THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



147 



beech was used for a time but was ultimately given up for 

 persimmon. It is said that this latter wood is now used almost 

 exclusively for this purpose. Sir Herbert Maxwell, writing in 

 Kew Bulletin now suggests a substitute for persimmon in the 

 wood of Cofoncaisfer frigida and other species of Cotoncastcr. 

 These plants are members of the rose family and therefore 

 closely related to the crab tree from which the original clubs 

 were made. In the Old AA^orld, walking sticks, alpenstocks, 

 agricultural implements, staves, and bows are made from this 

 wood. The trees which produce it are abundant in various 

 parts of Asia, especially in the Himalayan region. 



Our Largest Trees. — A recent effort by the American 

 Genetic Association to locate and identify the largest American 

 trees resulted in the discovery of a sycamore or buttonwood 

 {Platamis occidcntalis) which is more than -1:2 feet in circum- 

 ference and 150 feet high. Other large trees reported were a 

 valley oak (Querciis lohata) 37 feet in circumference, a chest- 

 nut {Castanea dentata) 35 feet in circumference, a tulip tree 

 {Liriodendron tulipifcra) 34 feet, a sassafras (Sassafras variu 

 folium) nearly 16 feet, a v\diite birch 12 feet, a pecan (Carya 

 lUinoensis) 19 feet and a catalpa (Catalpa speciosa) 16 feet in 

 circumference. The largest elm reported was the ''great elm" 

 at Wethersfield, Connecticut, which is about 28 feet in cir- 

 cumference. 



Ginseng Blight. — It is true that the dried roots of the 

 ginseng (Panax qiiinqucfolia) often sell for $7.00 a pound, but 

 it is also true that even at this price, ginseng is not always a 

 profitable cultivated crop. The roots are rather small and 

 require several years to reach maturity and during this time are 

 exposed to a variety of dangers. One of these is the ginseng 

 blight (Altcrnaria panax) which often blights both the foliage 

 of the plants and the hopes of the grower. The disease has 

 been known for a long time as affecting the above ground 



