238 



1,000, $11.25, less expenses for drawing and sawing $2.25. It would surely not be con- 

 sidered extravagant to value each tree at $9 — 612 trees at $9, $5,508, less thirty -five 

 years rent at $2 per acre, $70 from $5,508 leaves a net profit of $5,438. Be it obsei'ved 

 that plantations of larch do not impoverish the land, but rather improve it. The annual 

 deposit of leaves gives more nutriment to the soil than is taken from it by the trees. 



Larch in its green state is almost incombustible, so there would be but little danger 

 of destruction by fire, and there would be none if the dead branches were taken away. 



A man would have to begin planting when young in order to realize the profits of a 

 plantation, but he can, by planting soon, add much to the value of his estate and the 

 investment would probably be as safe as in bank stock. The price of lumber now is more 

 than twice what it was fifty years ago, and there is every reason to believe that it will 

 double in price before another fifty years has gone. 



There are thousands of acres of land in Canada and in the United States which 

 cannot be converted into arable land — an acre of which would give but poor summer 

 maintenance for a goat — if judiciously planted with larch would soon become the most 

 valuable lands in the state, and would add immensely to the wealth of the nation. 



THE WHITE ASB..—{Fraximcs Americana.) 



By Arthur Bryant, Princeton, III. 



Of the six species east of the Rocky Mountains, the white ash is the most useful for 

 all purposes where strength, lightness and elasticity are required, as notably in the manu- 

 facture of agricultural implements. When this tree grows rapidly, as in favourable soil 

 and climate, it afibrds the best timber, but where it is stunted in growth, as in Southern 

 Russia, it is of a weak and brittle texture. In planting the ash with a view to the pro- 

 duction of timber, the trees should be grown thickly while young, in order that they may 

 take a clean, straight stem. When of proper size the trees may be taken from the seed 

 bed and planted in rows four feet apart and two feet apart in the rows. They may be 

 easily transplanted, after which they should be kept well pruned of side branches up to 

 near the top. From three to four hundred trees are probably as many as can be grown 

 to maturity upon an acre. The blue ash is rarely found east of the Alleghanies. It some- 

 times reaches the height of seventy feet or more, and is distinguished from other species 

 by the quadrangular shape of the young shoots. The bark on old trees is not furrowed 

 like that of the white ash. The black ash is usually found in wetter soils than the other 

 species, whence it is often called swamp ash, or water ash. The wood is very elastic and 

 divides easily into thin strips, which are used for coarse basket work, and for the hoops of 

 barrels, for which latter purpose it is the most economical wood that can be procured. 

 The red ash is common in Pennsylvania and Virginia, and possesses similar qualities to 

 the white ash. The green ash is a small tree, seldom reaching middle size. It is found 

 on the banks of rivers, and is more common in the Western than in the Eastern States. 

 The properties of the wood are similar to those of the white ash. There is another 

 variety called the Carolina water ash, found in the swamps of the Southern States, which 

 has no very special merits. 



THE RUSSIAN MULBERRY. 



By D. C. Burson, Topeka, Kansas. 



The American people, as a nation, have a pre-disposition for quick returns, no matter 

 in what branch of industry or business it may be ; consequently it sounds too much 

 of the dim distant to talk of planting forests for the benefit of " nations yet unborn." 

 But if we can picture groves of beauty and use, bringing dollars and cents to the present 

 generation, they will grasp it at once. Consequently it is our duty to urge the planting of 

 quick growing, hardy, useful trees. And such a tree is now coming into great notoriety 

 on our western prairies. I refer to the " Russian Mulberry." It was first brought to 



