466 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 509. 



Japan Clover is less attractive on dry or poor soil and where 

 it is eaten over by stock than when grown under better condi- 

 tions. In a fairly favorable location it makes luxuriant growth 

 and becomes really ornamental. Indeed, its beauty and its 

 ability to adapt itself to various conditions of light, shade, 

 drought and moisture in this limestone district are leading to 

 its trial as a lawn covering, particularly in shaded grounds 

 where grass is especially unsatisfactory. It is certainly inval- 

 uable in the Ozarks. 



Pennyroyal neatly clothes with a subdued color acres of 

 high, dry and stony land where no other herbaceous plants 

 try to live. The plants extend for miles along the roadways, 

 and all of this refreshing aromatic herbage is wasted. 



Indian Currant (Symphoricarpos vulgaris, locally known as 

 Buckberry) forms another noticeable and abundant crop, 

 occupying situations similar to those in central Illinois which 

 are overgrown by Hazel bushes, and in about the same pro- 

 portion. It is, in fact, the leading shrub, largely predominating 

 in the undergrowth of southern and south-western Missouri, 

 where but few Hazel bushes are seen. Sumach is not plentiful, 

 and Elder is almost unknown. The wild growth of the Indian 

 Currant furnishes many suggestions for its use in cultivated 

 grounds in the same region. It forms fine, irregular belts and 

 large straggling plantations at the verge of open glades and 

 along the border of woodlands ; and in sunny situations, even 

 on hilltops and steep hillsides it is seen in clumps and single 

 well grown plants, springing from stony soil and set among 

 bowlders and on projecting ledges of rocks. These plants 

 frequently attain good proportions, and the gracefully droop- 

 ing branches sweep the ground on all sides. Everywhere 

 among the hills this desirable shrub is seen loaded with its 

 small dark red berries. 



Brighton, 111. Fanny Copley Seavey. 



The Beautifying of a Neglected Field. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — I am indebted to Garden and Forest for the beauti- 

 fying of at least one of my fields. This was a barren, worn-out 

 hillside of gravel with deep, worn gullies when I bought the 

 place. Following your advice, I allowed it to grow up as it 

 would ; I knew that Pines and Junipers would soon cover it. 

 They come up everywhere of themselves, and are now spread 

 over nearly the whole field ; they are from ten to fifteen feet 

 high. But it surprised me, in looking over the field this fall, 

 to find Maples, Sassafras, Gum, Tulip and Sycamore trees, and 

 one Holly, besides two kinds of Ferns, three patches of 

 Arbutus and some Crowfoot. The Daisies, Golden-rod, 

 Sumach and Grasses were not to be wondered at. Simply 

 left alone, this is now quite a pleasing field to me. The farmers 

 about think it sadly neglected, but I thank you for advising 

 such neglect. 



St. Denis, Md. Cynthia Force. 



Flowering Plants in a Mild Autumn. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — -The season has been kind to us here, notwithstanding 

 excessively dry weather in the early fall. My notes record 

 the flowering of Crocuses on the 30th of March, and in shel- 

 tered parts of the city there have been no killing frosts yet. 

 Nasturtium leaves are bright and are still growing, and there 

 are occasional flowers. Now and then a small Polyantha Rose 

 shows on the bushes, and the last Dahlias are gathered along 

 with the yellow Chrysanthemums. 



This is remarkable for the nth of November, and is an 

 especial encouragement to those who desire to cultivate late- 

 blooming flowers. The tardy but ambitious Cosmos was never 

 so perfect as now and almost justifies its more general culti- 

 vation. Where frosts are to be expected in September there 

 is not much satisfaction to be had from it. Fuchsias are bright, 

 but stopped flowering early in the month, and Geraniums have 

 become mere foliage plants. The influence of Lake Erie is so 

 potent in certain localities on its shore that unless there are 

 contending influences of elevation or closed depressions that 

 hold the cold air there is not much fear of frost before Novem- 

 ber, and yet the season of most plants is past some time earlier, 

 and flower gardens have a lifeless appearance even before the 

 trees have shed their leaves. This is especially true of the 

 wild garden. There are enough late-blooming plants in com- 

 mon cultivation to maintain a cheerful appearance throughout 

 theseason, and where frosts hold off very late, as they do in 

 some favored localities, efforts should be made to cultivate 

 a fair proportion of these late-blooming plants. 



Not much life is left in the wild garden after the Asters and 



Golden-rods are gone, and not a few of these are under the 

 ban on account of their disposition to spread by means of 

 stolons or subterranean roots and choke out everything near 

 them. This is also true of most of the Solomon's Seals, and 

 Potentilla Anserina spreads like a Strawberry and neglects to 

 send up its solitary bright yellow flower unless the soil is quite 

 sandy. The Trilliums, Bloodroot and many other early 

 bloomers are as unobtrusive as they are beautiful, while it is 

 an unattained art so far to persuade the Dicentras, Hepatica 

 and Claytonia, as well as some wild members of the Mint 

 family, to continue in the garden long, as they demand soil 

 that is mostly leaf-mold. The most satisfactory wild plant to 

 me is Thalictrum dioicum, especially the male plant, which is 

 a Maiden-hair Fern with all the improvements of perfect 

 hardiness, bushy growth and the added wealth of pen- 

 dent yellowish stamens that dance in the breeze. Another 

 charming plant is Uvularia grandiflora, which is in every way 

 worthy a place in the most pretentious garden. 

 Buffalo, N. Y. Jolin Chamberlin. 



A Delicious Tuber. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — Having read of the edible character of the roots of 

 Apios tuberosa I was curious to find out what they were like. 

 This beautiful wild plant, clambering over the wayside shrub- 

 bery in many parts of rural New England, with its luxuriant 

 habit and the exquisite scent of its chocolate-colored flowers, 

 is familiar to all who know the country. But its curious tubers, 

 strung along the underground shoots like beads on a string, 

 are not so commonly known. I had used the plant to cover a 

 bare wall near the house, and the other day I dug up a few of 

 the tubers. They were about the size of small Seckel pears. 

 I noticed that, even when slightly cut, or pricked, they exuded 

 a gum-like juice, white and sweetish, something like India- 

 rubber, in its elastic nature, and not easily dissolved in the 

 mouth. Possibly this gum might prove to have some eco- 

 nomic value. I baked the tubers in the oven for about fifteen 

 minutes and found them delicious. When done they were 

 mealy and creamy white in color. Their flavor was strikingly 

 delicate ; something between that of a very fine potato and a 

 sweet potato, with a suggestion of the chestnut, also. If farmers 

 and market-gardeners would take pains to cultivate Apios 

 tuberosa they would undoubtedly make handsome profits, for 

 the tubers would be in demand both as a novelty and as a 

 welcome addition to our edible vegetables. It is not unlikely 

 that, with cultivation, new varieties would be developed, per- 

 haps approaching the sweet potato in size, and possibly even 

 improving upon the present flavor. 



Maiden, Mass. Sylvester Baxter. 



The Forest. 



Forestry in Women's Clubs. — I. 



SOME account of the meeting of the New Jersey Stale 

 Federation of Women's Clubs, held in Trenton in 

 March, 1S96, was given in Garden and Forest (vol. ix. , 

 page 132), with reference to the efforts made on that occa- 

 sion in the interests of forestry. Mrs. John Gifford, of 

 Princeton, made the principal address, and explained the 

 forest conditions of New Jersey, together with the special 

 beauties and uses of the woods of each region, and gave 

 convincing reasons for the adoption of a conservative 

 forest policy. It was suggested that women could aid in 

 the preservation of forests through their influence in schools, 

 libraries and in public discussions ; by offering prizes to 

 school children, and by having in every school district in 

 the state exhibits of maps and photographs illustrating the 

 results of wanton forest destruction and of scientific forest 

 management; by joining forestry associations ; in clubs 

 and classes, by taking up the systematic study of forestry 

 in its economic aspect ; and in the sympathetic love of 

 trees and of natural beauty and order, out of which would 

 grow village-improvement societies, with forestry com- 

 mittees and the like. The prophecy was ventured by the 

 speaker that if the women of New Jersey would take a 

 positive and active interest in the preservation and protec- 

 tion of the forests of that state, within one year a State 

 Forest Commission would be organized, a radical and 

 practical fire policy would be enforced, so as to save the 

 remnants of forests, and courses of instruction would be 



