February 12, 1890.] 



Garden and Forest. 



75 



hanging garden. ... A sparkling fountain is the central point 

 from which avenues paved with white marble radiate in all 

 directions, and rills of shining water flow in narrow channels 

 until lost in the shade of Orange and Pomegranate-trees. . . . 

 A marble gallery encircles this enchanting spot," whence the 

 view embraces the whole valley ; and " terraced gardens, 

 crowded with summer-houses, pavilions and fountains, lead 

 down to the lake, the shores of which are lined with fairy-like 

 structures. . . . The arched roof of one of these . . . rests 

 on a thousand slender columns, and all around it is woven a 

 woof of shimmering, rainbow-tinted mist by the leaping waters 

 of numerous fountains." 



Formal flower-beds have always been a conspicuous feature 

 in Hindu gardening, and have shown that keen sense for 

 harmony as well as brilliancy in tint which distinguishes the 

 race in all its artistic endeavors. Indeed, dwellers in a north- 

 ern clime can hardly picture the gorgeous beauty of Indian 

 color, produced by a combination of architectural and 

 natural elements under the vivid blue of a southern sky. 



Communication between China and India always existed 

 to a certain extent; but the general trend of influence was 

 eastward, not westward. The Chinese got much from the 

 Hindus, but how much these may have received in return 

 is far harder to decide. On the other hand, we know that 

 ancient India was vitally affected by Persian ideas. The old 

 Achemenid dynasty ruled to the Indus or beyond ; Alexander's 

 expedition influenced at least the outskirts of the peninsula ; 

 and the later Bactrian, Parthian, Seleucid and Sassanid dynas- 

 ties followed up the work. Many elements of Persian origin 

 can be found in Hindu architecture, and, as architecture has 

 been affected, so has also been, in all parts of the world, the 

 art of gardening. When Quintus Curtius writes of an Indian 

 king it sounds like a description of some royal Persian : " His 

 principal existence is hunting ; amidst the vows and songs of 

 his concubines he shoots animals which have been confined 

 in a park." 



On the whole, however, a distinctly national taste was doubt- 

 less expressed in the gardens of ancient India, for, despite all 

 their borrowed details, such was the case with its buildings. 

 The strong feeling for the picturesque and fantastic which is 

 revealed by Hindu architecture as well as poetry had no 

 parallel, as far as we can discern, in Persia. It speaks rather 

 of the further East, finding its consummate expression 

 in the gardens of the Flowery Kingdom. It is strongly 

 illustrated in one or two pictures published by Fergusson. In 

 some Indian districts the temples are not built, but excavated 

 — dug bodily out of the solid rock of hill-sides. And here, at 

 times, the approach is not by means of artificial steps and ter- 

 races, but between great boulders and free-growing trees, the 

 effect of which is very like those " natural " arrangements which 

 are typical of China and Japan. M. G. Van Rensselaer. 



New York City. 



Exotic Shrubs in Canada. 



FRUIT-GROWING and the testing of the hardiness of fruit- 

 trees and shrubs have received a good deal of attention in the 

 Province of Quebec and in some parts of the lower provinces of 

 Canada, but comparatively few trials have been made of the 

 hardiness and value of many other trees and shrubs not indi- 

 genous, but which might prove useful and ornamental. In 

 some old gardens about Montreal it is not unusual to find 

 specimens of shrubby or arborescent plants which have been 

 brought over from Europe; but, as many of these were im- 

 ported from the south of England or other stations almost 

 equally mild, instead of from the most northern countries possi- 

 ble, they are too often poor specimens, and unsatisfactory on 

 account of lack of hardiness. 



Few persons have experimented with any considerable 

 number of species, but the recently organized agricultural 

 experiment-stations of the Dominion and the proposed botanic 

 garden at Montreal give reason to hope for some sys- 

 tematic experiments and reliable data in the near future. The 

 winters at Montreal are not so severe as many people sup- 

 pose, and an examination of isothermal charts and of Dr. 

 Robert Bell's map giving the general northern limits of the 

 principal trees of the Dominion shows this clearly. Neverthe- 

 less, when compared with the climate of eastern Massachu- 

 setts that of Montreal seems quite severe — severe enough to 

 prevent many plants from nourishing which do admirably in 

 the Northern States. 



Three years ago a box of small specimens of some for- 

 eign trees and shrubs were sent from the Arnold 

 Arboretum to a garden on the south side of the St. Law- 

 rence River, opposite to and within ten miles of Montreal. 

 Some of these plants died soon after they were received and 



planted, because the season was an exceedingly unfavorable 

 one for plants not already well established ; and all those 

 belonging to the Heath family were lost during the first year 

 on account of the lime in the soil, a limestone region or 

 calcareous soil being fatal to all, or almost all, the Ericacece. 



An examination of the surviving plants a few weeks ago 

 furnished some interesting comparisons with the behavior 

 of the same species in the Arboretum at Boston. 



A most interesting example is afforded by the small plants 

 of the rare Yellow-wood {Cladrastis lutea) of Kentucky and 

 Tennessee, which appears to grow freely and ripen its wood, 

 and seems perfectly hardy in a most exposed situation with- 

 out any natural or artificial protection. It promises to be a 

 valuable addition to the small ornamental trees at the north. 

 Attempts have often been made to introduce the beautiful 

 Laburnum from European gardens, but so far without even 

 the poor success which it sometimes obtains at Boston. It is 

 almost invariably winter-killed to the ground. 



The appearance of Cercidiphyllum Japonicum, still so rare 

 in cultivation, gives much promise that it will be of orna- 

 mental value and interest at the north. Although the ends of 

 some of the branches seem to have suffered in winter, the 

 little plant sent from the Arboretum is now eight or nine feet 

 high. The seed of this inconspicuous-flowered representative 

 of the Magnolia family came from one of the northern islands 

 of Japan, and the hardiness of the plant so far north in this 

 country leads to the hope that Magnolia Kobus, from the same 

 region, as well as other untried northern-Japanese plants, may 

 be able to withstand the winters north of latitude forty-five. 



The Japanese Acer polymorphnm, when not overfed or 

 grown too fast, seems about as hardy as at Boston, where, as 

 a rule, it is not very satisfactory, although always interesting. 



The valuable collections of seeds made by Dr. E. Bret- 

 schneider in the mountains about Pekin, China, have already 

 been referred to in Garden and Forest, and among these 

 were stones of a Peach which he found growing wild. The 

 plants in the Arboretum raised from some of these seeds 

 have thrived and fruited, and a grafted plant sent to this 

 Canadian garden now forms a good sized bush, and has 

 not yet shown any injury from the severity of the climate. 

 The fruit of these Chinese seedlings is white, medium-sized, 

 poor in flavor and has a large stone ; but if the plant proves 

 hardy it will be a valuable acquisition and a good stock upon 

 which to begin improvements. The Peach has not been 

 grown in the open air at Montreal except in rare cases, where 

 it has been trained to a wall and well covered in winter. 



The common Quince is not successfully grown in the 

 climate of Montreal, and this is also true of the Japan 

 Quince (Pyrtis Japonica), which has so far not proved as 

 hardy and beautiful as at Boston. The plants live, but are 

 prostrate in habit because usually badly killed in winter. They 

 may thrive in some favored situations, as excessive moisture 

 and late continued growth are very often the destroyers of 

 shrubs which under opposite conditions seem hardy. 



Rosa blanda is the common native wild Rose of the region 

 under consideration, and, of various foreign species of Roses 

 tried, none have proved so hardy and thoroughly reliable as 

 Rosa rugosa and its white variety. The plants attain as large 

 size as they do in southern New England, and they retain the 

 habit of producing a few (lowers throughout the summer and 

 autumn after the regular season of profuse blooming. Near 

 Montreal they have grown for at least ten years without showing 

 the slightest injury by winter cold, and they seem hardy 

 enough to grow in Labrador. Indeed, they are reported as 

 perfectly hardy at St. Petersburg, which, having a winter 

 climate which averages but little colder than that of Montreal, 

 although with greater extremes, is situated in the latitude of 

 sixty degrees, corresponding to the northern shores of Labrador 

 or the southern extremity of Greenland. The red foliage of 

 Rosa rubrifolia makes this species attractive and interesting to 

 many people, and it has proved hardy. 



Rosa multiflora, of Thunberg, has sometimes had part of 

 its branches killed, but is sufficiently hardy to bear an 

 abundance of blossoms every season. In some situations it 

 would probably be uninjured even so far north. 



The Sweetbrier Rose (R. rubiginosa) must have been intro- 

 duced to the vicinity of Montreal many years ago, as it has 

 escaped from cultivation and is growing quite commonly and 

 vigorously in some pastures. The pretty Japanese Spiraa 

 Thunbergii appears to be quite hardy, and is a valuable addi- 

 tion to the shrubs. Some other foreign species of Spiraea do 

 well, especially those which are natives of comparatively high 

 latitudes. 



The Caraganas from Russia and from Siberia are naturally 

 perfectly hardy. Caragana arborescens and C.frutescens be- 



