168 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



you want one of the finest evergreens, I would say plant the blue 

 spruce. 



There is another ornamental tree that should have a place in every 

 park in the land, the Russian olive. This tree has most friends where 

 it is best known as the perfume from the early spring flowers fills the 

 air with fragrance for miles around. One lone tree will perfume the 

 air for more than a mile around it. It has beautiful silver foliage 

 which adds much to its desirable qualities. It is a tree of remarkable 

 hardiness, easily transplanted, and a rapid grower. 



The catalpas, cut-leaf weeping birch, white birch, mountain ash, 

 the elm, and lindens are all of our best ornamental trees. 



The European larch has been discussed more by the Society than 

 probably any other ornamental tree ; while we have but little knowledge 

 of it we are well pleased with the results of our planting. 



The Judas tree, one of our common ornamental trees, should have a 

 place in every plantation, as its early spring flowers make it very orna- 

 mental indeed. It is hardy and easily transplanted. 



We also have many other native trees that are very ornamental 

 and would give good results if we would give them more of our 

 attention. 



LAWNS AND PARKS. 



BY PROF. L. E. HICKS. 



For most of the people of a new country the useful has a stronger 

 claim than the beautiful. It secures attention first and commands the 

 most intense effort of the greatest number. We must simply accept 

 this unmistakable fact as we do other established facts. 



I have no quarrel with it, not only because it is a waste of time to 

 quarrel with facts, but because this particular fact has sound reason on 

 its side. We all have to solve first the problem of living at all before 

 we can consider how we may live in the midst of tasteful and elegant 

 surroundings. We must have regard to utility rather than beauty, so 

 long as we are engaged in a keen struggle for existence. But that strug- 

 gle is happily ended for some of the people in Nebraska, and there is 

 danger of the habit of ignoring the beautiful, of starving the esthetic 

 faculties in the process of making sure that the body shall not starve, 



