270 



TH>. OANADTAN IIOETK^CLTURIST. 



it that would be likely to help the 

 Canadian planter. From the paper and 

 the discussion which followed, we 

 gathered that the pear-blight is fully as 

 trouV)lesome in Georgia, Kentucky and 

 MLSsissij)pi as it is at the north. 



On reassembling after tea Mr. T. V. 

 Mu^nson read a paper on '* Systematic 

 Horticultural progress," in which he 

 sus:«:ested that each member take in 

 hand some particular fruit, notifying 

 the Secretary what fruit is being ex- 

 periuH^nted with, and at the meetings 

 present, either in person or by written 

 paper, an account of the work done and 

 progi'ess made, and that fi'om these a 

 year book of progress be compiled. A 

 l)aper on " Horticulture versus Ruts," 

 was read by T. T. Lyon, of Michigan, 

 in which he sets forth the importance 

 to the cultivator of following the ruts 

 in which his plants and trees run, in- 

 stead of trying to make them run in his 

 ruts. This was followed by a very in- 

 teresting paper by Governor R. W. 

 Furnas of Nebraska, entitled '' Fores- 

 try on the plains," in which he pi-esent- 

 ed his own ex])erience in the growing 

 of trees upon the prairies during a resi- 

 dence of twenty-seven years Since 

 1854, there has been planted within 

 the State of Nebraska, •244,355 acres 

 of foi-est trees, and it is estimated that 

 the indigenous growth since fires have 

 been kept out is equal to half the area 

 planted. In the State of Kansas, there 

 has been planted since the first settle- 

 ment in that State, 139,995 acres of 

 forest trees. Actual measurement of 

 the growths made at two feet from the 

 ground shew that White Elm in fifteen 

 years from planting attained a circum- 

 ference of 24 inches ; Catalpa Speciosa 

 in twenty years grew to 48 inches; 

 Soft Maple, acer dasycarpum, at eigh- 

 teen years measured 69 inches ; Cot- 

 ton Wood, Populus monilifera, in 

 eleven years, 93 inches ; Black Wal- 

 nut in sixteen years 50 inches ; Rus- 



sian Mulberry in six years 24 inches, 

 and White Pine in twelve years at- 

 tained a girth of .9 inches. The 

 State of Nebraska, incorporated in her 

 Constitution a provision that the in- 

 creased value of lands by reason of live 

 fences, fruit and forest trees grown 

 thereon, shall not be taken into con- 

 sideration in the assessment thereof ; 

 and enacted by statute that one hun- 

 dred dollars shall be deducted from the 

 assessable value of lands for five years 

 for every acre planted to fruit tress, 

 and fifty dollars ior every acre planted 

 to forest trees. Experience has shewn 

 that better results are secured by plant- 

 iug the tree seeds and after wai-ds assort- 

 ing into grades, and transplanting each 

 grade by itself in its permanent location, 

 than by sowing the tree seeds where 

 they are intended to remain. 



The evening session was closed by 

 the reading of a paper sent by Doctor 

 John A. Warder, of Ohio, on " The in- 

 fluence of Forests on health," in which 

 he treated of the climatic influences of 

 forests, eflect of denuding the moun- 

 tains, shelter belts, and their value in 

 preventing the dissemination of malaria. 



OSTRICH FARMING IN AMERICA. 



The San Francisco Bulletin ttdls of a 

 farm in California, on which there ai-e 

 twenty-one Ostriches ke[)t for (heir 

 feathers. The eggs have not yi«*lded 

 any chicks ; why not, is somewhat un- 

 certain, yet it is said that the feather 

 crop pays for keeping the birds, even 

 if no chicks should be raised. It is 

 stated that three pairs of Ostriches have 

 been taken to Florida with the vie^ of 

 ascertaining whether they can be made 

 a source of profit in that climate. It 

 is said that there is now a hundred 

 thousand domestic Ostriches in the 

 African Ostrich farms, whose feather 

 crop is worth four and a half millions 

 of dollars. 



