168 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
S. villosa, and the purple 1 lowers of S. Josikaea. The 
general name for this race of hybrids is S. Henryi, from 
the horticulturist who produced it, and the best known 
and most beautiful of these hybrids is called Lutece. This 
is a plant which should be in general cultivation. S. vil¬ 
losa blooms later Chan the other Lilacs and is therefore 
more valuable. It is a large, vigorous, and very hardy 
shrub with good foliage and numerous clusters of pale 
pink or rose-colored flowers which, unlike those ol the 
other true Lilacs, have a disagreeable odor. A hybrid 
between S. afjinis, var. Giraldii, and the common Lilac 
has been produced in France and is highly spoken of. It 
has not yet flowered in the Arboretum. 
On the right-hand side of the South Street entrance are 
large plants of Crataegus mollis and on the left-hand side 
there is a plant of C. arkansana, and next to it and nearer 
the gate a plant of C. submollis. These trees, which are 
now in full flower, belong to the section Molles of the 
genus which has large leaves, large flowers and large, 
usually scarlet fruit. C. mollis is one of the common 
Hawthorns of the middle and western states where on 
bottom-lands it grows to a large size, its fruit ripens and 
falls in September. C. arkansana, a native of central Ar¬ 
kansas, is a handsomer tree distinguished by its long, 
wide-spreading, more or less horizontal branches; the 
fruit ripens late and remains on the branches until the 
end of November. C. submollis is a native of eastern 
Massachusetts, with pear-shaped fruit which ripens and 
falls in September. These trees and a number of other 
Hawthorns were raised at the Arboretum from seeds 
planted about 1880. When fifteen or twenty years later 
they began to flower it was seen that many of them were 
unlike any of the described species. This fact led to the 
general study of American Hawthorns which has been 
carried on at the Arboretum during the last twelve years. 
During these years three thousand lots of seeds collected 
from wild plants in different parts of the country have 
been planted and thousands of seedlings have been raised 
and distributed. A set of these seedlings has been 
planted on the eastern slope of Peter’s Hill where the old¬ 
est of them are already beginning to flower. 
On the left-hand side of the South Street entrance may 
also be seen the largest plant in the Arboretum of the 
Ohio Buckeye (Aesculus glabra) in full flower 
about May 20th. The earliest blooming of 
the American Magnolias, M. Fraseri, is un¬ 
folding the pale-yellow petals of its large flowers 
which open as the leaves begin to expand. This native of 
the forest of the southern Appalachian Mountains is a 
comparatively small tree; it does well at the Arboretum 
where it flowers freely every year. It can be seen in sev¬ 
eral specimens with the other American Magnolias on the 
right of the Jamaica Plain entrance and between the gate 
and the Administration Building. 
In the Shrub Collection the red-fruited Elders 
are handsome shrubs, especially in early sum¬ 
mer when their brilliant fruit ripens. In the collec¬ 
tion can be seen the North American Sambucus pub e ns, 
the European and Siberian S. racemosa and their var¬ 
ieties, and the Japanese S. racemosa var. Siebolcliana. 
This is a very vigorous large shrub, and although the 
flower and fruit clusters are smaller than those of the 
other forms of this group, the bronze color of the finely 
divided leaves makes it particularly attractive at this 
season. 
The large plant of FothergiUa major with its attrac¬ 
tive heads of white flowers is in full bloom 
about the middle of May in the Witch 
Hazel Group near the pond at the end of the Mea¬ 
dow Road; it is also in the Shrub Collection. Many of 
the Bush Honeysuckles are beginning to flower. One of 
the most conspicuous of the early-flowered species of this 
group is Lonicera chrysantha from eastern Siberia. A 
large plant of this can be seen on the right-hand side of 
the Bussey Hill Road opposite the Lilacs, and here, too, 
are several large plants of some of the hybrids of the Tar¬ 
tarian Honeysuckle. 
LIQUIDAMBAR STYIUCIFLUA 
In selecting a tree for the street or lawn, one is very 
apt to see what his neighbour has and then plant the 
same. Thus we see whole localities planted with Car- 
• olina Poplars or Silver Maples when it Would have been 
just as easy to secure and plant a much better tree. 
The nurseryman is much given to following the crowd 
in this respect, under the pretext that he must supply the 
demand when he should try just a little harder to guide 
'•the demand, for none know better than he the most desir¬ 
able tree to plant. 
If one analyze the good qualities of ornamental shade 
trees, the Sweet Gum ( Liquidambar styraciflua ) will be 
found to stand very high. The fact that it is very com¬ 
mon in a natural state in the South makes it a har¬ 
monious figure, and does not discredit it for frequent use. 
It is exceedingly handsome, having a very symmetrical 
habit of growth, beautiful star-shaped, bright, glistening 
foliage, a glorious autumn coloring, and generally a dis¬ 
tinguished looking cork bark. In addition to this, the 
foliage has a delightful balsamic odor when crushed. 
To these qualities add the fact that it is comparatively 
free from insect pests and disease, is a fairly fast grower 
and a long-lived tree, and you have a list of good points 
that are hard to beat. 
Perhaps the only objection that can be brought against 
the tree is the limited area in which it will grow. Nat¬ 
urally, it does not grow north of Connecticut and South¬ 
ern Illinois, but is found growing wild very plentifully 
southward to Florida and Texas. 
What a difference it would make to the appearance of 
some of the southern towns if their own native Sweet 
Gum were growing instead of so many of the undesirable 
Carolina Poplars. 
Although it is found chiefly in moist woods, where it 
grows to the height of 150 feet or more, it grows well in 
dryer situations, but does not attain such large propor¬ 
tions — possibly 40 or 50 feet. 
In the nursery it seems to thrive in either wet or dry 
situations, although preferring the latter. 
The planting of the Sweet Gum should be done care¬ 
fully, and at the right time, or many failures will result. 
When lining out in the nursery rows the best results will 
be obtained by cutting back to the ground, making the 
plants throw up a new trunk. Even when transplanting 
'larger sizes it is a safe rule to prune severely but avoid 
shortening in the leader or it will spoil the symmetry of 
the tree. 
