THE AMERICAN BOTANIST. yf 
sition. The trailing arbutus treated in the same way will respond 
the same as the laurel and wild azalea. 
Soil, it should be remembered, is little more than a material sub- 
stance, which a plant uses ; that light, air, heat, moisture and sub- 
servient chemical properties, which a plant has the power of ap^ 
propriating and assimilating, are always necessary and ofttimes 
independent of the soil. Keeping this in mind, we may under- 
stand more readily the value of drainage for the admission of 
needed properties and the necessity of a porous soil, which will 
serve the peculiar needs of a plant. It may then be seen that all 
the wild plants will not do equally well together, and that for the 
greatest measure of success both skill and judgment are required. 
One of our earliest native plants, and one of the most eagerly 
sought for, is the trailing arbutus. It usually will be found in 
flower about the fifteenth of March, though its period of bloom 
depends entirely upon the season. The buds being formed the au- 
tumn previous open at the first appearance of fair weather. The 
pale pink refreshing flowers may then be found peeping from a 
mossy bank, or, inconspicuous as they often are, in hiding near the 
surface, filling the air with fragrance and ''Sweeter than the lids of 
Juno's eyes or Cytherea's breath." It is a prevalent belief that it 
is next to impossible to transplant arbutus, and numerous cases erf 
failure I have knowledge of. The failure, I think, is due to a 
lack of attention, ,or is a fault in the observance of conditions. 
The arbutus will be found growing on high banks where moisture 
is abundant and where the drainage is perfect. In transplanting 
the greatest difficulty is to find a place where the roots may be kept 
moderately dry. The great secret in transplanting anything is to 
press the soil about the roots as firmly as possible, and afterward 
to thoroughly soak with water. After this the plant should be 
watered only when necessary. It is, of course, useless to attempt 
to move arbutus after it has started to grow, but by observing the 
simple rules given, I several times have transplanted arbutus, and 
in each instance was entirely successful. Once, however, I de- 
stroyed a plant which had been growing eight months by giving 
it too much water. 
