HARDY WOODY PLANTS 149 



Law Olmsted, Sr., came to the college and gave important advice to the trus- 

 tees. The main articles of his reconuuendations are still extant in a published 

 report/ In the light of present knowledge it must be regarded as a mis- 

 fortune that the trustees did not see fit to follow the recommendations of 

 Mr. Olmsted. The development of a logical plan, however, has very little di- 

 rect relation to the continued j)lanting of trees and shrubs, and for the pur- 

 poses of our present consideration may he left out of account. 



Japanese Plants 



.'Vnother \ery important cluipter in tiie develo])ment of the groimds at 

 Massachusetts Agricultural College Is marked by Japanese influence. In 187() 

 President Clark went to Japan to organize the new Imperial Agricultural 

 College at Sapjioro. He remained there one year and was followed in this 

 position by William A. Wheeler, a graduate of the college in the class of 1871. 

 In 1877 William P. Brooks of the class of 1875 also went out to Sapporo as 

 professor of agriculture and remained for twelve years. For several years, 

 therefore, Massachusetts Agricultural College was represented by an active 

 colony in northern Japan. These men, deeply interested in the new agricul- 

 tural college in Amherst, ke])t sending back from time to time such Japanese 

 plants as they could safely ship. Naturally the connection with the college in 

 Sapporo continued for some time after the last Massachusetts man had re- 

 turned to this country. 



Tills correspondence resulted in the early establishment upon the campus 

 of a considerable number of Japanese plants, especially hardy trees and 

 shrubs. A few of the fortunate plantings of that time are still subjects of 

 daily admiration. Notable examples are the pair of umbrella-pine trees 

 {Svi(ulopiti/s verticiUat(i) in the rhododendron garden; the splendid JajianejiC 

 elm {Ulmus japonica) back of the President's house; fine actinidias (both A. 

 argata and A. pohigama) on the porches at the President's house; and sever- 

 al good specimens of the Katsura-tree (i'ercidiphi/llum japonirum). 



Recent Developments 



In 1902 tiie general management of the camiius passed into the hands of 

 Professor Frank A. Waugh. In 190(i Kenyon L. Hutterfield became president 

 of the college and an era of building began. Along with the construction of 

 many new buildings came other developn.ents whicii necessitated some changes 

 in the grounds, and which opened the way for new plantings. As regards the 

 latter, the most important change was the development of foundation plant- 

 ings around most of the buildings and the introduction of shrubbery mass 

 plantings at eligible points on the campus, as about the college pond. These 

 developments naturally gave occasion for the introduction of many new spe- 

 cies and varieties of trees, shrubs, and \ ines. 



About 1908 the first separate college course for the study of plant materials 

 was undertaken by Professor E. A. White. In 1915 Professor Charles H. 

 Thompson came to the college and made the study of plant materials his 

 principal interest. 



If anyone will exercise his imagination to generalize the campus history, 

 here so briefly sketched, he will see that these events indicate a constantly 



1 Frederick Law Olmsted, "A Few Things to be Thought of Before Proceeding to 

 Plan Buildings for the National Agricultural Colleges", New York, 1866. 



