280 



TiiE ii.li:n^ois F^RjVIER. 



She ^Wimi^ ^avintt 



SPRINGFIELD, JUNE 1, 1850. 



Evcrgreeas. 



The discussions at the Jate meeting of the 

 State Horticultural Society, at Uloouiington, 

 have directed the attention of tarmers on tlie 

 prairies to the planting of trees for protec- 

 tion of their farms and orchards from the 

 winds that sweep over them. Much can be 

 done to effect this object by the use of de- 

 ciduous trees. The silver maple is probably 

 the best for this purpose, because it grows 

 quick, makes a dense headj is beautiful, and 

 the wood is good for fuel and timber — not 

 the best for timber^ but can be madc YCry 

 useful. Evergreens, however, are the most 

 perfect protection. Hitherto the demand 

 for these trees has been so small, that nur- 

 serymen could not sell them at prices which 

 would place them within the means of far- 

 mers for planting out for protection, but 

 this will not long be the case. We venture 

 to say that more evergreens will be planted 

 out in the nurseries of Illinois, the present 

 year, than in the ten years which have pre- 

 ceded it. The northern evergreen regions 

 wiil be ransacked for plants suitable for 

 planting in nurseries. 



It is a mystery to some men unacquainted 

 with the habits of evergreens, why there is 

 necessity for planting evergreens in nurse- 

 ries to prepare them for replanting upon 

 farms. This is readily explained. The 

 young evergreens are taken from the timber 

 wliere they have grown in the shade. When 

 taken up they have a very few leading roots 

 — scarcely any fibrous roots. The young 

 plants, when taken up, have their roots cov- 

 ered with moss or earth, and are thus pack- 

 ed and sent to the nurseries. 



Tliere they are put into the ground with 

 great care. Sometimes, even with the ut- 

 most care, twenty, and even a higher per 

 cent., die. At the end of a year it is found 

 that the living plants have formed new 

 fibrous roots. They are then raised and re- 

 planted, and thus the fibrous roots of the 

 plants are increased, and growing separate, 

 exposed to sun and air, they send out late- 

 ral branches, which constitute rt leading fea- 

 ture and beauty of the tree. If tiiken up 

 after this, the roots carefully protected from 

 drying, and planted out in well prepared 

 ground, they arc just as likely to live as ap- 

 ple or other deciduous trees. The iailure ol 

 evergreens grows out of the neglect of the 

 laws of vegetable phjslologey 



Farmers arc often discouraged in attempt- 

 ing to secure evergreens ibr ornamental 

 trees, and for protection. They will tell 

 you that they have tried evergreens and 



can't make them live. How have they tried 

 them ? They have bought trees from un- 

 principled pedlars, who have brought them 

 from the pineries, or other evergreen local- 

 ities. 



These trees are usually large — sometimes 

 six feet high — and look well j but they are 

 dead before they go into the hands of our 

 farmei's. Uusually a little soil is taken up 

 with the tree, and this is left above the roots 

 — perhaps held together by the roots of win- 

 tergreen, or other wild plants. Take up 

 the tree and look at the roots, and you will 

 find them dry — the sap converted into resin 

 — all the wetting will not afterwards restore 

 them to life. It will be seen also that these 

 trees from tlie woods have but few roots. 

 The country has been filled with such trees. 

 Those who bring them for sale, know that 

 they are all likely to die, and yet swindle our 

 farmers into the purchase of them. And 

 these evergreen pedlars do this thing year 

 after year, and always find men willing to be 

 cheated. 



If farmers want evergreens, they can ob- 

 tain them from the nurseries, and they can 

 be very certain to make them grow. They 

 cost a little more than the worthless plants 

 brought from the woods; they cost the nur- 

 serymen more; but they are worth all they 

 cost. They are reliable young trees. They 

 can be selected for their beauty of shape, 

 and for their flourishing npj)earance, and 

 ever will be the pride and ornament of the 

 farm. 



How many thousands of wild evergreen 

 trees have been sold in Springfield? AVe 

 venture to say more than fifty thousand ! It 

 would be difficult to find one for every thou- 

 sand sold here alive. 



We have said that there was a great de- 

 sire among our farmers and the residents of 

 our cities to possess evergreens. They can 

 succeed in gratifying tlu-ir desires by going 

 the right way to work. They should get 

 their evergreens from nurseries, and from 

 nurseries as convenient to them as possible. 

 Make the nurseryman responsible for the 

 manner of packing these trees, and plant 

 them out under his direction, and you will 

 succeed in having evergreens which will not 

 only be beautiful in summer, but will cheer 

 the eye and the heart in the desolations of 

 winter. 



Protct'lion for Orfliirds. 

 On a visit to Morgan county, on the 19th 

 April, we were struck by the appearance of a 

 peach orchard on " the Seibert farm," near 

 Jacksonville, in full blossom — a sight we 

 did not again see any where. We had no 

 time to visit tliis orchard, but its situation 

 demonstrates theadvantnges of prutection on 



the south and west sides — a doctrine set 

 forth in the address of Hon. M. L. Dunlap, 

 at the meeting of the State Horticultural 

 Society, at Bloomington, in December last, 

 and which received the entire approbation of 

 the Society. 



The peach orchard was on high land, and 

 had a timber protection on the west and 

 south. We have said that we saw no other 

 peach orchard in bloom. We did not. The 

 trees of this orchard were covered with 

 bloom. 



We regard this evidence in favor of the 

 theory announced at Bloomington as very 



important. 



••• 



Sugar Caxe — A New Theory. — R. 

 Emmerson, Jr., of Rockford, has invented a 

 mill for expressing the juice of the sugar 

 cane, and in the explanation of which he 

 advances the following theory : 



The raising of Chinese Sugar Cane, or 

 Sorghum, is now attracting much attention, 

 and but one thing seems to be in the way of 

 its general growth, which is, that the syrup 

 made from it is not always of good quality, 

 and but few have succeeded in making su- 

 gar. By careful investigation I have been 

 led to believe the reason of this failure is, 

 that the sap or juice of the bark or rind, 

 which contains acid, is mixed up with the 

 better sap of the pith or inside of the cane. 

 In my mill the sap of the pith is first ex- 

 tracted by moderate pressure, and is received 

 in a separate pan from that which is after- 

 wards pressed out of the outer part of the 

 cane. 



It is believed that in this way the sap from 

 the first two pressures will make the very 

 best quality of syrup, and also sugar, while 

 that from the last two pressures will make 

 the very best quality of molasses ; and it is 

 further believed that this invention and 

 proper care in boiling is alone wanting to 

 make the raisin^: of sutrar and molasses one 

 of the great staples of this Western country. 



We have no doubt but the ingenuity of 

 our countrymen will solve all the mysteries 

 which prevent the making of sugar, readi- 

 ly, from the Chinese sugar cane. Mr. Em- 

 merson may have already succeeded in doing 

 this. We are induced to think that his is 

 an important discovery. 



Kj^v^ Hedges, Free & Co., of Cincinnati, 

 have published a large pamphlet the present 

 spring, containing the results of experience 

 in all parts of the country in relation to the 

 growing of sugar cane, and the manufacture 

 of its juice. It also contains descriptions of 

 dillerent mills and apparatus for compressing 

 and working the juice, with prices, (tc. 



Bg^ Persons can obtain these valuable 

 pamphlets, by writing to Hedges, Free & 

 Co. 



4*. 



The edit 'r < f tlie New Oileanti Bulhiin \ rags 

 of huviij^ fe<i8ti d alreaily (in green com, full 

 j;r..Hn ajid remarkaMy didici us. 



