278 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



JioreBirg. 



THE SCOTCH AND THE AUS- 

 TRIAN PINES. 



^^R LOUDON speaks of the Scotch 

 ^il^ Pine (Finns syhestris) as being 

 one of the fastest growing species of the 

 Pine genus, and speaks of one having at- 

 tained the height of fifty feet in. twenty 

 years. Surely this rapidity of growth 

 which characterizes it in the old coun- 

 try, cannot belong to it here in Canada. 

 The Austrian Pine too ( Pinus Aus- 

 triaca), which in Lower Austria grows 

 to a height of 120 feet, and is consider- 

 ed a rapid grower, seems to us to 

 " make haste moi-e slowly " in our 

 country. We have here at Maplehurst 

 ^near Grimsby) several specimens of 

 these two pines growing on our 

 grounds, which are about thirty years 

 of age, and neither variety has reached 

 a height of over twenty-fi%'e or thirty 

 feet. Norway Spruces of the same age 

 are from fifty to sixty feet in height, 

 and have left them far behind. 



We write in explanation of a refer- 

 ence to these pines on p. 231, -where they 

 are compared with our native white 

 pine (Pinus Strobus) as being of slower 

 gi'owth, and less handsome in foliage. 

 Probably the statement should be 

 somewhat modified with respect to 

 ultimate size, and no doubt in a large 

 lawn or park a rich efi'ect could be pro- 

 duced by using the dark-green of the 

 Austrian, and Scotch pines to vary 

 the prospect. But if we could only 

 have one, and wanted it near our 

 home, we would choose our own White 

 Pine, with its slender, and gracefully 

 waving foliage. 



INFLUENCE OF FORESTS. 



The annual address of Hon. Warren 

 Higley, of New York, at the Denver 

 meeting of the American Forestry Con- ' 

 ,gress last year is full of practical 



and helpful suggestions to all foresters, 

 He gives the following as some of the 

 most important conclusions regarding 

 the influence of forests. 



1. The forests exercise an influence 

 upon the climate of the country ; they 

 modify the extremes of temperature. 



2. They have a decided influence 

 upon the water supply of a country. 

 Clear the foi-ests from the valleys and 

 headwaters of streams and rivei's, and 

 these water courses, perennial before, 

 become dry in summer and raging tor- 

 rents in spring time. 



3. Forests exert a beneficial influ- 

 ence upon agriculture by forming a 

 wall of protection to the growing crops 

 when most needed. 



4. Growing forests on mountain sides 

 and steep declivities hold the loose soil 

 and accumulating humus in place. 



5. Forests in adequate areas tend to 

 preserve the healthfulness of a country 

 or district by their influence on the 

 surrounding atmosphere. 



6. Forest products afford the most 

 indispensable and necessary economic 

 element in the industries and prosperity 

 of a nation. The total value of the 

 forest pz-oducts of the United States for 

 1880 exceeded 8700,000,000. — The 

 Farmer. 



THE ASH-LEAVED MAPLE. 



The best tree to plant for quick shel- 

 ter, shade and fuel, is the Ash-leaved 

 Maple {Negundo aceroides). It is ex- 

 tremely hardy, as Ls proved by its being 

 found in river and creek bottoms, and 

 on hill-sides which have been protected 

 from the prairie fires ; it is sometimes 

 frozen back slightly the first year after 

 starting from seed, but will make a 

 steady rapid growth thereafter. 



The tree attains a height of from 

 fifty to sixty feet, with a diameter of 

 eighteen or twenty inches; and although 



