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This area comprises about 5 acres, and is well diversified 

 as to character of soil and conditions, offering level, hilly, 

 rocky, dry, wet, sunny, and shaded areas, making it 

 possible to grow a great variety of plants. It is designed 

 to assemble here collections of plants suitable or desirable 

 for horticultural purposes. A feature is made of the label- 

 ing, as in all other collections of the Garden, each plant 

 being supplied with an information label; and, when neces- 

 sary, a larger label for the bed or collection is employed, 

 indicating its contents. 



A large collection of different varieties of cannas occupies 

 the beds paralleling the entrance walk from the Southern 

 Boulevard and the large oval bed at the termination of 

 this walk. The horticultural varieties of cannas are the 

 result of hybridization and selection, and many varieties 

 have been thus produced, new ones being introduced 

 constantly. The species used in this work of hybridization 

 are natives of tropical or warm temperate countries, and 

 are of course not hardy here. The hybrids in consequence 

 are not hardy, and it is necessary to remove the plants 

 for the winter to a cellar or other storehouse where the 

 temperature does not go to freezing, neither should it be 

 too warm, for then the plants will start growth. Pre- 

 liminary to removal, the stems should be cut a few inches 

 above the ground, the plants being allowed to remain in 

 their summer position until pretty well blackened by the 

 frost. In the early spring the clumps can be broken up 

 and the severed parts planted in flats or in pots, where 

 they are allowed to remain until all danger of frost is 

 past, when they may be planted in their permanent position 

 for the summer. 



Back of the north bed of cannas is a group of the white 

 fir (Abies concolor), a native of our western country. Be- 

 tween this plantation of firs and the walk is a bed devoted 

 to a collection of plants with variegated or colored foliage, 

 making an interesting and instructive exhibit. Across 

 the walk is a collection of chrysanthemums. To the 



