May 5.—We observed a Box Elder in a garden the other day and thought it looked very ornamental; its green and white variegated foliage formed a very pleasing contrast to the maples, junipers and flowering shrubs which were planted in same group. Botanically, the tree is known as Acer Negunda variegatum. Serrissa foetida, a dwarf Japanese shrub is now in flower: this plant makes a very pretty hedge and it is also much used as a dwarf pot plant. Another shrub we observed in flower today was Pittosporum Tobira, this is also native to Japan and it derives its name from pitte—to pitch and sporos—a seed. The seeds have a coating of resinous matter. This shrub makes a useful pot plant and it was at one time extensively used for hedge planting in Shanghai: it has gone out of favour for this work however, owing to it being the host plant of the Cottony scale; we have seen many hedges ruined by this chappie, the natural enemy of which is the larvae of the Ladybird. We have been asked to refer to the Wu-tung tree in these notes. The Phoenix tree, so called because it was stated in old legends that the phoenix bird would only rest on this tree, is known by two names. Some writers refer to it as Firmiana plantain. folia, (authorities—Schott, 1794-1865 and End-licher, 1804-1849), while others prefer to call it Sterculia plantanifolia, (authority—Carl von Linn', 1741-1783). As it is customary to accept the earlier authority it would appear correct for us to accept Sterculia plantamifolia as the botanical name, although Woon Young Chun in his useful book, "Chinese Economic Trees," tells us that it "has been placed under Firmiana." The tree is excellent for shade planting and its
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.