The Silver Bell Tree and the Sweet Leaf 



and Mississippi to Arkansas, Louisiana and eastern Texas. Uses: 

 A beautiful ornamental tree for parks and private grounds. 



If the snowdrops from the garden should suddenly quit their 

 sunny corner and take to the woods and you went out to find 

 them, you would be sure they had climbed a tree and were looking 

 down at you with that same meek expression, though you never 

 looked into their faces before. The little mohrodendron tree 

 knows better than you do where these white bells come from 

 that whiten her ruddy twigs so completely that even the tuft of 

 opening leaves on the end of the shoot is forgotten. With the 

 opening of the buds little flesh-coloured flowers appear and hang 

 inconspicuously down for a considerable time. There are rosy 

 tones in the opening leaf buds and a ruddy glow on the twigs 

 themselves. Sun and rain work slowly but surely. The corolla 

 grows to full size, and bleaches, surrendering its colour and its 

 leathery texture. The sun comes out, and on some fine morning 

 the carriages that have driven by the tree each day, perhaps for 

 weeks, are stopped, while the occupants exclaim upon the magic 

 which has clothed the little tree in a bridal veil — 



"Has turned it white 

 In a single night," 



some will insist, for "we would never have missed it." Yet 

 the truth is, the miracle has been gradually unfolding, and people 

 in carriages do miss all but the denouement of such miracles. 

 They view Nature from afar off, and miss a great deal of good 

 fun that the pedestrian finds for himself. 



The white bells fade and fall, and a queer little green, tapering 

 thing, with four thin wings in lengthwise lines, ripens into the 

 seed case. Among the leaves these pale-green fruits are distinctly 

 ornamental throughout the season. 



"The snowdrop tree" is a favourite in gardens, and is per- 

 fectly hardy north to the Great Lakes. It is easily transplanted 

 and grows in bush or tree form, according to the pruning it 

 receives. A variety, Meehani, of handsome, bushy habit and 

 copious bloom, grows about 12 feet high. It looks in full bloom 

 somewhat like an apple tree. The flowers are smaller but more 

 numerous than on the parent tree, and the corollas are more 

 open and bowl shaped. The variety has thus far failed to set 

 perfect seed. 



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