226 



NKW ENGLAND FARMEK 



JANUARY 29, 1834. 



leave to direct the attention of planters to the less 

 known, but not less interesting species of this tree, 

 natives of our own soil. .•Esculus paint producing 

 red, and JE. flavn, yellow flowers, form very bcait- 

 tiful trees of moderate size. The other species are 

 lather large shnihs than trees, and are very pretty 

 ornaments to the garden. 



The brilliant appearance of the European .Moun- 

 tain Ash (Sorbus aucuparia) when in autumn it if 

 densely clad with its rich crimson fruit is a cir- 

 cumstance sufficient to give it strong claims to the 

 care of the arboriculturist, independently of the 

 beauty of its foliage. But a tree, which from this 

 latter property lias long heen a favorite with us, 

 and which, though it is common in Europe, we 

 regret to say is yet but half so well known as it 

 tdtould be, is the silver leaved Ahele, Populus alba. 

 Its growth is very rapid, and it is, therefore, well 

 adapted fur planting where time, is an object of 

 consideration. The flowers are insignificant, hut 

 its leaves are highly interesting. The under side 

 of each of these is rendered perfectly white by a 

 dense cottony pubescense, and in a gentle breeze 

 from their being supported on slender petioles they 

 are in constant motion. At a moderate distance to 

 a spectator standing on the windward side, they 

 give it frequently the appearance of heing covered 

 with a profusion of white flowers. It, has a beau- 

 tiful effect from the house when seeu at some dis- 

 tance in the foreground of a handsome group of 

 trees of a darker green. Added to this, it holds its 

 foliage unscathed by the frost, until the very latest 

 period in Autumn. 



Ailantus glaniulosus, the heaven tree of the Chi- 

 nese, is a fine stately tree, and though introduced 

 from a warmer climate, bears the intense cold of 

 our winters perfectly uninjured. When young it 

 somewhat resembles our sumach, but when it at- 

 tains the height of 90 or 100 feet, with its long 

 pendant pinnated foliage, it will form a very pic- 

 turesque and graceful object. 



We must not forget in this brief notice the 

 Larches both of Europe and our country. Finns 

 larix has long been considered among the first tim- 

 ber trees of the other continent. The singularity of 

 its foliage as a deciduous tree, its long, declining 

 branches and drooping spray, are well calculated 

 to give variety to the landscape, and we are happy 

 to see, that both this ami our two American spe- 

 cies, P. microcurpa and P. pendula are becoming 

 more generally objects of attention and cultivation. 



Among the interesting trees of more recent in- 

 troduction and which are yet rare in this country, 

 we may mention Setlisburia adiantifolia, On- Japa- 

 nese maiden hair tree. The foliage is strikingly 

 singular and beautiful, resembling that well known 

 fern Adiantum pedalum, and the tree appears to he 

 very hardy. The purple beech, a variety of Fagvs 

 sylvatica, is a very unique object with its strangely 

 colored ieaves, and a very splendid tree lately in- 

 troduced from the banks of the Missouri and Ark- 

 ansas is the Osage orange (Madura aurantiaca.) 

 Its vivid green leaves and rapid growth are already 

 known to us, but it is described as hein^ a tree in 

 its native soils of thirty or forty feet in height, ami 

 bearing abundance of beautiful fruit of the size and 

 appearance of an orange. The weeping ash is 

 also a very unique and desirable object, and its 

 long seemingly inverted shoots may be introduced 

 in some situations with an excellent, effect. 



We have often regretted that in decorating the 

 grounds of country residences so little attention is 

 paid by the proprietors to hardy evergreen trees. 



Ornamental at any season, they are eminently so 

 in winter — a period in this latitude when every 

 ruber portion of vegetable matter yields to the se- 

 verity of our northern climate, and when thosi 

 retaining their cuats of verdure uninjured are boun- 

 tiful and cheerful memorials of the unceasing 

 vitality of the vegetable world. Deciduous trees 

 at this season present but a bleak and desolate 

 aspect — a t'rw evergreens, therefore, interspersed 

 singly over the lawn or tastefully disposed in a 

 few groups so as to be seeu from the windows of 

 the mansion, will give a pleasing liveliness to the 

 scene which cannot fail to charm every person. 

 We would earnestly advise every person engaged 

 in ornamental planting to transfer some of our tine 

 native evergreen trees to their lawn, park or ter- 

 race. We are aware that many think that there is 

 meat difficulty in transplanting them with success, 

 but experience has taught us that with the follow- 

 ing precautions no more difficulty is found than 

 with deciduous trees. In transplanting choose the 

 spring id" the year at the time the buds are swell- 

 ing : cut as few of the roots as possible, and do not 

 suffer them to become dry before you replace them in 

 t/ie soil. Among our most ornamental evergreen 

 trees may be mentioned the different species of 

 Pine, natives of N. America. Several of them are 

 line stalely trees, and one which is particularly or- 

 namental as a park tree is the white or Weymouth 

 pine, Pinus slrubus. Pinus rigida, when old and 

 large is a very picturesque tree ; and Pinus alba 

 rubra el frnseri, the white, red and double spruce 

 firs, are trees of moderate size, very generally dil'-' 

 fused in the middle states and easily obtained. 

 The well known balsam fir, Pinus balsamea, is 

 such a beautiful evergreen, and succeeds so well' 

 in this climate that it should find a place in the 

 smallest plantations. We have observed it thriv- 

 ing well even in confined spaces in cities. Thuija 

 occidcntlais, the arbor vitas, is a very interesting 

 tree, and as well as the exotic T. orientalis, will be 

 considered very ornamental in districts where it is 

 not common. 



Among the most ornamental foreign coniferous 

 trees, we will notice the Norway spruce, the droop- 

 ing branches of which in a large specimen are so 

 highly admired — the well known Scotch fir, the 

 finest timber tree of Europe, celebrated for grow- 

 ing on thin soils; and the beautiful silver fir, Pinus 

 picea ; all of them are noble trees, and as they 

 can be readily procured at the nurseries should be 

 found in the grounds of every country residence. 



Several other species of this genus are thought 

 the most beautiful trees of Europe, unfortunately 

 yet scarce in this country. The Mone pine, whose 

 seeds are a delicious fruit, and whose " vast canopy 

 supported on a naked column of immense height, 

 forms one of the chief and peculiar beauties in 

 Italian scenery and in the living landscapes of 

 Claude," and the not less interesting Pinus pinas- 

 ter and P.lcmbra of the mountains of Switzerland. 

 But the most desirable evergreen tree which flour- 

 ishes in temperate climates is the classic cedar of 

 of Lebanon, Pinus ccdrus. Its singular ramose 

 branches and wild picturesque appearance in a 

 large specimen, give a more majestic and decided 

 character to a fine building and its adjacent scene- 

 ry than any other tree whatever. It is a native of 

 the coldest parts of Mt. Libanus, but according to 

 Professor iMartyn more trees are to be found in 

 England at the present time than on its original 

 site. As it is scarcely yet known as an ornamen- 

 tal tree in this country we certainly do not know j 



of an object belter worth the attention of the arbor- 

 iculturist. 



We observe in foreign periodicals that several 

 magnificent hardy individuals belonging to this 

 section of trees have been lately introduced into 

 Europe, and we hope before long they will find 

 their way to the hands of our cultivators. Among 

 the most remarkable we may mention a splendid 

 new genus of pine (Pinus tambertianu) lately found 

 in Northern California. The discoverer, Mr. D. 

 Douglass, botanical collector to the London Hon. 

 Soc., describes it as growing from 15(1 lo 200 feet 

 ill height, producing cones 1G inches in length, 

 lie measured a specimen 215 feet long and 57 in 

 circumference.* Several other specimens of this 

 genus, of much grandeur and beauty, are but lately 

 introduced into cultivation, and which our present 

 limits will barely permit US to enumerate. Pinus 

 Douglasi, P. monticola. and P. grandis, are im- 

 mense trees from the Northwest coast of America, 

 Pinus deodora from Himmalaya, P. taurica from 

 Asiatic Turkey, and /'. lasico, from the mountains 

 of Corsica are spoken of as being highly ornamen- 

 tal. Jiuraucaria imbricaia, a beautiful evergreen 

 tree of South America, and Cupressus pendula, the 

 weeping cypress of the Chinese, are extremely ele- 

 gant — are found to withstand the climate of Britain, 

 and would probably also endure that of this coun- 

 try. 



We cannot close these remarks without again 

 adverting to the infinite beauty which maybe pro- 

 duced by a proper use of this fine material of na- 

 ture. Many a dreary and barren prospect may be 

 rendered interesting — many a natural or artificial 

 deformity hidden, and the effect of almost every 

 landscape may be improved simply by the judi- 

 cious employment of trees. The most fertile 

 countries would -appear but a desert without them, 

 and the most picturesque scenery in every part of 

 the globe has owed to them its highest charms. 

 Added to this, by recent improvements in the art 

 id' transplanting! the ornamental planter of the 

 present day may realize almost immediately what 

 was formerly the slow and regular production of 

 years. A. J. Dovv.ni.xu. 



JYewburgh, A*. Y. 



For tht New England Farmer. 

 CHINESE! 1IULBERRY. 



T. G. Fessenden, Esq. — Dear Sir, I observe 

 with much pleasure that the Chinese Mulberry, 

 or Morus Multicaulis, has engaged the attention of 

 .Mr. Eeurick of Newton, an enlightened and en- 

 tei prising cultivator of trees and plants. The 

 essay on Silk and the Chinese Mulberry recently 

 published by him will contain much valuable in- 

 formation on these highly interesting articles. I 

 wish to speak emphatically respecting a brunch of 

 industry which, if the people of New England are 

 true to themselves, in a few years will be annually 

 rewarded with some millions of dollars. It is pro- 

 bable, in my estimation, that more than hall' of the 

 hands that would be employed in this branch of 

 industry would otherwise be idle and unproduc- 

 tive. Instead of sending ten millions of dollars 

 annually out of the country, more than half of this 

 sum might be annually saved) and far more profit- 

 ably saved than if obtained without industry or 

 bestowed as a gift. 1 know of no enterprise in 

 my judgment more deserving of the attention of 

 our State Legislature than the culture of the Muf- 



* Trans. Linnean Soc. v. 15, p. 497. 

 f Vide Sir Heary Sleuait on flaming. 



