BULLETIN NO. 18. 
It might have been expected that the last year with its exceptionally 
dry summer and remarkably cold winter would have damaged many 
plants in the Arboretum, but on the whole the collections are in unusually 
good condition and as yet show little effect of the severe climatic changes 
of the winter. The conifers are all uninjured with the exception of one 
or two small plants of the Hemlock of the northwest coast, Tsuga heter- 
ophylla, planted near the top of Hemlock Hill. This is a tree of very 
doubtful hardiness here and it is satisfactory that the second specimen is 
untouched. The broad-leaved evergreens are in unusually good condition 
for this season of the year when they too often look brown and shabby. 
A few small Rhododendrons on trial for their hardiness have suffered, 
but generally the Rhododendrons are in good condition and promise 
abundant bloom. The Laurels ( Kalmia latifolia), are uninjured by heat, 
drought or cold and give promise of such masses of flowers as have not 
before been seen on these plants in the Arboretum. 
The influence of the weather on the plants raised from seeds collected 
in western China has been watched with interest as a number of them 
were planted last year in exposed positions that their hardiness here 
might be tested. The winter has shown that a large number of Chinese 
trees and shrubs new to our plantations can probably be successfully 
cultivated in Massachusetts, and of course in all the regions south of 
Massachusetts. The following are some of the most important of these 
trees: Davidia involucrata should perhaps be mentioned first. It is a 
medium sized tree related to our Flowering Dogwood, but with one large 
floral bract in place of the four smaller bracts of the American tree. 
Davidia is described as one of the most beautiful of all the flowering trees 
of temperate regions and its introduction a few years ago into cultivation 
through French missionaries was a matter of great horticultural interest. 
It has lived for several years in the Arboretum and has flowered twice in 
Europe. Of especial interest is Cladrastis sinensis, introduced by Wilson, 
as it adds another to the list of genera represented in the eastern United 
States and China. The American Cladrastis, better known as Virgilia, 
is one of the rarest and most beautiful of the trees of the United States. 
Unfortunately the Chinese species promises to be of less value as an 
ornamental tree. The flowers, which are sometimes faintly tinged with 
pink, are smaller than those of its American relative and are borne in 
erect not drooping clusters. The leaflets are smaller and the bark is of a 
darker color. The two new Catalpas from western China, C. Fargessii 
and C. Duclouxii, are both uninjured. In Phellodendron chinense there 
is an important addition to the eastern Asiatic genus Phellodendron, rep- 
resented before in the Arboretum by three species. It is good news that 
Staphylea holocarpa has come through the winter in good condition. 
This is a tree twenty to twenty-five feet tall, producing in May before 
the leaves appear pendulous racemes of fragrant flowers varying in color 
from white to rosy lilac. Mr. Wilson speaks of it as the handsomest of 
