PARK AND CEMETERY. 
299 
4. Amelanchier spicata (Lam.) Dec. 
Low Service-Berry. With the exception of 
an unknown species along the shores of 
Lake Superior, this is the lowest-growing 
species with which I am familiar — usually 
one to three feet tall, with a long, creep- 
ing root. L^nfolded leaves and young in- 
florescence, densely woolly in early spring. 
Leaves smaller than in other species, el- 
liptic or oval, rounded at both ends, or 
sometimes subacute at apex, sometimes 
subcodate at base, serrulate, or dentate- 
serrate, nearly all the way around, or 
sometimes entire below the middle ; woolly 
when young, becoming dark green and 
smooth when old. Racemes numerous, 
usually erect, dense, four to ten flowered, 
with woolly, slender pedicles. Flowers 
small, greenish white, pretty, much unlike 
those of either of first two species. Fruit 
about one-quarter inch thick, of very good 
flavor. A fine low shrub, on high, dry 
hills or on rocky mountains. It is a very 
good low shrub. The shrub is usually very 
erect and thick stemmed, with coarse 
branches. There is another species aver- 
aging about five feet tall, inextricably con- 
fused with it, and I must give it further 
study before I can describe it. Range : 
Xew York. Xew Jersey and Pennsylvania; 
also in lower Michigan, on hills exceeding 
LCOO feet. 
5. .-\melanchier rotundifolia (Michaux) 
Roem. .\ tall shrub, sometimes a tree 25 
feet high, usually growing in dense thick- 
ets formed by its many trailing roots, 
sending up shrubs. When planted, as also 
Amelanchier spicata, due allowance should 
always be made for the habit of multiply- 
ing from the roots, and it should always 
be remembered that these in time form 
large clumps, of course very fine when old, 
and yet taking too much space for small 
grounds, unless surplus ones are dug out. 
I.eaves broadly oval, ovate, or nearly or- 
bicular — that is, round — one to three inches 
long, obtuse or rounded at both ends, or 
rarely subacute, often cordate at the base ; 
serrate nearly all around, with large, coarse 
teeth, or entire near the base ; more or less 
woolly when very young, smooth from the 
time of unfolding, becoming smooth and 
firm, dark green. Racemes several flowered, 
pedicles slender ; calylobes lanceolate ; pet- 
als spatulate or oblanceolate. Flowers later 
than .Amelanchier Canadensis, and has also 
the rather larger and better-flavored fruit, 
which does not ripen until after that of 
.Amelanchier Canadensis has fallen. It 
grows in woods and thickets, rather dry 
sandy places, sometimes on hills exceeding 
1.000 feet above sea level, from New Bruns- 
wick to Minnesota, New York and Michi- 
gan. 
6. .Amelanchier alnifolia Nutt. North- 
western Service-Berry. This is a rather 
low shrub, seldom exceeding eight feet in 
height, oftener much less. Like Amelan- 
chier rotundifolia and .Amelanchier spicata, 
this species has long, trailing roots, throw- 
ing up stems every few feet. It grows usually 
on dry. sandy soil, often on high hills, 1.000 
feet or so above sea level, in lower Michi- 
gan. It is often not more than three feet 
tall. Leaves thick. broadl\- elliptic, or al- 
most orbicular : very obtuse and often trun- 
cate (rarely acutish) at apex; rounded or 
subcordate at base; coarsely dentate above 
the middle, entire below the middle ; to 
2 inches long. Racemes short, rather 
dense, pedicles short: petals oblanceolate, 
cuneate to )4«of inch long, 2 to 3 
times longer than calyx. Fruit globose, 
purple with bloom. A to % of an inch 
long; very pleasant and sweet. Range: 
AA^estern Ontario to British Columbia, 
south to Michigan, Nebraska, New Mex- 
ico and California. An excellent shrub for 
covering dry hillsides or dry, sandy places. 
Is often hairy when young. 
7. .Amelanchier oligocarpa (Michaux) 
Roem. Oblong Fruited Service-Berry. 
Considerabl)' different from the other spe- 
cies: usually very smooth, except the 
\oung bracts. Grows from 2 to 9 feet 
high, usually low. Leaves thin, narrowly 
oval, or oblong, generally about three times 
as long as wide, narrowed and acute or 
acutish at both ends, finely and sharply 
serrate, 1 to 3 inches long. Only one to 
four flowers in each raceme; flowers small, 
petals oblanceolate, about twice as long as 
the calyx. Fruit oblong or pear-shaped, 
purple with bloom, very sweet and pleas- 
ant to the taste. to Vs of an inch long. 
Grows in cold, wet swamps, or rocky 
places, Labrador to western Ontario, south 
to northern New England, Pennsylvania and 
Alichigan. 
8. .Amelanchier vulgaris Monch. Euro- 
pean Service-Berry. A dwarf shrub with 
roundish leaves, coarsely serrate on the 
margin, woolly beneath when young, and 
short racemes of white flowers, having 
long, narrowly oblong petals, followed by 
blue blackberries. Central Europe, b'rnit 
called sometimes European Juneberries. 
Grown both for ornament and fruit, 
.Along the southern shore of Lake Su- 
perior I have found growing in the deep 
sands two species wuth most excellent fruit, 
that I have never satisfactorily identified. 
One grows about three feet high, of a zig- 
zag, straggling habit, having very excel- 
lent fruit about the size of large peas ; the 
other is only about a foot in height, with 
fruit nearly as large as the common red 
cherry, with a flavor equal to the finest 
Lake .Superior blueberries, the best flavored 
of these most delicious northern fruits be- 
ing the low black blueberry (A^accinium 
nigrum), a true blueberry, growing only 
about six inches high, with immense black 
berries — for a blueberry — of most excellent 
flavor, and yet I have turned from these 
delicious morsels to the even more de- 
licious “sugar plums,” as the Northerners 
call them. They are certainly among the 
most delicious of all native American 
fruits. It certainly should be sought out 
and cultivated. 
MINNESOTA COURT EXEMPTS CEMETERIES from TAX 
The Afinnesota Supreme Court has just 
upheld the constitutionality of the statute 
exempting public cemeteries from taxes and 
assessments in an opinion in the action by 
St. Paul against Oakland Cemetery Asso- 
ciation in connection with the Magnolia 
street sewer. Justice Andrew Holt wrote 
the opinion affirming the order of the 
Ramsey County District Court, from which 
the city appealed. 
The city attacked the constitutionality of 
the law, contending that the constitution 
specifies what property may be exempt 
from public burdens and the extent thereof 
and that it is beyond the power of the 
legislature to adfl thereto. 
The court declines to depart from the 
belief that public policy from territorial 
times to the present day has always favored 
exemption of public burying grounds from 
taxes and assessments, and places all ceme- 
teries in the same class. 
The decision in full reads as follows : 
S<*ction G2ftr», O, S. 191.T, which provides that 
the lands of a ccnictcry association organized under 
the laws of this state “shall he exempt from all 
pnhiic taxes and assessments." is attacked as un- 
constitutional on this appeal. 
1*lie city contends that the constitution specifies 
what property may i>e exomjft from pnhiic tuir 
dens and the extent tliereof. and that it is lie* 
yond the power of tlie legislature to a<ld tliereto. 
Soetlon 1 of Article IX of the eonslitntion so fai- 
ns pertinent to this <'ase reads; “The power of 
taxation slinll never surrendered, snsiwuided. or 
contracted away. Taxes shall Ifc nnifonn upon 
the same class cff subjects, and shall he levied and 
collected for pui'ii^ pnrpf>ses. Init public hur.vlni; 
trrounds, pnlillc scIkioI lionses • • • Institutions 
of purely pntdic ciinrity • * • shall lie exempt 
from taxation. • * • provided, tlint tiie IckIs- 
latiire may authorize municipal corporations to levy 
and collect n.-iHcssment.s for local itnprovf rnents upon 
property Ijeneflted tiierehy witimnt regard to a casli 
valuation." ♦ * previous to tlie amendment of 
IfiOG tlie suh.io'Ct matters of 5s'oclion 1 were found 
under three sections of the same article. In soma 
respects tlie amendment of UKkl was a fundamental 
mollification of tlie former three soclions. lint tlie 
exemption of pnhiic Imr.vinc irronnds and inslitn- 
tions of purely pnlilic ciiarity remained as Ix'fore. 
At tl>e time of the adoption of tliis amended Soc- 
ti«)n 1 of Article TX. Iliis court had lield llial. in 
virtue of Section 02Sd. C. S. lOi:’., ciuneterv asso- 
ciations were exempt from assessments for pniilic 
ini[*rovemen(s. State ex rel. Oakland Poiiudiiy .\s- 
sneinfion v. St. Pan!. ri(l Minn. r»2U; and Ind also 
d<‘chh‘d tliat institutions of [uindy pnUlic <'harity 
were not exempt from like assessmimls. Waslihnrn 
.Memorial Or; ban .\sylum v. Slat<\ T.'i Minn. .'ll'!. 
P.y not niakiiijr any chanjri* In the wordinu' of the 
exenijition either for public Imryiii" urniiiids or tor 
institutions of purely pnldic charity it Is fair To 
nssnine tliat the jicople. when Ss-etimi 1 in Its pre.s- 
ent form was ndopttal. were sntlsfie<! with the 
interpretatinn t'iven Iev tills court to the exlstiuR 
statutes ami constitution wltli rei^ard to the ex- 
emption and non exemption ef tliese oruanlzations 
from local assessiiHuits. 
We also tliiiik that public policy, from terrltfirla! 
times to the pia-sent day, lias always fav<ired ftie 
