242 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
that the trees down to the seventeenth century were all 
native. In that century the conifers were introduced, 
and Devclyn, the great authority on British forestry, in¬ 
cludes in his list the Scotch fir, the only native of the 
family, the silver fir, the Weymouth pine, the spruce and 
the larch. In the eighteenth centuiy large plantings were 
made of the larch. This introduction of the larch and 
other conifers not only added new features to the beauty 
of the English woodlands, hut also has proved to be as 
great a resource of England at war as the hearts of oak 
of old. 
While most of England’s woodlands had been created 
jirimarily for game coverts and landscape effects, state 
forests have for centuries been cultivated to meet the 
needs of the navy. The oak of the Forest of Dean has 
been known as the best ship timber in the world, and 
English oak is still the finest for that purpose, while the 
best of the soft woods, spruce and jiine, is second only to 
the finest woods jiroduced in northern Europe . — New 
York Sun. -- 
A IIABDY CALIFOBNIA PRIVET HYBRID 
Some ten years ago in one of the New Haven, Coiiikh*- 
ticut ])ublic parks it was noh'd in the fall, that a jilaut of 
Califoniia Privet, growing in a cluster of the Ibola 
Privets, hung heavily laden with fruit which was an un¬ 
usual sight. In speculating as to how this occurred, it 
was suggested that perhaps a sullicient affinity existed 
between the two s])ecies to be favorable to hybridizing, 
and that this fruitfulness was due to such an affinity. 
It further suggested itself that if this had really occurred, 
the hybrid seedlings might result in plants, some of 
which might carry the general appearance of the Cali¬ 
fornia Privet and bear some of the hardiness of the Ibola 
parent. Seeds were accordingly gathered and planh'd, 
which germinated freely the following spring. Some 
thousands of them found Iheii-way by transplanting, into 
a test garden, there to be given a chance to develop. A 
more interesting and miscellaneous lot could hardly be 
imagined. 
About twenty-five per cent of these seedlings lacked in 
vigor and perished the first summer. Another twenty- 
five per cent showed marked variegation, white and yel¬ 
low with the green and were of no special interest. About 
ten per cent developed into vigorous lusty plants, no two 
being very similar, either in growth or character of 
foliage, some being quite upright and resembling Cali¬ 
fornia Privet so closely that they were seemingly iden¬ 
tical, others being (juite as spreading in their habit as the 
“regal” form of Ibota. When the frosts of fall time 
came along the California Privet habit of retaining 
foliage late proved a characteristic of a number of the 
plants, while some of the seedlings matured their foliage 
even before the frost. 
The third year these seedlings varied in height from 
one foot to ten feet, and while they had shown a re¬ 
markable diversity in habit of growth, their character of 
flowering was equally variable. Many showed the char¬ 
acteristic terminal flower cluster of California Privet, 
while others bloomed in short panicles along lln^ stem of 
the preceding year’s wood as the characteristic Ibota. 
Others, with varying intermediate forms in this respect. 
The fall of that year gave another surprise in the 
character of fruit, which varied from large brilliant, 
black, glossy, grape-like clusters in some instances,’ to 
the bluish lead effect of Ibota. A more interesting row 
of experimental privets could hardly be found. 
It was interesting to ask visiting horticulturists* to 
identify these })rivets. Three or four of them resembled 
very closely California Privet in their general api)earance 
and hedges made from two-year-old cutting plants of 
several of these could not be distinguished from a Cali¬ 
fornia Privet hedge. 
The final test of the value of these hyl)rids was the 
possibility that some one or more of them would prove 
hardier than California Privet, but until last winter no 
severely cold enough weather had been experienced to 
test this out satisfactorily. Last winter was certainly tin; 
required test, as California privet hedges all along the 
Atlantic seaboard suffered severely, in many instances 
being killed outright. The same diversity which had 
characterized the seedlings all along asserted itself in 
the matter of hardiness. A number of them winter- 
killed outright, the majority of them suffered more or 
less severely, but some t('n lived to the very lips without 
any injury what(!ver. Among these, which survived 
without injury, aie a numb(‘r which restunble California 
Privet very closely in habit of grow th atul depeiuhable- 
ness for hedge puiposes. This being the case, a strictly 
hardy Califoiaiia Privet hybrid is already an accom¬ 
plished fact. 
Whether it is w'oi’lh w hih; for one or more of them to 
be disseminated has not yet be('n decided. The party 
who accoinj)lished this hybridizing is anxious to know’ 
the nurserymen’s o])inion as to the probable commercial 
value of these hardy hybrids. 
I T is the purpose of the National Nurseryman to publish a roll 
of honor consisting of the names of those nurserymen serv¬ 
ing in the United States army in the present war. We shall 
appreciate it if our readers will send us their names and photo¬ 
graphs if possible. 
Albert G. Allen, Cadet, Flying Squadron, Park Field, Memphis, 
Tennessee. Member of firm of W. F. Allen Company, Salis¬ 
bury, Maryland. 
Howard E. Andrews, U. S. Signal Corps, France — Landscape De¬ 
partment, A. W. Smith Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. 
Carroll A. Bagby, Capt. U. S. Infantry — New Haven Nurseries, 
New Haven, Mo. 
Harold J. Bagby, Enlisted Medical Reserve Corps — New Haven 
Nurseries, New Haven, Mo. 
Lew. W. Bagby, Lieutenant (Junior Grade) U. S. Navy — -New 
Haven Nurseries, New Haven, Mo. 
Oliver W. Bagby, LieutepaJit, U. S. Navy — New Haven Nurseries, 
New Haven, Mo. 
Ralph B. Bagby, Lieutenant 21st U. S. F. A., Fort Riley, Kansas — 
