2i: 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 379. 



rich and poor could breathe Ihe same atmosphere of 

 nature and of art and enjoy the same scenery without any 

 jealousy or any conflict. 



The actual work of constructing Central Parli was not 

 begun until six years after Downing's untimely death, but it 

 was his stirring appeals that aroused the city to feel its need, 

 and provision to meet it quickly followed. By rare good 

 fortune, too, designers were found, whose artistic tempera- 

 ment and training were akin to his own, so that our first 

 great urban park was planned on such broad lines as he 

 would have approved. The works which followed at once 

 in Brooklyn, Buffalo, Chicago, San Francisco and other 

 cities were beyond question the result of this same inspi- 

 ration, so that his keen foresight and conscientious devo- 

 tion to an idea were the most powerful of the agencies 

 which united to initiate the movement which has given to 

 American cities their thousands of acres of park-land dur- 

 ing the past thirty-five years. When we think of the health 

 and comfort, the rest and the refreshment, the delight to 

 the eye and the imagination which these smiling land- 

 scapes have given and will continue forever to give to all 

 the people, it is not too much to say that Downing takes 

 rank among the greatest benefactors to his country which 

 this century has produced. It is now more than forty 

 years since he met death in trying to rescue others. Is it 

 not time that some memorial of him should be erected in 

 the park which his genius secured for the city ? There are 

 too many statues now in Central Park, such as they are, 

 and it may be that a statue is not the most appropriate way 

 of commemorating the work of such a man as Downing. 

 But somewhere in grove or glade it is certainly possible 

 to place a fitting memorial to one whose life was devoted 

 to the cause of rural art. We are glad to know that this 

 thought has occurred to more than one person lately, and 

 that a movement is partially organized to carry it into 

 effect. There can be little doubt that enlightened Ameri- 

 cans will delight in an opportunity to keep green the 

 memory of our earliest master in horticulture and land- 

 scape-art. 



The Chino Valley Experiment Station. 



THE large farm station which the University has estab- 

 lished in the Chino Valley, Southern California, is 

 situated about equidistant from three important towns, 

 Chino, Ontario and Pomona. It is in a very prosperous 

 region, embracing many varieties of soil, different eleva- 

 tions and exposures, and consequently different climates. 

 Near the mountains the rim of the valley is largely occu- 

 pied by orchards of citrus fruits. On the Chino side the 

 leading industry is beet-culture for sugar, one of the most 

 famous factories in the United States being located here. 

 The total output of refined sugar last year was 9,471,672 

 pounds. 



The experiment station occupies two pieces of land. The 

 home tract, thirty acres in area, is near the middle of the 

 valle)"", and irrigation is necessary here to secure the best 

 results with most crops. The other tract, ten acres of 

 moist land requiring drainage, is two miles distant, and 

 represents quite a large extent of country. Though the 

 home tract is more typical of the valley as a whole, some 

 of the best sugar-beets come from the rich, moist bottoms. 

 Both tracts, together with the water-supply needed for the 

 larger, were given by Mr. Richard Gird, owner of the 

 famous Rancho Chino, when the station was established. 



The station orchards comprise Olives, Figs, the Citrus 

 fruits and deciduous fruits, besides experimental vineyards 

 of wine and table grapes, including the new Persian varie- 

 ties recently introduced, and considered of especial value 

 for warm districts. Twenty acres are now occupied by 

 permanent plantations. The orchards and vineyards are 

 well kept, and every tree is distinctly labeled, besides be- 

 ing on the record books. The large orchard book shows 

 in the case of each tree the plat, the row, the number, the 

 name, the source from which stock was obtained, the age 

 when planted, and the date of planting. It then gives the 



records of bearing for each successive year — the date of 

 bloom and of ripening, quality of fruit and total yield, with 

 space for memoranda. A more complete record is kept 

 separately for each species of fruit. The charts show every 

 point where soil has been analyzed, or experiments tried, 

 and the results from time to time obtained. 



The orchards of various trees in this station will, in two 

 or three years more, when trees now in nursery are set, 

 contain upwards of twelve hundred varieties. Some kinds 

 are represented by but one tree, but others require several 

 specimens so as to make more careful tests, or because they 

 are on somewhat different soils. 



The University has already under cultivation at its sta- 

 tions 240 varieties of Apples, including Crabs ; 25 varieties 

 of Almonds ; 45 varieties of Apricots ; 75 varieties of Cher- 

 ries ; 70 varieties of Figs ; 20 varieties of Nectarines ; 250 

 varieties of Peaches; 175 varieties of Pears ; 120 varieties 

 of Plums and Prunes ; 20 varieties of Walnuts and 30 varie- 

 ties of Citrus fruits, besides Persimmons, Mulberries and 

 many other fruit-bearing trees. 



Everybody who has attempted to establish an experi- 

 mental orchard knows that after the first hundred or so 

 varieties are obtained the task of selection becomes one of 

 increasing difficulty. The plan at the Southern California 

 station is to secure standard varieties for comparison, and 

 promising seedlings from the Pacific coast, the southern 

 states, Europe, Australia, Japan, and other regions with 

 similar climates, discarding or sending to another station 

 those varieties that prove inferior here, unless some other 

 characteristic renders them useful for hybridizing. Georgia, 

 Alabama and other southern states have contributed some 

 of the most valuable seedling Peaches, not only for cultiva- 

 tion, but as parents of new varieties. The Chinese Flat 

 Peaches, so useful in Florida, have never been popular in 

 California. The Chinese Cling type is considered very de- 

 sirable in some regions. The Chino Valley seems particu- 

 larly well adapted to the Almond, Prune, Peach, Apricot, 

 Olive and Orange, and less suited to the Cherry, Apple and 

 Pear, although fair results are expected with the latter fruits 

 in certain localities. 



A brief synopsis of the work accomplished at this station 

 since its formation will serve to illustrate some of the local 

 advantages. July 14th, 1890, Professor Hilgard chose the 

 site, reporting that the thirty acres consisted of reddish mesa 

 soil and gray gravelly soil, the former predominating. The 

 moist land tract was a dark, rich loam. About the end of 

 November, 1890, the University took charge of the station, 

 a house and barn having been meanwhile built, and water 

 secured through a three-inch cement pipe. 



February 19th, 1891, orchard-planting was begun, the 

 land by this time being cleared, graded and plowed. 

 Owing to heavy rains and an unusual overflow from the 

 adjacent wash, or winter channel of one of the numerous 

 creeks, planting was not completed until the middle of 

 April, fully a month later than is desirable. About 800 

 fruit-trees, representing 365 varieties, w^ere set in orchard 

 form ; seventy-five varieties of Grapes were planted in the 

 vineyard ; ten named varieties of Date Palms, and many 

 other rare trees were also secured, and a nursery was com- 

 menced. The culture plots included the leading cereals. 

 Sorghums, forage-plants, etc. 



During the summer of 1891 a circular reservoir of cement, 

 containing 100,000 gallons of water, was constructed on the 

 highest point of the thirty-acre tract. The streets surround- 

 ing the land on two sides were graded, and the following 

 winter choice shade-trees were planted around the entire 

 tract. The orchard and vineyard were enlarged and a col- 

 lection of some twenty species of Vitis was added. 



During the summer of 1892 a small greenhouse was built 

 and the offices considerabl)' enlarged. The deciduous fruits 

 received no irrigation ; the Citrus fruits were watered three 

 times during the summer. Peruvian Cotton, five varieties 

 of true Sugar-cane, Cassava, Tobacco and a large collection 

 of varieties of Sweet Potatoes were grown this year. Some 

 of the Grapevines planted in 1891 bore fruit. 



