PARK AND CEMETERY 
487 
SOPHORA JAPONICA (JAPANESE PAGODA TREE.) 
By Joseph Meehan. 
Of the many beautiful trees and shrubs in cultiva- 
tion other than those of our own country, by far the 
greater number are from Japan. And besides those 
SOPllOKA JAPONICA. 
already known, Japan is not nearly exhausted yet, 
new trees and shrubs continually coming to us from 
there, as explorations bring to light the many treas- 
ures the islands contain. 
The subject of our notes is not a new one. Sophora 
Japlonica, has long been known to the horticultural 
world, being first brought to notice so long ago as 
nearly 150 years. It is recognized as being long known 
by the size of the trees in cultivation in our own coun- 
try. There are some very large trees in Fairmount 
Park, Philadelphia, many times the age of the one il- 
lustrated, which in itself is not a small tree, as will be 
perceived. 
When in flower, it is a grand sight. The blossoms 
are cream colored, and the panicles are so large and 
so numerous as to make a great display, really weigh- 
ing down the branches. Pods containing bean-like 
seeds follow, and in warm seasons they ripen suffi- 
ciently to reproduce themselves. The reason ripening 
does not always take place is that the flowers do not 
appear before July, which gives hardly time enough 
for the seeds to ripen. 
Being of a round headed growth, it is a good tree to 
plant by itself rather than in a group; and in such a 
position its beauty, when in flower, is the better en- 
joyed. In the picture it will be seen that the tree 
stands in an angle where a driveway and two path- 
ways met, and it is not far from a pond of water lilies, 
the whole being near Horticultural Hall, Fairmount 
Park. There are many fine specimens of this tree in 
the park, besides those already mentioned, as the park 
itself is composed of several private grounds 
of former years, the owners of which were 
lovers of fine trees, and in this way many 
uncommonly large trees of rare kinds may 
be found within its limits. 
Besides the common form of Sophora 
Japonica, which the photograph represents, 
there are several varieties of it, the most 
notable being a weeping one, called Sophora 
pendula. The branches of this have a curi- 
ous way of one curving over the other and 
then descending almost perpendicularly. 
In Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, 
there is a very old specimen of the weeping 
variety. 
A PATENT TREE GUARD. 
C. D. Holt, of Medford, Mass., has patented the 
tree protector shown in the illustration. Fig 2 is a 
plan view of the upper end of protector, showing the 
body or trunk of the tree in horizontal section. Fig. 
3 is a detail view, on and enlarged scale, showing the 
twisted-wire anchors entering the ground. The 
pickets B are held at suitable distattcec apart by en 
circling cables D of twisted wire. 
The pickets are preferably constructed of heavy galvanized 
wire, crimped or otherwise formed into any desired design, 
and bent double so that the leg of one picket will be opposite 
to the leg of the adjoining picket. 
if 
