[IX] 



pose of preventing the free passage of the wind over the surface 

 soil of the interior, besides adding incalculably to the beauty of the 

 wood, as seen from without by connecting the line of foliage of 

 the trees, with that of the sward below, and presenting a living mass 

 of verdure. The trees which are considered most desirable to pre- 

 serve, are then selected, and all the rest at once removed. Finally 

 the leaves are carefully raked from the surface and carried off or 

 burnt. 



Sun and wind now have free access to the soil, and it very soon 

 becomes parched and dry. The fine rootlets near the surface, which 

 have heretofore been preserved by the never-failiag moisture of the 

 rich mould under its mulching of leaves, are converted into a mass 

 of wiry fibres, no longer capable of conveying nourishment, even if 

 it 'were within their reach. And while the means of supply are thus 

 reduced, the tall, slender trunk, through which the sap must ascend 

 to the leaves, is now exposed to the free action of the sun and 

 winds. Now I do not presume to say, that evaporation can take 

 place throiigh the bark, but the provisions which nature makes to 

 guard the inner vital tissues, from the effect of the sun's rays indi- 

 cate beyond all question, that they are in some way injurious. I 

 have elsewhere shown that in the case of the single tree growing by 

 itself, the trunk is always shaded by the spreading foliage, when 

 suffered to retain its natural form. In the forest, the trees shade 

 each other, and thus effect the object by mutual action. But now 

 let me call your attention to another provision of nature which few 

 people observe, but the meaning of which is too obvious to be mis- 

 taken. If we examine the bark of an oak, elm, chestnut or maple, 

 of mature age, which has always stood by itself, exposed to the full 

 influence of atmospheric changes, we find it to be of great thickness 

 of very rugged character, and of a cork-Uke consistency, aU of which 

 characteristics make it the best possible non-conductor of heat or 

 cold that can be imagined, under the protection of which the living 

 tissues are safely kept from injury through the burning heat of 

 summer and the intense cold of winter. 



Now go into the forest where the trees shade each other, 'and wind 

 and sun are excluded, and you will find that the bark of the trees, 

 is smooth and thin in comparison with that of those in the open 

 ground. 



Natrue never wastes her energies needlessly, and the trees in the 

 woods do not require the thick coat of those that are exposed. But 

 the effect of suddenly admitting the sun and wind upon them is 

 precisely the same as that of exposing any portion of the human 

 skin which had heretofore been clothed. It is to guard against 

 injury from this source that experienced tree-planters, when remov- 

 ing large trees from the woods, are accustomed to swathe the trunks 

 with ropes of straw, which is a rational process, yet it is by no 

 means uncommon to see the reverse of this action. I have seen, 

 during the past winter a great many very large fine trees planted 

 on the best avenues in Chicago, at a cost of certainly not less than 

 fifty dollars each, from the trunks and large limbs of which all the 

 rough bark had been carefully scraped, leaving only a thin, smooth 

 covering over the inner tissues. This is as if a man should prepare 

 for unusual exposure to heat or cold by laying aside aU his clothing. 



