42 
PARK AND CEMETERY 
Soil Conditions and Tree Growth Around LaKe Michigan.— II 
By Jens Jensen. 
Few trees have such a wide distribution on the 
North American continent as the red cedar, and none 
shows a greater indifference to soil. 
Although the red cedar is indifferent in its selection 
of soil, this does not mean that it is as prolific and 
produces such strong and healthy growth on rock 
formation or land ridges as on the more fertile lands. 
In its northern course it gradually decreases in size 
and declines in vigor until the great tree of the south 
becomes a mere shrub. 
In Northern Illinois and in Wisconsin the red cedar 
obtains its greatest size on eroded and terraced lake 
and river bluffs and is invariably most abundant on 
the sunny slopes. The soil is glacial drift (moraine) 
and consists of a yellow pebbly clay. It is not un- 
usual to find trees a foot or more in diameter near the 
ground and from 20 to 25 feet high and in some in- 
stances more. 
The American beech— Fagus ferruginea — is indi- 
genous to Michigan and Wisconsin, and its distribu- 
tion in both states is confined to lands originally gla- 
cial drift (moraine). In Illinois (same kind of soil) 
it is entirely absent or exists only in small groves. I 
know of but two, one at Highland Park and the other 
near the city of Waukegan. 
The trees in both groups are small compared with 
those in Wisconsin, less than 25 miles farther north. 
Mr. Thomas Douglas of Waukegan believes that these 
groups were disseminated by pigeons who carried the 
seeds with them from the northern forests. 
Whatever their origin one thing is certain that the 
beech in its natural or artificial distribution towards 
the head of Lake Michigan becomes smaller and less 
vigorous. 
Trees planted in the same soil (moraine) more than 
25 years ago within 15 miles of Chicago and near the 
lake, are still less than 15 feet in height with a diam- 
eter of not more than six inches near the ground. Any 
attempt to introduce this or any other variety of the 
beech on the plain (prairie) near Chicago has proved 
futile and only dwarf shrubby plants are the result 
where enough success has been obtained to make them 
live even for a short time. 
Let us suppose that the beeches found in Illinois 
and referred to before were disseminated by the pig- 
eons. Why did these birds that invaded localities 
farther south by the millions not drop seeds here too? 
Perhaps they did ! Yet the absence of beeches here 
on soil favorable for their reproduction does not sus- 
tain this assertion. Soil and other conditions are not 
favorable to the beech on the prairie and if they had 
been the great prairie fires would have prevented their 
reproduction here, as it has done with other tree 
growth. As we proceed towards the north from the 
head of Lake Michigan the lands bordering the lake 
receive a greater benefit from the evaporation constant- 
ly going on from this great body of water and car- 
ried inland by the winds. This is especially true on 
the Michigan side. 
But this dampness is also perceptible on the west- 
ern side of the lake at considerable distances, and the 
influence of Lake Superior from the north becomes 
greater. Where conditions thus favored exist, we 
find the natural home of the American beech — within 
or near the borders of the celebrated white pine belt. 
However, the influences of the dry prairie winds 
are more perceptible from the head of Lake Michigan 
west, and it can not be doubted that their influences 
upon vegetation is one of the primary causes of the 
exclusion of so many plants indigenous to the state 
east of us, and in their western course have penetrated 
the very limits of the city of Chicago. 
The Japan Rose 
By Mrs. G. T. Drennan. 
Rosa rugosa was one of the refined results of Com- 
modore Perry’s expedition to Japan, 1852-54. 
It proved to be one of the most reliable and attract- 
ive plants ever introduced from foreign parts, and has 
maintained its high prestige, becoming more and more 
popular as the years pass. 
There is not, among all the roses, one type of such 
marked individuality. Tire rugose or wrinkled foliage 
is unlike that of any other rose, and although cor- 
rugated, it is yet bright and shining green. 
The average height of the plants is five feet, with 
corresponding spread of the graceful branches. Every 
terminal produces from ten to twenty roses. The 
simple five-petal, single roses, with bright yellow an- 
thers are three inches across, wide-open and unlike 
any others, in simple elegance. R. rubra is shining 
red. It is as clear as a ruby in tint. R. alba is silvery 
white. There is a lovely pink sort known as Ramases, 
coming to America from China. Then the cross be- 
tween Rugosa rosa and the famous old ever-blooming 
tea rose Sombriel, resulted in the semi-double, pure 
white Mrs. George Bruant. It is also an ever-bloomer. 
The others are spring or early summer bloomers. But 
the attractions are not bounded by the flowers ; the 
rose-apples or heps, that succeed the roses, are bright 
and well formed. R. rubra produces brilliant scarlet 
