184 
FLORA AND SYLVA 
NEW AMERICAN HAW- 
THORNS. 
For handsome flowers in spring, attrac- 
tive foliage in summer, showy and con- 
spicuous fruit in autumn, the bold habit 
of branching which is so noticeable in 
winter,and absolute hardihood, there are 
very few American shrubs or small trees 
that can compare with the American 
Hawthorns. They are adapted to all 
kinds of ornamental planting and seem 
to prefer heavy limestone soil, for as 
far as we have observed, they occur very 
sparingly in lightor sandy soils. Planters 
have an idea that they are difficult to 
transplant, but we have handled many 
plants in all stages of growth and have 
had very few failures. When moving 
plants of any size they should be pruned 
back quite severely, and, given reason- 
able care in other respects, in two or 
three years' time they will be objects 
of great beauty. 
Increase. — The seed of the majority 
of the species lies dormant for two years 
in the seed-bed. We have found some 
species, such as Cratcegus matu?'a and 
C. spissifloi^a^ come quite freely the first 
season after sowing, and we have seen 
other kindsliedormantfor three seasons. 
It is customary, and a good plan, to 
separate the pulp from the seeds in sow- 
ing, as a very much larger percentage 
will germinate than when the fruit is 
sown intact. However, as the labour 
of separating the pulp is considerable, 
if we have plenty of seed it maybe sown 
as gathered with a certainty of sufficient 
seedlings for all ordinary purposes. 
With a small quantity of seed of a valu- 
able kind, the better way is to separate 
I the pulp from the seeds by steeping 
I them in water. 
! During the past six years a great 
I number of new species of Hawthorn 
have been discovered in the region 
{ around the great lakes, and in Penn- 
I sylvania, Illinois, Arkansas, the Caro- 
linas, and Texas. Their classification 
has been mainly undertaken by Prof. 
Sargent of the Arnold Arboretum, 
Boston, though a number of kinds have 
also been described by Messrs. C. D. 
Beadle and W. W. Ashe. It was for 
j many years customary for botanists to 
I refer the immense number of Haw- 
thorns scattered over North America 
to variations of 3 or 4 species: this was 
! an easy way of evading what has proved 
: to be a long and arduous task, for some- 
I where between 300 or 400 species have 
I now been described. During the past 
j five years the writer has, at the request 
j of Prof. Sargent, given considerable 
! attention to the Hawthorns scattered 
I along the banks of the Genesee River, 
j Buffalo, Niagara Falls, and some parts 
I of Ontario, Canada. In this way the 
! character of over 60 species have become 
familiar and their specific marks are just 
as plainly visible as what we know to 
be the difference between the Silver and 
the Sugar Maples. In some instances 
the species appear to be localised but 
in most cases they are widely distributed 
and the individuals are remarkably true 
i to characterinnumber of stamens, colour 
j of anthers, size, shape, and colour of 
j fruit, form and texture of leaf, spines, 
; bark, and branching-habit. 
! The question may be raised as to 
i how these American Hawthorns are to 
