426 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 505. 



by Phlox Drummondii. The varieties of Phlox are compact 

 and neat in habit, have no untidiness of foliage after blooming, 

 are hardy, easy of cultivation, prolific, continue flowering over 

 a long season, and are lasting as cut flowers. The range of 

 color is wide. In form Phlox presents little variation, the 

 typical and the cuspidate being, perhaps, the two kinds com- 

 monly recognized. Sweet Peas, which have most of these 

 traits of a popular garden favorite, with the added charm of 

 fragrance, can consistently be placed in this list, although I 

 exclude the Morning Glory and all other climbers, because 

 Sweet Peas are much cultivated in the garden proper, while 

 the fitting place for the Morning Glory is about the house. 

 China Asters would be almost ideal if they were earlier. The 

 general grower has neither time nor money to prolong their 

 season by indoor starting and successive sowings. Whether 

 the species has been pushed to its limits of earliness or not I 

 cannot say. It is said that the China Aster is essentially a cool- 

 weather plant. Of Pansies, Poppies and the Pink or Dianthus 

 tribe I shall not try to define the limitations, and I hope they 

 will never lack for appreciation, selection and education. The 

 other half of the present list contains six kinds of plants with 

 narrower limitations, and consequently less versatility, judged 

 by the number of advertised named varieties. The California 

 Poppies (Eschscholtzia) have a narrower range of color than 

 the common Poppies, and I fear it is impossible to get them 

 to speak through the glorious reds. Verbenas have about the 

 same range of colors as the Phlox Drummondii, with little 

 variation in form and a less desirable habit for ease of cultiva- 

 tion, but the advantage of frjgrance. Petunias are also some- 

 what awkward to care for ; their smell and touch are unpleasant 

 to some, and fixation of character can never be as perfectly 

 attained as in the other groups mentioned ; and in the case of the 

 double forms hand fertilizing is necessary. Coreopsis and the 

 Corn-flowers have still narrower limitations, but I believe they 

 are among the twelve favorite garden annuals to-day. Most 

 persons will be content if these are not much changed. It is 

 difficult to see any benefit to be derived from crossing three 

 such distinct types as Corn-flowers, Sweet Sultans and Cen- 

 taurea Americana, all of which belong to the same genus. 

 Mignonette, with its special uses and the narrowest limita- 

 tions of the twelve, completes my naming of the twelve garden 

 annuals most popular at present. The lovers of Dwarf Nas- 

 turtiums, Gaillardias, Calendulas, Cosmos, Sunflower and 

 Zinnia will think these deserve a place among the best twelve. 

 I should include them in a list of eighteen. 



I do not mean to say that this list of twelve contains the best 

 annuals, but merely those most popular. They are not the 

 twelve which are indispensable for my own garden. I also 

 believe that this list excludes two that are most promising to 

 the plant-breeder. Cosmos is comparatively new to the east, 

 and we do not know its limitations, but all agree that it has 

 great possibilities. The great need with Cosmos is the has- 

 tening of its blooming time. Zinnia, once a general favorite, 

 but now neglected, has, I am sure, great possibilities. It must 

 probably always have a deep flower, but it need not be stiff 

 and formal. If the Japanese or the Chinese had had Zinnias 

 to work with all these centuries we should now have some 

 fanciful forms. The Zinnia and the Dahlia were not known 

 outside of Mexico until this century. The tropical climate, it 

 is said, is not suited to double forms, and people of the tropics 

 are not garden lovers. The double Zinnias and Dahlias were 

 among the most consummate expressions of the florist's art 

 at a time when artificial flowers were the craze to the exclu- 

 sion of forms thatare loose, irregularandfree. Thecolorrange 

 of Zinnias is very wide, and of the yellow series, while China 

 Asters have the blue. Zinnias are earlier than China Asters, 

 and their profusion of bloom, lasting qualities and ease of cul- 

 tivation are nearly ideal. Nobody wants them for cut flowers, 

 but that is because stiff and formal flowers are out of fashion. 

 Can new forms and new informality be bred into the Zinnias ? 

 I believe so. Plant-breeders are experimenting with Dahlias, 

 and both Dahlias and Zinnias have much in common with the 

 varied China Asters and fanciful Japanese Chrysanthemums. 



Ithaca, N. Y. Willi elm Miller. 



The Forest. 



The Forest Reservations of Southern California. 



AMONG the forest reservations set aside by executive 

 orders of President Harrison and President Cleveland are 

 three of great importance to southern California. These reser- 

 vations are known as San Gabriel, San Bernardino and San 

 Jacinto, and aggregate more than two million acres. The 

 smallest is that of San Gabriel, the most westerly. The San 



Bernardino and the San Jacinto reservations, each of 737,280 

 acres, are about ninety miles from the ocean, on the slopes of 

 the Sierras, which separate the fertile cultivated valleys of 

 southern California from the Mojave and Colorado deserts. 

 The longest slopes are toward these valleys, and are traversed 

 by the numerous mountain streams which supply the whole 

 section with water for irrigation and domestic purposes. From 

 the bases of the mountains on the north and east stretch away 

 broken, undulating and barren desert wastes, watered only by 

 infrequent springs and wells. 



The San Bernardino and San Jacinto reservations are almost 

 continuous, being separated by the narrow pass of San Gor- 

 gonio. Together they form a large and immensely valuable 

 forest reserve, which includes the three highest mountains in 

 southern California, San Bernardino, San Gorgonio (sometimes 

 called Grayback) and San Jacinto. San Gorgonio is the highest 

 of the three, about 11.500 feet, but they are all noble and im- 

 posing. On San Bernardino and San Jacinto there is a sparse 

 growth of timber nearly to the summit, but the timber line of 

 San Gorgonio is several thousand feet below the summit, and 

 the gray appearance of its barren crest, covered with masses 

 of broken rock, has given it its popular name. Late in Sep- 

 tember of the present year I saw on the northern slope of San 

 Gorgonio scattered patches of snow, the remnants of last 

 winter's falling, and a day or two later its summit was whitened 

 by the first light snow of the coming winter season. 



The forests of these mountains do not compare in extent 

 and majesty with those of northern California and of Oregon. 

 From the lumberman's point of view they are insignificant, 

 and, at a little distance, the transient tourist who views them 

 only from the south and west, sees no forests worth mention- 

 ing and goes away with the impression that the slopes of the 

 mountains are all barren. But when the canons and the val- 

 leys are penetrated that lie between the successive ranges, 

 especially in the north and east, forests are found that are 

 certainly beautiful, if not of great commercial value. At inter- 

 vals there are stretches where the Pines have crowded out all 

 other trees, and one may ride for miles unimpeded by under- 

 brush among their huge and towering trunks. But most of 

 the forests are composite, principally made up of Pines, Firs, 

 Balsams, Spruces, Larches and deciduous and Live Oaks. 

 The streams are bordered by Willows and Alders. Occasion- 

 ally a puny Maple is seen, very unlike the handsome Maples 

 of the east, and the Bay-tree flourishes at certain altitudes. 

 The forests of this region are between the altitudes of 4.000 

 and 8 000 feet. 



In places the Chapparal is dense, made up of Manzanita, 

 Buckthorn, wild Mahogany, the Madroha, Greasewood, etc. 

 Some of these bushes are covered with long, silvery, frond-like 

 blossoms or, as the Manzanita, for example, with red or scarlet 

 berries. Holly and Mistletoe are frequently found, and many 

 gay flowers, such as the Golden rod, Clematis and the bright 

 blossoms of various species of Cactus. Where there is mois- 

 ture there are many varieties of Ferns. 



These mountains were formerly overrun with animal life, 

 but the too-ready rifle of the hunter has changed this condi- 

 tion. Grizzly and cinnamon bears and wild cats are still found 

 occasionally in the deepest recesses. Deer are comparatively 

 plentiful and hundreds are shot every season. Gray squirrels 

 abound, although they are by no means as numerous as in 

 former years. Brown squirrels and chipmunks, too insignifi- 

 cant to tempt even the most wanton marksman, are abundant. 

 The streams are full of trout and are kept replenished from 

 year to year from state hatcheries. The same var ety, the 

 California brook trout, in the waters of the only lake of this 

 region, grows to enormous size. This lake also affords fine 

 duck-shooting in the winter. The mountain quail, larger and 

 handsomer than the quail of the valleys, is found in numbers. 

 Doves are also plentiful. Among birds not fit for food are 

 blue jays, woodpeckers, owls, hawks and condors. Of reptiles 

 the rattlesnake is the only one of importance. Theoretically 

 this venemous creature is a terror to many, who for this 

 reason are unwilling to enter these regions. Practically, one 

 may ride for days without seeing a single specimen, and the 

 instances of injury from its bite are rare indeed. 



A resort known as Seven Oaks is the centre of one of the 

 most beautiful of the park-like districts among these mountains. 

 This is a collection of tent-houses and log-cabins where hospi- 

 tality is open-hearted and without ostentation, and where good 

 company and good cheer may always be found. Here one 

 may rest and study Nature or may plan and execute a great 

 variety of fishing, hunting and camping excursions. The most 

 convenient route to reach Seven Oaks is by wagon twelve 

 miles from Redlands toa point nearthe western base of Mount 

 San Bernardino. Thence a mountain trail, nine miles through 



