ARBORICULTURE. 



^oi 



Extinction of American Hickory 



I recently had occasion to call upon a 

 large carriage manufactory for shafts to 

 my buggy, to repair an accident. The 

 proprietor remarked that it was almost 

 impossible to longer obtain good hickory', 

 which was geitting tO' be very scarce. 



This complaint drew from me the re- 

 ply that no one was more to blame for 

 this situation than the manufacturers 

 themiselves. That for a score of years I 

 had warned the public of the probability 

 of the supply of hickory timber becoming 

 exhausted, and had urged those whose 

 interest it was to continue this supply to 

 take some steps toward its protection, but 

 not a single vehicle manufacturer in the 

 country has ever given Arboriculture 

 any encouragement to continue its work 

 of forest perpetuation. Strong words 

 these, but true, nevertheless. 



About ten years ago I was in Virginia 

 during the apple-gathering season, and 

 saw a remarkable occurrence which 

 ought to attract the attention of manu- 

 facturers. 



Barrels were scarce in the region, 

 every cooper shop and every cooper was 

 working night and day to supply the de- 

 mand for barrels, while men were scour- 

 ing the mountains for hickory poles, with 

 which to make hoops. Nearly all these 

 barrels were then hooped with hickory 

 poles. 



Commission men buying apples sent to 

 other States, and barrels were hurried 

 intO' the apple region in vast numbers. 



I saw an entire train of forty cars ar- 

 rive upon oilfe occasion, which was en- 

 tirely laden with hickory-hooped slack 

 barrels. 



Three hundred and twenty barrels to 



each car, and ten hoops on every barrel. 

 Here at one time was seen twelve thou- 

 sand eight hundred barrels, for which 

 there had been sacrificed sixty-four thou- 

 sand living hickory trees. 



In a few years' time these trees would 

 have been capable of supplying twenty- 

 five million carriage spokes, the price of 

 which now, $35 per 1,000, would realize 

 $875,000. 



The farmers who permitted this sacri- 

 lege of cutting out the young hickory 

 which 4iad made rapid strides toward 

 salable lumber trees, received for this 

 trainload of their trees less than $400. 



More recently elm flat hoops, made 

 from large timber, has to great extent 

 supplanted the round hickory poles, al- 

 though a very large number of hoop 

 poies are yet made. 



We called attention to this fact last 

 year, having seen many carloads of hick- 

 ory poles shipped from Southern Indiana. 



When will farmers learn to keep their 

 young trees, which will soon grow into 

 valuable lumber and timber? 



We reproduce the following from Ar- 

 boriculture of February, 1905, which 

 manv have not vet seen : 



AMERICAN HICKORY^ THE WORLD S VEHI- 

 CLE TIMBER. 

 Without going into* a scientific disser- 

 tation of the botanical characteristics of 

 the large number o'f varieties oi the hick- 

 ory family, we may state a few facts re- 

 garding this valuable wood. The pecan 

 is well known as one of our superb edible 

 nuts, each year becoming in greater de- 

 mand ; the finer, improved sorts, as the 

 paper shells of Texas, and others being 



