153 



THE WESTERN POMOLOGIST. 



1871 



Lombardy Pojilar, 10 inches in diameter, and 40 

 feet high. 



Blue and White Ash, 10 inehes in diameter, and 

 20 feet high. 



Chestnut, 10 inches In diameter, and 20 feet high. 



Black Walnut and Butternut, 10 inches in diam- 

 eter, and 30 feet high. 



Elm, 10 inches in diameter, and 30 feet high. 



Birch, (varieties,) 10 inches in diameter, and 35 

 feet high. 



Larch, 8 inches in diameter, and 34 feet high. 



As before intimated, the diiferent varieties of Ev 

 ergreens mentioned, will make an average growth 

 of eighteen to twenty inches in neight annually. 



From these and other data which the intelligent 

 farmer can collect, he may readily approxwiate esti- 

 mate of the cost of fence posts, rails, fire-wood, hew- 

 ing timber, lumber, etc. 



Sounds of Fines— Tlie SIeei>less Aspeu. 



Henry Ward Beecher thus hapily portrays the 

 beauties of the pine and the ever restless aspen : 



"The pine sings like the poet, with no everyday 

 voice, but in a tone apart from all common sounds. 

 It has the power to change the associations, and to 

 quicken the poetic sensibility, as no other singing 

 tree can do. Every one should have this old harper, 

 like a seer or a priest among the trees, about his 

 dwelling. Under an old pine would naturally be 

 found the young maiden whose new love was far 

 across the sea. In the sounds that would descend, 

 she could not fail to hear the voices of the sea — the 

 roar of winds, the splash of waves running in upon 

 the shore. A youg mother whose first born had re- 

 turned to God who gave it, would at twilight go to 

 the pines ; for, to her ear, the whole air must needs 

 seem full of spirit voices. They would sing to her 

 thoughts in such sad strains as would soothe sorrow. 

 Nor would it be strange if, in the rise and &?' of 

 these sylvan syllables, she should imagine that S..- 

 heard her babe again, calling to her trom the air. 



Every country place should have that very co- 

 quette among trees, the aspen. It seems never to 

 sleep. Its twinkling fingers are playing in the air 

 at some arcli fantasy, almost without pause. If you 

 sit at a window with a book, it will wink and blink, 

 and beckon, and coax, till you cannot help speaking 

 to it ! That nuist be a still day that does wot see the 

 aspen quiver. A single leaf sometimes will begin 

 to wag, and not another on the whole tree will 

 move ! Sometimes a hidden breath will catch at a 

 lower branch, then shifting, will leave them still, 

 while it shakes a topmost twig. Though the air 

 may move so gently that your cheek does not feel it, 

 this sen.sitive tree will seem all of a shudder, and 

 turn its leaves upward with a shuddering chill ! It 

 is the daintiest fairy of all the trees. One should 



have an aspen on every side of his house, that no 

 window should be without a chance to look upon its 

 nods and becks, and to rejoice in its innocent witch- 

 craft. I have seen such fair sprites too, in human 

 form. But one does not get oft" so easily if he takes 

 too much sport with them. The aspen leaf makes no 

 wounds. Its frolics spin no silken threads which 

 one cannot follow and will not break. The musical 

 qualities of trees have not enough been considered 

 in planting around our dwellings. The great leaved 

 Magnolias have no sound. Willows have but little. 

 Cedars, Yew trees, and Lombardy poplars are 

 almost silent. It is said that the Lombardy poplar 

 is the male tree, the female never being brought 

 over. It is very likely. It is stiff enough to be an 

 old bachelor. It spreads out no branches. Its top 

 dies early. It casts a penurious shadow." 



Barren Apple Trees — Remedy. — The St. Jo. 

 (Mich.) Herald says: "First, the Northern Spy, 

 Red Astracan, and a number of other choice varie- 

 ties of apples, have failed through this region to 

 bear apples, although ten or fifteen years old. Two 

 years ago. Dr. Hull, of Alton, delivered a lecture at 

 Benton Harbor, in which he recommended root 

 prunining. Mr. A. O. Winchester, of St. Joseph, 

 of Archer & Co.'s Nurserymen, had ten Northern 

 Spy apple trees, thirteen or more years old, which 

 had never blossomed, or borne a crop. After the 

 lecture, though late in the season, he directed his 

 man to root-prune one tree, and half root-prune 

 another. Last year, no favorable results appeared, 

 probably from the lateness of the root-pruning. 

 This year, the tree which was root-pruned all 

 around, is full of bloss<jms, while that side of the 

 tree half root-pruned alime is full of blossoms, the 

 un-root-pruned side having none at all. Every 

 other Northern Spy apple tree, as usual, contains 

 no blssoms. 



Thjs sing-le fact should lead \yai- orchardists to try 

 lue exp; riment this season. Now is 'the time to 

 begin, and the work of root-pruning should be 

 finished by the first of June. 



Long Keeping Apples. The Utah Pomdoyint 

 says :— " In California the yellow Newtown Pippin 

 and white winter Pearmain are among the best 

 keepers. 



We have proved the latter to be not only of su- 

 perior flavor, but that it will keep here in good or- 

 der until the first of May. The Limbertwig is even 

 a better keeper, but not as high fiavored or as 

 large. 



Miller's seedling, " CUierokee," is a new aspirant 

 to fiivor; medium size, handsome red, of good flavor 

 and long keeping. It has not yet been fruited 

 here. 



