162 VERMONT AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



plain, less so in the mountain range of south western Vermont. It occurs more 



or less commonly in the Connecticut valley north to Fairlee. (Flint). 



It somewhat resembles the arbor vitse, 

 from which it may be distinguished at a dis- 

 tance by its less symmetrical form and darker 

 foliage. Closer inspection shows that its scale- 

 like leaves have little tendency to the arrange- 

 ment in a plane which is characteristic of the 

 arbor vitse. The fruit is also readily distin- 

 guishable from that of the other cone-bearing 

 trees. It consists of thick fleshy scales which 

 coalesce to form a structure looking more like 

 RE juniper, > %. a small berry than a cone, green in midsummer, 



becoming bluish at maturity in the autumn. 



The leaves of young shoots are longer than are those on the older branches, 



with needle-like points. 



The heart- wood of this tree is soft, red and fragrant, and that obtained 



from the southern states is largely used in the manufacture of pencils. 



Most of the Vermont trees are used for fence posts, which are found to be 



very durable. In some localities of the state oil is distilled from the leaves 



and wood. 



The branches are often loaded with "cedar apples." These are fungus 



growths and are noteworthy because the spores from them develop as a 



destructive rust upon adjacent apple trees. Hence red cedars should not be 



planted near an orchard. 



WALNUT FAMILY. 



butternut ( white walnut ). Juglans ciner ea Linn. 



Every school boy in Vermont has some acquaintance with this tree and 

 its sweet tender nuts. It occurs along the hillsides and river valleys 

 throughout the state. The staminate flowers, appear in May and hang 

 in graceful, slender catkins five or six inches long. These are generally 

 found on the second year shoots while the fruit-bearing flowers are borne 

 on the terminal shoots. Butternut trees show some irregularities, however, 

 in reference to the time and order of the appearance of the two kinds of 

 flowers so that the pollen-bearing clusters may mature either some ten days 

 earlier or later than the fruit-bearing ones on the same tree. This may be 

 the cause of the variability often noticed in the crop of butternuts. The 

 peculiarity offers an interesting subject for further observation. 



The meat of the butternut needs no recommendation but the excel- 

 lencies of pickles made from the young mucilaginous nuts are not so well 



