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fully in this climate the Laurel is perhaps the most satisfactory. It 
is not perhaps strange that so little attention has been paid to it by 
American gardeners, for those of the earlier generations at least de- 
rived their inspiration almost entirely from England and usually despised 
American plants as too common for their attention. Now that it is 
impossible under Federal regulations to import plants with soil at their 
roots the Laurel will probably become much more generally used in 
this country than it has ever been before. No hybrids have yet been 
raised and the only distinct forms are natural ones. Of these there 
are plants with pure white flowers (var. alba), and one with deep pink- 
red flowers and dark leaves (var. rubra). Between these extremes there 
are others with all shades of pink, and there is one with flowers con- 
spicuously marked by a chocolate band (var. fuscata). There is a dwarf 
form (var. myrtifolia) with small leaves and small clusters of minute 
flowers; and there is one in which the corolla is deeply divided into 
narrow lobes (var. polypetalg.). A form with broad, handsome Rhodo- 
dendron-like leaves (var. obtusata) rarely flowers, and another with a 
six-lobed corolla has recently been found on, the Blue Ridge in North 
Carolina. The Laurel Collection is easily reached from the Walter 
Street and South Street entrances of the Arboretum, and persons in- 
terested in a beautiful floral display should not fail to see it. 
A few interesting plants are growing among the Laurels at the north- 
ern base of Hemlock Hill, including the only plant in the Arboretum 
of the American Ilex opoca, the largest specimen of Abies grandis 
from the northwestern part of the country, the best plant in the Ar- 
boretum of the Japanese Tsuga diversifolia, as well as a group of the 
Sour Wood {Oxydendron arboreum). Here, too, can be seen the best 
plant of the Japanese Torreya in the Arboretum. Across the road from 
the great bank of Hemlocks are many interesting plants, including 
among others the largest plants of the Japanese Yew in the Arboretum, 
and of the native Inkberry, the evergreen Ilex glabra. The Inkberry 
is a common shrub in the coast region from New Hampshire to Texas. 
It has been established in the Arboretum for many years but occa- 
sionally in severe winters loses here the ends of some of the branches 
and many of the upper leaves. It soon recovers and must be consid- 
ered one of the best evergreen shrubs which can be grown in New 
England. The best plants of the prostrate form of Juniperus chinensis 
Sargentii are growing also in this border, as well as the best speci- 
men of Leucothoe floribunda. Here, too, is the Sheep Laurel {Kalmia 
angustifolia), a red-flowered dwarf species common in northern pastures. 
Rosa spinosissima, Scotch Roses, are now in bloom in the Shrub 
Colection. The handsomest perhaps is the variety altaica with petals 
faintly tinged with yellow toward their base, the varieties hispida and 
lutea with yellow flowers, and the varie ty fulgens with pale pink flow- 
ers; these are all single. Other varieties in the Arboretum are cesti- 
jlora and pusilla. From the gardens of the Duke of Dalkeith, near 
Edinburgh, the Arboretum received a few years ago a collection of 
Scotch Roses for which this garden was once famous; these are Jupi- 
ter with pale pink single flowers. Lady Baillie with small yellow flow- 
ers, Dominie Samson, King of the Scots, Plato, Pythagoras and Iris. 
