May, 1908 
through the Patent Office a large quantity of 
acorns. ‘These were mainly sent South, and 
some of the trees raised from them have 
now attained a height of fifty feet and a 
diameter of four feet, but so far there is not a 
single instance of its spongy bark having 
been found sufficiently large to be utilized 
commercially. The cork oak forms a round 
headed tree with almost glabrous leaves. 
As it is difficult to transplant, the acorns 
must either be planted where the tree is to 
remain permanently, or they may be planted 
in pots and the seedlings afterward set out 
without disturbing the ball of earth. Lately 
the United States Department of Agriculture 
has advocated taking some of the earth 
from under old growing trees for use when 
transplanting younger trees, the idea being 
_to inoculate the fresh earth with certain 
organisms which make it possible for the 
young roots to get into proper contact with 
the soil. The cork oak is an excellent avenue 
tree, likely hardy at Washington and even 
farther North. It requires strong clay soil. 
In the Loblolly bay (Gordonia lasianthus) 
we have a very handsome tree which often 
attains a height of seventy-five feet. This 
is found very sparingly in low marshy woods 
and young plants taken from such localities 
transplant with great difficulty. The only 
successful way is to grow plants from seeds, 
cultivating them in pots for at least two 
years, when they can be transplanted in rich 
soil, but then they never grow to the pro- 
portion of trees found in the marshy woods. 
They seldom become more than large shrubs. 
The leaves are narrow, dentate, and dark 
glossy green. The flowers are pure white, 
two or three inches in diameter and pro- 
duced in moderate quantity during June to 
September. Owing to the scarcity of the 
seed, few trees are found in cultivation. 
Another native tree found in the rich 
shady woods of the middle sections of 
Georgia and South Carolina and southward is 
the red bay, sometimes also called bull bay 
(Persea Carolinensis) which attains a height 
The camellia introduced to Charleston in 1808 is one 
of the most popular flowering evergreens 
THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 
The live oak (Quercus virens ) draped with the moss 
(Tillandsva usncoides) gives a weird effect 
of from thirty to forty feet. The leaves are 
lanceclate, smooth and deep green, glaucous 
beneath; in July the greenish white flowers 
are produced in cymose clusters and are 
succeeded by small blue drupes, which are 
retained through the winter and are cer- 
tainly to be considered as a great addition 
to the merit of this handsome evergreen tree. 
It should always be planted in very rich, and, 
if possible, moist soil. 
The first camellia that was brought to the 
United States reached Charleston, S. C., 
in 1808 and the original tree is still in fair 
condition. It has reached a height of more 
than twenty-five feet. . While this is perhaps 
the only specimen that has reached this 
height, we may justly consider the camellia 
a tree, although the average varieties of this 
beautiful species must be classified as shrubs 
as they assume a more or less compact 
habit and reach a height from five to twenty 
feet’ according to variety. 
The old Charleston tree is of the typical . 
Japanese species (C. reticulata), producing 
an abundance of bright red colored single 
flowers, two to three inches in diameter, 
and during several weeks from March to 
May it is a magnificent object. 
Our native hollies atone for their incon- 
spicuous greenish colored flowers by their 
abundant bright scarlet berries, which are 
retained during winter and give a color not 
foundamong any other of our native evergreen 
trees. These also transplant badly unless a 
few inches high and unless all leaves are 
cut off. 
Japan has given us many horticultural 
treasures but the only broad-leaved evergreen 
trees coming from that source are privets 
(species of Ligustrum). L. Japonicum at- 
tains a height of thirty feet at the South and 
is largely planted as a shade tree; its broad 
green evergreen leaves, two by four inches, 
are its greatest merit. It has broad loose 
panicles of very small white flowers which 
open in spring but the odor is sometimes 
objectionable, as is also the case with 
the closely allied Japan tree lilac. How- 
219 
ever, the flowers last only a short time and 
are followed by numerous dark black-blue 
berries which remain on the tree during 
winter. It is hardy as far north as Phila- 
delphia where, however, it becomes a shrub. 
The best forms with variegated leaves are 
var. excelsum superbum with light yellow 
variegated leaves and var. marginatum 
aureum with leaves edged yellow. Both 
grow to a height of fifteen feet or more and 
are similar to the type in both inflorescence 
and fruit. 
The Japanese evergreen thorn, Photinia 
serrulata, reaches a height of twenty-five 
feet if trained to a single stem. It is con- 
spicuous for its dark green serrulated leaves 
about four inches long, which assume a 
bright red tint in autumn. During April, 
at the South, each branchlet is terminated 
with a large corymb of very minute white 
flowers giving this tree a striking effect. 
It is hardy as far as Washington, D. C., but 
does not there attain such proportions as 
farther South. 
An evergreen tree very often found in the 
Middle South is the Carolina cherry (Prunus 
Carolimana). It is known under many 
local names as wild orange, mock orange, 
Gloria Mundi, etc., and often called by 
nurserymen Cerasus Carolinensis. It grows 
thirty cr forty feet high, is of compact habit, 
and has dense dark green foliage. In early 
spring it is covered with short racemes of 
very small white flowers having the fragrance 
of bitter almonds; it is valued for both street 
and lawn planting and is often found in large 
thickets. It produces great quantities of 
black berries which germinate freely. The 
wood of this tree is equal to mahogany in 
color when polished. It is not hardy north 
of Lower Virginia. 
We have also quite a number of Japanese 
oaks which retain their foliage through the 
winter but few specimens ever grow beyond 
the dimensions of large shrubs, and so are 
not considered here. 
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In the warm regions the privet (Ligustrum Japonicum) 
is a handsome evergreen berried shrub 
