550 



Garden and Forest. 



[November 13, 1889. 



smooth bark, and dense, large, dark green, thick leaves. It is 

 so distinctive in all its parts as never to lose its identity. Gray 

 describes it as " a nol)le tree, remarkable for its delightfully 

 fragrant Howers, its thick evergreen leaves, with a shiny, 

 polished, deep green surface above and rusty below." 



It is cultivated in all parts of the United States and of Europe 

 where it is hardy, and indeed all over the world where there 

 are parks and gardens, as one of the choicest and most desir- 

 able acquisitions. Its stateliness and individuality rival that 

 of the Egyptian Lotus, and it is quite as graceful. It has, 

 as a type or model for artistic variation, all the advantages 

 possessed by the Laurel, in addition to its character and 

 loftiness. No poison hnics beneath its charms, no igno- 

 minious common name vulgarizes and offends fastidious 

 taste and feelings. It is seldom spoken of except by its name. 

 Magnolia, and even its Indian name, Toola, is melodious. 

 On the contrary, many sentimental associations are connected 

 with it in its native home, and it has been more than once 

 the inspiration of the artist's pencil and the poet's song. Its 

 succession of flowers continues several months in favorable 

 situations, and the flower lasts long after cutting. 



Would not its sculptm-ed form, either natural or convention- 

 alized, adorn the triumphal arch or garden gate with equal 

 appropriateness ? Would not its pure creamy color against 

 the shining green foliage, its stately grace of carriage, be a 

 royal subject for the painter's canvas and equally embellish 

 the frieze or dado of the columns in the new library, or the 

 border of a one-cent postage stamp ? 



The inflorescence of the Kalmia is in showy umbels, gradu- 

 ally blooming from the centre outward, so that until late in its 

 short season of blossoming a terminal edge of half developed 

 flower-buds adds grace and charm to the cluster; but a solitary 

 blossom is so rarely separated from its companions that it 

 would hardly be recognized except by the close observer. 



It is true, perhaps, that an individual flower of the Mountain 

 Laurel, with its sea shell, pearly tints and delicate markings, 

 its perfectly regular and symmetrical five-lobed corolla, with 

 its unvarying flutings and deep dimples that so carefully im- 

 prison the ten anthers of the daintily arched filaments, and 

 make it look, as a lady devotee to fancy work expresses it, " as 

 if it had so much work on it," are more exquisitely beautiful 

 and bewildering than the great creamy bowl-shaped blossom 

 of the Magnolia, with its smooth, thick, velvety texture, simpler 

 form and less intricate disposition of the numerous stamens 

 and pistils ; but it surely has less character, and is less im- 

 posing and architectural. Is not the larger flower, which 

 always blooms in solitary grandeur, although less complicated 

 in form, with its conical buds, trinity of sepals, large, broad, 

 smooth petals, with imbricated under edges and narrow clawed 

 bases arranged uniformly around the many quaint stamens 

 and pistils on the long receptacle, each making a fairy cavern 

 filled to overflowing with delicious odors, far better for the 

 designer's use and much more easy to identify than tlie 

 more intricate and wonderful Kalmia ? 



And if there is any lack of dignity and variety and adaptabil- 

 ity for the designer's pia^poses in the bud and blossom, this is 

 more than made up in the unique egg-shaped fruit, with its 

 overlapping ruby red carpels, each of which, on bursting into 

 perfect maturity, discloses two berry-like seeds attached by 

 spiral threads, making it unusually attractive and offeriag 

 endless possibilities to the artist. 



No one ever saw a noble specimen of this stately tree — which 

 often reaches a height of more than a hundred feet, with its 

 broad spreading lower branches towering in a pyramidal form 

 toward the sky, with tier on tier of its lovely, large, milky 

 blossoms, each well poised against the background of dense 

 dark green, glossy foliage — without pausing to exclaim upon 

 its majesty and grandeur. The only objections that can be 

 seriously brought against it are, perhaps, that the individual 

 flower is too large and rare to be utilized as a badge or per- 

 sonal decoration, and that its distribution over the country 

 is somewhat local. And yet it abounds in a larger section of 

 the country than the Mountain Laurel, and its rarity is one of 

 its charms. Its representation upon flags and banners, fres- 

 coes and tiles, shields and escutcheons, monuments and col- 

 umns, tapestries and draperies of every material, would soon 

 make it as familiar as the great Bald Eagle, of which a living 

 specimen is now a very great novelty. 



The bird of freedom was chosen, we are told, for our great 

 seal and coat of arms as an emblem of self-reliance, liberty 

 and strength ; and what flower can be named that will so favor- 

 ably compare with it in representing these same desirable 

 qualities as the Magnolia .'' In making selections from our 

 native flora and fauna, it would seem to strike the interested 

 observer that a comparison would be somewhat like this — the 



Trailing Arbutus to the pretty bobolink, the graceful Golden- 

 rod to the much loved robin redbreast, the comnion Ox-eyed 

 Daisy to the Ijlackbird or blue jay, the Sunflower to the 

 iEsthetic owl, and the Kalmia to the beautiful oriole. But what 

 could be found in the floral world so symbolical of the power 

 and strength, liberty and freedom of the great American 

 Eagle, as the majestic and imposing Mag7iolia grandiflora ? 



Magnolia grandiflora was among the favorite trees, if not the 

 especial one, of Washington. An imposing specimen over 

 seventy-five feet high, known to have been planted by his own 

 hands, still flourishes at Mount Vernon; and every year since 

 this modern Mecca has been accessible to the public, each 

 fallen petal of its faded blossoms, every glossy leaf of its rich 

 foliage and every seed that drops from its fruit-pods have been 

 carried away as precious souvenirs by the visitors to that 

 hallowed spot. 



Would it not be graceful and fitting in these times, when 



greater fraternity of feeling in all sections of the country is 



desired, for the north to take conspicuous part in adopting for 



the national floral emblem this queen of our southern forests ? 



Washington, D. c. Mary Fuller. 



\JMagnolia grandiflora is not only the most beautiful tree of 

 our Atlantic forests, but it is one of the most beautiful 

 known anywhere. Its comparatively restricted range — 

 for it grows naturally only in a narrow belt of country on 

 the south Atlantic and Gulf coasts — might be used as an 

 argument against the adoption of this Magnolia as the 

 national fiower. Magnolia, moreover, is not American 

 exclusively, and there are rather more species in eastern 

 Asia than in America, where, with a single exception 

 {Magnolia glauca), they are confined to the southern states 

 and to Mexico. The range of Kalmia — an exclusively North 

 American g-enus — is wider than that of all our Mag- 

 nolias, being found from Canada to Texas ; and it is cer- 

 tainly much better known to the great mass of the Ameri- 

 can people than any Magnolia. The objection which can 

 be made to it as a national flower is that it is not found in 

 the Rocky Mountains or in any part of the country west of 

 them. — Ed.] 



Correspondence. 



Chrysanthemums at Orange, New Jersey. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir. — Mr. T. H. Spaulding's Chi-ysanthemum-houses at Llew- 

 ellyn Park, New Jersey, at present contain a very large and 

 interesting collection of flowers, and are well worth inspec- 

 tion. Visiting this establishment a few days since, I found 

 the early varieties already cut over and marketed, and 

 the mid-season kinds in full bloom. Of the new Ameri- 

 can introductions for 1889, it was a pleasure to note an un- 

 usual number of valuable addifions. Mrs. Hardy was in ex- 

 cellent form, fliough small, from late obtained stock. Mrs. 

 Carnegie was the same bold, dark colored flower shown last 

 year, but this variety evidently does not enjoy close air or con- 

 finement. Mrs. W. K. Harris was a disappointment, as seen 

 here, and not equal to H. Cannell, which it resembles. Ex- 

 cellent (Waterer), a most charming soft pink ; Sunnyside 

 (Craig), reflexed Hushed pink, a grand flower; T. C. Price 

 (Waterer), cream pink ; Mrs. Jessie Henszey (Harris), canary ; 

 Mrs. A. C. Burpee (Craig), reflexed yellow, and Mrs. S. Hous- 

 ton (Waterer), white, were the pick of the Philadelphia varieties 

 of 1889. 



Of Fewkes' set, Neesima, Lincoln and Kioto, yellow. Empress 

 of Japan (Belle Hickey), fine white incurved, and L. B. Bird, are 

 all acquisitions. Mrs. Fottler has not fulfilled its promise. 



S. B. Dana, a "brunette," is a market variety, an early, free 

 bloomer of distinct color. Henderson's Mrs. Humphreys, 

 small white, and Harris' Snowball, are synonymous. Baronald 

 is in the way of Moseman, but more full. Geo. Atkinson, fine 

 white ; Llewellyn, Indian red, thin but distinct ; Mrs. William 

 Barr, wide petals, deep red with blue-red reverse, comprise 

 the best of Spaulding's set seen. 



The English kinds, as usual, comprise some good novelties. 

 Sunflower is one of the best of the new yellows, an immense 

 flower of light appearance. Mrs. Walters, a sport from Ed- 

 ward Audiguier, and one of the darkest of Chrysanthemums, 

 is a first-rate sort of largest size. Mrs. F. Jameson, a brunette, 

 and Stanstead White, of peculiarly neat form, are all promising, 

 though on weak plants they were not in first-rate form. Mrs. 

 Haggas is the latest sport from Mrs. Heale, a charming, soft 



