142 



note their similarity. Continuing, on your left, you 

 pass sycamore maple, with its five-lobed, cordate leaves 

 on long, reddish leaf stems. Here we have come to the 

 Arbor by the Drive, bowered so beautifully by the 

 cluster of honey locusts, that with their fierce thorns 

 seem a silent guard-at-arms over the pretty little nook. 

 While you are at the Arbor, go through it and have a 

 look at the fine row of red oaks that have marshaled 

 the bravery of their glossy green between the Mineral 

 Spring House and the Arbor. 



Before leaving this section, if it has been your good 

 fortune to have procured a permit, cross the Drive at 

 the lamp-post opposite the guelder rose to the lamp-post 

 on the northerly side of the Drive and strike due north 

 of this until you come to a tree with light-gray bark 

 and leaves reverse egg-shape (obovate) that have a little 

 abrupt point at the end. This tree is the Chinese white 

 magnolia or Yulan, and I hope you can see it bloom in 

 April. It is then a cloud of pure white, lovely beyond 

 words. The large, cream-white blossoms seem to float 

 upon the air and the fragrance of their perfume is in- 

 expressibly sweet upon the April breeze. The blossoms 

 come before the leaves appear, breaking out from the 

 great furry buds that have been the tree's conspicu- 

 ous and individual winter marks of identification. The 

 winter buds of the cottspicua have a somewhat greenish 

 cast through their furry coats, while those of its near 

 hybrid, the Soulangeana, are quite brownish. 



Across to the west of conspicua is a large rock mass, 

 and west of this, near the Drive, you will find an in- 



