1906 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



1513 



SOMETHING ABOUT GROWING BASSWOODS; 

 FROM THE FOREST SERVICE OF THE DE- 

 PARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Every man who has any thing to do with 

 bees, and especially those who are enthusi- 

 astic in the matter of bee culture, should be 

 interested in growing l)asswood-trees — tirst, 

 because it is still, so far as I know, the great- 

 est honey plant or tree in this whole country. 

 While we can not say that Ijasswood honey 

 is the best honey pioduced in the world, j'et 

 when thoroughly ripened (as it always should 

 be) it comes pi'^tty near being tirst-(;lass. 

 Secondly, it looks just now as if the best and 

 cheapest material for making sections to 

 hold the honey is this same basswood. We 

 have tested quite a good many kinds of lum- 

 ber as a substitute, hut do not find any thing 

 so good as white basswood. It is true some 

 preparation of manufactured paper or paste- 

 board might answer; but it would cost a 

 great deal more, and I doul)t whether it 

 would be any handsomer in appearance than 

 our nicely polished basswood lumber. In 

 view of this I am sure our readers will be 

 interested in a letter I have just received 

 from the Chief of the Forest Service of the 

 Department of Agriculture, Washington. D. 

 C. Perhaps I should say I asked for infor- 

 mation in regard to getting basswood seeds 

 to germinate. Below we give also a copy of 

 the leaflet referred to. 



United States | 



DEPARTMfeXT OB^ AGRICULTURE. .- 



Forest Service. ! 



Mr. A. I. Root: — Your letter of October 30 is receiv- 

 ed. I am enclosing herewith a forebt-planting leaflet, 

 No. 10, prepared by our ufflce of Forest Extension, 

 which has to do with all matters pertaining to the 

 growinsf and plantint? of trees. This paper does not 

 ^o into the difficulty of growing basswood beyond ref- 

 erence to the advisability of planting the seeds in the 

 fall. Regarding this point, I want to say further that 

 a most essential requiremeni in the matter of induc- 

 ing basswood seed to germiuate as fully as possible at 

 one time depends, in my judgment, upon maintaining 

 a constant supply of moisture in the seed-bed. Too 

 much emphasis can not be put upon this essential. In 

 order that moisture may be properly retained, it is 

 well to place the seed-beds in a dense shade. In addi- 

 tion, it has been my personal practice to cover the 

 beds during the winter, and even during the following 

 spring and summer, with a fairly heavy mulch, keep- 

 ing watch constantly, of course, for the appearing 

 seedlings and seeing to it that the mulch does not 

 smother them as they begin to break through the 

 surface of the earth. Geo. B. Sudworth, Chief. 



Washington, Nov. 3. 



BASSWOOD TILIA AMERICANA. 

 FORM AND SIZE. 



The basswood is a forest tree which often attains a 

 height of 70 to 80 feet, and a diameter of 2 feet. Under 

 favorable conditions it may be considerably larger. 

 When grown free the tree bears a large, compact 

 crown, which makes a dense shade; in the forest it 

 has a straight stem with but few branches, which are 

 closely clustered at the top. The inner bark (bast), 



from which the tree gets its name, is fibrous and 

 tough. 



RANGE. 



The natural range of the basswood is from New 

 Brunswick south along the Allegheny Mountains to 

 Alabama, and westward to eastern Texas, Nebraska, 

 and southern Minnesota. The tree is commonest 

 about the Great Lakes, but attains its best develop- 

 ment on the bottom lands of the Ohio River, where it 

 is associated with white oak, cottonwood, white ash, 

 blackwalnut, and hickories. It may be planted on 

 good soils almost anywhere within its natural range, 

 though the most favorable region for economic plant- 

 ing is within the Northeastern States and north of 

 the Ohio River. 



SILVICAL QUALITIES. 



The basswood is best suited to deep rich river-bot- 

 tom soils, and to cool situations. While it will main- 

 tain itself on poorer uplands, it is recommended for 

 planting only where the soil is moist and well drained, 

 and where drouths are infrequent. It is, in general, a 

 hardy tree. It is moderately tolerant of shade, and 

 the seedlings require some protection from the hot 

 sun. In dry situations it is subject to injury from 

 the sun's heat. 



The rate of growth is fairly rapid during early age, 

 being about the same as that of red oak and Norway 

 maple. After attaining maturity the trunk frequent- 

 ly becomes hollow. 



The basswood is sometimes attacked by insects 

 which denude it of leaves or bore into the bark, but 

 serious damage is not frequent. The European spe- 

 cies are much more liable to insect injury than the 

 native basswood, and are much less desirable trees 

 generally. 



ECONOMIC USES. 



The light-brown wood is soft, straight-grained, and 

 easily worked, but not durable. It is often sold under 

 the name of whitewood. and is largely used for house 

 lumber, woodenware, carriage-bodies, panel work, 

 trunks, and paper pulp. 



Its large crown and dense folinge render it desirable 

 for planting along roadsides ana about the home, and 

 also for low shelterbelt>. throughout the greater part 

 of its range. Its flowers, which yield great quantities 

 of fine honey, lend it great value for bee-keepers. 



PROPAGATION. 



The basswood reproduces freely both by seed and 

 by sprout. The seed ripen in September or early 

 October, and may easily be collected while attached 

 to their large wings or bracts. They should be sepa- 

 rated from ttie wings and planted at once in nursery- 

 beds, as alternate freezing and thawing during the 

 winter roi s and loosens the seed coat and causes early 

 germination. If it is impracticable to plant in the 

 tall, they may be kei>t over winter in a cool dry place 

 between layers of sand. 



The basswood is one of the most prolific among our 

 native trees in .sprouts from the stumps, and hence 

 this method oJ renewmg an old stand is recommended. 

 To secure vigorous sprouts the trees should be felled 

 between November and March, and the stumps cut 

 low. Sprouis then start close to the ground, where 

 they can soon develop a root system of their own and 

 become self-supporting. All but two or three of the 

 sprouts should be removed at the end of the first sea- 

 son. Under favoraUe conditions a sprout grows only 

 about a foot the first year. 



The basswood seedling develops a single stout root, 

 but this is soon replaced by a number of lateral roots 

 which give the tree a strong hold upon the ground. 



PLANTING. 



In planting the basswood it is best to use one-year- 

 old seedlings, which should be set out as soon as the 

 frost is out of the ground and before the leaves unfold. 

 As a rule it is advisable to space the trees about five 

 feet apart each way. 



Basswood does well when planted in pure stands, 

 but it is also of value in mixture with white or red 

 pine (on good soil), or with white elm, white oak. red 

 oak. maple, or hickories. 



CARE AFTER PLANTING. 



In most situations to which basswood is adapted, 

 little cultivation is needed, since the heavy crowns 

 and rapid growth of the young trees will soon form 

 dense cover, which will exclude grass and weeds, ana 

 furnish the proper soil conditions. Where the under- 

 growth is very rank, however, it is necessary to clear 

 out the weeds in order to give the trees growing 

 space. 



