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33artiraltiiral Dt|iartrattit. 



CONDUCTED BY P. BAEEY. 



HARDINESS OF TREES. 



Hardiness in trees is a quality universally sought for ; whatever other excellence they 

 possess, this seems indispensable. But this quality of hardiness is almost exclusively 

 looked for as a natural characteristic of particular varieties, and not as the result of 

 certain influences exerted by soil, climate, and modes of culture. Planters will write to 

 their nurseryman to send them " nothing but hardy varieties," but they seldom go so 

 far as to say, send me hardy trees — such as have robust constitutions, capable of endur- 

 ing the fatigues of removal, transportation, change of soil and climate, as well as all 

 the other trying circumstances which transplanted trees are heir to. Our purpose at 

 present is, to call the attention of tree-planters and nurserymen to this very important 

 matter. 



What is it, in the first place, that makes a tree hardy ? Our experience tells us it is 

 firm, well ripened wood, with abundance of healthy roots. These are the two main 

 points of excellence in a young tree, to which, of course, we would add a good shape 

 and reasonable size for its age. Now, how are we to get firm, well ripened wood ? Is 

 it by growing trees as we would mushrooms ? Certainly not. By applying large 

 quantities of stimulating manure we may grow young trees into wonderful dimensions, 

 and very beautiful to the eye ; but will men who buy trees for their own planting look 

 no further than this ? Very few do, we know. As a general thing, the larger a tree is 

 for its age, the better it pleases the purchaser — no matter how it has been grown ; and 

 this is leading us rapidly into a most pernicious system of nursery-culture. When nur- 

 serymen find that by forcing their trees into a rank growth they can secure a readier 

 sale and higher prices, they certainly will do it, and the planter may take the trees on 

 his own risk. This is all wrong ; and until planters cease to regard size as the prime 

 requisite, we need not expect to get rid of the common complaint that " so many of my 

 trees have died." 



The nursery is the place to give trees a sound, robust constitution : this is certain ; 

 and we beg every man who values hardiness in trees to note it well. It does not require 

 a knowledge of vegetable physiology, but the exercise of plain common sense to under- 

 stand this. In rearing animals for actual and profitable service, we do not nurse and 

 feed them as though they were merely intended to take the prize at an exhibition. We 

 rather feed them moderately, and give them such exercise and training as are calculated 

 to produce a vigorous muscular developement. So with trees. They should not be 

 grown merely to please the eye — the planter should look to the future ; and all planters 

 of experience do. Wo are by no means in favor of starving trees ; we regard a stunted 

 tree as worthless. What we want is a moderate, natural growth, such as will mature 

 fully ;m(l perfectly before the close of the growing season. This is always indicated 

 by healthy foliage, short-jointed Avood, and plump, well formed buds. The bark, too, 

 as the growth proceeds, assumes a tint of maturity. The rank, forced trees, are readily 

 distinguished by their young shoots being almost transparent ; the buds flat and small, 

 and far apart ; the leaves thin and delicate in their texture, and the bark soft and succu- 

 lent as that of the tender annual plant. In comparing cross sections of the wood as 

 seen through a magnifier, the moderately grown tree will exhibit a compact mass of 

 woody fiber, while the forced, over-luxuriant tree will present a mass of shaggy, cellular 

 tissue, with scarcely enough woody fiber among it to keep it erect, and the pith in the 



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