BOTANIC GARDEN AND ARBORETUM 



II 



along the shores of the proposed Anacostia water gardens 

 and thence by way of Maryland Avenue to the Capitol 

 Building, affording an entrance to Washington of un- 

 equaled beauty. 



Mount Hamilton, a hill of considerable importance 

 in a flat country, rises in one-half mile from the Anacos- 

 tia River (tidewater) to an altitude of 239 feet. Its 

 elevation above the surrounding country southeastward 

 is nearly 200 feet, and is attained within a distance of 

 one-quarter mile. On the other sides the difference in 

 elevation though less is still striking. It is least along 

 the main Bladensburg Road where the rise is some 140 

 feet in about one-eighth mile. The location in surround- 

 ing land of low altitude gives Mount Hamilton a setting 

 which tends somewhat to exaggerate its elevation and 

 appearance; these are enhanced by the general symmetry 

 of its form. The top consists of a ridge which connects 

 three rounded peaks within about one-quarter of a mile, 

 the summit marking the apexes of a right angle triangle. 

 The ridge consists of shallow soil overlying and con- 

 taining sandstone conglomerate rock impregnated with 

 iron, which clearly accounts for the topographic forma- 

 tion. The hill is altogether a striking feature in the 

 landscape. 



Mount Hamilton is well wooded to the lower slopes, 

 which have partly been cleared for agriculture, though 

 cultivation of much of the cleared land has been aban- 

 doned. Altogether about 210 acres of the tract are for- 

 ested. Thirty-six native species of forest trees have been 

 identified by Dr. Ivan Tidestrom, the botanist. Mixed 

 oaks, with white oak predominating, hickory, black wal- 

 nut, yellow poplar, black gum, and a few other species 

 compose the slope typ)e, giving away gradually with in- 

 creasing elevation to chestnut oak, which occurs over the 

 summit in almost pure stand. The tract has been an 

 unmanaged woods largely open to the public and subject 

 to timber trespass and frequent fires. As a result there 

 has been considerable injury and loss of good trees- Yet 

 the canopy strikes one as being practically complete over 

 much of the area, the trees rising to a height of proba- 

 ably 40 to 50 feet near the top and 60 to 80 feet at the 



base of the slope. Much of the timber is mature. The 

 topography and forest cover give one the impression of 

 a high oak ridge in the Appalachians a very agreeable 

 surprise. 



A hearing before the joint Congressional Committee on 

 the Library, held on May 21, 1920, resulted in Senator 

 Brandagee, as chairman of the Committee, presenting to 

 the Senate a land acquisition bill providing for the taking 

 over of the Mount Hamilton tract. It had two readings 

 before adjournment but failed of enactment. In the 

 last session' Senator Brandegee re-introduced his bill 

 (S. 1560), and Congressman Cooper, of Wisconsin, 

 has placed the matter before the House in a bill (H. R. 

 6683) which aims at accomplishing the same purpose. 



A soil survey made by the Bureau of Soils, presented 

 at the hearing, shows approximately twenty-seven differ- 

 ent soil types on the tract proposed for purchase. In 

 this connection one of the Government experts has stated 

 that, with the possible exception of Rio de Janerio, such 

 a diversity of natural soil and topographic conditions fav- 

 orable to establishing an extensive botanic garden close to 

 a national capital probably exists nowhere else. Some no- 

 table people interested in scientific research and civic 

 improvement were brought together at the hearing. These 

 included Dr. N. L. Britton, Director of the New York 

 Botanic Garden; Dr. David Fairchild, in charge of the 

 office of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction and Dr. 

 F. V. Coville, Botanist of the Bureau of Plant Industry, 

 United States Department of Agriculture; Col. C. A. 

 Ridley, in charge of the District of Columbia Office of 

 Public Buildings and Grounds ; Mr. Frederick L. Olm- 

 sitead and Mr. James G. Langdon, landscape archi- 

 tects ; and Mr. Charles Moore, Chairman of the National 

 Commission of Fine Arts. The finding of the Con- 

 gressional Committee should be of national interest to 

 scientists and the public at large, for such a garden and 

 arboretum properly equipped and administered affords a 

 wide variety of possibilities in the fields of education and 

 enjoyment of plant Hfe, in turn leading to results of 

 far-reaching importance in the economic life of the Na- 

 tion. 



PIONEER IN FORESTRY DIES 



Through the death of Mr. S. T. Kelsey, at the home 

 of his son Harlan P. Kelsey, on November 5th, forestry 

 in America has lost one of her best and most devoted 

 advocates. Mr. Kelsey was in his 89th year, and through 

 his long and active life his zest for trees and tree plant- 

 ing, and his activities in the interest of forest conserva- 

 tion never abated. He was one of the first to foster 

 forestry in America, doing all that he could to advance 

 its interests in every way, through his writing, attendance 

 at conventions all over the country and through his wide 

 and influential personal acquaintance. In his passing 

 he is recorded as a true pioneer of the profession of fores- 

 try in America. 



THE PROSTRATE JUNIPER 



Much attention is being paid in American publica- 

 tions to the trees of Greenland ; especially to the prostrate 

 juniper. 



This tree is indeed prostrate. Its trunk often meas- 

 ures as much as forty feet. But its height? Twenty- 

 four inches ! These measurements sound out of all 

 proportion, but it is this very fact which makes this 

 Greenland juniper unique among trees. 



Perhaps it was the sight of the juniper in Greenland 

 which suggested to some gardener the unique idea of 

 dwarfing trees, a custom that has been prevalent in 

 Eastern countries for many years and prevails almost 

 unfailingly in the landscaping of formal gardens. 



