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planted in 1848 by the late Mr. C. M. Richardson, and 

 is now about fifteen feet high, with a trunk six inches in 

 diameter. We have a prostrate yew (Taxus canadensis) 

 which closely resembles this, in the deep, cold woods of 

 Essex, Boxford and elsewhere, but it never becomes a 

 tree. The Richardson yew is the same species as the 

 tree associated with so many historical sites in England, 

 and is thought to attain greater age than almost any 

 other tree. 



The ginkgo tree (Ginkgo biloba) from China, 

 sometimes called the maiden-hair tree on account of the 

 resemblance of its fan-shaped leaves to the leaflets of 

 the maiden-hair fern, is occasionally seen in gardens. 

 Mr. James Dugan has one in his place on Dearborn 

 street, there is another in the garden of the house oc- 

 cupied by Mr. A. H. Warner, No. 77 Lafayette street, 

 and there is a small tree in the rear of the museum of the 

 Peabody Academy. It is interesting as being the only 

 tree we can cultivate here, of this family, which bears 

 broad leaves. They also turn yellow and fall in the au- 

 tumn. There are a number of ginkgo trees in the Boston 

 Public Garden, and one, probably over seventy years 

 old, on Boston Common. The male and female flowers 

 are borne on separate trees. 



The larches bear cones very much like those of the 

 pines and spruces, and the arbor-vitse bears a cone, 

 although very small. The other trees named in this 

 sketch either bear nut-like fruits, as those of the bald 

 cypress and white cedar, and which may be considered 

 as cones with very dense scales, or a berry-like fruit, as 

 those of the red cedar and yew. The fruit of the yew 

 is bright red, and when ripe, pulpy and pleasant to the 

 taste. There seems to be a diflerence of opinion as to 

 the wholesomeness of this fruit, and it would be just as 



