520 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



tions of climate ; also that it should grow rapidly, and that its timber may be used for either 

 general or special purposes. 



In making a selection, therefore, for forest-planting, the timber value, rapidity of growth, 

 and adaptation to climate should be considered. Some timber is, of course, much more 

 valuable than others, but nearly all kinds may be applied to some useful purpose. 



There is no tree more beautiful than the sugar-maple, and it is a very valuable one as 

 well. It is adapted to a wide extent of territory, will thrive in a variety of soils, and should 

 be planted extensively in regions suited to its growth. The ash, beech, elm, and walnut are 

 all valuable trees, as well as the European larch, the oak, locust, chestnut, cedar, and pine of 

 their several varieties, many of which will thrive both North and South. 



For the &quot;Western States, the hardy variety of the catalpa tree is very desirable, as it 

 grows rapidly and furnishes a very durable wood. The yellow cottonwood is also valu 

 able for that section, and is said to make a saw-log or rail-cut sooner than almost any other 

 tree, while the osage orange, white elm, black walnut, maple, locust, willow, silver and 

 Lombardy poplars, are all suited to the soil and climate, besides several of those previously 

 mentioned. 



The Kentucky coffee-tree is also highly recommended for forest-planting. It grows quite 

 as rapidly as many other choice varieties of trees, and its timber is also valuable. With regard 

 to the locality to which it is adapted, Prof. C. S. Sargent, Director of the Arboretum of 

 Harvard University, says: 



&quot; Of its power of adapting itself to very different climatic conditions, there can be no 

 question. Few trees range over a wider area of the United States. It grows from Canada 

 and Western New York, to Wisconsin, and south to Kentucky and Tennessee. It extends 

 across the Missouri into Nebraska; is common in Missouri and Arkansas, and not rare in 

 Kansas and the Indian Territory. It is not often found in New England, where, however, 

 it is perfectly hardy, nor in the Atlantic or Gulf States. The Kentucky Coffee Tree grows 

 always in rich, strong soil, generally along river valleys, and reaches, probably, its largest 

 size in that of the Lower Ohio. It is not a particularly fast-growing tree, nor does it increase 

 more slowly than other North American trees, while it produces a wood equally strong 

 and heavy.&quot; 



At the South, the many varieties of pine, cedar, and oak flourish and make valuable 

 timber; also the maple, ash, hickory, persimmon, linden, magnolia, cypress, bay, etc. 



We have a great variety of beautiful and valuable timber trees, many of which are 

 adapted to a wide range of climate and soil. Some increase in size very rapidly, while others 

 are of a slower growth. Hon. G. B. Emerson states that in his opinion, we have the most beauti 

 ful trees in the world ; that in visiting Europe for the purpose of studying the forests there, 

 he was convinced that there were more valuable trees growing naturally in our forests, than 

 can be found in any portion of Middle or Northern Europe. 



Age and Size of Trees. The age to which trees live, differs greatly with different 

 species. While many are short-lived, and decay in a few years, others will maintain their 

 vigor for thousands of years. The elm has been known to live three hundred and fifty 

 years; the chestnut nearly twice as long; the cedar from seven to eight hundred years; the 

 oak from a thousand to fifteen hundred, while some of the California giant trees have been 

 estimated to be at least five thousand years old. The old Charter Oak, at Hartford, Conn., 

 was estimated to be about nine hundred and fifty years old, and measured nine feet in 

 diameter, at a distance of four feet from the ground. 



Some of the gigantic trees of California, (the Sequoia giganted), a species of mammoth 

 cedar, have attained the height of four hundred and fifty feet, with a circumference of one 

 hundred and twenty feet or more near the ground. The largest of these trees now standing 

 is said to be three hundred seventy-six feet in height, and about one hundred and six feet in 

 circumference. 



