J59 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
ORIENTAL POPPIES, THE SCARLET TANAGERS OF THE 
VEGETABLE KINGDOM. 
ous Oriental poppies springing from 
one good old plant. Being of a kind 
and thoughtful disposition, she divides 
these treasures with her deserving 
friends and neighbors, which fact led 
this j-ear to the accidental discovery 
that she did not know whether the 
flower seeded itself each year, or the 
root lived from year to year, or came 
from a “tuber,” or to what unknown 
agency the return of the poppies was 
due. She knows now, and is bent on 
having more plants of like character 
in her own soon-to-be-established 
garden. The use of a good big label 
on perennial gardens is certainly to 
be commended for our parks. 
To return from the by-path: mid- 
June found hotbed-started annuals in- 
significant in size, and outdoor sown 
seedlings scarcely visible to the naked 
eye, while a long list of choice peren- 
nials had already presented a fine suc- 
cession of bloom in the “old-fashioned 
gardens” in the parks and the “peren- 
nial borders” o6 a few good old gar- 
dens here in Chicago. 
Lilies of the valley in profusion, 
blushing banks of pretty little phlox 
subulata, lovely blue creeping veron- 
ica (V. rupestris), solid phalanxes of 
stateh’ irises, airy masses of colum- 
.bine. magnificent peonies, rich blue 
delphiniums, all flourished amazingly 
in the cool, almost chilly weather, 
which also tended to prolong their 
flowering season materially; while 
.superb Oriental poppies have never been 
finei — impatiently bursting from their 
green sheaths in a splendor of color- 
ing known to no other .outdoor blos- 
:Som of the temperate zone. So bril- 
liant, in fact, that one feels it would 
be over-powering were not their sea- 
son short. As it is, the great blooms 
are as welcome as their ornithologi- 
cal proto-type, the gorgeous scarlet 
tanager, or as the flaming beacon light 
on the lonely shore — something they 
C]uite suggest. They seem singularly 
well fitted to occupy salient points in 
the border where their steady glow 
may be viewed from across an ocean 
of lawn, as the signal light sends it 
over the water from the distant 
promontory. Rut they are also good 
against a background of dark foliage 
or of gray stone. Our illustration 
shows part of a long-established col- 
ony, of larger proportions than is of- 
ten seen, which has an excellent com- 
bination background of green vines 
and gray wall. Both of the pictures 
show features of the fine old Erskine 
home at Racine, Wisconsin, now 
owned and occupied by one of the 
daughters of that house — Mrs. Wm. 
Howard Crosby. 
These pictures should inspire many 
new gardens as well as numberless 
"perennial borders” in pld grounds. 
Old fashioned flowers of this type 
are but infrequently seen in such 
broad, convincing masses, and their 
effectiveness is elociuent even through 
the doubly dumb medium of repro- 
duced colorless photographs. When 
seen in the full glory of their grand 
color range of orange and gold; sul- 
phur, maize and cream ; purple and 
amethyst; cobalt and azure; peach 
blow, rose, crimson and purest white, 
all in a wonderful setting of a multi- 
plicity of green shades and in every 
variety of form from the solid 
dark leaf of the lily of the valley to 
the pale filmy cloud of “Love in a 
mist,” their power is nothing less than 
compelling, and he who comes fairly 
under their spell must needs make 
elaborate plans for next year’s garden. 
How many will carry those plans to 
perfection? To those who do will 
come a deep dream of abiding peace. 
Frances Copley Seavey. 
TREES FOR WEST, NORTHEAST AND LAKE STATES 
The Forest Service has issued two re- 
cent valuable bulletins on tree planting 
Lest adapted to the hard conditions of 
the semi-arid plains of the west and also 
for the northeastern and lake states. 
Circular 99 is called “Suggestions for 
Forest Planting on the Semi- Arid Plains 
-and is devoted to the interests of forest 
planters in the western portions of Kan- 
sas. Nebraska and Oklahoma, northwest- 
ern Texas, eastern Colorado and New 
Mexico. 
This entire region is practially tree- 
less. Here and there, of course, trees 
have been planted, but forest planting 
has in no way kept pace with agricultural 
development. There is real need for for- 
est growth. By careful selection of the 
species, the choice of suitable sites, and 
proper management of plantations, 
enough forest can be grown to exercise 
a marked effect upon farm development 
and to supply wood for most domestic 
purposes. The object of the circular is 
to show just what is practicable. 
For street and roadside planting the 
most suitable trees recommended are 
honey locust, green ash, white elm, 
hackberry, and, in the north, Austrian 
pine. 
Circular 100, “Suggestions for Forest 
Planting in the Northeastern and Lake 
States,” is applicable to the New Eng- 
land states. New York. New Jersey, all 
of Pennsylvania except the western 
portion, Michigan, Wisconsin and east- 
ern Minnesota. 
In general, conifers are specified as 
best adapted for planting in this region, 
since lands which are to be devoted to 
forest are usually too poor to grow hard- 
woods profitably. Conifers produce a 
variety of material which is in great de- 
mand. They also are far superior to 
deciduous trees for protective planting. 
Species which are well suited for 
planting in this region are white pine, 
red (Norway) pine, Scotch pine, jack 
pine, Norway spruce, European larch, 
tamarack, chestnut, sugar maple, and red 
oak. 
i 
