oajrd^ 
88 
April, 
MA&miAS. 
The advent of actual spring is heralded 
more conspicuously by the flowers of certain 
Viuieties of Magnolias than by those of al¬ 
most any other tree. The blossoms of these 
. Magnolias seem during late spring to have 
rcall}’^ come too early, for we find tlicin 
ventm’ing forth m great numbers during 
April snow-storms, when tlie tree itself is 
bare, and, we might fancy, shivering witli 
cold for want of its regular garment of 
leaves. 
We should, perhaps, however, for the pur¬ 
pose of lawn planting, classify the hardy 
Magnolias into two dmsions, consisting of 
those that bloom before the leaves are 
formed, and those that bloom in Jime whdn 
the foliage is in full panoply. 
Of those that seem in haste to bloom, the 
most conspicuous is the Chinese Yulan Mag¬ 
nolia, fitly termed JU. consjnem. The 
earliest and perhaps the most beautiful is the 
star-shaped, Clemfltis-shaped, water-lilj'- 
shaped Magnolia slcUata. The charms of 
the Yulan, or, as it is interpreted, the Lily 
Magnolia, have been long recognized and 
celebrated, and can hardly be praised too 
highly for anyone who has seen a specimen 
thirty feet high, covered with thousands of 
white, sweet-scented blooms, a snowy pjTa- 
mid of flowers without a green leaf to be 
seen. Each individual bloom is some three 
or fom' inches long by as man}- inches broad, 
cup-shaped and of firm texture. The foliage 
when it appears is of good size, fine appear¬ 
ance, and rigorous, diagnolia conspicna is 
hardy in the latitude of Yew York after it 
has become well established, but during ex¬ 
treme youth and the first year after trans¬ 
planting, it is occasionally cut off by cold 
and changciible winters. 
Several forms of this Magnolia are used 
on the lawn, one of the best of which is 
Magnolia Soulangeana, a hardy, vigorous 
varietj'', of a purple tint on the inside of the 
cuj) and base of the petals. Magnolia Lmnei 
is a royal purple variety of much vigor, but 
in some localities it is less hardy than /S'ozi- 
^angeana. 
The other early-blooming species refei-rcd 
was Magnolia sUllala, a .Ja))anese variety 
of surpassing beauty, it is the eai-liest of 
Magnolias, and sometimes has its petals 
touched with severe late frosts, hut except 
on rare occasions the jmre, tianslucent, 
white flowers blossom in jjerfection, cover¬ 
ing with a thickly-set, rounded mass the en¬ 
tire contour of the branches. The delicate 
rich perfume, moreover, emanating fi-om the 
mass of flowers, forms a great attraction to 
the bees. 'J'his Magnolia is dw.arfed and 
more truly a hush than any otiier hardy 
species, while it is at the .same time more, 
capable of sustaining the stress of sudden 
changes of heat and cold and tran.s])lanting. 
There are several other Magnolias tliat 
bloom before the leaves appeal’, Imt we 
have considered tlie most important. 
Of the Magnolias that bloom in .fune after 
the foliage has dcveloiied, tlie finest, per¬ 
haps, for hotli leaf and flower, ai-e two 
Japane,se species, M. kypoUnca and M. 
X)arviJlora. The foliage of hypokuoa is large, 
silvery imdcrneath, striking, 
its in texture and hue, 
of a milk-white cup. 
also remarkably 
The flower - . ... 
beautiful, cousismus '!„„r,ipiv the bloom 
shaped form, center 
of M. glauca, anda magnificent umiso 
odor of /n/polcMca is oiso stioiio ■ 1 
early llowermg .species and 
d ell’ect 
they are. 
Magnolia 
blooming 
but of all American 
crophylla is the most ell’ectivc. 
JmScsrii'd Uieir general direct on the 
lawn as large trees, whether m bloom 
out of bloom, is always line. Unfortunately 
as yef, comparatively rare. 
tripelela and cor- 
(lata, all native sficcics, are excellent late- 
flne-foliagcd trees for the lawn, 
kinds. Magnolia ma- 
with its great 
leaves, eighteen inches to two feet long, 
giving it the cftect of some great tropical 
Palm astray in the North. It is strange that 
this large-growing, splendid tree is not 
planted more, for it is tpiitc as hardy as 
other Magnolias. 
The thought naturally arises as we con¬ 
sider briefly a few of these attractive trees, 
of which over a score are named in nursery 
catalogues, why more are not used on the 
lawn. It is, in the first place, because they 
.are difficult to propagate and consecpieutly 
exiiensive, and, in the second place, because 
they have peculiarly sensitive roots which 
make them difficult to transplant except 
under special conditions. 
These special conditions arc young, vigor¬ 
ous, fibrous rooted, two j^ears transplanted, 
"low-grafted specimens set out just as the 
flower is in full bloom or the leaves just 
starting. Lilce all otlier trees and shrubs 
that are dillicult to transplant, the roots of 
Magnolias mu.st not be allowed to become 
dry from exposure to sun and wind, nor 
must the soil and air be parched and hot at 
the time of setting out. It is an excellent 
idea to mud the roots well before setting¬ 
'll*'^’ S. PAItSOXS, Jji. 
TKAINI(J& ORNAMENTAL TREES. 
Tastes difler in regard to form, and while 
some like a linished uniformity of outline, 
others dislike any appi-oach to sameness! 
I have noticed an article in a widely cii’cn- 
lated agricultural journal, by a fanner, in 
reference to trimming street trees. He 
n;coinnii!»ided trimming up tlie stems to ten 
feet, and tlicn by means of a mini board, 
either circular or oval, lield before the eye 
as a guide, trinnning the outline of each ti'ee 
to an exact and regular figure, eacli the 
coniiteriiart of its neighbor. 
'IVi.nming is evidently this man's ideal of 
hort.cnltnral pleasure, and having travel,.,1 
-n ■ ramie he ha,l ha,l Id.s inherent Amerleaii 
d spo.sit,o„ tou.se tlie “little hat,’het”stim- 
n a.eil,n a new ilirection, by .. tlie 
Htifl ami stmlied ruhi-of-thumb metinals of 
«.»« »al, ,, 
of Stre,it trees to a hebd.f , ’ 
Vju-ioilli OOBUHOtiodH ),(|1 h, I 
iuctions, but betwem those, 
too close planting and the mangling of the 
tops by telephone companies, our method’is 
no more satisfactory than the French. The 
example of the cramped, narrow, spindling 
tree of the vill.age street constantly before 
us is injurious, deadening the sense of the 
beautiful in natural trees, and leading many 
persons to go through the world with ideas 
in regard to this matter as eramped and 
distorted as the trees themselves. 
AVe sliould alw.ays bear in mind two facts 
in regard to trees: one that each tree has a 
licauty peculiar to itself; the other that this 
beauty is only fully developed where a tree 
is completely exposed to the air and light, 
unimpeded by contiguous trees. There is 
of course a beauty of trees in groups, and 
the combined outline is often delightful, 
but there is a constant struggle going on 
within the group, and the inner branches 
die, and sooner or later the group loses its 
beauty, while exactly the opposite takes 
place in specimen trees of our best varieties, 
which increase in stateliness and beauty as 
they grow older. 
Another class of smaller trees is so con¬ 
stituted that it thrives under such condi¬ 
tions, blossoming and forming striking ob¬ 
jects of beauty beneath the drip, or in close 
proximitj.’ to larger trees. The Ilawthorn, 
Dogwood, Red-bud, and Seiwice-berry are 
among these, and are highly useful in mak¬ 
ing an artificial copse or deciduous back¬ 
ground. But even these trees have a charac¬ 
teristic be.auty that is wonderfully enh.anced 
when allowed independent development. In 
fact, our most desirable trees need little if 
ail}.- trinnning, except when veiy }mung, and 
then it should be done by nipping in the 
bud rather tlian hy excision. 
Here is a beautiful field for experiment, 
clucatioii and amusement open to ladies. 
T’he growing of ornamental trees from seed, 
and ,lireeting their youthful branches into 
positions that will make them objects of 
markcl beauty in after years, is full of in¬ 
terest and fascination. 
Next t,) giving a tree plenty of room, al¬ 
lowing it to branch low is most essential to its 
most beautiful development, to tiroinotc 
which ihe overhanging branches should 
,liverge from the main trunk at a height 
n,)t to ex,;eed four ami one-half feet. There 
shouhl not he less than three main branches, 
and those may be kept free from ramifica¬ 
tions up to such a height as may seem de¬ 
sirable. All this iircliminary work should 
he done, while the tree is yet in the nursery. 
Much hacking and mutilating of orna¬ 
mental trees might be avoided if jicoplc 
would |)lant with a regard to the .space to be 
filled, tlie. prospective hiding of desirable 
views in later years, and the character of 
trees desired. If the taste is for broad trees, 
and tile lawn is extensive, then plant spread¬ 
ing kinds like the Oak and Chestnut. Ifthe. 
space is narrow and the preference is fastigi- 
ate forms, then plant the Lombardy ropb"’' 
the Upright Cypre.ss, the Irish .funiper and 
other trees of this character, forms which, 
by the way, are far too scarce. T'he.ro is a 
wide opening in this direction for originat¬ 
ing and discovering trees with an iiprigl‘t 
lialilt of growth. What an Imposing and 
striking object a Maple, with the form and 
Ixfiglit of the Lombardy I'oplar, would bo 
in autumn, B. PusKCk. 
