SECRETARY'S PORTFOLIO. 415 



continue to absorb and supply watery sap and receive accretion of growth from 

 the sap sent down from the leaves. The deciduous larch shows these peculiar- 

 ities as well as the evergreens. But while so tender in these particulars, the 

 conifers will endure external rubs and strains that are fatal to other trees. We 

 often see whole stretches of pine among which there were once growing oaks, 

 hickories, and all that tribe. These have been exterminated by fires, which 

 have scorched bnt not killed the pines, and left them completely dominant — 

 masters of the situation. So old pines that have been cut and rubbed till they 

 shed tears of turpentine from every one of a dozen great scars, still continue a 

 healthy growth, though pitiable objects to the sight. 



A very remarkable case of endurance of a Scotch pine, when wounded, as one 

 would think, to death, is to be seen on the grounds of the Hon. Fielding Beeler, 

 of Indianapolis, Ind. The tree was girdled by the destruction of all the bark 

 from fifteen inches of its trunk, when measuring twelve inches in circumfer- 

 ance. The mischief was done by "sap-suckers." The branches and stem 

 above the injury have continued to grow and thrive, but below it they have 

 made scarcely any growth, and only two branches out of six or eight have been 

 left below the girdle. The tree has maintained its bright green, and has made 

 as much growth laterally, though not in height, as other trees around it. The 

 secret of this extraordinary power of endurance and recuperation is no doubt 

 that all the external pores of the wood were filled with a varnish or resin soon 

 after the wound was made ; the date at which it was made was favorable to the 

 quick formation of this sealing up and prevention of all wasteful flow — probably 

 about August. This varnish only fulfills one service of the bark, however, that 

 of supplying a waterproof epiderm, preventing dessication. It cannot aid in 

 the digestion of sap, nor can it well convey what has been digested above to be 

 distributed to the stem and roots below. As the stem has enlarged below the 

 girdle to some extent, but the branches below the girdle have dwindled, the case 

 seems to corroborate the views of those who believe that the ascending crude 

 sap mingles into itself, as it ascends, some of the rich prepared sap which flows 

 downward, and thus becomes the richer the higher it ascends. The girdle is 

 now but about twelve inches long, a lip of new growth having covered about 

 three inches of its upper portion, and the only visible exudation of resiu is a 

 little from the edge of this lip. By the study of such cases we learn lessons 

 like those which the hole in Alexis St. Martin's stomach supplied to human 

 physiologists. — A 7 ". Y. Tribune. 



TRANSPLANTING EVERGREENS. 



It may be well to repeat what we have said in substance before, that the lat- 

 ter end of August is one of the best seasons of the year to transplant evergreens. 

 The young growth of the past season has got pretty well hardened, so as to 

 permit of very little evaporation, and the earth being warm, new roots push 

 with great rapidity, and the tree becomes established in the ground before the 

 cool autumn winds begin. The chief difficulty is that the soil is usually very 

 dry, which prevents much speed with the operation, and, the weather being 

 usually very warm, the trees have to be set again in the ground almost as fast as 

 they are taken up, so that it is not safe to bring them from a distance. It is as 

 well, therefore, to make all ready in anticipation of rain, when no time may be 

 lost in having the work pushed through. Should a spell of dry weather ensue, 



