216 IN A GLOUCESTERSHIRE GARDEN 



she often told me that she knew nothing in foliage 

 more beautiful than the Salisburia in its autumnal tints. 

 I know of few better trees for a lawn ; in its early 

 stages it grows very slowly, but when fully established 

 it grows rapidly, ami becomes a tree always of a good 

 shape, and with light, graceful foliage. Botanically it 

 is a most interesting tree. Though closely allied to 

 the yew, it is as unlike a yew as possible, and the 

 leaves have a really wonderful resemblance to the 

 maidenhair fern. It comes from China and Japan, 

 and ofun bears its Japanese name, ginkgo, but it 

 is more commonly known as the maidenhair-tree. I 

 have never seen the flowers or fruit, and they are 

 seldom produced in England ; l and it has the further 

 interest that, though only introduced a little over a 

 hundred yearn, it is an old inhabitant of England, Iwth 

 the leaves and fruit being found in some of the carboni- 

 ferous strata. In some years the autumn foliage is of 

 a rich golden colour ; and the leaves are so slightly 

 attached to the branches that even in midsummer a 

 high wind or a sharp shower will almost strip the tree, 

 and bring down a 'rustling shower of yet untimely 

 leaves ' (Thompson). 



1 In a few instance* the fruit has txen produced in RngUnd by 

 grafting the two M>xea on the Mine tn*. By tin* mean* fruit hat 

 been produced at Wortwtor. 



