^rliorirultitral. 
(floricnltural. 
HIBISCUS COCCINEUS. 
EVERY-DAY NOTES. 
SAMUEL PARSONS. 
WHY HAVE WE SO MANY ARBOR-VIT.ES ? 
The mere asking of such a questiou implies 
a superabundance of Arbor-vitaes. But I de¬ 
sire at once to explain my use of the term “ so 
many" as decidedly relative. In other words, 
while we can hardly have too many useful and 
attractive trees properly distrib¬ 
uted, yet we may employ too many 
of one kind, and especially of one 
kind which possesses undesirable 
qualities. There is, of course, a 
place on the lawn for every val¬ 
uable ornamental tree, in spite of 
auy particular defect, but whether 
we shall employ the more defective 
ones in relatively large quantities 
is another question. The Arbor- 
vitie, or American Arbor-vitas, for 
practically that is the only variety 
that comes under consideration, 
has been very widely distributed 
through the country in the form 
of hedges or single plants. Its spe¬ 
cial ollice, however, has been that 
of a hedge. When it first came 
into geueral vogue more than thir¬ 
ty-five years ago. the best judges 
thought it a great acquisition for 
the lawn, and recommended its use 
far and wide. Immense quantities 
of young plants could be obtained 
in the woods and pastures of Maine 
and elsewhere. It transplanted 
readily, grew well, and above all, 
could be clipped with ease into the 
formal (monstrous) shapes which 
seem so popular. 1’lantiug and 
other improvements in cemeteries 
grew to be the fashion, and what 
better plant could be used for 
hedges on the boundaries of ceme¬ 
tery lots than the American or 
more dwarf Siberian (American) 
Arbor-vita;. Cemeteries have been 
greatly multiplied during the last 
twenty years,so that there has been 
great room for the employment 
of Arbor-vita’s. Their cheapness 
formed another attraction, and 
soon nearly every door-yard was 
graced with a hedge or, at least, 
two or three single specimens of 
Arbor-vitie. 
But let us consider whether this 
popularity was deserved. Except 
in J une or early summer the Arbor- 
vit<c has a pale, peculiar green 
that is much loss attractive than 
the green of many other ever¬ 
greens. The shape is decidedly 
formal, possesssiug little grace or 
elegauce, but is, nevertheless, at¬ 
tractive when used in moderation 
or grouped with other evergreens. 
Neither is the beauty of the Abor- 
vifce long-lived, especially if the 
tree is left uupruned. It becomes 
naked at the base, bulges out and 
splits badly. Even its most pop¬ 
ular quality, that of dippiug well, 
soon stunts it and produces sur¬ 
faces devoid of foliage. There are 
a half-a-dozen evergreens that 
surpass it for ornamental purposes, 
6uch as White and Norway Spruces. 
Hemlocks, lletinosporas and some 
Pines and Silver Firs. Yet one objection that 
has been made against it, lack of hardiness, is 
not a fair one, since it does as well in winter 
as most evergreens. The way in which the 
growth of Arbor-vitaes has been discontinued 
since the heavy freeze a few winters ago, is 
due to as ill-judged a procedure as was the 
former mania for its universal employment. 
It must be explained also that the discontinu¬ 
ance of hedges on cemetery lots has done 
much to restrain the general use of Arbor- 
vita?s. Indeed, now that we are employing a 
much larger variety of evergreens for lawn- 
planting, such excessive nse of one kind of 
tree will scarcely happen again. 
TUE VALUE OF EVERGREENS IN WINTER. 
Walking out to-day in the bitter cold of a 
winter’s morning, with the mercury at zero, 
thoughts in accord with the weather came to 
niy mind. These thoughts naturally dwelt at 
first on the intensity of tlte cold, bleak wind, 
but as I passed suddenly into the lee of a grove 
of Norway Spruces, my mind, sympathizing 
with my physical condition, turned to the 
value of evergreens in winter. Anything that 
could afford such delightful shelter in winter 
deserves mention in the highest terms. Dur¬ 
ing the temporary luxury of walkiug in the 
lee of these trees, I made up my mind, as I had 
never doue before, that every one should plant 
evergreens to the north and west of his 
dwelling. I fully realized at this moment 
their supreme value as wind-breaks, and won¬ 
dered exceedingly why people did not always 
attend to this matter. Deciduous trees may¬ 
be, and are, valuable and delightful on other 
parts of the lawn, but nothing can take the 
place of evergreens for the north and west. 
True, few sorts of evergreeus are suitable 
for wind-breaks. But if Pines and .Spruces are 
disposed in an irregular belt or semi-circle, 
planted somewhat alternate-wise about the 
northwest corner, the borders, front and rear, 
might be varied by outposts of choicer speci¬ 
mens. Thus situated, fine evergreens could 
develop properly and exhibit their charms in 
their very best array. 
HIBISCUS 
Again, in the retired nook that would be left 
in the angle behind the wind-break proper, 
choice evergreens and other plants of low 
growth could be mingled with natural bits of 
rock-work, and the whole reached front the 
lawn by obscuring and winding paths. A v a¬ 
ried and pleasing effect could in this way lie 
given a wind-break, which otherwise would 
lose its attraction with the lapse of time. 
Large evergreens suited for shelter. Pines and 
Spruces, seldom retain for many years an ap¬ 
pearance that is attractive close at luted. 
Need I exhort everyone to the practice of eom- 
biuiug the useful and the ornambtual in lawn- 
planting as in other operat ions ? Hardly : 
everybody must already know the desirability 
of doing so. But. perhaps everybody does not 
realize iu actual practice how exceedingly or¬ 
namental a useful thing may be made. 
A SCHOOL OF FORESTRY. 
BY FRONTIER. 
A friend who resides far out on the plains, 
urges with much earnestness the establishment 
of a school of forestry, or experimental stution, 
at some eeutral point in the vast region em¬ 
bracing Nebraska, Kansas, the Indian Ter¬ 
ritory and Texas. From long experience he 
has been forced to believe that this is one of 
the great w auts of the plains. There arc some 
good reasons for his conclusion. It must be 
conceded by every intelligent observer that the 
COCCINEUS. 
the consideration of Congress iu any way last 
year, in view of the rapidly changing con¬ 
dition of the great plaius the demand for at¬ 
tention is vastly greater to-day. 
While the subject ot forestry is of national 
importance—a fact recognized by the appoint¬ 
ment of a national Commission upon it, and 
the publication of an extended report 
on the subject—yet with respect to the 
plains it demands special consideration. Iu 
a large area of our country forestry is 
practical only with respect to conserva¬ 
tion ; but here the location and production 
of forests form the all-important question. 
The more intelligent nations of the Old World 
have for many years been at work in this di¬ 
rection with an energy and wisdom that should 
challenge our emulation. Iu view of all the 
surroundings, this work can be uo more im¬ 
portant iu Germany, Belgium, or Frauce than 
in this vast region which occupies the very 
center of our national domain. If the govern¬ 
ments of the Old World are acting wisely in 
making liberal provision in this direction, then 
surely we are making a great mistake iu ueg- 
leeting to foster this interest. The want na¬ 
tionally is virtually admitted by the appoint¬ 
ment of something like a Commission of for¬ 
estry. 
The most important question, then, is, how 
shall this want be supplied ? It should be re¬ 
membered that as far as the great plains are 
concerned, a system of forestry which has 
grown up in the damp, cold climate of Europe 
One of the most beautiful spe¬ 
cies of Hibiscus, and one which has 
not as yet received the attention of 
florists and amateur cultivators of 
flowers to the extent it merits, is 
Hibiscus coeciueus. a representa¬ 
tion of which is given in the ac¬ 
companying engraving. It is a 
perennial herb, and grows wild 
from Carolina southward iu marsh 
es and on low, rich land, where 
it attains a bight of about six feet. 
The leaves arc palmately veined 
and deeply parted into five lance¬ 
olate, aeeumiuutc lobe®. In its na¬ 
tive home it bears in July and Au¬ 
gust a profusion of bright red flow¬ 
ers that often measure six inches 
or more across, but in this lati¬ 
tude neither blooms so early, nor 
are the flowers so large. For the 
past three years this Hibiscus has 
beeu cultivated at tlie Rural 
G rounds, where it has been kept iu 
plant-house during winter and 
transferred to the opeu ground in 
May; but lacking the hot sun 
and humid atmosphere of its 
native habitat, it did not bloom until it 
was moved to the. green-house in the 
fall, though there eau be uo doubt that it 
might bloom out-of-doors iu this latitude, if 
forced for some time iu the green-house before 
setting it out. 
Being a very ornameutal plant, with graceful 
foliage and large, showy flowers, and requiring 
no special care but such as can be tendered in 
any ordinary green-house, it is well worth cul¬ 
tivating, and deserves a place iu every mode¬ 
rately-sized collection of plants. 
Our engraving of the flower i6 somewhat and 
of the leaf considerably smaller than life. It 
was sketched iu part from a dry specimen 
which bloomed with us the past season, aud iu 
part from a colored plate in Mr. Meehan’s 
series to which references have repeatedly been 
made. 
Wo chose to present the engraving, uot only 
for the beautiful plant it represents, but be¬ 
cause by its aid we can give our readers a bet¬ 
ter idea of the. the Rose Hibiscus (U, Mosclieu- 
tos) seeds of which arc offered in the Rural 
Seed Distribution (sec Nov. fl). The flowers of 
this are larger, the petals broader ami more iu- 
b ideated and the color is generally rose, (some¬ 
times white) iustead of crimson. The leaves too 
though coarsely toothed, are but obscurely 
lotted. while those of Coeciueus are, as seen, 
deeply parted. Both grow naturally iu swampy 
places and both will thrive iu high, dry soil. 
We are in hopes that the seeds we send out 
may lead to Unit cultivation which it is reason¬ 
able to suppose from analogy, it alone needs to 
induce the departure from the original which 
we call “improvements.” 
possibilities of forest culture will determine 
more than any other available branch of hu¬ 
man industry, the future wealth and national 
importance of this vast central region, 15,00 
miles long and 500 miles wide—a eoumry of 
unsurpassed natural fertility, aud larger than 
the whole of the German Empire and France 
combined. The great want of this entire 
region is trees, aud nothing can add more to 
its availnl.ilc wealth than a system of forestry 
adapted to the plains. As this country is 
rapidly filling up with a hardy population, the 
tree-planting interest is becoming daily more 
important. If the claims of forestry deserved 
will be of little avail here. Our system of for¬ 
estry, if we ever have one, will not only be pe¬ 
culiar to, but a creation of, the plaius, and its 
success will depend upon plainsmen who have 
studied and learned to overcome our peculiar 
climatic conditions. It muy be well to send 
Commissioners of forestry to Europe, but 
would it not be more practical to expend mon¬ 
ey in learning here at home the real conditions 
essential to successful forest culture. We do 
not want, so much to know what can be or has 
been doue iu Europe as what can be done on 
the plains. The sending of men to Europe 
will not help us. If there is anything to be 
done, it should he doue here. Our 
business is with our own peculiar 
climate and soil. We do uot need 
to expend much time iu studying 
the forestry of Europe, but we do 
want the means to study forestry 
here at home. Aud we would say 
to our Government, instead of ex¬ 
pending thousands in looking after 
European processes, give us some¬ 
where on the plains an experi¬ 
mental station, or school of for¬ 
estry. Let it be established upon 
an intelligent and ample basis. Let 
it occupy some central point in this 
vast region, where the peculiar cli¬ 
matic. conditions of the plains can 
be carefully studied, and the dfli- 
culties in the way of forest culture 
successfully met. Or, better still, 
would it uot be possible to eounect 
with our military posts a series of 
experimental forest stations, the 
whole being under an intelligent 
superintendence. Or, if neither of 
theteplaus eau be made available, 
will not some persons of ample 
means, who have the future inter¬ 
ests of litis great country at heart, 
take this work in hand and see that 
something is done? Is there uot 
some one who will do for the de¬ 
velopment of American foresty 
what J. B. Lawes has doue for 
English husbandry ? 
Manhattan, Kansas. 
