148 



SILK MANUAL AND 



From the New England Farmer. 

 PLANTATIOIVS OP FORESTS AND OP TIMBER 

 TUCKS. 



OSAGE ORANGE, (maclura aurantiaca,) climate, soil. 



I am induced at this time to write on the sub- 

 ject of our Forests and our Timber Trees, by an 

 article which I lately saw in that excellent publi- 

 cation, "TAe Cultivator,'" which is edited by Judge 

 Buel, at Albany, In that publication he remarks 

 that " the Osage Orange is tender, even more so, 

 than the Morns Muliicaidis.''^ He then proceeds 

 to state, as evidence, that with him, the Osage 

 Orange had invariably been killed down every 

 winter. His observations in regard to this tree 

 were probably elicited by an article written by 

 me, and which I saw republished in some of the 

 public journals of Albany and elsewhere, concern- 

 ingthistree, wherein I had asserted that the Osage 

 Orange is hardy, as it had endured, uninjured, the 

 rigors of the last seven winters, 7iear Boston. 



How shall we reconcile the truth of both these 

 statements, which are so directly opjiosedj except 

 it be by a reference to some very material differ- 

 ence of climate, between Boston and Albany, al- 

 though both are situated nearly, if not precisely, 

 in the same parallel of Latitude ? This difference 

 of climate, I shall shortly and briefly proceed to 

 shew : stating also, all the material evidence on 

 which my assertion was founded. 



Here stand the trees of the Osage Orange, in a 

 bleak and exposed situation, the living witnesses 

 of the truth of my assertion. For so far as I can 

 know, there are no others of any considerable size 

 in the State, except only at the Botanic Garden in 

 Cambridge. Both my trees stand on the hill 

 where I reside — the one in a Northerly exposi- 

 tion, the other Westerly and Northerly. The one 

 measuring seven inches in circumference, and the 

 other eight inches near the ground. The one ten 

 feet high, and the other eleven feet. Here they 

 stand, and where they have ever stood since the 

 spring of 1829, without any protection, and yet 

 uninjured during all our late most unusually rig- 

 orous winters ; and I invite any one to see them : 

 the soil rather springy and loamy, the foundation 

 a hard j)an. JMy supplies of this tree have gener- 

 ally been very limited, as I always purchased most 

 all for the supply of my orders ; and I had never 

 lost a tree by winter. 



Yet having in December last, read the account 

 and the sweeping assertion of Judge Buel, alJ 

 which was perfect news to me, and reflecting that 

 on some grounds of mine in a lower situation, I 

 had a few thousands of these trees, which I had 

 purchased last spring of Mr D'Arras of Philadel- 

 phia, and reflecting that these frees were at that 

 time young, and but of a single summers growth, 

 and being received and set out late in a bad sum- 

 mer, I concluded as the tree was yet very rare, 



that prudence dictated caution.' It was not till 

 the present winter had set in, and the ground was 

 haril frozen, that I caused horse manure, (a prac- 

 tice not unusual,) to bespread around their trunks 

 and over the roots of all, leaving their whole tops 

 quite exposed : as we knew by experience, that 

 even in this climate, the young trees of hut a sin- 

 gle summers growth, of the Cherry, the Quince, 

 the Plum and the Pear, and some other kinds, re- 

 quire protection during the first winter, on a soil 

 rendered defenceless by cultivation, and we never 

 leave them exposed till the second winter, when, 

 if strong and well rooted, they require no more 

 protection. 



The fact seems to be, that the climate of Al- 

 bany is subject to extreme and killing cold during 

 winter, from its position, which is quite unlike 

 that of Boston. I have never sought yiarticularly 

 in our journals to ascertain the extreme degree of 

 cold of that city, but only do recollect, that times 

 have been named, when the thermometer had de- 

 scended to 24° below zero, at Albany ; and I think 

 as low as 30'^ below zero, at Troy, which is but a 

 few miles above Albany. 



My attention was recalled to this subject, by 

 Mr Douglas, an intelligent gentleman from Al- 

 bany, who called on me last winter, who spoke of 

 the excessive cold of the winters of Albany, when 

 compared with ours, although both are in similar 

 latitudes. Also, by a letter from Judge Buel him- 

 self, an extract of which is recorded in the New 

 England Farmer for August, 1829, wherein he 

 has stated as follows : — " The past winter has 

 been dreadful to our Cherries, Plums and Pears. 

 We probably lost 5000 in our nursery alone. The 

 Peach and Plum blossomed poorly, and the fruit 

 as well as that of the Cherry and Pear, have been 

 almost totally destroyed by insects and by frost." 



Again, last summer, and during two or three 

 days while I sojourned at Hartford in Connecticut, 

 I became acquainted with E. W. Bull, Esq. of that 

 city, a most respectable and intelligent gentleman, 

 and an accurate observer. He stated to his cer- 

 tain knowledge, that the whole valley of the north 

 river, was anotlier and different climate from ours 

 at Boston, and subject to the most intense and de- 

 structive cold during winter, and especially above 

 the Cattskill Mountains. He mentioned, in proof, 

 the evidence of Mr Wilson, who is the partner of 

 Judge Buel in their extensive nursery establish- 

 ment. Mr Wilson had stated to him, that thej' 

 were nearly discouraged as to the cultivation of 

 the Cherry tree, so liable were they to be des- 

 troyed by their winters. Mr Buel also stated to 

 his own knowledge, that the whole valley of the 

 Connecticut, from Canada downwards to the sea,^ 

 was another and different climate from ours at 

 Boston. He mentioned as evidence the destruc- 

 tion of the Pear, Peach and Cherry trees on his 



