shrubs, and over 1300 perennials 

 have been tested and notes taken on all of 

 them. The number of individual specimens 

 of trees and shrubs living in the Arboretum 

 at the present time is more than 4200 This 

 large collection has been obtained from many 

 sources. From donations of seeds from 

 Botanic gardens throughout the world a 

 large number of species and varieties have 

 been grown, the Royal Gardens, Kew, 

 supplying many of them. The catalogues 

 of nurserymen in America, Europe and Asia 

 have been searched to increase the collection 

 until it is now difficult to obtain additional 

 species of many genera. 



The trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants 

 are increasing in interest every season as 

 they get older and are better established, 

 and throughout the year there is always 

 something to instruct the visitor. 



Descriptive lists of hardy trees, shrubs 

 and herbaceous perennials which have been 

 found the most ornamental have been pub- 

 lished, and have proven very useful to per- 

 sons desiring to plant their grounds. A 

 catalogue has also been published of all the 

 trees and shrubs tested in the Arboretnm 

 up to the year 1899, and notes given as to 



their hardiness, but in this list no descrip- 

 tions are given. 



To one who had seen the Experimental 

 Farm in 1887, and who had not visited it 

 again until 1901, the change in what are 

 known as the ornamental grounds must 

 seem wonderful. The planning of these 

 grounds has, since the Experimental Farms 

 were established, been under the charge of 

 Dr. Wm. Saunders. By his energy, a large 

 proportion of the planting was done during 

 the first few years of the Farm's existence 

 and as a result the effects are much better 

 than they would have been had the main 

 planting covered a longer period of time. 

 The road from the main entrance of the 

 Farm to the office building which, when the 

 work was begun had nothing along its mar- 

 gins to vary the landscape, save the fields 

 of grain, is now at all seasons of the year 

 brightened by the clumps of trees and shrubs 

 which are grouped and scattered along its 

 borders. The margins of the roads leading 

 to the other buildings are also planted in 

 like manner, while intervening areas are 

 broken by lawns, flower borders, and flower 

 beds. Some parts of the lawns now look 

 quite park like where such trees as pine, 

 spruce, birch, elm, maple, larch and other 

 quick growing sorts have been distributed 

 singly. Many of these are now more than 

 twenty-five feet in height, and are excellent 

 samples of the rapidity with which such 

 trees grow when properly cared for. 



Whoever doubts the possibility of making 

 a complete change in the home surroundings 

 by the planting of trees and shrubs, while 

 one is young enough to enjoy the effects 

 produced by them, should visit the Experi- 

 mental Farm and see what has been accom- 

 plished in fourteen years. 



W. T. Macol-n, 

 Horticulturist, 

 Central Experimental Farm. 



