196 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



JANUARY a, 1833, 



PRXJKIKG FOREST TREES. 



The following observations arc IVoni the Sylva 

 Americana : — 



A timber tree, as before observed, is valued for 

 its length, straightness, and solidity of its stem. 

 Judicious pruning tends greatly to assist nature in 

 the formation of the stem in this perfect state. In 

 natural forests, boles or stems possessing jjroperties 

 of the most valuable kind are found, where no 

 pruning, trenching, or any other process of culture 

 ever was applied to the rearing of the trees. It 

 should not, liowever, be concluded from this cir- 

 c-imistance that the processes are of little value. 

 If ws examine the growth of -trees, when lert to 

 the unassisted eftbrts of nature by the neglect of 

 pruning and thinning, we find that but a small 

 number oidy, on any given space of planted 

 ground, attain to perfect maturity, compared to 

 those which never arrive at any value but for fuel. 

 The like results, though varying according to local 

 advantages, are exhibited in the produce of self- 

 planted forests. Hence, instead of an average of 

 two or three perfect trees on any given space (sup- 

 pose an acre) left by the unassisted cflbrts of na- 

 .ture, we sliall have from forty to three hundred 

 perfect trees, according to the species of timber, 

 by the judicious application of art in tlie prepara- 

 tion of the soil and the after culture of the trees, 

 and probably on soils, too, which, without such 

 assistance, could never have reared a single tree. 



The time at which pruning should begm, de- 

 l)cnds entirely on the growth of the young trees, 

 iu some instances of favorable soil and quick 

 growth of the plants, branches will be found in 

 the course of four of five years to require fore- 

 shortening, and in ease of the formation of forked 

 leaders, to be pruned oft' close to the stem. When 

 the lateral branches of different trees interfere witli 

 each other's growth, pruning, so as to foreBhorten, 

 should be freely applied in every case, iu order to 

 prevent the stagnation of air among the btanclies 

 or the undue preponderance of branches on one 

 side of the tree. Perfect culture, in this lespect, 

 requires that the plantation should be e.ximined 

 every year, and by keeping the trees thus in per- 

 fect order there will never be any danger of mak- 

 ing too great an opening, or depriving a tree too 

 suddenly of a large ])roportion of branches.l The 

 operation will also bo so much more quicks per- 

 formed, as to render the expense of nianaament 

 less than if the pruning were delayed, or onlt per- 

 formed at intervals, as is too frequently praaiscd. 

 By examining the trees of a plantation annual- 

 ly, the critical time for pruning every brancy for 

 the best interest of the trees is secured, qpnie 

 trees may be pruned with great advantage Suc- 

 cessively for years, while others may only remire 

 it every three or foiw years, and others agaiiilnot 

 at all. 



Judicious thinning maybe said to be producive 

 of the same valuable effects to a plantation of t m- 

 ber trees in the aggregate, as those which judici )us 

 pruning produces on every individual tree conijos- 

 ing it ; by the admission of a proper circula ion 

 of air and the solar rays, and permitting the tee 

 expansion of the essential lateral branches of the 

 troes, as well as by preventing an imuecesairy 

 waste or exhaustion of the soil by the roots o^ all 

 supernumerary trees. 



The great advantages of judicious thinningiare 

 not confined to the olijeet of obtaming the largest 

 quantity of timber of the best quality on a given 

 ^pace of land in the shortest space of time ; but 



the produce of the trees thus ihiniied out ought 

 to afford a return sutiicient to pay th^ expenses of 

 culture, interest of capital, and the value of the 

 rent of the land. In many instances the profits 

 arising from the thinnings of well-managed woods 

 have covered these charges before the period of 

 twenty years from the time of planting. Tlie time 

 at which the process of thinning should be com- 

 menced, depends on the like causes as those 

 which regulate pruning, and need not here be re- 

 peated. 



In general the forest growing plantations re- 

 quire to have a certain nundjer of trees taken out 

 by the time they have attaine^.l to eight years of 

 growth from jdanthig. On forest tree soils of a 

 medium quality, the age of ten or twelve years 

 may be attained by the yoimg trees before thinning 

 is necessary : but should fifteen years elapse be- 

 fore the trees demand thinning, it will be found 

 that the plantation has been imperfectly formed. 



No certain rule can be given to determine the 

 number of trees to be thinn»d out periodically, 

 which will apply to all plantations and to every 

 kind of forest tree in them. A well-grounded 

 knowledge of the jirinciples of vegetftlile i)liysio!o- 

 gy, and of the habits of trees, is absolutely essen- 

 tial, to execute with success this very inqiortaut 

 branch of arboriculture. 



From the Genesee Farmer. 

 ON THE MEANS OF SUBDUING CANADA 

 THISTLES. 



There can be no [jlcasure in writing or medi- 

 tating on the subject of Canada thistles ; yet the 

 subject claims attention, and much greater atten- 

 tion than has been given to it. I am thankful that 

 several gentlemen have iu the course of tlie season 

 agitated this subject in the Genesee Farmer. Es- 

 pecially, I am tliaukful that D. T. has deigned tt> 

 take it into his consideration, and to write upon It. 

 In No. 32, current volume of the Genesee Farmer 

 the reader may find an interesting conmumicntioi 

 by that gentleman, on this subject. D. T. wii 

 perceive, that Canada thistles present a more in- 

 portant subject than that of chess, on which lie 

 has written so freely and so ably, iu defence oj 

 sound pruiciples ; for they threaten to inliict oc 

 the conunuuity a far greater injury than will b( 

 done by chess, whatever may be the means of ii; 

 propagation. 



It is a fact not to be concealed, that Cunad 

 thistles are coming in like a flood, and makin' 

 alarming inroads upwi the country. Too many tj" 

 our citizens know already, how embarrassing tlie_ 

 are to the operations of husbandry, how oflensiv^ 

 to the sight, and how deleterious, when unmolested 

 in monopolizing the soil, to the exclusion of all 

 useful vegetation. 



It is not chiefly because Canada thistles are 

 more tenacious of life, and more difficult to bo 

 subdued, than other vegetables, that their presence 

 is to be dreaded more than that of many other 

 weeds. They are not remarkable for these attri- 

 butes ; perhaps not more so than Johnswort, daisies 

 and dock ; not more so than some of the grasses, 

 as red top, spear grass, &c. They do, indeed, in 

 the oSensiveness of their character, and in the 

 mischief of their effects, surpass all other noxious 

 weeds known to us. And, as they possess extra- 

 ordinary facilities of self-propagation, by broken 

 fragments of their roots, and by their seed, which 

 the wind carries in all directions, it will not be an 

 easy task, where they have acquired considerable 

 possessions, to get rid of them. Already they have 



become .so prevalent in this country, as to preclude 

 the hope of dispossessing them without great exer- 

 tion, and without general and united eflbrt. As 

 siiggested in my former treatise on this subject, 

 lublished in the Genesee Farmer, legislative inter- 

 losition will, in this case, be indispensable. Far- 

 rier A. will feel little encouragement to expend 

 srength and treasure in attempting to subdue the 

 tustlcs of his field, so long as they grow, and he 

 expects they will continue to grow, and ripen their 

 s:ed, iu the field adjacent, belonging to his neigh- 

 l )r 1j. Perceiviug, as I do, that some interest is 

 f It in the community relative to this subject, and 

 ii dulging the hoj)e that prevalent appeals iu regard 

 t( it will he made to the legislature at its next ses- 

 sim, 1 take courag-e to resimie the subject. 



It will he my object, in the remamder of this 

 u mber and iu the next, to detail some of tlic pyo- 

 ci sses by which Canada thistles may be subdued'. 

 lit. This may be done in the manner suggested 

 b; D. T. ; that is, thorough work in ploughing 

 ai J tilling. Yet, I believe the ordinary tilling 

 pccess has never been known, in this section of 

 tlje country, to produce that efl'ect.— Neither tlio 

 iimier fallow, nor the tillage incident to com 

 ( ])otato crops, has becu known here to destroy 

 nada thistles, or to avail much towards thinning 

 eir ranks. It is evident therefore, that if attempts. 

 a|e to be made to subdue the Canada thistles by 

 tl(c ojierations of tillage, the j)rocess of tillage 

 sH<kild be coiulucted in a manner uuich more thor- 

 on:h than that of ordinary field husbandry, where 

 thf production of crops is the ouiY object. 



f should think a naked summer fallow would bo 

 a letter process for destroying Canada thistles than 

 tfe culture of corn or potatoes. I think so, be- 

 cause the process of tillmg ehher of these crops 

 occupies too short a time, and closes too early in 

 the season ; that is, at or before midsummer. It 

 is, I believe, generally understood, that the best 

 time to operate for the destruction of any vegeta- 

 bles, is iu the latter part of the season. If" the 

 tenant of a field to be operated upon by summer 

 fallow for the destruction of thistles desires to be 

 veiy thorough, he may commence his operations 

 in the fall, that is, plough his ground at that time. 

 The process may be resumed in the sjiring as early 

 as he pleases, and prosecuted through the season, 

 by j>loughing and harrowing as frequently as any 

 thistles shall appear. I doubt not that, by such "a 

 process, Canada thistles may be entirely subdued 

 in one sea.son. Wheat may be sown, and as the 

 ground will have been perfectly prepared, a first- 

 rate crop may be exjiected. — Not unlikely the extra 

 labor will be amply remtmerated by the greater 

 value of the crop. 



But if it better please the occupant to connect 

 his process with the culture of corn or potatoes, 

 it will in that case be a good practice to plough the 

 ground in the fall and -in the spring, to give it all 

 practicable tillage, jireparatoiy to planting. I am 

 lot sure, however, that in case a smooth, green 

 ward is to be operated upon, it will not be better 

 1 defer operations till spring, and then simjily 

 urn over the sward. I have nearly destroyed 

 (anada thistles by the act alone of turning over 

 svard in this manner. But at what time, or in 

 vhat manner soever, the proprietor or occupant 

 nay please to connnence his operations, his sub- 

 equeut practice throughout must be much more 

 borough than that of the ordinary culture of com 

 )r potatoes. During the process of tillage, special 

 care must be taken that uo thistles escape notice. 



