50 



TEE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



{February ^ 



A CATALPA TREE NEAR PHILADELPHIA. 



BY 31RS. i>. p:. S., HARROWGATE, rillLA. 



I was reading, yesterday, Mr. Smith's account 

 of the Catalpa tree growing in Fairmount Park, 

 and judging from your remarks following his 

 note, I thought that you misht like to hear of 

 another tree of the same kind, doing nicely. We 

 have one on our place planted in line with a 

 row of Elms. The Elms are, some of them, 

 said to be a hundred years old ; as for the Catalpa, 

 I do not know what its age is, but judging from 

 surroundings, I would think it the same age as 

 the Elms. I measured it this morning, and tind 

 it seven feet in circumference one foot from the 

 ground, and five feet six inches in circumference 

 live feet from the ground. I think the tree is 

 about forty feet high. The tree has been blown 

 one sided by the north-west winds, which have 

 had a good chance at it, but notwithstanding its 

 being so uneven, it is a grand sight when in full 

 bloom. Beside this large tree we have a small 

 one, about eight feet high, which starts from the 

 root in three separate parts, each about nine 

 inches in circumference ; this is standing about 

 twenty feet distant from the former. 



PRECOCIOUS FOREST TREES. 



BY REV. L. J. TEMPLIN, HUTCHINSON, KANSAS. 



Some learned man has asserted that the prai- 

 ries of the West are treeless because the texture 

 of the soil is unsuited to the growth of trees. The 

 experience in tree raising on these prairies seem 

 to prove that neither the texture nor composition 

 of the soil is antagonistic to the growth of forest 

 trees. We consider ourselves as far within the 

 limits of the "Great American Desert," yet w^e 

 have some examples of tree growth that are en- 

 couraging. The A. T. & S. F. R. R. Co. has an 

 experimental forest tree nursery at this place in 

 which the adaptability of various kinds of timber 

 to our climate and soil is tested by actual trial. 

 During the past Summer we were both surprised 

 and gratified to learn that Black Walnut trees 

 from seed planted in 187o, were bearing several 

 specimens of fruit. It seemed to be doing pretty 

 well for this timber to bear nuts at five years 

 from the seed; but now we have a case that 

 even excels that for precocity. At a late meeting 

 of the Reno County Horticultural Society, Mr. 

 C. Bisher, informed us that he had during the 

 past Fall gathered nuts from Black Walnut 

 trees, the seed of which were planted hi the Spring 

 of 1875. The trees are about three inches in 



diameter and twelve feet high. How is that for 

 growth? and for precocious bearing too I To us 

 denizens of the "desert" it is full of promise in 

 the future. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



Disease in the Xorway Spruce. — The 

 Journal of Forestnj^ tells us that an "able" pa- 

 per was read before the Scottish Arboricultural 

 Society, by C. S. France, of Penicnik, but the 

 editor concludes his notice of the paper by re- 

 marking that the only thing known about it, is 

 that "the disease has long been known," and 

 that "a knowledge of the cause or predisposing 

 causes, and the best means for its prevention," 

 is still desirable. 



Measuring Trees. — At a recent meeting of 

 the Scottish Arboricultural Society, Mr. Gorrie, 

 made the good point that in "his opinion too 

 much importance was attached to measuring the 

 girths of older remarkable trees, whilst the 

 measurement of young and growing trees, by 

 which more really useful arboricultural knowl- 

 edge could be obtained, was neglected." 



Squirrels and Larch Trees. — It is said 

 on what appears to be sufficient authorit}', that 

 in some parts of Scotland, squirrels do not con- 

 fine themselves to seeds, but eat bark, and are 

 particularly destructive to the trees in May and 

 June. 



The Large Plane Tree. — For years and 

 years we have had served up to us the state- 

 ment that on the shores of the Bosphorus, is a 

 Plane tree that is 150 feet in circumference. 

 Absurd as the statement is, like many other 

 forest stories of Europe, it has been told over 

 and over again till no one dared to gainsay it. 

 A correspondent of the Journal of Forestry, 

 recently had the chance to measure that tree, 

 and found it only nine feet, at five feet from the 

 ground. But he feels it necessary to apologize 

 to "the truth of history," by meekly suggesting 

 that probably the "tree under which Godfrey 

 de Bouillon rested," might have had that large 

 circumference, but that it has long since died, 

 and this one "may have sprung from its roots." 



Christmas Trees. — The German custom of 



the Christmas tree, has grown so popular, that 



in Philadelphia, it has infected all classes, and 



1 promises to be a permanent institution. There 



j are over 10(»,000 houses in Philadelphia, and it is 



1 believed that there were ver}' few of them this 



