August 19, 1891.] 



Garden and Forest. 



393 



verse bars of purple ; lip trilobed, the central lobe rich violet, 

 the lateral ones white or pale purple. The flowers hold their 

 color from six to eight weeks, but they retain their rigidity and 

 perfection of form in a blanched state much longer. The 

 stems should not be removed when the flowers have fallen, 

 if it is desirable to increase the stock, as afterward they almost 

 invariably bear plantlets. There are several varieties of this 

 species, differing chiefly in the color of the flowers. Some of 

 these varieties are rather scarce, and they all thrive under the 

 ordinary treatment of Phalaenopsis. 

 Cambridge, Mass. 



M. Barker. 



Correspondence. 

 Dr. Schlich's Handbook of Forestry. 



To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — The publication of the second volume of Dr. Schlich's 

 treatise on forestry, which has been reviewed in your paper, 

 is an event of much importance in the development of an 

 English forestry literature. This volume, which deals with 

 the " Formation and Tending of Woods, or Practical Sylvicul- 

 ture," is the most thorough work upon the application of sci- 

 entific principles of forestry that we have in our language. 

 Dr. Schlich has arranged and condensed his material with care 

 and skill, and has packed a vast amount of information into 

 the first two hundred and thirty pages. The latter part of the 

 volume consists of " Sylvicultural Notes on British Forest- 

 trees." 



While Dr. Schlich's work must always be of value to for- 

 esters in any part of the world, a perusal of it suggests that the 

 conditions under which the principles of forestry must be ap- 

 plied in this country are so different from those prevailing in 

 European countries that no book of this kind not written with 

 special reference to the United States can be entirely satisfac- 

 tory to the American forester. Dr. Schlich seems to contem- 

 plate only cases in which forest is to be established upon areas 

 practically treeless. Of the treatment of vast areas of forest 

 suffering from neglect, or from our brutal methods of lumber- 

 ing, he says little or nothing. Yet in this country such areas, 

 too extensive for the comparatively elaborate systems of cul- 

 ture that he describes, must first receive the forester's atten- 

 tion. Our task is not so much to establish new forests as to 

 treat those that we have in such a way as to obtain the greatest 

 possible amount of forest-products without destroying the 

 forests. The problems peculiar to this country must be 

 worked out here. Probably, even the experience of Dr. Schlich 

 and Dr. Brandes with the old forests of British India would be of 

 comparatively little value in solving these problems. It is at 

 least safe to say that in some of the small details of practical 

 forestry, the irrepressible Yankee will apply his own ideas. 

 Thus, he would devise his tools without reference to the tra- 

 ditions of the Old World. Dr. Schlich gives a number of cuts 

 of tools, of which some are probably excellent, but some seem 

 to the American eye to be too awkward for the use of man. 

 That this is the case is not surprising in the light of the Euro- 

 pean creed as to hand-tools, thus set forth on page 58 of the 

 volume : 



" Many and various are the forms of the several tools which 

 have from time to time been recommended for use in the 

 preparation of the soil. Of these, a considerable number are 

 of doubtful utility. As a general rule, the ordinary laborer 

 gets through more and better work by using the tools with 

 which he is acquainted than by substituting even an improved 

 form of tool, the use of which he has first to learn." 



If this comfortable and conservative doctrine had prevailed 

 in this country, how far should we have advanced toward that 

 mechanical superiority that we boast of? The Yankee who 

 learns from a countryman returned from studying forestry in 

 Europe that French and German foresters fear to use their 

 axes in frosty weather lest these tools should be broken, will 

 not believe very readily that we cannot devise our own for- 

 estry tools. At least, in the article of axes we may claim some 

 superiority. With what Homeric laughter would the hardy 

 forest-destroyers of Maine and Michigan shake their snow- 

 laden Pines if some trained woodsman from the Black Forest 

 should expound to them in friendly warning his theory of axes 

 and frost ! 



A perusal of Dr. Schlich's list of twenty British forest-trees, 

 not all natives of the British Isles, and not all trees that we 

 should think of including among timber-trees, brings to mind 

 the wonderful variety of forest-wealth of our Appalachian re- 

 gion, not to say of our whole country. 



But with these empty gratulations our self-satisfaction must 

 cease. Our chief instrument of forest-destruction is better 



than the European's ; and nature has bestowed upon us a 

 wonderful variety of valuable trees against which we may turn 

 this instrument. It is idle to deny that in all essential points 

 of scientific forestry we must look to the Old World for in- 

 struction. Dr. Schlich's book is so clear and interesting in its 

 presentation of the subject that all in this country who have 

 any interest in the subject should read it with care. Such a 

 book as this should do much to temper and direct the often- 

 distorted enthusiasm of our forest-lovers. 

 New York. James W. Pry or. 



Experiments and Expedients. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — -For thirty years it has been difficult to raise a good 

 Ouince-crop in this section, but the fruit can be had with 

 proper precaution. The trees are more tender when young, 

 and I then take special care to secure well-ripened wood, and 

 in October tie it about with straw. As the trees get older they 

 become hardier, but the fruit is likely to be scarce, on account 

 of the weakening of the terminal wood ; I therefore tie the 

 limbs together with hop-twine, a coarse, soft, but strong twine, 

 and after that tie about the bunched limbs straw or hay. This 

 precaution, with hedges of Arbor-vitas to the west and north, 

 leaves the trees vigorous enough to produce full crops. 

 Quince-trees are worth growing for their beauty in the bloom- 

 ing season, and an Orange-grove is hardly more beautiful 

 than a Quince-orchard in full-bearing. 



It has been difficult, too, for the last half century to grow 

 Peaches in this region. Fifty years ago I saw my father pick 

 Sweetwater grapes, peaches and wagon-loads of quinces from 

 his gardens. But the borers came, and then followed greater 

 inequality of temperature. I have for twenty years persisted 

 in growing Peach-trees, both seedlings and grafts. Unpro- 

 tected, we secure a crop just about once in ten years. This 

 year I have fifty-five trees loaded. My experiments have in- 

 cluded : (1) Winding the bearing limbs in straw, which is 

 rarely of much avail ; (2) bending down limbs and covering 

 with sod or soil, which leads to rot of buds and sometimes 

 branches ; (3) bending down the trees and holding them with 

 spikes, which is efficient in a limited degree ; (4) building a 

 rude house over a tree or close row of trees, which is less 

 trouble than it appears in the telling, and when the trees are 

 so covered, and fine hay stuffed in over the tops before nailing 

 on a roof, this affords sufficient protection for our hardiest 

 sorts. But (5) my best experiment has been the planting of a 

 large, cheap, roofless house with six trees. Over the top i 

 nail narrow slats, and allow my hens to run in it for the sum. 

 mer ; during winter I spread over corn-stalks, and hold them 

 in place with poles. Of course, the roof must be firmly sup- 

 ported. Here my trees are full of fruit. Another (6) plan has 

 been to grow a few trees in boxes and set them in the cellar 

 for the winter. These do well with little care. In a Peach 

 section such precautions would be laughable ; but here 

 peaches are peaches, and it pays to take much care and try 

 many experiments. 



Clinton, N. Y. 



E. P. Powell. 



A Good Example. 



To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir, — In the passage leading to the town library at Tun- 

 bridge Wells, an exhibit is made, and constantly renewed, 

 of the local flora and common plants. The specimens are 

 placed in separate glass vessels and in front of each is a label 

 bearing the common and botanical names. Such a means of 

 popular instruction and interest might be well adopted at some 

 of our American summer resorts, and at very small outlay. 

 Tunbridge Wells. Francis Skinner. 



Recent Publications. 



Jinrikisha Days^ in Japan. By Elizabeth Ruhamah Scid- 

 more. Illustrated. New York : Harper & Brothers. 1891. 



Many books have been written about Japan, and most of 

 them contain descriptions of its forests and gardens, its flow- 

 ers and flower-festivals. But the subject seems inexhaustible, 

 for each gives us new details and general pictures. Mrs. 

 Scidmore's little book is not written from the scientific or from 

 the artistic point of view. It is for popular reading, and pro- 

 fesses merely to sketch " something of the Japan of to-day as 

 it appeared to a tourist, who was a foreign resident as well," 

 being " the outcome of two visits, covering nearly three years' 

 stay in the Island Empire." But its author has a keen eye and 

 a knowledge of the value of definite information, as well as a 



