BULLETIN NO. 38. 
Next week the Arboretum should be visited by lovers of the flowers 
of early spring for it will then be gay with the white blossoms of the 
Shad Bushes (Amelanchier) which have been largely planted in the 
shrubberies and mixed plantations, making the last days of April here 
one of the most delightful weeks of the early spring. Amelanchier is 
largely North American, although there is one small shrubby species 
on the mountains of central Europe and another species is widely dis- 
tributed in eastern Asia. In the United States the genus is found with 
many species in both the eastern and western parts of the country. 
Two species grow naturally in the Arboretum, A. laevis and A. oblon- 
gifolia. The former, which has been erroneously called A. canadensis , 
is a small tree easily distinguished in spring by the red color of the 
unfolding leaves which make a handsome contrast with the white flow- 
ers. This tree grows on uplands and there are several good-sized spec- 
imens at the base of the wooded slope on the south side of the Forest 
Hills Road in the rear of the lower end of the Apple Group. A. oblon- 
gifolia grows naturally on the borders of swamps and, although it often 
grows to a large size, is always shrubby in habit. There is a large 
wild plant of this species on the border of the north meadow, and it 
is this species which has been most generally planted in the Arbore- 
tum. The other tree Amelanchier, the true A. canadensis , is a larger 
plant than A. laevis, and it can easily be distinguished by the coat of 
fine down which covers the lower surface of the leaves which are sil- 
very white, becoming green but never red when they first unfold. 
This tree is rare in New England, but it is common in western New 
York where it grows to a very large size, and in the southern states 
where it is the common species except on the Appalachian Mountains 
where at high elevations A. laevis occurs. There are a number of small 
shrubby species in the eastern states which are all beautiful and desir- 
able garden plants, but who ever plants them and in what nursery can 
they be found? Unfortunately, their decorative value as garden plants, 
like that of so many other native shrubs, has not spread very far be- 
yond the limits of the Arboretum. A complete collection of the species 
of eastern North America has now been arranged in the border along 
the grass path which, starting from a point opposite the Administra- 
tion Building, turns to the right and follows the direction of the 
Meadow Road. 
The Japanese Primus Sargentii is in flower again. As was stated 
last year in Bulletin No. 20, this hardy tree is considered by many per- 
sons the most beautiful of all flowering Cherries. It is a large and 
perfectly hardy tree; the pink or rose-colored flowers are large and 
produced in great abundance, the ample dark green leaves turn orange 
and red in the autumn and the bark is smooth, red-brown and very 
lustrous. The trees in the Arboretum produce fruit every year in June 
and seeds will be distributed in the order of application to persons who 
wish to experiment with this valuable tree. The seeds should be sown 
as soon as received. There are six specimens of Prunus Sargentii on 
the Forest Hills Road near its junction with the Meadow Road. 
