VOL. XXI. NO. 41. 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER. 



323 



ACACIA OR LOCUST TREE. 



The Acacia tree is well known in America, 

 rroni which it was introduced by the name oF the 

 Locust tree. It grows very rapidly in the early 

 stages of its progress ; so that in a few years, from 

 seeds, plants of eight and ten feet high may be 

 obtained. It is by no means uncommon to see 

 "hoots of this tree eight or ten feet high in one 

 season. 



In North America, where this tree grows to a 

 ^ery large size indeed, the wood is much valued for 

 ts duration. Most of the houses which were built 

 It Boston in New England, on the first sell ling of 

 he English, were constructed of this wood, and 

 since then it has been much used in America for 

 mrioiis purposes. 



The seeds of the Acacia tree were first brought 

 ;o Europe by M. Jean Robin, nurseryman to the 

 King of France, and author of a " History of 

 "lants." M. Robin brought the first seeds from 

 Canada : in consequence of wjiich, succeeding bo- 

 anists have, in honor to his name, termed the 

 jenus Robinia to which the Acacia tree belongs. 

 5oon after its introduction into France, the Eng- 

 ish gardeners received seeds from Virginia, from 

 ifhich many trees were raised. 



The wood, when green, is of a soft te.xture, but 



ecomes very hard when dry. It is as durable as 



le be t white oak of North America, and esteem- 



d preferable for axlctrees of carriages, trenails for 



hips, and many other important purposes. The 



irner finds the wood of the Acacia hard and well 



uited to his purpose, and is delighted with its 



nooth texture and beautifully delicate straw 



Dior. 



The tree, when aged, abounds with certain ex- 



■esccnces or knots, which, when polished, are 



jautifully veined, and much esteemed by the ca- 



net-maker. It makes excellent fuel, and its shade 



' said to be less injurious than that of any other 



ee, while the leaves afford wholesome food for 



ittle. A gentleman in New England sowed se- 



!ral acres of it for this purpose alone. 



It has been employed with signal success in 



irginia for ship building, and is found to be very 



perior to American oak, ash, elm, or any other 



ood they use for that purpose. In New York it 



is been found, after repeated trials, that posts for 



il-fencing, made of the Acacia tree, stand wet 



id dry near the ground better than any other in 



mmon use, and will last as long as those of 



'amp cedar. 



In forty years the Acacia tree will grow sixty 

 3t high, and will girth six feet, three feet from 

 3 ground; and although brittle in a young state, 

 D characteristics of the timber of a grown tree 

 5 toughness and elasticity. 



As a durable timber, it has been proved that 



thing can exceed the Acacia wood, when of pro- 



r aje. But there is one important use to which 



;se trees may be applied, which has hitherto os- 



iped the notice of the planter, namely, hedges. 



j cm its rapidity of growth it forms a fence capa- 



i; of resistance in one-fourth of the time of any 



Ver plant hitherto used for that purpose. Had 



l! to fence in a whole estate, we should, in pre- 



lencetoall others, plant Acacias. They bear 



'pping, and may be raised to twenty or thirty 



!t high, if required, and are so strong that no 



imal can force through them. The only instance 



an Acacia hedge we know of, on the continent 



I Europe, is to be seen round part of the boule- 



/ rd of the city of Louvain. Plants for this pur- 



pose should be taken from tha nursery lines four 

 feet high. At every point where the sterna croes 

 one another, a natural union or grafting takes 

 place, and as the stems increase in sizi", the spaces 

 between will gradually decrease ; no that in the 

 course op- a few years the fence becomes a com- 

 plete wooden wall, not occupying n space more 

 than twelve or fifteen inches, fornjing a barrier that 

 no animal can force. Fences of this description 

 may either be made on the level ground, or con- 

 cealed from the distant view. 



The following highly interesting account of tliis 

 tree, and the mode of cultivating it in the United 

 Slates, is given by Dr. S. Ackerly : — 



'' The cultivation of the locust tree, on Long 

 Island, and in other parts of the stute of New 

 York, has been attended to with considerable pro- 

 fit to the agricultural interest, but nut with that 

 earnestness which the importance of the subject 

 demands. Tliis may have arisen from the difficul- 

 ty of propagating it by transplanting, or not under- 

 standing how to raise it from the seed. 



" Tlie locust tree does not bear transplanting 

 well in this part of our country, but this in all pro- 

 bability arises from the custom of cutting of}' the 

 roots, when taken up for that purpose. Most of 

 the roots of the locust are long, cylindrical, and 

 run horizontally not far under tiie surface. In 

 transplanting, so few of the roots are left to the 

 body of the tree removed, that little or no support 

 is given to the top, and it consequently dies. If 

 care was taken not to destroy so much of the roots 

 a much larger proportion of those transplanted 

 would live and thrive. 



" Doctor Bard's method of preparing the seeds 

 was to pour boiling water on them, and let it stand 

 and cool. The hard outer coal would thus be sof- 

 tened, and if the seed swelled by this operation, it 

 might be planted, and would soon come up. This 

 has been followed with success in Long Island ; 

 and on a late visit to North llempsted, I was led 

 to admire Judge Mitchell's nursery of young locust 

 trees, planted in the spring. 



" The judge took a quantity of seed collected 

 on this island, and put it in an earthen pitcher, and 

 poured upon it water near to boiling. This he let 

 stand for twentyfour hours, and then decanted it, 

 and selected all the seeds that were any ways 

 swelled by this application of heat and moisture. 

 To the remainder he made a second libation of hot 

 water, and let it remain also twentyfour hoursj 

 and then made a second selection of the swelled 

 seeds. This was repeated a third time on the un- 

 changed ones, when nearly all were swelled, and 

 then he prepared the ground and planted them. 

 He planted the seeds in drills about four feet 

 apart, and in eight or ten days they were all above 

 ground, and came up as regular as beans, or any 

 other seeds that are cultivated in gardens. When 

 I saw them, the middle of July, they were about a 

 foot high, all thrifty and of a good color and con- 

 dition. — Farmer's Encyclop. 



Mammoth Oak The largest red oak tree in 



North America, says a correspondent of the Nnchi- 

 toches Herald, can be seen on the plantation of W. 

 Smith, Esq., 18 miles from Natchitoches, on the 

 road leading to Opelousas. This majestic oak 

 Iwo feet from the ground, mi!asures forh/fonr feet 

 in circumference, and at six feet, thirlijtwo feet. 

 The trunk appears sound and healthy, and its height 

 to the branches, is from fifty to sixty feet. 



I IHril.1. — Former! take care of the birds, um! 

 they will take care of you. A little attention lo 

 their habits and regard for their safety, will repay 

 you fur your trouble, and also render ihem agreea- 

 ble companions. A writer in the Now York Jour- 

 nal of Ciimmcrce, relates the lullovving pleasing 

 anecdote : 



" Early last summer, I wno on a visit to an old 

 friend in the country, and while wo sat on his piaz- 

 za, taUuiig of things long gone by, 1 noticed that 

 on the trees and shrubs in liis yard, there were a 

 great number of birds. Presently they Hew down 

 upon the [liazzn, and quite a troop of them came 

 hopping towards me. My old friend put his hand 

 in his waistcoat pockel, ami took out some seeds 

 and crumbs of bread, and scattered them close by 

 his chair. The birds picked them up, and then 

 flew upon the trees again, singing out their notes 

 sweeter than the strains of Bellini or Auber. 



My friend then remarked, that the spring of 1842 

 having come on early, had brought on (he birds 

 earlier than usual. The ground having become 

 covered with snow, they betook themselves to his 

 house for food. He took special pains to give it 

 to them, and they came regularly to be fed. They 

 built their nests in the neighborhood, and when 

 their young ones were hatched, they brought them 

 to the house also. He said that he took hie after- 

 noon nap on his piazza, and the birds sung him to 

 sleep. Indeed, they seemed quite his pets." 



Seeds. — The germinating properties of seeds 

 would seem to be almost indestructible. It is sta- 

 ted in an English paper, that some ground in Bushy 

 Park, which had lain undisturbed since the time of 

 Charles I., was turned up last winter. In the fol- 

 lowing spring, a plentiful growth of migiiionette, 

 pansies and wild raspberries, none of which grow 

 in the neighborhood, shot up spontaneously. 



The Mount Vernon estate is now the possession 

 and residence of Mrs. John A. Washington, widow 

 of a nephew of Gen. George Washington : so 

 swiftly do the generations of men follow each oth- 

 er in the solemn march to the tomb ! 



The garden is rich in rare and beautiful plants, 

 many of them planted by the hands of Washing- 

 ton. Indeed, the garden is said to bo but little 

 changed, since its world-renowned owner stood in 

 its midst. — Salem Gaz. 



So groat is the distress existing in England, that 

 numbers are subsisting on turnips alone. Victoria's 

 dogs, upon which so much money is lavished, are 

 living on delicacies, while her subjects, by millions, 

 are living upon oatmeal and turnips. — Host. Post. 



Si/mpMy for Laborers. — A working man re- 

 cently fell from a building while Q,ueen Victoria 

 was passing, and was killed in her sight. The 

 London Globe says of it : " We are happy to state 

 that though her Alajesty was much alarmed and 

 excited, no permanent injury in her Majesty's 

 health is likely to result." This reminds us of the 

 woman whose lap-dog bit a piece out of a visitor's 

 leg. " Poor, dear little thing," said his mistress, 

 " I hope it wont make him sick." — Salem Gaz. 



We give to great men the tribute of our praise 

 when the grave shuts them up from hearing it : we 

 take off our hats to them after they have gone by. 

 — Rilcher, 



