April id, 1SS9.] 



Garden and Forest. 



179 



Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir. — I was glad to see your recent article entitled " How 

 Trees Grow Tall," reproducing Professor Gray's clear expla- 

 nation, for I had long wondered how so many people, familiar 

 from their youth up with growing trees, could so constantly 

 misunderstand their method of development. Here is an- 

 other instance of almost incredible mis-statement which I clip 

 from a little article recently published in the New York Sun, 

 describing " Queer Trees" in Connecticut. "In Westfield," 

 we were told, " a boulder weighing over half a ton is to be 

 seen about ten feet from the ground, in the crotch of an enor- 

 mous Apple-tree, and old residents say that they can remem- 

 ber when that boulder could be sat upon, so near to the 

 ground was it when they were young." Perhaps the corre- 

 spondent of the Sun did not believe the fable he reported, but 

 undoubtedly the "old residents" had no idea they were tell- 

 ing an impossible yarn. 



New Haven, Conn. 



R. H. K. 



Periodical Literature. 



The larger part of Bulletin No. 8 of the Botanical Division of 

 the Department of Agriculture, recently issued, is devoted to 

 notes upon grasses and related subjects, from the pen of Dr. 

 Vasey. Most interesting to the general reader will be his de- 

 scription of the new grass experiment-station, lately established 

 in Kansas by the Department under authority from Congress. 

 The aims of the Department and the actual condition of these 

 experiments are best made known in Dr. Vasey 's own words : 



"For several years past the Department of Agriculture has 

 been making special investigation of the grasses of the West, 

 particularly those of the arid districts, with a view of ascertain- 

 ing what are the prevailing or pi'ominent species, what is their 

 range of distribution as to locality and soil, what their value for 

 grazing purposes, and what kinds offer a reasonable prospect 

 of being valuable for cultivation. Great interest has been felt 

 in this subject both by farmers and cattlemen, and govern- 

 ment aid has been invoked for the purpose of conducting suit- 

 able experiments, and such aid has been strongly recom- 

 mended by the Commissioner of Agriculture. 



"In response to these I'equests, Congress, a few months ago, 

 made a moderate appropriation for the purpose of establishing 

 grass experiment-stations. It was determined that one of these 

 stations should be located west of the one-hundredth meridian. 

 After careful investigation a location was selected at Garden 

 City, in south-western Kansas, where a public-spirited citizen 

 made a free lease to the government, for five years, of 160 

 acres of land on the high prairie two miles north of the city. 

 This is so located that irrigation can be employed on such por- 

 tion of the land as may be desirable. The chief object of the 

 station is to experiment with grasses and forage plants, both 

 native and foreign — with any kinds, in fact, which give promise 

 of utility and adaptation to the climatic conditions of the arid 

 plains, and furnish a substitute for the scanty pasturage now 

 existing. This is a great necessity. In order to secure the 

 permanent settlement of this portion of the country, it should 

 be ascertained what can be depended upon in the occupation 

 and cultivation of the dry uplands where irrigation cannot be 

 applied. It is a vital question, affecting the interests of thou- 

 sands of settlers over a great extent of country. 



"Upon the location of the station the Conamissioner appointed 

 Professor J. A. Sewall, of Denver, as Superintendent of the 

 station, and he has up to the present time had eighty acres 

 fenced, forty acres plowed, a quantity of grass-sods trans- 

 planted into prepared ground ; has put a small seed-house, and 

 made everything in readiness for more extensive work next 

 spring. The results of the experiments will be watched with 

 great interest ; but definite results cannot be expected without 

 the allowance of a considerable period of time. 



"The need of some grasses suitable to the climate of the dry 

 region lying mainly west of the one-hundredth meridian has 

 been long felt and acknowledged. It is estimated that there 

 are in eastern Colorado, western Kansas, western Nebraska 

 and southern Wyoming 1 20,000 square miles, or over 76,000,000 

 acres, of this arid, elevated country. This region was known 

 to be covered principally by short grasses, called ' Buffalo ' 

 and ' Mesquit,' in some places thickly covered, in others more 

 and more sparsely, while in some portions the amount of 

 grass was exceedingly small. During the greater part of the 

 last twenty-five years this region has been occupied for cattle 

 and sheep ranches, for which purpose alone it was thought to 

 be adapted. But even for this purpose its ability to support the 

 domestic grazing animals was very small compared with its 

 vast_ extent. This arises partly from the fact that only such 

 portions as were within reasonable distance from water could 

 be utilized, and partly from the scanty supply of grass. The 



estimates as to the supporting capacity of these plains vary 

 much according to localities, some statements being that forty 

 to fifty acres are required to support one animal, others that 

 twenty or tliirty acres are sufficient, and yet others that ten to 

 fifteen acres are enough. 



" Sufficient time has not yet elapsed to determine what will 

 be the ultimate success of general agriculture in this section, 

 but there can be no doubt that the country is eminently 

 adapted to pastoral uses, and the settlers would do well to be- 

 stow their attention largely on stock-raising and dairying. But 

 it is evident that in order to make this business profitable for 

 small farmers or men of limited acres, some means must be 

 devised for an increased production of grass upon the land. 

 This IS the present most important problem for the arid dis- 

 tricts. It is asserted that the commonly cultivated gi'asses 

 will not be successful in these arid lands, except where irriga- 

 tion can be applied. The native grasses of the region, which 

 are mostly 'Buffalo grass' and 'Grama grass,' are acknowl- 

 edged to be very nutritious, but the yield is so light as to re- 

 quire a large area for cattle to range over to obtain support. 

 The inquiry naturally occurs, ' Cannot some grasses Ije ob- 

 tained which will not only endure the aridity of the climate, but 

 also make a more vigorous growth and a more abundant pro- 

 duction ? ' 



" It may safely be laid down as a principle that no great im- 

 provement in this respect can be expected without a cultiva- 

 tion of the soil. With this even the Buffalo and Grama grasses 

 may be expected to double their production." 



The second part of the Bulletin is devoted to vegetable 

 pathology, and includes a number of papers prepared by Dr. 

 B. T. Galloway, including essays upon the " Potato Scab," on 

 the " Foot-rot of the Orange," upon " Parasitic Fungi in Mis- 

 souri," etc. These are all papers of interest and value. 



Exhibitions. 

 The Flower Show at Philadelphia. 



'"PHE Spring Exhibition of the Pennsylvania Horticultural So- 

 ^ ciety, whicli was held last week, was probably equal in 

 merit to the very best that have preceded it. It would have 

 been still more attractive if the tables had been covered with 

 moss or green cloth and if the broad zones of buff wrapping- 

 paper, nailed about tiie stages to hide the trestles, had been 

 replaced by a neat curtain of some more suitable color. Froni 

 some points of view the obtrusive presence of the paper de- 

 feated well-meant attempts at an effective grouping of the 

 plants, but the mass of foliage upon one side of the stage was 

 most impressive. The plants in this group were from the 

 famous gardens of Miss Baldwin, and her gardener, Wm. 

 Joyce, deserves especial credit, inasmuch as the houses where 

 the plants were grown are situated in the very heart of the city 

 of Philadelphia. A superb Kentia Forsteriana had the place of 

 honor, and it was supported by other rare Palms with noble 

 Dracaenas, Ferns and the like. Among the noteworthy speci- 

 mens here placed were an immense variegated Pandanus, fur- 

 nished to the ground, and a large Cocos Weddelliana, in fruit, 

 and yet as green and perfect from bottom to top as a thrifty 

 young plant two feet high. 



No better Hyacinths were ever seen here than those shown 

 by Wm. Jamison, gardener to Mr. R. S. Mason, and they were 

 well worthy of the gold medal offered by " the General Union 

 of Holland for the promotion of the cultivation of Bulbs." The 

 same exhibitor also received the medal for Tulips. In Orchids, 

 the exhibition was unusually strong. The first prize went to 

 Messrs. Pitcher and Manda, of Sliort Hills, New Jersey, and 

 so did the first prize for cut Orchid-blooms. Among the inter- 

 esting plants of this collection was a Cypripediuiii Boxali 

 atratum viagnifictiin, C. barbatum bifloruin, Odontoglossuui 

 Andersonianuni and a fine specimen of O. luteo-ptirpureuni 

 with extraordinary spikes of bloom. The collection of Sie- 

 brecht & Wadley, which gained the second prize, cont;iineil 

 the rare Aganlina cyanea ; and the collection of Mr. Charles 

 Dissel, which won the third prize, showed, among many other 

 treasures, one of the largest plants of Dendrobiuni nobilc ever 

 grown. It probably bore 500 fiowers. Near these Orchids 

 were many fine specimen plants trained by David Emer)-, Mr. 

 Dissel's gardener, among them a conical A/.alea, Roi d'Holland, 

 covered with fiowers, and a finely-grown Fuchsia. Other at- 

 tractive features of the show were a group of twelve Ferns, by 

 Thomas Long, gardener to Mr. A. J. Drexel, and some won- 

 derful Cinerarias by the same exhibitor. 



But, after all, the interest of the exhibition centred in the cut 

 Roses, which were shown in abundance and of the very high- 

 est quality. General Jacqueminot, Captain Christy, American 



