[1879. 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



115 



one hundred and fifty-two feet. "When clothed 



with foliage it is truly a magnificent sight, and 



its great size and heighth and spread, render it a 



most noble tree. The circumference of the 

 I 



spread of the branches was four hundred and 

 twenty-nine feet. It is estimated to "be one 

 hundred and twenty feet in heighth. At twenty- 

 five feet from the ground there are twelve 

 large branches. 



Nowhere probably, does the elm flourish in 

 more luxuriance and vigor than in this Con- 

 necticut River Valley, a most fertile region, 

 full of all advantages for man, and perhaps the 

 most blessed part of the whole earth. There 

 are other large trees in this region of which I 

 may give you an account some day. 



THE EUROPEAN LARCH IN MASSACHU- 

 SETTS. 



BY G., MARBLEHEAD, MASS. 



Twenty-four or more years ago the late 

 Richard Fay, of Lynfield, Mass., planted about 

 two hundi'ed acres on his estate with forest trees, 

 among which were the European Larch. In 

 connection with the late Samuel Pitman, a nur- 

 seryman of standing, and a personal friend of 

 Mr. Fay, I was informed that the larch trees 

 after growing to^ timber size had become badly 

 diseased. It would therefore certainly be wise 

 for my fellow citizens of Essex County, Mass., to 

 visit Mr. Fay's plantation before going largely 

 into the planting of the European Larch. 



EDITORIAL NOTES. 



Reforestation. — Chief Justice Agnew, in a 

 letter published in the proceedings of the Ame- 

 rican Philosophical Society, December, 1878, 

 notices that on his yearly travels over the 

 Pennsylvania Railroad, bare rocky hills become 

 in time clothed with young timber trees from 

 natural or self-sown seeds. The Alleghanies, 

 if left to themselves, would always be forest 

 land. 



Trees for Fire Wood.— If it does not pay 

 to plant trees for "family use " in States where 

 forests abound, it surely ought in those districts 

 where there is no native woodland. The Greeley 

 Tribune tells of a .Mr. Hall of that town who 

 set out some Cottonwood trees around a five acre 

 lot five years ago, and the mere thinnings 

 from these last year from four year old trees, 



kept the family in fire-wood a whole year after- 

 ward. Such facts as these do more to encour- 

 age the growth of forest trees than tons of 

 legislative documents. 



The Pine Timber of California.— Mr. J. 

 J. Lemmon says in the Pacific Rural Press, 

 that the "Red Silver Fir" of the Sierras is 

 Abies magnifica, grows 150 to 200 feet and has 

 "valuable" timber. The color of the bark 

 gives it the red name. The " "White Silver Fir," 

 is Abies grandis, 200 to SOOfeet high, but seldom 

 over four feet in diameter; timber white, soft 

 and coarse. "White Fir" is Abies concolor, 

 timber "not as good as Abies magnifica," 

 "softer and scentless," prized for butter boxes, 

 meat barrels, and similar purposes. The 

 "Western Tamarack" is Larix Occidentalis, 

 frequently 200 feet high, free to split, and very 

 strong and durable, hence highly prized. 



Uses of American Timber '["rees. — The 

 Scientific Farmer says : The butternut is es- 

 teemed for the posts and rails of rural fences in 

 America, for troughs for the use of cattle, for 

 corn-shovels, and wooden dishes. Shellbark 

 hickory provides baskets, whip-handles, and the 

 backbows of Windsor chairs. The pignut hick- 

 ory is preferred to any other for axletrees and 

 axe-handles. The sugar maple is used by wheel- 

 wrights, for axletrees and spokes, and for lining 

 the runners of common sleds. Dogwood is used 

 for the .handles of light tools, such as mallets, 

 small vices, etc. In the country it furnishes har- 

 row teeth to the American farmer, and supplies 

 the harness of horses' collars, etc. ; also lining 

 for the runners of sledges. The mountain laurel 

 is selected for the handles of light tools, for 

 small screws, boxes, etc. It most resembles 

 boxwood, and is most proper to supply its place. 

 Bowls and trays are made of red birch, and 

 when sapplings of hickory or white oak are not 

 to be found, hoops, particularly those of rice 

 casks, are made of the young stocks and of 

 branches not exceeding one inch in diameter. 



Boxwood. — Sir Joseph Hooker, in his last 

 annual report on Kew Gardens, makes the fol- 

 lowing remarks on the supply of boxwood : 



"For some years past, the supply of this im- 

 portant wood has diminished in quantity and 

 risen in price. It is derived from the forests of 

 the Caucasus, Armenia, and the Caspian shores. 

 The wood of the best quality comes from the 

 Black Sea forests, and is principally shipped 

 from the port of Poti. The produce of ihe Cas- 



