1-38 



m:w i:n(;i.a.\I) fakmi.k, 



tier. 4, 1829. 



rived Irodi Monsieur Villur's drops, cuiiHcd liini to 

 increase ra|)idl) in reputation and wculili. The 

 Abbe I'onn extolled our rpiack, aii<l ^'"ve liiiii the 

 preferi-iicc to il/e relchrated Marescliiil ile Villurs. 

 " TliK latter," sa d be, " kills iiiun ; llie former pro- 

 longs tlieir existeiic-c." 



At leiiKtli, liowevcr, it was foriunnlely discov- 

 ered that Villars' remedy was roiiiptiseil almosit 

 entirely oCpure water. Hi.i prnrii.e was now at 

 •n end. Men bad recourse to otlier einpirirs of a 

 far more dangerous character ; mid to specifics 

 and advice much less efTirncious and rational in 



their Mature. laurniil nf Health. 



L — ^— — 



NEW ENGLAND FAllMER. 



BOSTON, FKIDAY, DECBMI3KR 4, 1829. 



WOOD FOR ri'i:L, WOOD LOTS, &c. 



The farmer should obtain his year's stock of 

 wood for fuel, &.C., as early in tlie ?easou as pos- 

 sible, and before the depth of snow miderti it <lif- 

 ficult to traverse «oodl.inds with a icaiii. A valu- 

 able paper written by lion. John Wki.i.f.s, origin- 

 ally published in the Mnssarhuitlts .Igricultural 

 Repository* contains the followini; remarks re- 

 lating III part to this subject, and furiiishiii<,' useful 

 directions relative to the inanageiueiit of wood- 

 lots, &(;. 



" As relates to our forests or wnoilland, it is a 

 fact generally known, that where tliey are cut off, 

 and n reiieweil growtK is wislieil (;>i-, if lliey arc of 

 hard woorl, they should be cut %vlnii the sap is 

 down, or the leaf off the tree. This being mostly 

 in the winter season, is most convenient to our 

 hushandincn. Jt is considered as very essential 

 by European writers, as well as some of our own 

 country, that trees should be cut as near the 

 ground as possible, as a men-is of throwing back 

 the sinkers more towards the roots. This prur- 

 tice is dicinlcd also by economy, as saving the best 

 part of the wood and timber. Jn the publications 

 of the Scotch Agricultural Board, by Sir John 

 Sinclair, it is observed " that of the trees, which 

 being cut down send forth no shoots, are the 

 beech, aiid the whole family of the pines." They 

 are considered in Europe " as limited to one gen- 

 eration." There is a mode here, however, as to 

 the latti'r tree, wiiii'h has the effect of producing 

 a succession. After cutting off a pine lot, the 

 plough is intiofliiced, a crop of rye is oliiained 

 beneficially, anil the seeds of the pine, which were 

 on the surface, being thus buried in the soil, a new 

 and rapid growth is produced. This is aiiled if 

 one or two middle sized seed bearing trees arc 

 left on an niTC. 



" As to the important principle, at what ago, or 

 how ofieii it is best to cut ort'our wood, We should, 

 on the whole, be (lis|iMsed lo name a (leriod be- 

 tween -10 or 50 years, as most favorable for what 

 arc termed liar<l wood trees. The writer here re- 

 fers not only to a variety of facts, as to different 

 lots in this Slnti^, but to opinions of many jiiiliii,.u~ 

 farmers. This is corroborated by a number of 

 experiments, where portions of u lot have been 

 cut off at the period of time above stated, and the 



• 'I'hi! Kiliinr (if ihi- lU'posiiory iniroiluci'H ilm arliclo niliulc.l 

 lo by (,l,«ernn.,' ili.il it " ri'liiien In a siil.j.Ti of Ihn Kr«i««>l i'»- 

 porl.inrc lo M.n«sa<liiis<.iiii. » Sinin ilfsilned In hernmo vrrv 

 popiiiniiii liy ii« ni.lu.iry. iia cnpiml, and iUsuppriornilvanlnRi-s 

 ofnllili-ncripiKMnforcxi-iKivn innnufni-luri-. The licsi lumlc 

 nf pffurri'iiie nor wooillni, fmin ilccnv cnii only Iw n«riTliiiiii.cl 

 by *«|pn«ive nnd rrof|iidiily rpprniril rxpiTinici'in. No iniin in 

 New KiiKliiml hill piijnyp.l Krcnlor iippnnniiiliM lliaii Mr 

 n zi.LKi,, ut making and wiinrulng such cxpcrimenU." 



product of which considerably exceeded that of 

 other pons of the eame lot, which bad been left 

 standing in the aggregate i|uaiiiily upon an acre. 

 This was the more discernible, where the ground 

 bad been cut clean ; a practice which cannot be 

 too highly recommended. 



" By the agricultural reports above alluded to, 

 it appears that in the lots reservi'd for wood, (call- 

 ed coppices) it is coiisiilered as most profitable lo 

 cut off the growth every 40 years. It will be per- 

 ceived that for this country a longer period is in- 

 clined lo. 



"As to the pine, that called the pilch pine, fPi- 

 nus Tiigida) is the prevailing growth in lliis (State. 

 The general opinion is that it may be cut to ad- 

 vantrtge once in about 40 years. 



"Though trees may shoot up in height by 

 standing longer, yet the period of most rapid 

 vegetation is mostly over, and by this means, nnicb 

 of the under growth is neces.sarily destroyed. 



" It may be here remarked, that those trees 

 which took their start in the earlier stages of 

 vegetation on our soil, and have grown separate, 

 have put at a distance all competition. Having 

 the advantage of extent of ground, air, light, &c. 

 besides being more valuable as timber, they liave 

 altarncd greater age and size than has been since 

 known. 



" One observation will tend to the vindication 

 of our country from that censure, which has been 

 bestowed upon us by some superficial travellers. — 

 We have been condemned as evincing a wan; of 

 taste in cutting off our forests, without leaving 

 what it would take kalf a century to produce, a 

 shade near where it is jiroposed to erect buildings. 

 The fact is that trees of original growth have their 

 roots mostly in the upper stratum of earth, and 

 near the surface. A tree acts upon its roots and 

 is acted upon by the wind, sustaining in common 

 wiili tho whole forest the force of this eletiient, 

 and it becomes accommodated or naturalized to 

 the pressure. But when left alone, or iinsustain- 

 ed, it is borne down by the first gale, often to the 

 injury of property, anil even of life;. It is true 

 wisdom therefore, that induces the first settlers lo 

 cut or girdle the wfiole growth, that a danger so 

 serious may be avoided. 



"Considering the oak as the monnnh of the 

 wood, we begin where this tree predominates. — 

 From a careful examination of several lots of con- 

 siderable extent, which have been cut clean, and 

 where there could be but little doubt that the 

 growth was, as it were, primeval ; not more than 70 

 rings could be discovered. As the outer rings 

 were not very distinct, it may be fairly iiiferrod, 

 that many years might have passed by, withuii! 

 this indication of increase. The result seems suf- 

 ficient, more especially if it shall he confirmed bv 

 coincident facts, to establish the preceding hy- 

 pothesis ; th.1t it is generally most beneficial to cut 

 off our wood lots at some period between forty 

 and fifty years; varying the rule somewhat as cir- 

 cumstances may dictate. 



" Where lots are left for a much longer period, 

 or where the old trees are gradually selected as 

 wanted by the proprietor, the growth becomes 

 more and more feeble. 



"The I'liglish writers generally lay down a dif- 

 fi-renl result from what appears to be the fiict in 

 this country as lo the giowlli of wood. 



"First, they assert that alter a period of about 

 fifty years, the forest trei's will not shoot anew 

 after beiiig cut over. 'J'liis is so far from being 



the cose liere, thai it is believed that ecurce i^ 



siance has occurred, where lots are fenced 



cattle are kepi out, but that a new growth has 

 wauled the owner of the coil. In »everiil loti 

 old growth upon Blue Hill in Milton, it was \ 



I dieted that there would not be a new growth 

 The wood was cut olF in 1800, and there is n 



^ a fine vigorous succession of the 8umc sort 

 trees. 



" Old lots when the wood is taken Ihcrefr 

 are too often li-fl exposed as pastures, or in ci 



' mons ; the roots are surcharged with sap : 

 shoots when they rise up are of rapid growib. i 

 iler and iiiilrilive ; they are croppe<I by < utile : 

 sheep, and the erroneous conclusion above sti 



, is too hastily drawn in this country at least. ' 

 next point u|)on which we must dissent, is ihi.- 



I That ' the trimming of wowl lots is iM.nefirlal 

 True it i.s, that some of our farmers think that 

 stumps of tlieir trees may be deprived of a p"i 

 of their numerous suckers for a few years. 'I' 

 are used lo serve as bop poles. Perhaps from 



] necessity of the case, and the situation of 



I country, this may be justified. But cxperie 

 here seems fully to establish it, that wood 



I should not he trimmed in the manner recuiimic 

 ed by the English writi'rs, fin- the purpose of 



I ting in the air and light. In a variety of inslai 

 where this has been done, the consequence 

 been that the leaves have been blown away,«l 



I would have made the land lie light, and nourish 

 roots. A thick grass sward has been iVirmtd, 

 ihc lots have been stunted in growth, and uiosi 

 sentially injured. 



j "There is no doubt that in the family of 



( oaks there is a great difference in growth ami 



' raiicm. The red oak (Quercus riibrii) ; ihi- { 

 oak (Qiierciis andiigiia) ; the swamp white 

 (Quercus Rinus Discolor), in Ptcsis attain I 

 growth sooner than the while oak (Quercus A! 

 The latter tree spreads its ImiiIis, parallel nc 

 with the earth : by engrossiag a greater exten 

 soil it has the benefit of better nutrition. .' 

 seldom predominates in tht forest in close groi 

 it does not, perhaps, matnre much under 60 ti 

 years, and when in single arct favorable silii.-nl 

 it requires a much longer period. The Che^ 

 of the United States (Castane.i Vesca) is a 1 

 lived tree, but less so ban the white oak : it gr 

 to a large size and is valuable for timber. 

 Scotland they conjeciiire some of their Chc^ 

 trees to be nearly llii-ee hundred years old. 

 has been befiire observed, the white oak an. I 

 elm, in common with other trees when well ? 

 atcd in cultivated grounds, and near roads 

 house!!, attain great and protracted age, and n 

 he consideretl as forming (if not cxceplions) da- 

 of cases by themselves, not interfering with i 

 system under which we place our foicsis 

 wood lots." 



hahtUa Crapes. — The etanduni IsalH'lIn <■' 

 Vine of ihe Mes.srs WiNsnips, at the Bri- 

 Nursery, has this )ear borne 507 bunches ol i 

 being but five years old. 



Jtmerican Silk. — We are happy to learn h 

 gcnlleman In .MiiiisficM, (.'on. that the silk bnsiti 

 in (■onneciicni was nc\cr more prosperous i 

 profiiaMi- than it has been this season There 

 been an iiiinieii.se demand for raw silk fniiii .\ 

 York, lo be fiibricaled into fringes and ribbons 

 ladies ilresses ; and one liou.se in Norwich, I" 



