1879. 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



21 



then tells us of his wonderful product of herbage 

 "per acre;" but we want the acre and the cow, 

 and " all that sort of thing." We have looked 

 all over the country for liini, and through all 

 our exchanges to find liis address, but he has 

 not turned up yet. When it happens, our readers 

 shall know all about liim. — Ed. G. M.] 



New Raspberries. — A "reader," Kankakee, 

 111., inquires where certain Raspberries, noted 

 in our columns, are to be purchased. We 

 fancy they are not for sale, or notice thereof 

 would appear in our advertising columns. 



Standard Currants and Goosberries. — 

 R. B. asks, "What has become of the Standard 



Currants and Gooseberries, about which, so 

 much was said in the Gardener's Monthly, 

 a year or so ago. I believe they were to be 

 grown on the Missouri Currant. Is it a failure ? " 

 [By no means, but nurserymen have had no 

 spirit to work up new ideas the past few years. — 

 Ed. G. M.] 



Dividing Currant Bushes. — T. O. M., 

 Philadelphia, asks : "Will you please inform 

 me whether the taking up and dividing Currant 

 and Gooseberry bushes will impair their bear- 

 ing for next season?" 



[It will, unless the division can be easily made 

 without disturbincr the roots. — Ed. G. M.I 



Forestry. 



COMMUNICA TIONS. 



EUROPEAN LARCH. 



GLEANINGS BY J. STAUFFER. 



Among your "Echtorial Notes," in the De- 

 cember number, 1878, "Profits of Forest Cul- 

 ture," you present the results of Mr. Rich'd S. 

 Fay's experiment with the Larch, and high 

 price obtained for railroad sleepers. You say, 

 that, "The Larch is profitable, but it is far less 

 profitable than many other kinds of trees would 

 be." Allow me to enumerate some of the qual- 

 ities of the Larch, and its uses besides for posts, 

 telegraph poles, and railroad sleepers, gleaned 

 from \vi'iters on the subject. 



It appears that the quality of Larch timber, 

 does not depend so much upon the maturity of 

 the tree, and the slowness of its growth, as that 

 of the Pine ; as a fishing boat, built of Larch, 

 only forty years old, has been found to last three 

 times as long as one of the best Norway Pine. 

 It is not so buoyant, however, nor so elastic ; 

 and as it does not dry so completely, as Pine, 

 boards of it are more apt to warp. It is, how- 

 ever, much more tough and compact ; and what 

 are very valuable properties, it approaches near- 

 ly to being proof, not only against water, but 



against fire. If the external timbers, and the 

 principal beams of houses, were made of Larch, 

 fires would not only be less frequent, but, they 

 would be far less destructive ; for, before Larch 

 beams be even completely charred on the surface, 

 a beam of Pine, or of dry Oak, will l)e in a 

 blaze beyond the ordinary means of extinguish- 

 ment. Larch, however, is beavier to transport 

 and elevate, and also much harder to work than 

 Pine ; and as these circumstances are all against 

 the profits of the contractor, or builder, (or its 

 scarcity), jointl}' prevents the more general use 

 of this most safe and durable timber. 



"The Venetian houses constructed of it, show 

 no symptoms of decay ; and the complete pres- 

 ervation of some of the finest paintings of the 

 great Masters of Italy, is, in some respects, ow- 

 ing to the panels of Larch, on which they are 

 executed. The objects for which Larch timber 

 seems preferable to every other, are chiefly 

 these : gates, palings, posts of all kinds, that 

 are inserted either in the earth, or in the water, 

 wooden buildings, many agricultural implements , 

 cottage furniture, bridges and gangways, car- 

 riages for transporting stones, and all hard and 

 rough materials, barrows for builders, and road 

 makers, lighters, fenders, and embanking piles, 

 lock and dock gates for canals and harbors, coal 



