138 



THE POMOLOGIST. 



October 



For the Western Pomologist: 



Notes on Trees in the Northwest. 



Twenty years experience loitJi forest trees— 

 What to plant — The Linden for honey — 

 Siberian Crab Seedlings for shelter belts, cfcc. 



Experience is said to be a good teacher. 

 It has taught many a valuable but expensive 

 lesson to the tree planters of the West. 

 Yet there are thousands freshly arriving Tvho 

 will have to pay the same price except they 

 learn more cheaply tlirough the medium of 

 such valuable papers as Thb Pomologist by 

 comparing the experience of others. 



Allow me to present a few of the results 

 of twenty j'ears' trial of various liinds of 

 forest and fruit trees iu the climate of north- 

 ern Illinois. 



In 1850 I brought from Ohio and Michigan 

 a quantity of one year old seedling forest 

 trees, iucluding evergreens, and a very full 

 assortment of the various kinds of fruit 

 trees. Experience with the latter has 

 been so fully and frequently treated 

 of that only the former will now be 

 alluded to. My forest seedlings were 

 grown for sale and closed out In about eight 

 years,occasional additions being made during 

 that time. From fifty to one hundred trees 

 of nearly every kind were transplanted or 

 allowed to remain where first set for per- 

 manent shade trees. Most of these, with the 

 exceptions I shall mention, are now living, 

 and many of those sold may now be found 

 in the vicinity of Elgin, Ills., from fifteen to 

 twenty years old formius noble trees, which 

 any man might be proud of having planted. 

 Of the kinds most largely planted were the 

 White Ash, Chestnut, Elm, Tulip, and Wal- 

 nut. Of the Chestnuts sold or transplanted 

 few survived, but those which were allowed 

 to stand where first set continued to flourish 

 for about fifteen years, blossoming frequent- 

 ly, but never bearing any perfect fruit ; the 

 burrs did not ripen or acquire their full size. 

 For the last four or five years thej' have de- 

 clined and this season many of them appear 

 to be dying. The freeze of last October 

 injured them much. I think tliey are not 

 hardy enough far the Northwest— a fact I 

 am sorry to record as much was hoped from 

 the Chestnut as a timber and fruit product- 

 ting tree. Parties North and West of Chi- 

 cago had probably best be sparing of invest- 

 ment iu the Chestnut tree. 



The Tulip tree, or Whitewood did not bear 

 transplanting. Only a few trees are now 

 alive and they are not in a flourishing condi- 

 tion. It is too tender. 



Some seedling Sugar Maples that would 

 not "get up" while young have at this date 

 nearly caught up with the Elm and Ash. 

 The latter is the most satisfactory tree to 

 propogate from seed that I have ever tried, 

 being as easily grown as the Red Maple and 

 far more valuable for every purpose. The 

 Black Walnut aud Butternut have not ans- 

 wered the expectations as to size. Some of 



the former have died, I think from-thc efi'ccts 

 of repeated denudations by tlie caterpil- 

 lars. The OhioBuckeye is very hardy, fruit- 

 ful, slow growing, and worthless, except for 

 ornament. The White Birch is hardy, but 

 not so large now as Sugar jMaple of the 

 same age. Hickories and Oaks have done 

 well when allowed to stand where the seed 

 was planted, but have not been a success 

 when transplanted. Red Cedars and Hem- 

 locks are tender. 



The Balsam Fir has made the finest formed 

 trees to be found among the evergreens. 

 One specimen thirty feet high and a perfect 

 pyramid, measures twenty-four feet across 

 the base, the lower limbs being strong and 

 full and lying all along on the lawn. JBui the 

 grounds were not pastured with cows while 

 the trees were young. A neighbors girl 

 however, did ruin the finest spruce one cold 

 day in winter, thrashing the boughs with a 

 pole to obtain the cones. A cow could not 

 have damaged it so badly. 



Only four trees of the Lombardy Poplar 

 were planted, three in aS group behind the 

 house and onefat the barn gate. They shot 

 skyward rapidl}', and have formed a sort oi 

 spire to the plantation and a landmark 

 across the prairie for miles. But they are 

 now beginning to " go dead," a fate over- 

 taEinglnearly all the Lombardys of that age. 

 The owners of places planted with long 

 avenues of these dismal trees will soon have 

 the "dead wood" on these trees for certain. 



I had always been sorry forplantingatree 

 of tlie Silver Abele or Poplar on account of 

 its being too easy of propagation at the root, 

 but on cutting down a tree ou the place 

 where I now live, I was astonished to find 

 nearly a cord of wood, and still more that 

 it would burn quite freely while green and 

 make a hot fire. 



I liave still some of this wood dry and 

 shall make further experiments with it. 

 Speaking, of cheap fuel on our large prairies, 

 the Peach is grown with profit in Kansas 

 and I am told that the Transcendent Crab is 

 equally valuable for the same purpose in 

 Minnesota. Mrs. S. K. Webb, of Meeker 

 county, Minn., writes that she has grown a 

 splendid shelter belt of Siberian Crab Seed- 

 lings, " now ten years old, twenty feet high, 

 which the high winds of Minnesota has 

 never broken, and the fruit ou many of these 

 seedlings, though small is of excellent qual- 

 ity for eating and superior for cooking." 

 This is certainly killing two] bii'ds with one 

 shot, growing firewood, shelter, and fruit at 

 the same time. 



When it is remembered that the w lod of 

 of the Peach aud also of tiie Siberian apple 

 tree is of the very best quality for fuel, 

 it is wondered that their use is not urged upon 

 the people of the jirairies iu those States 

 where they flourish, as it is probable a given 

 quantity of wood could be grown with less 

 cost and time from these, tlian from any 

 other kinds of equally compact woods. 



The Lach is too valuable for other purposes 

 tT be use for fuel, and the Willow and Pop- 

 lar are too light for profit. 



The Linden, or Basswood is a tree easily 

 propagated from seeds or suckers, and though 

 the wood is not compact for fuel, yet the 

 tree is one of the very choicest for shade and 

 ornament ou account, of the splendor of its 

 foliage and the fragrance of its blossoms. 

 Besides this there is another important pur- 

 pose for which this tree is valuable, viz : 

 honey producing. The honey made from 

 Linden blossoms is of the best quality. 

 The Linden trees on the place above 

 referred to are now more than paying 

 cost in this way alone- Bee -growers should 

 plant the Basswoo d plentifully. 



The results of my experience are such, 

 that in planting a place I should, of native 

 forest trees, plant principally the following 

 in the order named. For street rows, White 

 Ash, Elm, and Sugar Maple. For the lawn, 

 proper, only such low growing trees as the 

 Mounutain Ash, White Birch, Buckeye 

 White Thren, Wild Crab, {Pyrus Coronaria,) 

 and very sparingly of the Evergreens, Bal- 

 sam Fir, Spruce, and White Piue. For the 

 park or pleasure ground, Maple, Linden, 

 Tiox Elder, Oak, Hickory, and Butternut 

 For the timber belt. Larch, Ash, Sugar 

 Maple, Box Elder, White Pine, Walnut 

 Hickory, and Linden. 



Where all of these could not be obtained 

 plant the Cottonwood, Soft Maple aud Wil" 

 low for the street ; the Sumach, Thorn, Crab 

 aud Linden for the lawn ; and the Cotton- 

 wood, Oak, Hickory, and Walnut for timber 

 all of which can be found along nearly 

 every water-course in the West. 



The Locust of every kind are " no good," 

 would prefer instead for tree fences the Cot- 

 tonwood, or Wliite Willow, which will prob- 

 ablymake the best live fence wherever the 

 Osage will not stand. Of the kind of trees 

 that are now being much putfed and planted 

 be careful of the Chestnut, the Red and 

 White Cedars, and the Lombardy Poplar. 



The above conclusions may clash with the 

 experience of others, as doubtless they will 

 with their prejudices, but I have stuck tc 

 facts as close as my observation and judg- 

 ment would permit I have none of 

 the trees recommended for sale. 



Much is now beiug said and done to en- 

 courage tree planting for shade, shelter, tim- 

 ber and isothermal efl'ect. But one point it 

 seems to me is overlooked, or else the neglect 

 bcai s too strouly the 'trade marks' of interest- 

 ed parties. While all our leading horticultur- 

 ists and nursery men are blowing hot about 

 propagating and planting trees, the subject 

 of preserving forests, belts, parks and groups 

 of native and noble trees that were found 

 standing on our soil, or have sprung up since 

 the country was settled, is left out in the cold. 



Dr. Warder lately made the remark that 

 every time he came to Ills., he observed an 

 apparent increase of timber from the natural 



