PARK AND CEMETERY. 
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best place for them is the moT backward one on 
the place, that the flowers may not unfold until the 
late frosts are over. Time and again I have seen 
these kinds lose their flowers by being frozen off 
after being expanded. The old purpurea, obovata, 
as it is now properly called, as well as Lennei and 
gracilis, open a little later, and usually escape the 
freezing referred to. Purpurea is a true bush, 
bearing purplish flowers. Lennei is also purplish 
red, and has cup-shaped flowers, of large size, and 
is altogether a desirable sort. 
In the vicinity of our older cities there are mag- 
nificent specimens of many of these magnolias. 
Many of them, though still of shrub like outline, 
are 20 feet high, and the grand sight they are when 
in flower can be imagined. When grown to single 
stems, as so many of them are, they take on a tree- 
like character. 
The magnolias which bloom after the leaves 
expand are chiefly those of tree-like growth, such 
as tripetala, macrophylla, acuminata, Fraseri and 
hypolenca. All have whitish or yellowish white 
flowers, and all have pink seed pods when fruit is 
ripe. Tripetala and hypolenca are the best of all 
for brilliant pods. Neither is of so very large a 
growth of tree. Both have white flowers soon after 
the flowers unfold, and these flowers are followed 
by pods, which open in August, and are then of 
a beautiful pink color. The trees are prettier then 
than at any other time. Macrophylla has immense 
leaves, and roundish, light pink pods. Acuminata 
is noted for its symmetrical growth, and its pods, 
though small, are well colored. Fraseri is one of 
the most desirable of all, because its canary- 
yellow flowers are of delicious fragrance. These 
flowers are a little in advance of the leaves, but do 
not expand as soon as the shrub kinds spoken of. 
It becomes a very large tree in time. 
There are two later blooming sorts that may be 
mentioned, viz.: glauca and grandiflora. Glauca 
commences to bloom in about a month after the 
others, in May, and flowers tollow one another for 
several weeks. This is the one with the small 
fragrant white flowers, common in damp ground in 
many states, especially South of this It is almost 
evergreen, and probably wholly so further South. 
Grandiflora is the evergreen one of the South, 
justly famed for its noble foliage and flowers. Just 
how far it will live out north, I do not know. It 
thrives about Philadelphia, and I have seen it at 
Long Island, New York. This species does not 
flower when small, as most of the others do, but its 
handsome evergreen leaves are an attraction at all 
times. The flowers are white, with a slight tinge 
of crimson at the base of the stamens, and are of 
great size, six inches and over, in diameter when 
±-J!^ . ! .!!!■- ' I*-- -- 
expanded. To have this do well, do not forget to 
plant it where the afternoon sun wont reach it in 
winter. It prefers no sun at all, but an hour or 
two in the morning wont hurt it. The sun kills the 
leaves. 
Plant magnolias in the spring, never in the fall, 
in the Northern states. The fall planting of fleshy 
rooted trees and shrubs, such as magnolias, tulip, 
poplar, etc., invariably leads to loss. 
Joseph Meehan. 
Among the interesting matter of the annual 
reports of the Park Department, Ciy of Cambridge, 
Mass., are the paragraphs relating to shade trees 
and the improvement of school grounds, which 
promises to be a most important feature of depart- 
mental work in the future. On the subject of shade 
trees Mr. H. E. Whitney, superintendent says: “It 
is the intention to employ a ‘ tree inspector ’ next 
year, whose duty it shall be to carefully inspect all 
the public trees in the city, making a report as to 
the condition of the trees and wire guards, what 
trimming is needed, where trees are too crowded, 
or where trees should be planted. In this way it is 
hoped that any work done on the trees may be sys- 
tematic, tending to the best results for the whole 
city rather than for individual cases.” Speaking of 
the Brown-tailed moth, which had got a strong hold 
in North Cambridge and Old Cambridge, to which 
attention was called by the State Board of Agricul- 
ture: “ Thirty men who had been employed by the 
Gypsy Moth Commission were secured and set to 
work in the most badly infected districts. This 
work was continued for about five days, during 
which time 81 1 street trees were climbed, on which 
3,386 nests were destroyed, at a total cost of 
$ 397 ’ 94 -” 
* * * 
The American consul at Guadaloupe has trans- 
mitted a report to the state department on a pecu- 
liar plant growing wild there. He says that if any 
leaf be broken from it and pinned to the wall in a 
warm room each of the angles in the undulations of 
the leaf begin to throw out a number of white thread- 
like roots. Next a tiny plant begins to sprout and 
this in two or three weeks attains a height of two 
or more inches. When the leaf begins to shrivel, 
which may take from six weeks to three months, the 
young plants may be cut out with scissors and put 
in the ground, where they rapidly grow. When 
cultivated, they attain, a growth of four feet and 
produce graceful red and yellow flowers. The 
consul believes it will make a desirable hothouse 
or garden flower. His report, with specimens of 
the leaves, has been submitted to the agricultural 
department. 
