November 17, 1897.] 



Garden and Forest. 



457 



(sixty to seventy-five miles) from its point of entrance. 

 The Shellbark, the Big Hickory-nut and the Pig-nut have 

 little, if any, greater range than the Butternut. So if we take 

 up almost any of the species they are found to have entered 

 the state from the south-east and to have passed northward 

 and westward to greater or less distances. There are, 

 however, a few species (nine in all) which seem to have 

 entered from the west. One is the Buffalo Berry, Shep- 

 herdia argentea, which is scarcely entitled to be called a 

 tree, since it rarely attains to either the form or dimensions 

 of one; it has, however, succeeded in traveling further 

 than any other of the western arboreous species, reaching 

 the Missouri River on the east and the Republican on the 

 south. The next in extent of distribution is the Yellow or 

 Bull Pine, which enters the state at two points and stretches 

 eastward for long distances. Near the north-western 

 corner of the state, Pine Ridge, uith an elevation of 1,500 

 metres (4,600 feet), extends eastward from the Wyoming 

 Mountains, and after about 150 kilometres (ninety miles) 

 passing over the line into South Dakota. On this elevated 

 ridge, which is quite mountainous in many places, the 

 Yellow or Bull Pine is found in abundance, and it has passed 

 from the ridge to the abrupt and rocky bluffs of the Nio- 

 brara River, down which it has extended to within less 

 than 100 kilometres (sixty miles) of the river's mouth. 

 About 125 kilometres (seventy-five miles) south of Pine 

 Ridge is a similar but higher uplift of land, Cheyenne 

 Ridge, which extends eastward between the North Platte and 

 the Lodge Pole rivers for a distance of nearly 200 kilome- 

 tres (125 miles). Its highest points, known locally as the 

 Wild Cat Mountains, attain an elevation of about 1,700 

 metres (5,300 feet), and from these the ridge descends grad- 

 ually to 1,200 metres (3,700 feet) at its eastern extremity. 

 Upon this extended ridge this Pine has extended for at least 

 150 kilometres (ninety miles). It is found also in widely 

 isolated canons in the central part of the state, near the 

 eastern border of the great Sand-hill belt. 



The other trees which have invaded the state from the 

 west have followed one or the other of these two ridges. 

 Thus, the Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides), Black 

 Cottonwood (Populus angustifolia), Mountain Maple (Acer 

 glabrum) and Canon Birch (Betula occidentalis) follow 

 Pine Ridge for from fifteen to 125 kilometres (ten to seventy- 

 five miles). On Cheyenne Ridge Rydberg's Cottonwood 

 (Populus acuminata) has pushed in from the Wyoming 

 foot-hills for a distance of from fifteen to twenty-five kilo- 

 metres (ten to fifteen miles). It is interesting to mention 

 here that the very pretty smaller Mountain Mahogany 

 (Cercocarpus parvifolius), which furthersouth-west becomes 

 a small tree, enters the state on Cheyenne Ridge, where it 

 grows luxuriantly as a rather tall-spreading shrub on the 

 precipitous slopes of the Wild Cat Mountains. 



Looking over the whole area, and studying attentively 

 the condition of the trees along the borders of the areas 

 which they occupy, we may ask whether they are advanc- 

 ing or retreating. At one time I held the view that the 

 eastern trees were advancing and the western retreating, 

 but further examination has somewhat modified this view. 

 Along the western border of the area occupied by the Bur 

 Oak (Quercus macrocarpa) the trees are found upon the 

 sides of the narrow valleys through which flow the creeks 

 and rivers. These trees are young and vigorous, and 

 have every appearance of having obtained recently a foot- 

 hold. Further down these streams the trees are larger, and 

 finally we come to groves of mature trees. The same facts 

 may be observed with less emphasis with regard to the 

 Red Oak (Quercus rubra), Black Walnut, Bitter-nut Hickory 

 (Hicoria minima), Kentucky Coffee-tree (Gymnocladus 

 dioicus), Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos), Green 

 Ash (Fraxinus lanceolata). All of these species appear to 

 be moving westward, the trees of the most westerly sta- 

 tions being nearly always young and vigorous. 



With the western species it is nearly the same. While at 

 some stations the Pine-trees upon outlying borders are 

 apparently the remnants of a former larger growth, in 



many other places these outliers are growing and vigorous. 

 This was particularly noticeable in a recent visit to Cheyenne 

 Ridge, where but one explanation could be given for 

 the present distribution of individual trees upon the spurs 

 and hillsides. It is very certain that upon Cheyenne Ridge 

 the Pines are slowly pushing eastward, and that, in spite 

 of the ravages of man and of herds of cattle, horses and 

 sheep, this species is more than holding its own. Upon 

 some parts of Pine Ridge man's interference has checked 

 the advance of the Pine, and this is the case also in some 

 places along the Niobrara River, but in many other places 

 the young trees are springing up and vigorously contest- 

 ing with Grasses and weeds for the possession of the 

 ground. The Mountain Maple and the Canon Birch give 

 one the same impression of a successful and comparatively 

 recent advance into a territory formerly unoccupied. Even 

 the shrubby Mountain Mahogany upon the slopes of the 

 Wild Cat Mountains is evidently fighting a winning, and 

 not a losing, battle. No one can ride through the mountain 

 canons and see the vigorous plants of this pretty species 

 and come to any other conclusion than that there is here 

 a strong eastern advance of a western species. 



With respect to some of the trees upon the Nebraska 

 plains I have to admit that it is at present impossible to 

 see either advance or retreat. It is probable that in some 

 instances, as for example the Paper Birch (Betula papy- 

 rifera), the trees have remained where they are for ages, 

 without perceptible change in area. Perhaps we have in 

 this tree a survival from the glacial migration from the far 

 north. Likewise, I find it impossible to pronounce upon 

 the status of the Basswood, Cottonwood, Elm, Silver 

 Maple, Buckeye, Cherries, etc. They have as yet not 

 shown anything which is conclusive either way. 



From such evidence as we have thus far, it is evident that 

 some of the eastern trees are advancing toward the west, 

 and that some of the western trees are advancing eastward. 

 In other words, we can say that some of the species are 

 not receding from the Nebraska plains, and that as to other 

 species the evidence of advance or retreat is wanting. 



Lincoln, Nebraska. Charles E. BeSSey. 



Exhibitions. 



Chrysanthemums in Philadelphia. 



THE annual Chrysanthemum exhibition of the Pennsylvania 

 Horticultural Society, held in Philadelphia last week, was 

 generally considered one of the best in recent years, especially 

 in the classes of cut chrysanthemums, orchids and decorative 

 plants. The Chrysanthemum-plants shown by the Penn Rock 

 Company and by Gordon Smirl were excellent, and won 

 several prizes. Among other winners of awards for plants 

 were John McCleary, J. E. Krayer, Henry B. Surman, G. Wilbur 

 Brown, John McGowan, James O'Brien, Mathew Bracken, 

 William Robertson and John Mitchell. 



In the classes of cut chrysanthemums Percival Roberts, Jr., 

 Esq. (John Cullen, gardener), won a special premium of a 

 silver cup for a magnificent collection, not in competition. A 

 delicate pink seedling shown by Henry B. Surman, gardener 

 to E. W. Clark, Esq., was awarded first premium, and a new 

 yellow sport from Mrs. Jerome Jones was awarded a certificate 

 of merit ; the latter was shown by George F. Baer, Esq., Read- 

 ing (Ferdinand Heck, gardener). The new Pennsylvania, 

 noted in the account of the exhibition in Boston last week, 

 attracted much attention, and was awarded a silver medal and 

 also a certificate of merit. The color is a clear yellow and the 

 flowers appear to the best advantage under artificial light. 

 Hugh Graham & Son were the exhibitors of this promising 

 novelty. First prizes for cut flowers were also awarded to A. 

 Herrington, Madison, New Jersey ; Henry Weber & Son, Oak- 

 land, Maryland ; E. M.Wood & Co., Natick, Massachusetts ; 

 John McCleary ; John T. Harrison, Bethayres, Pennsylvania ; 

 Wm. K. Harris, Robert G. Carey, Edward Jones, Martin Mon- 

 tague, William Robertson, Henry G. Standen, Jos. Monahan, 

 John Mitchell and George Middleton. 



The Henry A. Dreer Co. showed an unusually fine col- 

 lection of decorative plants, including a group of Cibotium 

 Scheidii and one of Latania aurea, besides a notably in- 

 teresting exhibit of aquatics. Hugh Graham & Son, Mrs. 

 George B. Wilson and A. Woltemate showed large and 



