of Rural Art and Taste. 



295 



some to the "burgs," or communities. But 

 the State passes laws regulating forests, 

 whether belonging to itself or others. For 

 instance, when the trees are removed from 

 any forest lands, the law is that the same 

 ground shall be replanted to trees within five 

 years. In reality, however, this replanting is 

 usually done much sooner. 



In the management of forests, two different 

 practices in regard to cutting prevail. One 

 is to remove all the growing trees, and to start 

 fresh again. The other is to remove only such 

 trees as have arrived up to their maximum 

 value, thus cutting down some trees annually, 

 and replanting the places made vacant by 

 other trees. 



Much has been said in this country of the 

 importance of thorough cultivation of the soil 

 preparatory to planting. But he found that 

 the European plan did not embrace any such 

 thorough cultivation. As much of the forests 

 are on steep hills, when the timber is removed, 

 the low stumps, thickly occupying the ground, 

 prevent carrying out much systematic cultiva- 

 tion. And so far from thinking these stumps 

 to be in the way, their presence is regarded as 

 very important, as they prevent the washing 

 away of the soil. 



No one could look upon a well-managed 

 planted forest without being struck with its 

 great superiority over natural forests. We 

 sometimes see the latter, and from noticing the 

 quantity of fine timber trees, we think it is al- 

 most perfection itself. But when one has seen 

 a cultivated European forest, and then comes 

 back to look upon his perfect native forest, he 

 is at once struck with the fewness of valuable 

 trees in the latter, compared with what the 

 ground is capable of growing. AVhere a planted 

 oak forest shows fine timber trees, planted in 

 rows, say eight by twelve feet apart, the great 

 value of its trees over that of a natural forest 

 impresses itself very forcibly upon the mind. 



In European forest planting one thing was 

 remarkable, viz., the small number of varieties 

 growing. Of the large number of oaks, only 

 four varieties were generally planted ; six 

 pines and three firs. Of the elms, ash, only 

 one or two varieties each. 



Of American trees, while they were numer- 

 ous as curiosities in parks, private and public, 

 they have not been planted to any great ex- 

 tent as forest trees for profit. Railroads have 

 planted locusts to some extent, but managers 

 of forests have a prejudice against it on ac- 

 count of the brittleness of its wood, rendering 

 it liable to be injured by snows and winds. 

 But probably the greatest obstacle consists in 

 the obstinacy of the people holding on to 

 things of the past, and disliking new things. 



A Southcrit Vlneijafd. — The largest 

 vineyard in the Southern States is near Fay- 

 etteville, N. C. The Eagle of that place, 

 says that it contains 100 acres on which there 

 are 7,000 vines. These vines are chiefly the 

 scuppernong, but also include the flowers, 

 catawba, and other varieties. It is supposed 

 that the yield from these vines this year will 

 be fully 40,000 gallons of wine. 



At Nassau, Bahama Islands, an establish- 

 ment for canning pineapples has been put into 

 operation the present season, at a cost of 

 $200,000. Six hundred hands are employed 

 in preparing and packing the fruit. A mil- 

 lion pineapples have been purchased this sea- 

 son, which were grown upon these islands, and 

 were therefore procured in their greatest state 

 of perfection, and over a million cans have 

 been packed. The pineapples are purchased 

 at from eighteen to forty cents a dozen, and 

 the cans cost on importation hither $4.50 a 

 dozen. 



At a recent meeting of the Illinois Horti- 

 cultural Society, Dr. Le Baron recommended 

 a single line of tar on the ground, the chinch 

 bug not crossing it ; and Prof. Riley said that 

 salt and lime are both good preventitives. He 

 strongly recommended clean culture, and 

 burning all rubbish in autumn, aftd said that 

 most of the bugs would be found in the corn- 

 stalks. 



— ^ — a Eo" 



Mrs. Marshall, of Dubuque, Iowa, has re- 

 ceived $2,250 for 18,000 quarts of strawber- 

 ries she raised, this season, from three and 

 one-half acres of ground. 



