THE WATER ELM. 



BY 



JENS JENSEN. 



DURING the summer of 1903 I 

 spent my vacation in that part of 

 the State of Michigan which is generally 

 known as the fruit belt. It was not 

 the fruit industry that had attracted 

 me there, but the sand dunes along the 

 Michigan coast between St. Joseph and 

 South Haven, with their interesting 

 vegetation. The flora along the Black 

 River was also carefully studied, and 

 brought many surprises, being so differ- 

 ent from that growing in the same lati- 

 tude in Illinois. One of the special 

 points of interest in the fruit district 

 is the state experiment farms at South 

 Haven, and it was here I was shown 

 the water elm (Zelkova acuminata). 



I will let Mr. Farrand, the superin- 

 tendent in charge of the station, tell 

 the history of the tree : ' Seeds of the 

 present trees were received by the late 

 Hon. J. J. L,yon, a well-known horti- 

 culturist, in 1879, under the name of 

 Skikiki, and said to be of Japanese ori- 

 gin. The largest one of the trees on the 

 grounds was transplanted young ; the 

 other two were moved from another 

 part of the grounds to their present place 

 when quite large, and have never recov- 

 ered from this transplanting." 



The largest tree measured 3 feet 10 

 inches in circumference over one foot 

 from the ground, and is over 20 feet in 

 height. The trees are growing on level 

 laud a few hundred feet from L,ake 

 Michigan and about 30 feet above the 

 water level of the lake. 



The top soil is a black, sandy loam 

 about 8 inches thick, with a layer of 

 whitish sand to a depth of about i foot, 

 and below this a heavy yellowish clay. 

 I was greatly surprised at the presence 

 of such beautiful and thrifty specimens 

 of this Zelkova in Michigan ; experience 



had taught me that it was not hardy at 

 Chicago, although it is farther to the 

 south. It must be admitted here that 

 climatic conditions are more favorable 

 to vegetation on the Michigan side of 

 Lake Michigan than on the Illinois side. 



As Mr. Farrand states, the seed was 

 sown in 1879, which made the trees 24 

 years old when I saw them in 1903. 

 The growth of the larger specimen dur- 

 ing the 24 years is one of more than 

 common interest, and gives room to the 

 suggestion, What possibility has the 

 water elm as a forest tree, where cli- 

 matic and soil conditions are favorable 

 to its growth ? 



That the larger tree at South Haven 

 had ripened seeds was evident by the 

 seedlings found in a quince hedge close 

 to the tree. Mr. Farrand related that 

 he had never paid much attention to the 

 flowers and seeds, but remembered that 

 it had been covered with small seed pods 

 during the summer of 1902. The cir- 

 cumstances under which the seedlings 

 had been able to germinate rather tends 

 to a prolific reproduction under favor- 

 able conditions. 



The great value of the lumber of this 

 species for building material, its hardi- 

 ness and fast growth, and the possibili- 

 ties for reproduction should stimulate 

 inquiries as to its practical value for 

 forest planting. 



As an ornamental tree, its value is 

 not questioned. The smaller tree illus- 

 trates well how much trees suffer by be- 

 ing transplanted after years of growth 

 a habit so much in vogue among tree 

 planters. 



Zelkova acuminata is indigenous to the 

 mountains of Japan ; another species, 

 Zelkova crcnata (the Siberian elm), is a 

 native of the Caucasus. 



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