208 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
Slates. This noble tree will probably be barely and grow 
to a large size in some parts of California. The tree 
which is grown as PUdinius orienldlis in the eastern 
United States is PldUinus (icerifoIUi, wbieb is easily dis¬ 
tinguished from the Oriental Plane by the miieh less 
divided leaves wbieb in shape are very similar to those of 
the native Plane tree. It is this tree wbieb has been so 
generally planted in London that it is often called the 
London Plane. The origin of this tree is iinknowni. 
Some students believe it is a hybrid between the Oriental 
Plane and the Plane-tree of the eastern United States; 
others that it is a species from the mountains of Asia 
Minor, Afghanistan or northern Persia. No tree, how¬ 
ever, like P. acerifolia is now know n to grow wild in any 
part of that region, and those who support its hybrid 
origin point out the fact that the leaves resemble those of 
the American species and that the fruit is usually fur¬ 
nished with the terminal prickle which is found on that 
of Platanus orientalis. Whatever its origin Platanus 
acerifolia is a noble tree, and the Planes in the streets and 
squares of London, in spite of the difficulties of, London 
conditions for trees, are probably the finest trees to be 
found in any city. This tree has been cultivated in the 
United States for more than a century and has proved an 
excellent tree for street planting in the middle Atlantic 
states; it is a comparatively new^ tree to New England 
where it is generally satisfactory, although it sometimes 
suffers from severe cold. It is desirable that the name, 
Platanus orientalis should disappear from American nur¬ 
sery catalogues. 
The Japanese Yew. As the years pass the hardiness 
and value of this lew- are confirmed by longer trial. 
There are three or four quite distinct forms. The one 
probably most often seen here grows as a 
large, vase-shaped shrub with several spread¬ 
ing stems. Plants of this sort have been 
raised in the Arboretum from the seeds of tall forest trees 
collected by Professor Sargent in Hokkaido. Among 
these jilants there are some which are beginning to de¬ 
velop a single leader and jiromise to grow" into trees. 
There is another form which is grow n in some American 
nurseries under the unjuiblished nanu' of variety capilata. 
This is merely a seminal form which begins to grow" 
with a single leader with treelike habit as soon as the 
seeds germinate. For those who want the Japanese 
Yew" in the form of a tree rather than a hush this form 
will best produce the desired results. Another bushy 
form with wide-spreading, nearly horizontal branches, 
w Inch on plants thirty or forty years old often turn up at 
the ends and darker green leaves, is often seen in Amer¬ 
ican gardens in w Inch specimens only four or five feet 
high but sometimes twauity feet in diameter are found. 
In this country this variety is generally called variety 
brevifolia, but the correct name for it is var. nana. A 
dwuirf, round-topped plant (var. compacta) is the small¬ 
est and most compact of all the forms of the Japanese 
Yew" in this country. A good plant of this dw arf form 
can be seen in the Arboretum collection where it has 
been growing for many years. Plants intermediate be- 
tween the varieties compacta and nana, differing in size 
and habit, are sometimes found in American gardens. 
What is probably the largest Japanese Yew in the United 
States is one of the bushy vase-shaped plants w"hich was 
planted about 1870 by Dr. George Pi. Hall in his garden 
in Warren on Bristol Neck, Rhode Island. In October, 
1889, this plant w as tw elve feet high and covered a space 
on the ground of forty feet round. In October, 1916, 
tw"enty-seven years later, it is tw^enty-twm feet tall and 
covers a si)ace one hundred and thirty-two feet round. 
Our attention has been called to the following news¬ 
paper clipping and the query asked by the nurseryman 
wdio sent it “Is it true that nurserymen are selling their 
surplus fruit trees at any old price?” 
We are afraid it is only too true. We wmuld strongly 
urge that the subject be taken up at the coming Conven¬ 
tion and see if something cannot b(‘ done to prevent such 
demoralizing practices. 
OFFER 200,000 FRUIT TREES AT BARGAIN PRICES 
Will be Burned if Public Fails to Take Advantage of the 
Opportunity, Western Farmers cease to Plant Nurseries 
DANSyiLLE, N. Y.—Two hundred thousand fruit trees 
at bargain prices are being offered to the public by the 
Horticultural Nurseries here because, since the pomologists of 
the West have ceased to plant large orchards these trees must 
either be sold or burned, and the latter course would mean a 
great loss to their owners. The land now occupied by these 
trees will be cleared in about three weeks and made suitable for 
farm crops. 
“It would seem to us as though the press and government 
should help us out to at least getting part of what these trees 
cost us,” said an official of the nurseries. “We will go into any 
city in New York State with one, two three m’ more carloads of 
these trees, and we will offer them to the people at ten cents 
each, and they may pick the varieties they want. The people are 
planting gardens to produce vegetables, which means this year’s 
supply only. If they would plant a few fruit trees it would 
mean a supply for thirty or forty years to come.” 
FOREST TREE SEEDLINGS and 
ORNAMENTAL SHRURS 
We are growing and offering for sale for fall 1917- and 
Spring 1918, a limited quantity of Forest Tree seedlings 
such as Box Elder, Red Bud, Maples, Hackberry, American 
Sweet Chestnuts, 2 year olds. Green Ash, Tulip Poplar, Syc¬ 
amore, Locusts, Walnuts, Etc. 
Shrubs, Altheas in varieties. Berberry, Deutzias, For- 
sythias, California Privet, 1 and 2 years old. Also Amoor 
River, Ibota, and Polish Privets, Spireas in varieties, 
Weigelias, etc.. Trade list will be mailed in August. 
Write for quotations. 
FOREST NURSERY COMPANY 
McMinnville, - Tennessee 
