te handsome and well worthy of
cultivation where they will thrive. Some of the more interesting of
them are figured in different volumes of the _Botanical Magazine_,
from plants grown at Kew, and I believe that the genus is held in
considerable repute by French gardeners.

In a collection of plants made in Southern Oregon, last spring, by Mr.
Thomas Howell, several specimens of _Ceanothus_ occur which are pretty
clearly hybrids between _C. cuneatus_ and _C. prostratus_, two common
species of the region. Some have the spreading habit of the latter,
their flowers are of the bright blue color characteristic of that
species, and borne on slender blue pedicels, in an umbel-like cluster.
But while many of their leaves have the abrupt three-toothed apex of
_C. prostratus_, all gradations can be found from this form to the
spatulate, toothless leaves of _C. cuneatus_. Other specimens have the
more rigid habit of the latter species, and their flowers are white
or nearly so, on shorter pale pedicels, in usually smaller and
denser clusters. On these plants the leaves are commonly those of _C.
cuneatus_, but they pass into the truncated and toothed form proper to
_C. prostratus_.

According to Focke (_Pflanzenmischlinge_, 1881, p. 99), the French
cross one or more of the blue-flowered Pacific Coast species on the
hardier New Jersey Tea, a practice that may perhaps be worthy of trial
by American gardeners. Have any of the readers of GARDEN AND FOREST
ever met with spontaneous hybrids?

_W. Trelease._

WIRE NETTING FOR TREE GUARDS.--On some of the street trees of
Washington heavy galvanized wire netting is used to protect the
bark from injury by horses. It is the same material that is used for
enclosing poultry yards. It comes in strips five or six feet wide, and
may be cut to any length required by the size of the tree. The edges
are held in place by bending together the cut ends of the wires, and
the whole is sustained by staples over the heavy wires at the top and
bottom. This guard appears to be an effective protection and is less
unsightly than any other of which I know, in fact it can hardly
be distinguished at the distance of a few rods. It is certainly an
improvement on the plan of white-washing the trunks, which has been
extensively practiced here since the old guards were removed.

_A. A. Crozier._

Artificial Water.

One of the most difficult parts of a landscape gardener's work is the
treatment of