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THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[March, 



Timber on the Pacific Coast. — It appears 

 Eastern Oregon and Washington Territory are 

 already troubled about the approaching end of 

 the " trackless " forests of those regions. Patents 

 for land on the condition that trees are planted 

 are popular, but it is charged that numberless 

 patents given in this way have been evaded, and 

 popular opinion is growing strongly in favor of 

 pressing the law against the delinquents. 



Elms of Ohio.— At a recent meeting of the 

 Montgomery Horticultural Society, " Mr. Snyder 

 claimed there were three distinct kinds of elm, 

 namely: the yellow, red and white. The yellow 

 will split like a chestnut; the red is like a Dutch" 

 man — it likes to go its own road; it is a little 

 stubborn ; but the white, no man, not even the 

 lightning can rive it. In selecting your shade 

 trees be sure and don't get the yellow — think 

 Bome of the boys have got it — the white is what 

 you want." 



The white elm is we suppose Ulmus Americana, 

 and the red, Ulmus fulva, also known as slippery 

 elm ; but which is the yellow elm ? The facts are 

 useful if we can identify the kinds. 



Forestry Meeting.— Dr. Warder informs us 

 that a convention will be held in April, in Cin- 

 cinnati, in behalf of forestry interests, and that 

 the Forestry Association meets there at the same 

 time. 



Honey Locust Timber.— Prof. Budd, of Ames, 

 Iowa, has a good word for this timber. It will 

 probably be found very durable for posts, and as 

 it grows rapidly,* and is not known to have 

 many insect enemies, it may be valuable for 

 this purpose. It is, moreover, almost if not 

 quite as rapid a grower as the Robinia or yellow 

 locust. It may not be any better than yellow 



locust to nail to, which is the reason why yellow 

 locust had to be abandoned as railroad ties. 

 Does anybody know how this is ? 



AiLANTHUs Timber.— How ever this tree ob* 

 tained a reputation for durable timber we 

 never knew, and have been surprised at the 

 enormous demand for timber planting in the 

 West. A correspondent of the Country Gentle- 

 man from Middlethorpe, New York, says he "set 

 about twenty ailanthus posts six years ago. 

 They were large and sound, some whole, some 

 split in two, and others in four posts. In three 

 years they showed signs of decay. Now there is 

 not one that is not rotted entirely off, or that 

 could not be broken by a man pushing against 

 it." This does not decide the matter, as there 

 are often local circumstances, but it accords 

 with our impression. How is it? 



Spruce Gum — Forty thousand dollars' worth 

 of chewing gum is gathered in the State of 

 Maine every year. In Oxford county is a man 

 who makes it his business to collect spruce gum. 

 Every year he buys from seven to nine tons. 

 The gum is found chiefly in the region about 

 Umbagog Lake and about the Rangely lakes. A 

 number of men do nothing else in the winter 

 season except collect gum. With snowshoes, ax, 

 and a sheboygan, on which is packed the gum, 

 they spend days and nights in the woods. The 

 clear, pure lumps of gum are sold in their native 

 state, the best bringing one dollar per pound. — 

 Scientific American. 



Locust Shingles. — A correspondent inquires- 

 about the value of yellow locust shingles. They 

 would probably split under hot sun, but we- 

 have no certain knowledge. Has any one tried 

 them? 



Natural History and Science. 



COMMUNICA TIONS. 



THE BACTERIA THEORY. 



BY A. A. BENSEL, NEWBURG, N. Y. 



When you say, in the February number, that 

 •' none of Cohn's experiments prove that bacte- 

 ria ever interfere with life," you give utterance 

 to the plain truth in regard to all other experi- 



ments, and theories on this subject. Bacteria 

 can only live and increase upon inert matter. 

 In healthy trees, the rapid passage of the fluid 

 containing them through the fibrous tissues will 

 break and destroy the simple and very delicate 

 organism. The increase of these bacteria is the 

 first indication of the suspension of vital activity 

 in trees and vegetables. The virus passed into 

 healthy pear trees by inoculation from those- 



