4th February, A. D. 1904. 



LFxrruRE 



Illustrated by Sterkopticon. 



BY 



Miss EMMA G. CUMMINGS, Bkookline. 



Theme : — CharacterisHcs of Some Southern Trees. 



The people of \'irginia must have been fond of planting willows, 

 and their fresh, feathery green leaves, expanding so early, are 

 an attractive feature of the cities and towns. The woodlands 

 are dotted with the deep pink blossoms of the Judas trees; 

 combined with the green of the willows it forms a very pleasing 

 picture. The rjiododendron, kalmia or mountain laurel clothe 

 many a slope of the southern Alleghanies with green, shining 

 leaves, and along the river banks the rhododendrons often 

 make impenetrable thickets. There is a great variety of the 

 broad-leaved evergreens, like the magnolia, holly, live oak and 

 palmetto. 



Magnolia fcptida has been freely planted in the parks and 

 gardens of Washington, and from there southwaiil is a promi- 

 nent decorative feature of the cities, and conspicuous in the 

 forest. 



Fine old trees of live oak {Quercus Virginiana) are growing 

 in Fortress Monroe, and they entirely compose the park along 

 the water-front in Charleston. The trunks usualh^ divide 

 a few feet from the ground and form many wide-spreading 

 l^ranches, often from one hundred to one hundred and fifty 

 feet across. 



In the early part of the last centur}^ the United States govern- 

 ment bought in the Gulf States large tracts of land covered 

 with live oak, because the wood w^as regarded as especially 



