BULLETIN NO. 26. 
The Laurels ( Kalmia latifolia) will be in full bloom at the end of the 
week. They are planted along the base of Hemlock Hill, and here the 
plants remain in flower for a long time, for they are protected from the 
full effects of the sun by the hill behind them and the soil is moist and 
cool. The beauty of the flowers, too, is heightened by the dark back- 
ground of Hemlocks, and none of the flower displays in the Arboretum 
surpass the flowering of the Laurels which this year promise greater 
beauty than ever as the plants never before have been so covered with 
flowers-buds. 
Kalmia is a genus which is found only in North America and, with the 
exception of one small species, is confined to the eastern part of the 
country. Kalmia latifolia is the largest and most important species of 
the genus and in favorable situations on the southern Appalachian Moun- 
tains sometimes grows to the size of a small tree. It is one of the most 
beautiful of hardy flowering shrubs and for the northern states the most 
valuable of the broad-leaved evergreens which can be successfully grown 
here in the open ground. It would be astonishing that it has been so 
neglected in this country as a garden plant were it not for the fact that it 
has never been greatly appreciated or largely planted in England, and 
until recent years England has set the fashion in plants' for us; and so 
because Rhododendrons flourish in many parts of England we have tried 
to grow them in a climate not really suited to them and have neglected 
our native Laurel which, less showy perhaps than some of the Rhodo- 
dendrons, has beauties of its own which no Rhododendron can surpass. 
No hybrids or varieties of Kalmia latifolia have been developed in cul- 
tivation probably because little attention has thus far been paid to the 
cultivation of these plants, and the few varieties which are known have 
appeared naturally in the woods. There is a form with pure white flow- 
ers (var. alba), and there is another with deep pink, nearly red flowers 
and darker green leaves (var. rubra). These extreme forms are con- 
nected by others with flowers of all shades of pink. There is a distinct 
form with small leaves and small heads of small flowers (var. myrtifolia). 
This form is a low compact bush and flowers only sparingly. A form 
with broad obtuse leaves like those of a Rhododendron (var. obtusata) 
was discovered near Pomfret, Connecticut, a few years ago; this is also 
a shy bloomer. In another form (var. polypetala ), first found near South 
Deerfield, Massachusetts, the corolla is deeply divided into narrow lobes. 
These varieties are all well established in the Arboretum. The Laurels 
can be easily and quickly reached from the South Street and Walter 
Street entrances. 
The Sheepkill, Kalmia angustifolia, is a handsome dwarf shrub with 
small dark red flowers and, although rarely seen in gardens, w^ell deserves 
cultivation. Another dwarf species recently discovered on the southern 
Appalachian Mountains, K. caroliniana, promises to be hardy in the 
Arboretum, but is still growing in the nursery where seeds of it w r ere 
planted in 1906. Of the other dwarf species those from the north are 
difficult to cultivate and require special treatment, and the others are not 
hardy here. 
The blooming of the Syringas (Philadelphus) is also an interesting event 
in the Arboretum where a large collection of these beautiful plants has 
been assembled. They can be seen in the Shrub Collection and in a large 
supplementary group on the right-hand side of the Bussey Hill Road, 
