222 



POPULAR GARDENING, 



August. 



plains. Tbis is a most heroic^tree. You some- 

 times find it venture down from the hills into 

 the hot plains, sometimes it is perched on the 

 very brow of the rocky precipice, waving its 

 long plumes in dellance of wind and drought 

 and storm. 



For many years I have been making careful 

 experiments with this tree. Six years ago 1 

 broughtalot from the mountains and planted 

 them in the open ground without protection. I 

 cultivated the first year and after that left them 

 to utter neglect. The ground was sometimes 

 very dry but none died after they were es- 

 tablished and they ranged about a foot a year 

 in growth. Taken from the mountains, they 

 are hard to transplant. Oneyear with another, 

 I save fifty per cent. They grow readily from 

 seedlings, and these transplant as well as any 

 evergreens. I have planted over 140 with the 

 loss of only one. 



1 think tbis is the grandest Pine we have. The 

 needles are long and glossy and of deep rich 

 green, and they grow in fine proportion. The 

 needles are often eight and ten inches in length. 

 The wood is heavy and the grain coai-se from 

 rapid growth, but it takes a fine polish and is 

 used for grain finish in some of the finest houses 

 in Colorado. 



The Silver Cedar, This is a variety of the 

 great Ked Cedar family. It is a very hardy 

 tree, growing in dry and rocky places, it has a 

 beautiful and delicate foliage of silver and green. 

 The Spruces. The Douglas Spruce is the great 

 timber tree of the Rockies and Sierras. It can 

 not resist the terrible beat like Ponderosa, and 

 yet it will probably do well when shelteied by 

 other trees. In the east, however, it will thrive 

 anywhere. This tree has an almost inHniie 

 variety of form and foliage. Some trees will 

 have short leaves, others long and heavy. Some 

 will be light green and others almost blue with a 

 frosting of silver. This last type is much sought 

 of late. Temple & Beard of Cambridge, last 

 year secured five hundred selected colors. The 

 mountain seedlings transplant readily, though 1 

 have noticed greater success with two toot trees, 

 which do well planted in the open air. 



Picea Pungens with its imperial robes of silver 

 and sapphire is king of all the Spruces, a very 

 Kohirioor among all the forest gems. If any- 

 thing tends to retard the growth, or when old 

 age comes on, it reverts back to the green. This 

 is a rigid tree with stiff shelf-like branches. 

 Only about one tree in four, or perhaps one in 

 ten will have that exquisite color. It transplants 

 very readily. The best way to secure the finest 

 specimens is to go to the mountains and collect 

 the small trees with colors already established. 



Almost equal in beauty, with more of grace 

 and softer outlines, is the Picea Engleraanii. 

 This is the giant of the high altitudes. Our 

 Chief of Forestry and myself measured some 

 over four feet through and more than one bun- 

 feet high, it grows in a belt reaching nearly 

 two thousand feet higher than the Pungens, 

 shooting up well to timber line. It transplants 

 very easily. It will resist any degree of cold, 

 and 1 believe with the Black Hills Spruce it will 

 be one of the timber trees for the great north- 

 west. This tree has a sheen nearly as rich as 

 the Pungens and is often of a graceful drooping 

 habit. No one without seeing it at its best in its 

 own habitat can have any conception of its at- 

 tractiveness. 



The Concolor is the queen of all the Firs and, 

 take it all in all, I should give it a place in prel- 

 erence to the Pungens. There is no tree that 

 has such a rich variety of color. The Pungens 

 is beautiful while young, but the Concolor will 

 last. You can often see a group of these trees 

 with their silver gleaming, miles away. 



Some clusters will have very deep color with 

 plentiful frosting so as fairly to sparkle. Take 

 the fruiting season; the new shoots are of 

 light soft green, the other growth is nearly 

 blue. On one tree the blossoms and cones will 

 be purple, on another light green. The clear 

 gum exuding from the cones, flashes like pearls. 

 Now let a light breeze put all this beauty on ex- 

 hibition and you will have a scene which it 

 would pay you to cross a continent to look at. 



Collected plants are somewhat difficult to 

 transplant, though in some instances seventy- 

 live per cent of them have been saved after 

 being sent direct from the mountains to Massa- 

 chusetts. 



Evergreens Under Caltivatlon. I wish to note 

 the changes of all these trees, under cultivation. 

 Nowhere in the mountains are there such speci- 

 mens ol Pungens as in the lawns and nurseries. 

 The needles become twice us large and lung, and 



the color is much richer and the growth much 

 more rapid. A Douglas Spruce from its wild 

 haunts, seems another tree, thin and meagre, 

 compared with its neighbor of the nursery. 



The Concolor reaches out into an almost trop- 

 ical luxuriance. The Silver Cedar, stunted 

 among the rocks, like a boy suppressed by hard 

 usages.springs into new and more beautiful life. 



We hardly yet know the possibilities of these 

 trees, kept so long in reserve for this age of 

 high art, on whose borders we stand. 



Chestnuts for Profit. 



{Extract of paper read by JJ. M. Engle before the Penn- 

 sylvania Farmers^ Institute.) 



The time will come, and at no distant 

 future, when nuts will be prepared and 

 eaten as food, instead of as luxuries and 

 lunches. Among them the Chestnut will 

 be conspicuous. Other nuts are of a more 

 oily and carbonaceus character, and may 

 not be prepared as food to the same extent 

 as the Chestnut; yet what may not man's in- 

 genuity accomplish in their improvement. 



The English Walnut seems to have become ac- 

 climated and adapted to a variety of soils and 

 climatic conditions, and although not all hardy, 

 there are some that have withstood the rigors of 

 our most severe winters. 



Our native Walnuts are distrilmted over a 

 large scope of country, and seem to flourish in a 

 variety of soils, but are found in greatest per- 

 fection on deep black loam. Shellbarks are found 

 on a variety of soils, not generally the richest. 

 Pecans, not being indigenous to this section of 

 the country, 1 am not prepared to prescribe for 

 its cultivation, but being of the order of the 

 Hickory, no doubt it will flourish where the latter 

 does. Filberts, of which there are several varie- 

 ties, being only a large shrub, will flourish in a 

 variety of soils and situations. 



The Ubestaut. This, in my opinion, is the most 

 valuable of all nuts. In addition to our native 

 Chestnuts, there are growing and fruiting in this 

 country, Spanish, Italian, French and Japan, as 

 also seedlings from the same, but for sweetness 

 and delicious flavor, our natives stand highest, 

 and were it not for the the larger size of the 

 foreign, they would possibly not have come into 

 competition with our natives. At the same time 

 some of those seedlings, possibly impregnated 

 with native pollen, approach in quality very 

 nearly it not altogether our natives, and which 

 may be improved so as to combine the quality 

 and hardiness ot our natives with size and pro- 

 ductiveness of some ol the foreigners. 



Chestnut seedlings are very slow growers until 

 they reach a certain age or size, after which, 

 when properly planted and cared for, they will 

 grow as sure and as well as nursery trees in gen- 

 eral. Although the (.'hestnut seems to become 

 adapted to various soils and situations, they are 

 as a rule indigenous to hills and mountain slopes, 

 upon light soils, such as loam, sand, slate or 

 gravel; m fact, in some cases they flourish on 

 soils that are poorly adapted to cropping when 

 cleaned. Such land might be planted with some 

 of the most valuable Chestnuts, say forty feet 

 apart, and plant Peach trees intermediate, three 

 trees to one Chestnut; these would naturally 

 wear out before interfering much with the nut 

 trees, and, under favorable conditions, will have 

 paid better than general farm crops, and, in ad- 

 dition, the Nuts will have come into bearing, 

 and will henceforth increase in productiveness 

 and value for many years. 



We have now a number of seedlings of foreign 

 Nuts ot large size, which are very nearly equal 

 in quality with our natives. They are principally 

 seedlings from the Spanish. The largest Chest- 

 nuts that 1 have yet seen were from Japan, but 

 I have not yet tasted a Japan Nut, even grown 

 in this country, that was equal in quality to a 

 few of the Spanish seedlings. The Japan Nuts 

 are more puny growers, and their nuts much in- 

 ferior in size. A few varieties are claimed to be 

 of large size, but first qual.ty is not claimed for 

 them. In productiveness there is also as much 

 difference in varieties as there is in fruits. 



Uraftlng Sports. The great progress in Chest- 

 nut culture will be as follows: The hill sides and 

 mountain slopes of Chestnut timber will be cut, 

 and a projier proportion of the sprouts gratted 

 with choice varieties, and all the rest of the 

 sprouts ami underbush destroyed. By such 

 method Chestnut groves will be established wit h- 

 out planting, and which by their rapid growth 

 will make bearing trees in a comparatively short 

 time. Four to five years ot practical work of 



this kind justifies me in making such statement 

 without reserve and if I am notv-rcatly mistaken 

 the boom in Chestnut culture will lie by some 

 such methods. 



The Difficulties. To establish a Chestnut grove 

 or orchard by the method .iust stated is no child's 

 play. To make gratting sprouts a success re- 

 quires an expert in the business. Then comes 

 the labor of destroying and keeping down all 

 the sprouts and other growth that may interfere 

 with the free growth of the Nut trees, and the 

 removal of brush and rubbish which would invite 

 fires. The proper training of the trees will also 

 be an important matter, as they should beheaded 

 in and branched low and spreading, which will 

 be quite an item in the gathering of Nuts. Many 

 tracts of Chestnut timber exist which could be 

 tilled and turned into pasture for sheep, and 

 thus bringing Nut aud wool growing under one 

 enterprise, either of which would pay better 

 than common farming. 



Transplanting and Pruning 

 Evergreens. 



{Extract of paper by Chas. F. Gardener, Iowa, read 

 before tlie Association of Nurserymen.) 



My experience In transplanting and prun- 

 ing evergreens is restricted to Iowa. Here, 

 on common lime-stone prairie and black 

 soil prairie all the hardy evergreens can be 

 grown with perfect success, and with abso- 

 lute certainty. 



Transplanting. I call your attention to the 

 four following points, viz.: 



1. Perfect preparation of the soil, by plowing, 

 harrowing, planking, etc. I prefer to have the 

 ground plowed in the autumn, then plow again, 

 but very shallow in the spring. 



3. Procure if possible nursery-grown trees, and 

 buy them of some reliable nursery, or what is 

 better, grow them yourself from the seed. 



3. The roots must be protected, every second, 

 from the time the trees are dug, until they are 

 again covered with earth, 



f. The soil should be packed firmly about the 

 roots. 



By the proper observance of these rules, 

 followed by continuous and shallow cultivation, 

 keeping the ground absolutely free from weeds 

 and grass, and as nearly level as possible, a 

 failure is never to be feared. 



Firming Better than Watering. In planting 

 we use different- sized dibbles for the smaller 

 sized trees. Those too large for the dibbles, 

 we plant in furrows thrown up by the plow. 

 Dip the roots of all plants in mud as soon as 

 lifted, and drought will never injure an ever- 

 green plantation. We pay no attention what- 

 ever to whether it rains or shines, and have not 

 watered a plant after it was set out, for more 

 than twenty years. 



Time of Transplanting. The very best time 

 for any variety of tree is just as the buds begin 

 to swell, but with us they can be planted with 

 perfect success from the month of April to No- 

 vember. If not planted out until after the new 

 growth is well advauccd, it should be uearly all 

 cut off before the trees are dug. All evergi-eens 

 should be pruned before transplanting, except 

 very small ones. Cut off end of all branches. 



Frnnlng. In pruning evergreens for orna- 

 mental purposes, clip in the branches in such a 

 waj' as to make the skeleton of the desired form, 

 generally in the month of May, but it may be 

 done later in the season; the next season, after 

 the new growth is well advanced, clip it back 

 with the shears, having in the mind, at the same 

 time, the object to be attained. The branches 

 that make the greatest growth may be again 

 clipped back in October. 



This is for the purpose of making the tree 

 grow more dense, the larger branches of course, 

 being cut back iu the begiuing to make the exact 

 form desired. 



In pruning trees in forest culture, we follow 

 the old ma.xim, "Prune when your knife is sharp 

 and your tools in good order." 



The greatest enemy to evergreens in our 

 country is weeds and grass. To have the best 

 success, these should be carefully kept out. In 

 yard aud lawn plauling, care should be taken 

 that trees are not too crowded; many flue speci- 

 mens of conifers are ruined by lieing planted 

 too close to deciduous trees. Give them plenty 

 of room. 



For the flrst three years after planting in 



door-yard or on lawn, keep the ground perfectly 



free from weeds or grass, at least four feet from 



the tree, mulch with white sand. In setting 



