69 
PARK AND CEMETERYc 
Most Favorable Localities for the American Elm. 
By S. E. Stone, Experiment Station, Amherst, Mass. 
The American Elm ( Ulmus Americana), probably 
reaches its highest development in the Connecticut Val- 
ley, where some very fine specimens of this species 
grow. 
The habit of the elm growing in the valley is quite 
different from that growing in the south, as we have 
observed it growing taller, larger and is more ma- 
jestic in appearance. Good types of elms are also 
found in other river valleys of New England, notably 
the Nashua Valley, and some of the largest and hand- 
somest specimens exist in Lancaster, Massachusetts. 
The soil, however, of the Connecticut and Nashua 
Valley is different, and it is the latter feature which 
gives the Connecticut Valley elms their superiority over 
others. The following table represents a type of Con- 
necticut Valley soil which is exceedingly well adapted 
to the development of the elm : 
MECHANICAL ANALYSIS OF SOIL BEST ADAPTED FOR THE 
GROWTH OF THE ELM. 
( Ulmus Americana, L.) 
Organic matter 5.32%. . . . 
Gravel 05%.... 2-1 MM. 
Coarse sand 27%. • • • 1-.5 MM. 
Medium sand 32%.... .5-. 25 MM. 
Fine sand . . 1.08%.... .25-. 1 MM. 
Very fine sand 51.45%.... .1-.05 MM. 
Silt ...24.00% 05-.01 MM. 
Fine silt 7-75% 01-.005 MM. 
Clay 7.00% 005-.0001 MM. 
MM. — Millimeters. 
The elms grown in this soil live to a great age and 
are finely developed ; the foliage is unusually large and 
possesses a deep green color. In short, the conditions 
are well-nigh perfect for the development of the elm. 
Elm trees grown in this soil have never been troubled 
with the beetle, notwithstanding the fact that the beetle 
has been abundant in the neighborhood for ten years. 
There are a number of places in the Connecticut Valley 
where the beetle has not cared to linger. In such places 
the soil conditions are especially favorable to the devel- 
opment of the tree, where there is a tendency for the 
soil to be too dry or unsuitable in other respects, the 
beetle has been abundant and has caused considerable 
injury. Our observations have convinced us that good 
soil conditions and an abundance of native birds are 
essential to ward off the effects of the beetle. At any 
rate, where these factors are present the beetle has been 
scarce, according to our observation. 
The sample of soil, shown in the table above, is what 
might be termed a fine sand or silt soil, that is, fine sand 
and silt predominate. The elm, in order to thrive well, 
wants under-drainage. The type of elm grown in 
swamps, or where there is an abundance of water, 
is not a desirable one for transplanting in this locality 
and seldom makes a handsome type. Its development 
is severely affected by high grass, or when grown in 
mowings, and greatly benefited by lawn conditions. 
We have measurements of trees planted about twenty- 
five years ago aiong the road side. On one side lawn 
conditions have prevailed, on the other side of the road 
a mowing has been maintained during the whole pe- 
riod. The difference in the growth of the two rows 
is quite marked and, from the point of view of sun- 
shine, the trees in the mowing are the most favorably 
situated. 
Garden Plants- 2 Their Geography— CII 
Liliales Continued. 
Tulipa, “tulip,” has between 50 and 60 species grow- 
ing in European gardens, and some of the best are 
well worth attention. They are found in Europe, 
North Africa, and Western, Central and Eastern Asia. 
The yellow British tulip is commonly found in the 
detritus of chalk pits and its bulblets are formed at the 
extremity of the root fibres. There is a double form in 
gardens. T. australis and T. praecox are often grow- 
ing in Italian vineyards. Most of the Dutch tulips are 
crosses of T. Gesneriana, with other oriental species, 
resulting in a multitude of vari-colored tall forms. The 
dwarf bedding tulips are attributed to various crosses 
of T. suaveolens, a native of the Black Sea regions. 
They produce wonderful kaleidoscopic effects as gen- 
erally employed in public gardens, but seem to resemble 
the picture of a Dutch farm too much to be chaste. A 
few good beds in the open recesses of the pinetum 
would afford greater satisfaction to many, with less ef- 
fort. It is a good plan to dig out the soil from a bed 
to 18 inches deep, then dig up the bottom with a pick 
if necessary, replace 8 inches of good soil and plant it 
over with varieties of Lilium speciosum ; then 6 inches 
more of soil planted over with tulips, after which fill 
the bed level. A bed well placed and prepared thus will 
last for several years without further care than edging 
and weeding, give a fine succession of blooms, and per- 
mit the plants to ripen and increase naturally without 
being obtrusive. The double tulips have the most en- 
during blooms and are best planted in single colors. 
A great deal has been written of late years about in- 
sect fertilization, especially in connection with orchids. 
Phillip Miller has recorded somewhere in his diction- 
aries that in 1751 he planted twelve tulip bulbs, six 
or seven ells apart, and when they flowered, removed 
