4*4 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 347. 



this region. It is found almost everywhere in woods 

 occurring from the top of Mount Royal through the sur- 

 rounding country. It naturally extends much farther north, 

 and some attempt has been made to establish a botanical 

 variety out of the boreal form, but no difference can be 

 observed between the trees as they grow about Montreal 

 and occur in southern New England. 



Fagus ferruginea, the American Beech, is common, and 

 becomes a large tree, though the wood is not much used, 

 except for fuel. The edible nuts are often found in the 

 markets ; they furnish food for such birds as blue jays, for 

 squirrels and other rodents, and for the bears which are 

 found in the mountains within fifty miles, and which are 

 said to climb the trees in search of the small sweet fruits. 



Arnold Arboretum. J • tr- JO-Cfi. 



Birds Injuring Apples. 



WHEN the orchardist, after suffering from attacks of 

 insects, fungi, small boys and other depredators, 

 finds himself attacked by those he has always considered 

 his friends, he may be excused for some feeling of dis- 

 couragement. Yet such has been our experience in apple- 

 growing at the Experiment Station farm this summer. The 

 old orchard has far outlived its usefulness and is an object 

 of pity rather than of pride. It has had to contend against 

 blight, borers, butchery instead of pruning, and numberless 

 other obstacles. Yet, in spite of them all, a few of the 

 trees still retain some vitality, and they promised to yield 

 a fair crop. As the apples approached maturity, however, 

 they were attacked by the birds to such an extent, that 

 from trees which should have yielded two or three bushels, 

 no fruit was harvested. To leave them until fit to pick 

 meant not to pick them at all. The injury has been worse 

 on the fall and early-winter apples, though even the late vari- 

 eties have not been wholly exempt from attack. The injury 

 is doubly great because, after a bird satisfies himself for 

 the moment he leaves that apple and may never return to 

 it again, simply taking another the next time he is apple- 

 hungry. Whether he returns or not, the apple is ruined. 



At first it was thought that the blue jays were respon- 

 sible for the mischief, but it was soon discovered that they 

 were not alone in the depredation. Blackbirds, robins, 

 red-headed woodpeckers, yellow-hammers, brown thrushes 

 and one or two other species have been observed working 

 at the fruit. The blue jays are, perhaps, the worst in pro- 

 portion to their numbers, but the robins and blackbirds are 

 more numerous and consequently do more damage. The 

 blackbirds, in particular, frequent the orchard in large 

 flocks and are capable of doing an immense amount of 

 damage. 



Juicy apples seem to be preferred, even though very- 

 hard. In the summer many of the Crabs were injured, but 

 none of the Sweet June variety. This has been an exceed- 

 ingly dry season, and the ordinary supplies of bird-food 

 are, no doubt, somewhat deficient. It was also suggested 

 that they might attack the apples to get the moisture, al- 

 though there were tanks of water not far away. Five 

 troughs of water were, therefore, placed in the orchard at 

 convenient points and watched for a time. The birds very 

 soon found and made use of them, but continued to eat ap- 

 ples just the same. It is possible that had this been done 

 before the habit had become so firmly fixed it might have 

 mitigated the injury somewhat. On the whole, however, 

 the indications are that the birds eat the apples because 

 they like them. So far as I know, this is a trick which 

 eastern birds have not learned, and the eastern grower may 

 earnestly hope that they will not. 



Agricult'l Exp't Station, Nebraska. 1' red W. Lard. 



New or Little-known Plants. 

 Two New Species of Ilex. 



EXPLORATION of the high mountains of the Cape 

 region of Lower California has brought to our knowl- 

 edge many new and interesting plants and trees. Quite 



unexpected, however, was the discovery of two species of 

 -Ilex, a genus that is without representatives in the western 

 part of the United States. Both these species of Ilex grow 

 in canons near running water and about the highest sum- 

 mits of the mountains between La Paz and Cape St. Lucas. 



Ilex triflora* (see p. 4 1 5) is a handsome tree, and well worthy 

 of cultivation in Alta California, where it would probably 

 prove to be hardy, for it is often subjected to heavy frosts 

 in its habitat at 6,000 feet elevation above the sea. It 

 grows to a height of fifty feet or less, and in general shape 

 resembles a Lombardy Poplar ; the branches are very 

 numerous, short, horizontal and repeatedly divided in all 

 directions, so that, excepting at the trunk, the tree presents 

 to view a mass of leaves impenetrable to the sight. The 

 trunk, a foot or more in diameter, is nearly smooth, of a 

 grayish color, and visible only for about six feet from the 

 ground. The tree is not very abundant, and, unless to be 

 found on the mainland of Mexico, will always be rare. 



IlexCalifornica'f" (see p. 416) is more common, and not as 

 handsome. It is more properly a large'bush than a tree, 

 although often it is undoubtedly a small tree. It grows to 

 be ten or fifteen feet high ; the branches are widely spread- 

 ing and the leaves thick. I have never seen it in flower, 

 but have been able to find plenty of fruit in October and 

 January. It probably blooms early in summer, for dried 

 remnants of old flowers can be seen about the fruit in Oc- 

 tober. I. triflora blooms in October. 



San Diego, Calif. 1- o. Brandegee. 



Plant Notes. 



Quercus macrocarpa. — The Bur Oak does not transplant 

 as easily as the Swamp White Oak or the Pin Oak, because 

 these last two naturally make many more small roots. The 

 Bur Oak, however, and most other Oaks can be safely 

 transplanted if they are pruned back almost to the main 

 stem, and thus trees from four to six feet high are pretty 

 certain to survive and thrive. In time the Bur Oak becomes 

 a massive tree, with that expression of rugged strength 

 which characterizes the best Oaks, but it is also a beau- 

 tiful tree when young, and some specimens about 

 twenty years old, which we have lately seen, were exceed- 

 ingly interesting. It branches low and into fine form, 

 makes a strong growth, and when young has dense and 

 heavy foliage. Our native Oaks are strangely neglected 

 by American planters. The general impression seems to 

 be that few of them can be safely transplanted, and that 

 they grow so slowly that the planter will never see them 

 develop into anything like beauty. The truth is that they 

 are not exceptionally slow in growth ; that most of them 

 have a peculiar beauty of their own when young, and, in 

 short, that they are among the very best of our trees for use 

 in parks and large places ; while in smaller places, where 

 only one good specimen tree can be grown, it is often the 

 case that some species of Oak will be the best possible 

 selection. 



Salvia splendens, Clara Bedman. — This variety of the 

 well-known Scarlet Sage is a good example of the changes 

 in character and habit which are occasionally developed 

 in old-fashioned garden-plants under cultivation. Mr. 

 C. W. Matthews, of the Kentucky Experiment Station, 

 writes that plants of this variety from seed sent out last 

 spring by a Philadelphia firm have shown a marked 

 superiority over the type during the season just closing, 



* Ilex triflora. — Tree 15 m. high or less, with short, spreading branches; 

 voung shoots, petioles and peduncles rather densely pubescent; leaves elliptic- 

 lanceolate, entire or spinose-serrate in the upper half, acute, 5 to 8 cm. long, 

 sparingly hairy above and below, and green on the upper surface, whitish and 

 veiny beneath ; petioles 5 to 3 mm. long ; peduncles 1 cm. long, usually 3-flowered 

 on pedicels, about equaling the peduncle, and bracteate at base; inflorescence 

 coarsely short-hirsute; floral organs in fives; segments of the corolla strongly 

 united in the lower fourth; ovary 5-celled ; fruit not seen. — La Chuparosa, Baja 

 California. 



t Ilex Californica. — A bush or small tree, 3 to 4 m. high, nearly glabrous 

 throughout; leaves thick, coriaceous, elliptic, oblong-elliptic or oval, 6 to 12 cm. 

 long, 2 to 3,^ cm. wide, remotely shallow-serrate, veiny beneath, not shining; 

 flowers in axillary, shortly pedicellate clusters; calvx 4-parted, the segments 

 ovate, scarious above ; corolla not seen ; fruit the size of a pea, smooth ; cocci 4, 

 the testa incompletely lacunose. — La Chuparosa and Sierra de la Laguna, Baja 

 California. 



