NOTES ON THE WBATHEK, &a — SHADE TREES. 



NOTES ON THE WEATHEE, ETC. 



The past year closing with the present month, has 

 been a most peculiar and marked one throughout the 

 Western, Middle, and New England States, and wiU 

 be most distinctly remembered for many years. 



The drouth during last summer was undoubtedly the 

 most serious that America ever witnessed. Wiscon- 

 sin and the larger part of Michigan and Canada, alone 

 escaped. The actual bona fide loss to farmers, from 

 the drouth of 1854, is more than two hundred mil- 

 lions of dollars. It is a fact that upon all subsoiled 

 or very deeply plowed lands, the crops suffered least, 

 and particularly upon grounds which were under- 

 drained. 



We had as little rain perhaps as in most localities, 

 but our grounds were well drained, subsoiled deeply, 

 and its surface was constantly stirred with the hoe, 

 plow and cultivator ; therefore our trees and plants 

 grew with equal vigor and made as healthy a growth 

 as in more favorable seasons. 



From two to three feet in depth of water, falls in 

 rain and snow all over the surface of the earth, in the 

 course of a year. It having been so dry during the 

 summer and autumn, it might justly be supposed that 

 a great body of snow must fall through the winter. 

 In December the snow fell to the depth of two and 

 three feet all over the country, which soon melted. 

 January and February gave us a wonderful snow 

 storm which extended from one part of the country 

 to the other, being in many places several feet deep 

 on a level. In Illinois, where a storm of snow is sel- 

 dom seen, it was so terrific, and continued so long 

 that the mails from Chicago for St. Louis, and Spring- 

 field, were detained two weeks, as well as travelers. 

 The accumulation of mail matter at that point alone 

 exceeded one hundred tona Cars containing hun- 

 dreds of passengers were blocked by immense drifts, 

 and the inmates were starved for many days, and nearly 

 frozen to death by the intense cold. The unusual 

 severity of the weather extended at this time over 

 the whole country, exhibiting a greater intensity of 

 cold than at any former period. ' 



When the thermometer indicates the niercury at 

 zero with ns, we consider the weather remarkably 

 severe ; if a few degrees below, there is great dan- 

 ger of the blossom buds of the peach trees be- 

 ing wholly destroyed, thus losing our entire peach 

 crop. 



iTo-day we have examined buds of the peach tree 

 which were fully exposed to the changes of the 

 weather, and we feel confident that they are not in- 

 iured, although the mercury fell on the 6th of Feb., 



at 7 o'clock in the morning, to 18 degrees below zero, 

 and at the same time on the 7th, 22 degrees below, 

 and so continued through the day with but little 

 moderation. We thiuk that apple, pear, cherry trees, 

 etc., too, have not suffered. 



The escape of the fruit trees, is attributed to the 

 want of sun throughout this extreme cold, which was 

 wholly obscured by clouds for nearly three weeks. 

 All trees were in better condition, too, to withstand 

 any sudden or extreme changes of the climate, than 

 usual. The exceedingly dry weather had matured 

 most perfectly the wood of last season's growth, thus 

 rendering them unusually hardy. 



The seeds sown last fall, as well as plants, will not 

 be injured, as a great body of snow covered the 

 ground, which effectually protected them from the 

 severe cold. 



SHADE TREES. 



In the March number of the FAR>rER for 1854, we 

 gave a brief notice of the failure of transplanted trees 

 consisting of hard and soft maples, and white oaks. 

 In the spring of 1854, soon as the frost was out of 

 the ground, the dead trees were all taken up ; broad 

 and moderately deep holes were dug, the subsoil re- 

 moved, and a fine compost of virgin mold and well 

 rotted manure applied to each tree. 



Three feet distant from the line of the tree, a ditch 

 was dug, which gave thorough drainage, and conduct- 

 ed all the surface water away from the trees. Hard 

 and soft maples were then set out, and firmly braced, 

 that the wind might not loosen the roots, and leave 

 air spaces about them. All commenced an imme- 

 diate growth, and continued to grow finely through- 

 out the season, the drouth not even causing their 

 leaves to drop. A runaway horse overthrew one of 

 them about the middle of June; it was immediately 

 replaced, but to no effect ; with that single exception 

 all have done well, and promise ere long to be an or- 

 nament and source of pleasure to the eye. 



It is as easy to transplant trees, and have them 

 make a continuous and healthy growth— extraordin- 

 aries excepted — as to half do the work, and be ob- 

 liged to repeat the same two or three times. 



Mr. Baekt, of the Horticulturist, very truly ob- 

 serves, that it would be a great benefit to community 

 in general, and particularly to those who have plant- 

 ed, or are about to plant fruit and forest trees, if re- 

 peated lectures were given by a lecturer whose espe- 

 cial duty it should be, to ring the changes upon, and 

 show the folly of attempting to hurry the work of 

 which we are speaking. Even after the trees are 



