46 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
THE LAUREL OAK, QUERCUS IMBRICARIA. 
What a surprise it would be to the landscape 
gardeners of fifty years ago could they see the 
change in the kinds of trees planted today and 
those ol their time. At the present time native 
trees are largely represented in all plantings, and 
among these oaks have a conspicuous place. The 
landscape gardener of the former period could not 
have gotten native trees and shrubs had he desired 
them. The nurseries of that day depended on im- 
portations from abroad for the stocking of their 
grounds, and, of course, European trees and shrubs 
were largely their stock in trade. But of late years 
our nurserymen have paid much attention to native 
QUERCUS IMBRICARIA. 
trees, believing them the most desirable for our 
climate, and this belief has been shared in by our 
landscape gardeners and by the editors of the lead- 
ing horticultural papers of the country. Oaks, as 
stated, are used in great quantities. This is well 
deserved, because of their great beauty and variety. 
Thinking now of the latitude of the Middle States, 
there are as many as twenty good species hardy 
enough to be used. There are species in many 
states which are not common in others, so that 
when we are looking for novelty, as we all do, we 
can find it in this family ol trees. There is, for in- 
stance, the Laurel oak, Ouercus imbricaria, com- 
mon enough in some states, but rare or entirely ab- 
sent in others. It is one of the most useful of 
trees, as witness the illustration of a lovely speci- 
men of it growing in Fairmount Park, Philadel- 
phia. Mr. C. H. Miller, the superintendent, is 
justly proud of this tree, not only because of its 
general merits, but that it illustrates a point he in- 
sists on, viz., that the beauty of such trees is en- 
hanced by permitting them to branch from the 
ground, as this has done. Unless for some special 
reason, park trees should be allowed to branch close 
to the ground. 
This oak is unlike any other oak in foliage. The 
leaves are entire, very dark, shining green, and 
much longer than wide. To those not well ac- 
quainted with oaks it would not be thought to be 
one of that family. There is a southern oak, Quer- 
icus laurifolia, known also as laurel oak, but this is 
not met with in cultivation in the north. 
There are some oaks, the bicolor and the palus- 
tris, for instance, which transplant very well. Oth- 
ers require very hard pruning when removed, and 
in this class is the imbricaria. The younger an oak 
the better it will transplant, but take a tree of six 
feet of any kind, prune it well and its chances of 
living are very good. Early spring is a good time 
to transplant, but if done in early fall, the trees 
closely pruned and then well mulched, to keep the 
frost from the roots for the winter, but few will 
miss growing. Close pruning means the cutting 
away of most all the branches when the trees are 
of a size that the stem would measure, say 2 inches 
in diameter, at I foot from the ground. Lesser 
sizes may be trimmed less closely, but oaks need a 
closer cutting in than other trees of a like size. 
Joseph Meehan. 
The series of lectures and field meetings which 
have been a feature of the work in connection with 
the Arnold Arboretum, Boston, are now in pro- 
gress and will be continued through June in the 
Arboretum. They commenced May 7th, and will 
close June 25th, and are conducted by Mr. J. G. 
Jack. The purpose of the work is to supply popu- 
lar instruction about the trees and shrubs of New 
England. The meetings are held every Saturday 
at 10 A. M., and every Wednesday afternoon at 3 P.M. 
Some 600,000 tulip blooms was the feature of 
Boston’s spring floral display this year — one of the 
finest displays of this flower ever seen. They were 
displayed in beds, the groundwork of which con- 
sisted of forget-me-nots, pink and white daisies, and 
pansies in variety, chosen and disposed of to har- 
monize with the bedding. Boston’s public garden 
was a blaze of brilliant coloring. 
In small cemeteries lot owners should contribute 
to a special fund for procuring flower seeds, plants, 
etc. A small contribution each from a number of 
holders would be ample to provide several herbace- 
ous groups besides flower beds. 
