399 



They do not appear to eat the young trees, but use them as a counter- 

 irritant against the stings of flies, mosquitoes, and other troublesome 

 insects. They scratch themselves against every rock and shrub above 

 ground. " If a surveyor puts down a stake six inches above the surface, 

 cattle will even lie down to rub at it till it is literally worked out of the 

 ground." Young tuees have no chance of growing unless protected by 

 fencing. It is hoped that a low bushy tree, which our correspondent, 

 calls ""weesach," and which is covered with hard, sharp thorns, defying 

 the attrition of animals, may yet be found available as a hedge-plant. 

 It seldom grows more than 20 feet high, has short, crooked trunk and 

 limbs, and when cut down sprouts from the root from five to fifty shoots 

 for every one cut off. Its wood is hard and durable as fence-posts, and 

 it furnishes excellent fuel. It is an evergreen, with a yellowish tinge of 

 foliage, and bears a small pod of seeds, which are eaten by cattle and 

 sheep and scattered in their droppings. The seed grows with very little 

 interference from animals. Our correspondent is inclined to think that 

 they will not germinate unless passed through the digestive apparatus 

 of the animal, and suggests that scalding, a process used in the case of 

 the black locust-seed, would have the same effect in inducing germina- 

 tion. . 



No effort has yet been made to grow hedges of this tree, nor is it as- 

 certained whether it will bear transplanting. It grows luxuriantly 

 around San Patricio and other points in Western Texas, but it is not a 

 prolific propagator like the Osage orange. The young plants are hardy 

 and very thorny, requiiiug no seed-bed nor early culture, and flourish- 

 ing as well in close dead soil as on plowed ground. Twenty trunks 

 have been observed from a single root, each one furnishing an excellent 

 fence-post. For this purpose and for tire- wood this tree could be profit- 

 ably grown on a large scale, provided an available method of propaga- 

 tion could be devised. The weesach, mesquite, Bois d'arc, black and 

 yellow locust, horny locust, white thorn, prickly ash, &c., can be grown 

 without much interference from cattle, and fire could be avoided by 

 annual plowing. As to the rapidity with which such hedge-plants could 

 be made available our correspondent concludes as follows : 



I also think that even on raw prairie hedges could be grown in four years' time to 

 turn stock. As the weesach will start and grow often in a hard, tramped road or 

 cow-pen, without culture or other attention, it would be the very article, if we could 

 utilize it. Would it not be worth while to try the Bois d'arc, the honey-locust, and 

 the white thorn ? Ground inclosed by such hedges could be quickly set with other 

 growths of timber. The black walnut, butternut, pecan, hickory-nut, cottonwood, 

 box-elder, sycamore, mulberry, even pine and cedar, &c., could be planted and grown 

 with success and great profit. Were men disposed to make the experiment, a small out- 

 lay of labor and means and five years' time would tell the tale. There are millions 

 upon millions of acres of rich prairie-lands now lying idle that ought to be brought 

 into culture and made to contribute to our country's wealth. An object so desirable 

 can only be accomplished by a successful method of forest- culture. Were all who re- 

 side on the prairies now disposed to try timber-culture it would lead to ultimate suc- 

 cess, and become a means of great profit. As for ourselves we purpose a trial of it. 



Wheat-culture in Tennessee.— Mr. J. H. Crichlow furnishes the 

 Department with a very suggestive and elaborate tabular statement 

 embracing one hundred and thirty- seven enterprises in wheat-culture 

 by farmers miscellaneously located in different parts of Eutherford 

 County, Tennessee. The area covered by these crops aggregated 2,721 

 acres, "prot^ucing, on the whole, 33,404: bushels, or 12i bushels per acre. 

 Though our correspondent regrets his inability to make a fuller report, 

 his very careful analysis of his materials gives at least an approximate 

 idea of the status of wheat-culture in that part of Tenuessee. The state- 

 ment will be found below. 



