VOL,. XIII. NO. as. 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



197 



fere with tlicm. As it will frequently happen that 

 the removal of a nurse plant might expose the 

 principal loo much, in such case let such branches 

 of the former as encroach upon the latter be fore- 

 shortened, or cut in, for the present, so as to give 

 sufficient light and air, to the end that the plant 

 may not be drawn or forced up unduly, and may 

 possess a proper strength of stem to resist the 

 winds and maintain itself in vigor. It will not fail 

 to strike the reader, that plants may be left closer 

 in exposed situations than in sheltered ones ; sud- 

 den exposure, at all times hiu'tful, should be sedu- 

 lously guarded against: hence an annual, or, at 

 most, a biennial thinning, ought not to be ne- 

 glected, so that the plants m;iy enjoy as nearly as 

 possible a uniform temperature, by which they will 

 be kept in a constantly growing slate. This j)ro- 

 cess being regularly carried on for fifteen or twen- 

 ty years, the whole of the fir tribe will be removed, 

 except on spots where, from the occasional failure 

 of other plants, it may have been proper to retain 

 them, or on the outsides of the plantation, where 

 they may be left for shelter or for ornament. 



Thus, with due attention to close pruning in the 

 early stage, and judiciously combining with it the 

 terminal or foreshortening system (seldom remov- 

 ing more than one year's growth will make good), 

 and foreshortening where necessary, keeping the 

 heads of the principal plants clear, and taking care 

 also that they do not snlfer from the side branches 

 of others, good timber, free from the common de- 

 fects occasioned hy injudicious management, may \ 

 he expected, and will, in all cases, where the plant 

 has been suited to the soil, be the residt. 



In the coniferous trees, or fir tribe, various 

 opinions have also been given on the required 

 management in regard to pruning. The gi-eat de- 

 fect in the timber of j;his clSss of trees is the knot, 

 which can only be obviated by pruning. But this 

 requires to be done with much discretion. Even 

 when planted thick by nature's hand, it is many 

 years before the under branches decay and fall oft': 

 and in some of the species, after the branch has 

 ceased to live, it will remain for many years as a 

 peg, before it drops clean off, so that the wound 

 may be healed over. If planted at 4 feet apart, 

 and on suitable soil, in five or six years they will 

 require the pruning-knife ; and, as in the case of 

 deciduous forest trees, care must be taken not to 

 over-prune (which would injure the growth of the 

 plant), never leaving less than 3 tiers of branches 

 untouchcil, and in exposed .sites 4 tiers may. be 

 left. If they are gone over every two years, it 

 will not be necessary to take oft' more than two 

 tiers of branches at a time ; the best season for 

 this operation is in the spring, some weeks before 

 the sap is in motion : let it be done close and 

 smooth, and continued until a sufticient length of 

 stem is obtained. In thinning these plants, par- 

 ticularly in exposed situations, there is some dan- 

 ger, and it ought to be proceeded in with caution. 

 These trees having thick tops, long stems, and 

 being shallow-rooted, the wind acts upon them 

 with great force ; and when an opening is njade, 

 either by plants dying or by being injudiciously 

 thinned out, much damage is likely to ensue. To 

 keep the tops free from intermingling, yet not so 

 much so as to introduce a current of air, is the 

 safest practice. By thus proceeding, each plant, 

 as in the case of deciduous trees, will have the 

 means of fully imbibing by its leaves, and perspir- 

 ing away the crude part of the sap to make room 

 for a succession. Having guarded against the 



wind by a moderate thinning, it becomes expedient 

 also to attend to the outsides of the plantation, to 

 prevent its inroads there, by leaving the outside 

 plants unpruned ; which will notoidy give warmth 

 and security, but will present a better appearance, 

 by concealing the naked stems within. 



The leaves of trees seem destined by nature to 

 perform two essential functions : first, strongly to 

 inhale, during hot weather, moisture from the at- 

 mosphere during the night, in order to repair the 

 waste occasioned by the perspiration of the pre- 

 ceding day ; and, secondly, to receive the juices 

 propelled to them from the I'oot, and, as secreting 

 organs, to prepare and elaborate the sap so receiv- 

 ed, to fit it for the support and enlargement of all 

 the woody parts of the jjlant. Hence every branch, 

 according to its size, after appropriating to its own 

 use what is necessary, sends down the residue to 

 the stem and roots for their enlargement, as well 

 as for the multiplication of 'the roots; which may 

 be proved from the roots of every tree being in 

 the ratio of its branches. Thus every part of the 

 plant acts and reacts : the branches are augmented 

 by the roots, and the roots by the branches. 



Pontey and some others consider that the prin- 

 cipal use of the leaves is to attract the sap up- 

 wards ; and that tapering stems are occasioned by 

 branches obstructing the ascent of the sap, and 

 also applying it to their own use ; thus preventing 

 the enlargement of the stem upwards: so that, 

 according to their ideas, if the lower branches are 

 removed, a greater portion of sap will go to the 

 enlargement of the stein above. The author of 

 these observations believes the reverse to be the 

 fact, and that the brancli, according to its size and 

 vigor, administers to, and increases the size of the 

 bole, below its insertion ; and hence, from the up- 

 permost to the lowest branch, the tree will be 

 tapered, not because the sap is obstructed in its 

 ascent, but because the bole is better fed below 

 by the prepared sap from the' branch or branches, 

 which is constantly descending and contributing 

 to its enlargement, like tributary streams pouring 

 into a river; thus, by removing the lower branch- 

 es, the stem becomes less taper, because a part of 

 the supply of prepared sap is taken away, and a 

 proportionate enlargement of the lower part of the 

 bole is prevented. 



ARCHITECTURE. 



FARM BUILDINGS. 



The first object when a new set of farm build- 

 ings is to be erected, is to fix on a proper situation, 

 which ought to be as near as possible to the centre 

 of the farm, more especially if it be arable. Noth- 

 ing can be more preposterous, than to continue 

 the old system of having the farm-houses placed 

 in villages totally detached from the farm ; a plan 

 which originated from the want of domestic secu- 

 rity in feudal times, or the dread of foreign inva- 

 sion. If the farui buildings are placed at the 

 corner of a large farm, .i part of the land will 

 probably be neglected — less manure will be sent 

 to it — the expense of cultivation will be materially 

 increased — the strength of the horses or oxen will 

 be uselessly wasted in going backwards and for- 

 wards ; and the remote parts of the farm, will be 

 left in a state of miserable pasturage ; or when oc- 

 casionally broken up, the crops will necessarily be 

 inferior to what they would have been, under a 

 dift"erent system. 



It is sometimes assigned as a reason, for not 

 having the farm-houses and otnces in a central 



situation, that at another part of the farm, a bet- 

 ter command of water can be procured for family 

 use, and for the farm stock, or for driving a thresh- 

 ing njill, by which a great saving in the labor of 

 horses or cattle is secured. That, however, is only 

 an exception to the general rule, for it may be laid 

 down as an axiom, " that the farm-house and 

 offices ought to be placed, as nearly as possible 

 in the centre of a farm." 



Where the circumstances of the case admit of 

 it, the farm-house should front the south ; for by 

 this means it is less exposeil to the cold northerly 

 winds. The farm-stead should be placed on a well 

 aired and dry spot of ground ; and, if it can be 

 had, an elevated situation is always preferable. 

 This is not oidy the most conducive to health, but 

 an advantage of considerable importance is obtain- 

 ed, namely, it puts in the power of the farmer, to 

 see what is going forward in every direction. — 

 Where the house, on the other hand, is built in a 

 low and humid spot, the crops of the occupier, 

 however dry and well conditioned when brought 

 from the field, will soon acquire a softness, and 

 perhaps mustiness, very injurious to the value. 



In the construction of the dwelling-house, utility 

 and not ornament ought principally to be kept in 

 view. At the same time every builder of taste, in 

 fixing on the site and plan of a new farm-house, 

 and out-buildings, ought certainly not entirely to 

 overlook the embellishment of the country. It is 

 disputed, whether the house ought to have either 

 wings, or a lean-to behind, or whether the whole 

 should not be under one roof Many think that a 

 house of three stories, the kitchen half sunk, is the 

 driest, the cheapest, and the most convenient. 

 Others prefer having the kitchen in a wing, at- 

 tached to the house. 



A farm-house ought not only to be convenient, 

 but shoidd have such a degree of neatness and 

 uniformity that an idea of comfort and happinese 

 may be given. It should have a little plat of gar- 

 den ground or shrubbery either before or behind 

 it. In the latter case it is placed more distant from 

 the effluvia of the dung-hill. In the former the 

 out houses, laborers, and cattle are more immedi- 

 ately in sight. The windows should be large and 

 the sashes placed rather nearer the outside of the 

 wall than is usual ; because, if wet, they will in 

 that case, sooner become dry. The house should 

 be at a moderate distance from the other farm 

 buildings, not only for the sake of purer air, but 

 the risk of setting the buildings on fire, by sparks 

 from the chimnies of the house may be avoided. 

 This is another argument in favor of placing the 

 garden Ijetween the house and the farm buildings. 



Many an industrious farmer has obtained the 

 character of being a bad husbandman, from hav- 

 ing been unguardedly led to exhaust his capital so 

 much on buildings, as to disable him from apply- 

 itig an adequate proportion of it to the purchase of 

 proper stock or to the cultivation of the soil. And 

 it may be laid down as a maxim, that though a 

 farmer is well entitled to accommodations, in pro- 

 portion to the size and produce of his farm, yet to 

 erect these on a larger scale than circumstances 

 require is wasteful prodigality. Above all, increas- 

 ing the expense by making ornamental erections 

 cannot be too cautiously avoided. 



During the present year there have been erect- 

 in Philadelphia 361 new buildings, among them 

 are 100 dwelling houses, 215 stores, and 2 church- 

 es. In 1833 the number erected was 452. 



