THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
IIU) 
Dwarf Conifers at the Arnold Arboretum 
111 many genera of conifers dwarf individuals, which 
are seminal or rarely hud-varialion forms, have appeared 
and have been multiplied by nurserymen and others in¬ 
terested in the cultivation of such j)lants, the largest num¬ 
ber of such abnormal forms being found naturally among 
the seedlings of species which have been the most largely 
cultivated. The seedlings of no other conifer, perhaps, 
show so great variation as those of the Arborvitae of tlui 
eastern United States, Thuya occidentalis. Some of 
these forms are very dwarf, forming round compact heads 
only a foot or two bigli; others grow into large globular 
masses; others are narrow pyramids, and some have i)en- 
dulous branches. They vary, too, in the color of the 
foliage, that of some foijus being of dillerent shades of 
green, and that of others yellow. Like many other dwarf 
conifers, several of these forms are well suited for the 
decoration of the rock garden and for dwarf hedges or 
small beds. The collection of the forms of Thuya occi¬ 
dentalis in the Arboretum is probably one of the largest 
in existence and contains many interesting specimens. 
It is established on Yew Path leading from the Valley 
Hoad to the Hemlock 11111 Road, and adjoining the Arbor- 
vitaes is the collection of Chamaicyparis or White Cedars. 
The species of this genus from the Pacilic Coast are not 
liardy in New England, so it is not possible to grow here 
varous dwarf forms of C. Laivsoniana which are common 
in European collections. Of the Japanese species, often 
called Retinosporas, there are several dwarf forms, the 
most beautful of these perhaps being the variety nana of 
C. oblusa. For those who admire plants with colored 
foliage C. pisifera aryentea is an attractive small plant. 
Of the White Cedar of the eastern United States (C. l/uj- 
oides) there are a few^ interesting dwarf forms. The most 
conspicuous of these is probably the variety ericoides, of 
dwarf, compact, pyramidal habit, with leaves which as 
well as the hranches, turn reddish brown with tlie lirst 
cold weather and retain this color until spring. Another 
interesting form is the variety leplocluda, also of dwarf 
liabit and bluish green color. 
One of the most valuable of all the dwarf evergreens is 
that variety of the Japanese Yew" {Taxus cuspidata) 
which is now cultivated in American gardens as varicdy 
brevifolia, but is not to be confounded w ith Taxus brevi- 
folia, which is a California tree. This variety of the 
Ja})anese Yew' has very dark green leaves and wide- 
spreading, rather irregularly grow ing branches; it attains 
a height of only four or live feet but sometimes covers a 
space teji or lifteen feet in diameter. Seedlings raised 
from this plant often assume the upright growth of the 
typical si)ecies. In the collection of Yews on Yew^ Path 
there is also a small very compact plant of a form of 
Taxus cuspidata which is one of the most distinct and 
Ix'autiful of all the dwarf evergreens in the Arboretum; 
this appears to he a unicjue j)lant and has not received a 
name. Nearly all the forms of the European Yew" [Taxus 
baccala) sulfer more or less severely here from cold and 
several of them are unable to survive a N(‘w England w in¬ 
ter. There is, howev(M‘, om; foiin which is p(Mfeclly 
hardy; this is a hroad, llat-loppc'd, ratluM' compact shruh 
not moi;e than two feid high, w ith exceedingly dark gn'cn 
foliag(^. This vai'ic'ty is sonu'linu's sold in AiiHu ican nur¬ 
series as Taxus rejiandens ; this name has not Ix'en puh- 
lished, how(‘V(‘r, in any of th(‘ technical books on conifers 
and we know" nothing here of its origin. It has lived here 
entirely uninjured for several years on the edge of tin* 
groui) of Yews on Hemlock Hill Road at llu' cnlranc(‘ of 
Yew Path, one of llu* most exposed positions in lh(‘ Ar¬ 
boretum. This is (‘(utaiidy a plant of grc'at valium for this 
part of tiu! country. 
Among lh(! Junipers th(M(‘ are several dwarf forms of 
the arborescent s|)(‘cics. Of our common R(‘d Cedar, 
Juniperus viryiniana, a form with branches spreading 
close to the ground grow s at several i)laces on the coast of 
Maine. The plants of this form in the collection are too 
young to show lluor hahit; it has not y(‘t received a nanu‘. 
The form ylobosa of the Red Cedar is a small, round, 
handsome shrub w ell w orth a place in collections of these 
dwarfs. The var. tripartita, which is not rare in 
European nurseries, is a low" broad shrub w ith spicading 
and erect branches forming a w ide oj)en head. There are 
a number of large plants of this form on the left of the en¬ 
trance to the path w liich leads from Yew" Path to the knoll 
on which the Juniper collection is established. 
Of Juniperus chinensis the best known dw arf form is 
the variety jirocuinbens, w ith elongabnl branches spread¬ 
ing into wide mats. Of this species there are akso in the 
collection plants of a dw arf form w ith erect stems form¬ 
ing small, round-lo|)ped shrubs. Of the Furop(‘an Savin 
(,/. Sabina) the var. tamariscifotia is a vigorous prosti'ate 
shrub, and the variety humilis, which is the smallest of 
all the Junipers in the collection, is only a few" inches high 
w ith small, sju’eading prostrate stems. 
Among the lirst of corporations to be licensed under 
the Illinois “Rlue Sky” Law, is the Illoomington Nurscuy 
Company. \V. F. Rossney is President, and A. \L Au¬ 
gustine is Secretary. This concein is giv(‘n permission 
to sell ti>2()0,000 of preferred stock. 
It speaks well of the business standing of the linn as 
the ”Rlue Sky” Law was i)assed for the puri)ose of i)i-e- 
venting fraud in the sale and in disposition sold or olfered 
for sale in Illinois. 
Whenever a coigoralion or association or any organiza¬ 
tion coming within th(‘ statue or jx'rson w ithin the in¬ 
tendment of the statue shall desir(‘ to increase* oi' S(‘ll 
stocks or bonds an insjeeclion must (ii'st be made of both 
the business and the stocks. The (‘xpress purj)ose is to 
prevent any w ild cat sch(*mes ol stock selling or busiiH'ss 
i)oosling and was drawn to pi-ot(*cl the jeurchasei- or in¬ 
vestor in corporation stocks. 
