Notes and Gleanings. ^yg 



Trees. — Noticing some remarks in the Journal upon the beauty of our 

 sweet-gum-tree, Liqtiidambar, or Bilstead as it is generally called in this part 

 of the country, we can fully indorse the statement. But we have found to our 

 cost that they cannot safely be removed in the autumn. We purchased a dozen 

 good-sized trees for planting by the roadside in the fall, and all but two died the 

 following summer; and those that lived scarcely made any growth. A few years 

 ago, we planted out a hundred and fifty sweet-gums about two feet high, in the 

 fall ; and only about twenty-five lived and grew next season. We find no diffi- 

 culty in making them live when transplanted in the spring. When they have 

 been transplanted two or three times, they make a compact growth, and are 

 much prettier than those grown in the woods and fields. This tree forms a 

 good contrast to other deciduous shade-trees, and is especially admired for its 

 glowing crimson autumnal livery. We find the same difficulty in transplanting 

 the tulip-tree {Liriodendron) and the magnolias in the fall. A lot of two hun- 

 dred medium-sized tulip-trees transplanted the first of the winter were nearly all 

 killed to the ground. If it is necessary to purchase any of these varieties in 

 the fall, they had better be covered with earth, or protected in some other way. 

 Our experience may not coincide with the experience of other tree-planters ; but 

 we give it for what it is worth. There are a few varieties of shrubs that will 

 be more likely to live if planted in the spring, — the Spirca Reevsti, for instance ; 

 and a few others regarded as nearly hardy. We have also found that the young 

 sycamore-maples will kill down to the roots if removed in the fall, if succeeded 

 by a severe winter. The Norway maple we have found to be the hardiest of 

 all, and it will bear more rough usage and exposure than any other ornamental 

 tree. We have often noticed that boys sometimes travel long distances to 

 gather nuts, and are often weary and footsore with carrying their bags or bask- 

 ets full home. It has occurred to us that it would be a kindness and an act of 

 humanity for us to plant black-walnut and butternut trees more frequently than 

 we now do. Would not the children bless our memories, if, as we planted our 

 roadside trees, or trees around llie barns and carriage-houses, we interspersed 

 some nut-bearing trees ? Is there not some spare corner where we could plant 

 a black-walnut ? or is there not room along the lane by the carriage-house, or 

 some good place, where they will flourish, and reward in time the family or the 

 neighboring boys with plenty of nuts ? We planted a few years since a couple 

 of black-walnut-trees near the barn, and they are now objects of beauty. They 

 began to bear in ten years, and for eighteen years they have yielded a crop every 

 year. Last fall we observed a fig-tree standing in the open ground at Charles 

 Downing's, Newburgh, N.Y., full of fruit, the second crop just ripening. His 

 method is to keep it low by good training, and to bend the stems down when 

 the cold weather destroys the leaves, and cover deep with earth, over which he 

 places straw, coarse litter, or any protection to prevent freezing. 



A pawpaw was also observed growing finely in the same garden. /. //. 



North Hempstead, L.I. 



