22 



and ten feet in height, — such as the lemon verbena, so 

 fragrant, and the rose geranium, to which we have al- 

 luded. 



Ornamental trees in California are larger and far more 

 beautiful than with us. "We saw a sycamore or but- 

 tonwood tree 115 feet high; a California laurel 50 feet 

 high, with trunk 10 feet in diameter. On our way from 

 San Jose to San Lorenzo, on the "Western Pacific Kail- 

 road, waiting for a train, and seeing in the midst of a grain 

 field a large horse-chestnut tree, we thought we would 

 give it a closer examination. On reaching it we found a 

 party of Chinamen, who were employed binding the grain, 

 preparing their dinner. The tree exceeded our expecta- 

 tions, both in size and beauty. It was fully fifty feet 

 high, with a spread of branches forty feet by measure- 

 ment. The branches swept the ground on every side, 

 and were then, June 28th, in full bloom. The flower 

 spikes were from twelve to eighteen inches in length, 

 many two feet, all in a drooping or pendulous position. 

 Since that time we have met with thousands of this species 

 in different parts of the State, but no specimen approach- 

 es this either in size or beauty. Our party decided to 

 have this tree propagated ; and in commemoration of our 

 visit named it " "Wilderii." At a railroad station where 

 we stopped we also saw Lamarque roses and scarlet gera- 

 niums trained to the top of a three-story house, covering 

 the whole end ; a tree mallow twelve feet high, and stem 

 ten inches in diameter ; and an Australian pea trained on 

 a water tower fortj-five feet high, covering it entirely. 



And what astonished us was the rapidity and ease with 

 which such trees and plants as the palms, the American 

 aloe or century plant came to maturity. At one of the 

 fashionable watering places we found lodgings provided 

 for us in the cottages, each having palm trees before its 

 windows ; and it was a common occurrence to find in the 

 gardens the century plant, which seldom blooms with us 

 short of fifty or sixty years, in full flower at the age of 

 ten or twelve years. "We saw several from thirty to forty 

 feet in height, and with stems one foot thick at the base. ,• 



