848 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



The finest specimens we have ever seen are in 

 Berkshire county, Mass* The old Elm in PittsfieUl 

 is J-3 ft in circumference four feet from the ground, 

 and towers up 114 ft., without a hraneh till near 

 the top. The great Elm on Boston Common, when 

 last measured, was 20 ft, in circumference at three 

 feet fix)m the ground. Wm. Bacon gives an ac- 

 count of a. beautiful Ehn at Natick. "Its pendent 

 branches are spread e<iually in all directions, to the 

 distance of 50 ft. from the trunk, thus giving a 

 diameter to its shade of abotit one hundred feet." 



.-^M^^"^ 



■^^'-^-"V^ 



EED CEDAE. 



TnK Red Cedar (Juniperua Virginiana) is too 

 well known to need a minute description. It is 

 indigenous to this country. According to the elder 

 Mu'iiAiix. CediU- Island, in Lake CHiamplain, nearly 

 opposite Burlington, Vermont, is the northern 

 boundary of the Red Cedar. Eastward, it is found 

 in Maine, at the mouth of the Kennebeek; whence 

 it spreads, without interruption, to Cape Florida, 

 and thence round t!ie Culf of Mexico, to beyond 

 St. Bernard's Bay, a distance of more than 3,000 

 miles. As it retires from the shores, it becomes 

 less common and less vigorous. In Virginia and 

 the more Southern States, it is raie at the point 

 where the tide ceases to How in the rivers; further 

 inland, it is seen only in the form of a shrub, in 

 open, dry, sandy places. In the Western States, 

 it is mostly confined to spots where the lime- 

 stone rock shows itself naked, or is so thinly 

 covered with earth as to forbid the growth of 

 Other trees. 



The name is derived from the fact that the heart- 

 wood is of a beautiful red color. The sap-wood is 

 perfectly white. The wood is exceedingly strong 

 and durable, and is most admirably adapted for 

 subterranean water-pipe, when it can be obtained 

 of sufficient size. That of the Southern States is 

 the best; and, in connection with the Live Oak, is 

 used in the upper frames of vessels. It makes the 

 most durable of posts. It is also used for the man- 

 ufacture of lead pencils, though the Bernmda Juni- 

 per is deemed preferable. 



The Red Codar was introduced into England in 

 1604, and has been very extensively planted. Lotj- 

 DON says: "As an ornamental tree, or large shrnb, 

 it is highly valued, either for planting singly on 

 lawns, or iu groups along with other treesj and 

 shrubs. It is more especially adapted fur grouping 

 with other Cupressina;, the pine and fir tribe, and 

 the yew." One of the largest specimens is in Suf- 

 folk, 70 years planted, which is 60 feet high, and a 

 trunk 2 feet in diameter. The usual growth iN. 

 from 10 to 12 feet iu ten years. 







THE DOUGLAS SPRUCE. 

 We present above an excellent engraving of th« 

 Douglas Spruce {Ahies Douglassii). It is named 

 after the celebrated traveler Douglas, who intro- 

 duced it from California in 1820. Tho.se who desire 

 a variety of Coniferous trees, can not omit this one. 

 It is one of the handsomest of the species. W« 

 have as yet few large, or even good-sized specimene 

 in this country. Douglas describes them aS from 

 2 to 10 feet in diameter in their native forests, and 

 from 100 to 180 feet in height. 



