October 20, 1897. J 



. Garden and Forest. 



417 



In the edge of the open woodland may be found the yellow 

 Violet with tiny Pansy-like flowers of a hue unlike anything 

 known in any cultivated Violets. A man of fastidious tastes 

 once said but two flowers are golden without being hard or 

 metallic, the yellow Rose and the wild Violet of the hedge- 

 rows. Later, in the same woodland, the Fringed Gentian is 

 found. Blushing Rue-Anemones, deep pink Sabbatias, Lily- 

 like Erythroniums, dainty Ferns and Dicentras, blazing Fire- 

 pinks and glowing Golden-rods come in cheery succession 

 from springtide to autumn. 



Pineville, Mo. 



Lora S. La Mance. 



A Winter Plantation. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — I wish to make a small winter plantation but have not 

 sufficient knowledge of shrubs and trees to compose a har- 

 monious planting, and so ask for your suggestion. It is 

 desired to make this planting on a lawn looking to the south 

 and terminated on the street boundary by a retaining wall of 

 rustic stone about five feet high. The space to be planted is 

 on the end adjoining the wall and between the walk leading to 

 the house entrance and a Maple fourteen feet from the walk, 

 this tree being about eighteen inches in diameter. The 

 Maple is conical in shape, the result probably of early prun- 

 ing. The branches are high above the ground, so that the 

 lawn under the tree receives considerable sunlight. The pur- 

 pose is to make an agreeable winter plantation visible from 

 the living room sixty-five feet distant from the street. There 

 are other shrubs on the lawn. 



The trees from which it is desired to make selections are 

 Black Alder, Thorn, Cranberry-tree, common Barberry, Euony- 

 mus alata, Pyrus arbutifolia, Andromeda Mariana, Kerria, 

 Ink-berry, Red-twigged Dogwood and Cotoneaster vulgaris. 

 ■ white Plains, N. Y. Robert A. Kutschbach. 



[The list of shrubs suggested by our correspondent is, 

 on the whole, a good one. For the purpose he indicates 

 Berberis Thunbergii might be added to it, as it is one of 

 the best winter-berried shrubs in cultivation. The most 

 showy of our Thorns in winter is probably Crataegus 

 Crus-Galli, although perhaps this tree would be too large for 

 such a position. Euonymus alata, although very orna- 

 mental in the autumn when its leaves turn rose color, is 

 not a particularly desirable winter plant, as the fruit is 

 small and inconspicuous ; and Andromeda Mariana, which 

 produces beautiful flowers, has not showy fruit. — Ed.] 



Rusty Appearance of Elm Leaves. 



To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — I enclose some leaves of Ulmus Americana with the 

 request that you will explain the rusty appearance of their 

 under side, which I suppose is the work of some insect I have 

 as yet been unable to detect. On my lawn and in my garden 

 in this city are a number of seedlings of this species from 

 three to five years old. These have flourished thus far, and 

 some have made upward of three feet of new growth during 

 the present season. They have had sufficient water, the entire 

 trees having been sprayed quite frequently, but not to excess. 

 About the first of August the leaves of nearly every one of the 

 Elms began to show the rusty appearance of the enclosed 

 leaves, and in some cases they have become dead, the rust 

 showing through to the upper surface, and some have dropped 

 off the tree. I have watched the trees closely and have been 

 unable to detect any insects preying upon the leaves. 



Some specimens were sent to Professor A. D. Hopkins, 

 Entomologist of the West Virginia Agricultural Station, and 

 his reply is as follows : " I have examined the leaves of Ulmus 

 Americana enclosed in your letter to me, and while I fail to 

 find insects of any kind, the character of the injury would 

 indicate that it is due to the presence of a very minute mite, 

 working on the underside of the leaves. If so the best remedy 

 you can apply is to spray the trees with water, applying it very 

 thoroughly and with as much force as possible. Of course, 

 you cannot do much good now, but if you will begin next 

 spring before the leaves are injured I think you will be able to 

 prevent the recurrence of the trouble." 



I myself fail to find any evidence of the existence of the Elm- 

 tree beetle which has ravaged the Elm of the east. Professor 

 Hopkins states further on in his letter that he does not ascribe 

 the trouble to the Elm beetle. As I have said already, I have 

 tried the remedy which he suggests, that is spraying the trees 

 thoroughly with water, but without good effect. 



The rust has apparently not affected or injured the growth 

 of the trees, and they have made a rapid growth and appear 

 perfectly healthy otherwise. Only a portion, perhaps one-third 

 or one-half of the leaves, appears to be affected, and the re- 

 mainder keep their fresh appearance. The leaves affected are 

 almost invariably the older ones, but are on the new growth 

 as well as the old. September has thus far been so warm that 

 the trees are still growing. I note upward of two inches of new 

 growth on some specimens since the first of September. 



I am the more disappointed on account of this trouble be- 

 cause I have advocated the planting of Elms in the outskirts 

 of this city, and have induced my neighbors to cultivate seed- 

 lings native to the immediate neighborhood. The soil on my 

 lawn and garden is the regular prairie alluvium mixed slightly 

 with coarse sand, overlaying a thick strata of yellow clay under 

 which is the blue or tunnel clay of the region. The land was 

 formerly cultivated, but when I took possession it had lain 

 fallow for several years, being covered with natural prairie 

 grass and weeds. Nothing has been done to it except to level 

 it up with the same kind of soil, with almost no application of 

 fertilizer. It seems to be rich enough for all kinds of vege- 

 tation, for flowers in great variety and vegetables have 

 grown luxuriantly this season, as has the grass on the lawn 

 proper, although but little watering has been done owing to 

 the pressure in our water-mains. My place is eight miles 

 from the business portion of the city and there are no gas- 

 mains in the neighborhood, electricity or oil being used for 

 lighting ; and there are no factories near by. No external 

 influences to cause leaf-blight are apparent. Seedlings of 

 Fraxinus Pennsylvanica, Acer Negundo, Ulmus f ulva, Fraxinus 

 Americana, Acer barbatum, Tilia Americana, Alnus rugosa, 

 Populus monilifera, Catalpa speciosa and others are all healthy 

 and flourishing, and unaffected either by insects or disease, 

 and all of these have made rapid growth since the first year, 

 except Tilia Americana, which, though healthy, has grown 

 very slowly. 



I am much impressed with the fitness of Fraxinus Pennsyl- 

 vanica for the soil and climate of this locality. Although not so 

 rapid a grower as some of the other species named, it still makes 

 satisfactory growth. Fifteen-year-old trees in this neighbor- 

 hood have reached a height of thirty feet and a trunk diameter 

 one foot from the ground of from six to seven inches. The 

 great value of the species is its absolute freedom from 

 all diseases and from the ravages of insects and vermin 

 of all kinds. During a long residence in this section and care- 

 ful study of the species (which is indigenous to this immediate 

 neighborhood, and quite abundant along the headwaters of 

 the north branch of the Chicago River and along the Des 

 Plaines) 1 have never found the tree subject to disease or 

 insects. The only objection to it is that it seldom grows to any 

 great size, though fairly long-lived, and is therefore hardly 

 suited for a street-tree where much shade is desired. It is, of 

 course, also somewhat objectionable on account of the late 

 development and early falling of its foliage. This tree 

 flowers and fruits abundantly along the streets in this imme- 

 diate neighborhood, and I have had excellent success in plant- 

 ing the seeds. I find that it bears a good deal of hard usage, 

 though it is apparently grateful for care and cultivation. Some 

 handsome trees of this species grow near by. The natural 

 crown is conical, but there is no difficulty in producing a wide 

 round head by judicious pruning. 



Catalpa speciosa has been planted quite extensively in this 

 neighborhood, and, although a native of the southern part of 

 Illinois, it does not do well in this latitude. It flourishes for a 

 few years, blooms luxuriantly in season, bears an abundance 

 of fruit, but after a time sickens and dies, apparently decaying 

 from the heart outward. The whole trunk often becomes a 

 mere shell before the north-west gale rends it apart. It shoots 

 quickly from the roots and makes a wonderful growth for the 

 first two or three years, but, in my opinion, it is absolutely 

 worthless in this section. 



Alnus rugosa does well when only a small tree is desired, 

 but it is often infested with vermin, and at times is greatly 

 troubled with the same borer that attacks the Maple family. 



If Ulmus Americana is not hereafter subject to blight and 

 rust, as shown by the enclosed leaves, I am inclined to recom- 

 mend it as the most desirable tree for planting in our streets, 

 but I have noticed a great deal of this blight during all of this 

 season in old as well as young trees. _ ,„, . 



Irving Park, III. U.S. WIlltMOre. 



The leaves of Ulmus Americana have been examined 

 with a compound microscope, and I do not find any fungus 

 doing the work that results in the discoloration of the leaf 

 that Mr. Whitmore has naturally enough termed "rust.'' 



