118 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[April^, 



Parties reading this article will confer a favor 

 on the public by communicating to the editor 

 any further facts in relation to the growth of 

 these trees in theTJnited States. I may add that 

 I have succeeded in getting part of a trunk that 

 grew in South Carolina, for the Centennial Ex- 

 hibition. 



Since t^is was penned my friend D. Landreth, 

 Esq., suggests that the limit of Fortress Monroe 

 is not sufficiently far South. Even in the south of 

 England, though the bark is true cork, as it is 

 in South Carolina, the trees are never turned 

 to account by stripping. It is probable that a 

 warmer latitude is necessary to perfect the 

 bark for commerce. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



The Cork Tree.— In reference to the article by 

 Mr. J.Jay Smith in another column, we give the fol- 

 lowing piece of information from the Snni-Trop- 

 ical, a newsy magazine from Florida. 



" The cork tree, {quercus suber,) is a most beau- 

 ful shade tree ; an evergreen oak much resem- 

 bling the live oak of the Gulf States. It is a na- 

 tive of Spain and has been cultivated in many 

 parts of the world. It flourishes in England and 

 Ireland; one tree, near Cork, in Ireland, having 

 obtained a diameter of over three feet, while 

 some in England are still larger. Large orchards 

 of it have been planted in California, and many 

 trees are found in other parts of the United 

 States. It is admirably suited to the Soutbern 

 States; will withstand, as in England, exceeding 

 cold. It should be cultivated, not only for its 

 cork, which is its bark stripped off every few 

 years without injury to the tree, but as a shade 

 tree for the Middle States, where it would equal 

 the live oak in beauty. Its acorns arc very plen- 

 tiful and make one of the best masts for hogs, 

 and its cork may be stripped every few years for 

 several hundred years, as experience has shown." 



The Peccan.— This kind of hickory, Carya 

 ohvajformis, is considered by a correspondent of 

 Prairie Farmer to promise well as a timber tree. 

 It grows faster than other hickories, but is rather 

 Blow we think in comparison with some other 

 trees. For its nuts it is of little value north. 

 They do not perfect in Philadelphia. 



Os.^GE Orange Timber.— When in Texas a few 

 years ago, the writer saw large quantities of Osage 

 v^rangc sawed into joists for buildings, and was 



told that it was one of the best possible for in- 

 door uses, but not of so much when used for 

 open weather purposes. We have heard however 

 that it was extremely durable as stakes. From 

 the following, which we find in a California paper, 

 we think it must be of more use for general pur- 

 poses than one would suppose, and sliould be 

 glad of any fjicts that our correspondents may 

 have respecting it : 



" We have been shown at tlie carriage manu- 

 factory of William P. Miller a set of buggy wheels, 

 the spokes of which were made of Osage orange 

 wood. The timber Avas cut from Capt. Weber's 

 premises, on the peninsula, and the place for- 

 merly owned by Smith Whiting, corner of Ameri- 

 can and Lindsay streets, and has been seasoning 

 for about three years. A specimen of the wood 

 shown us was a trunk six inches in diameter and 

 showing sixteen concentric circles. The wood 

 is susceptible of a high polish; and while it is 

 not probably as tough as hickory, it is not so 

 liable to shrink in dry weather or swell in wet 

 weather. This latter quality makes it peculiarly 

 adapted to our climate, although there is not 

 enough grown here to manufacture extensively. 

 In Arkansas and Texas, where this wood grows 

 plentifully, it is commonly used in the manu- 

 facture of wagons." 



Hard Names.- There would be some force in 

 the objections made against hard botanical 

 names, if those who prefer common ones 

 would properly identify the plants they mean. 

 The Scientific American gives us the following. 

 By " black dogwood, or berry-bearing alder," 

 we suppose Prinos verticil'ata is meant, but 

 surely that does not make w ood large enough for 

 extensive charcoal uses : 



"The black dogwood or the berry-bearing 

 alder makes the best charcoal, willow is next, and 

 the common alder third in rank. Small wood of 

 about ten years growth is in all cases to be pre- 

 ferred for charcoal for making gunpowder. Alder 

 and willow at this age will be probably 4 or 5 

 inches in diameter, dogwood about 1 inch." 



The English Maple. — This, the Acer campes- 

 tre, or cork -barked mayjle, though affording good 

 wood for cabinet making, does not grow to a very 

 large size. Sometimes it seems to attain consid- 

 erable dimensions, as appears by the following 

 from the Gardeners' Chronicle. It may make a lar- 

 ger tree in the United States, where it seems 

 perfectly at home. It may be noted, however, 

 that the tree varies very much, and some forms 



