373 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
December, 
Notes on the Basswood or Linden- 
A note in the Agriculturist for June, upon the 
preparation of basswood bark, has called out 
inquiries as to the characters by which it may 
be recognized, and the manner of its growth. 
As the tree grows from Canada to Virginia, and 
southward, it is probable that most persons who 
live in the country are somewhat acquaint- 
ed with it. The botanical name of the tree is 
Tilia Americana, and it is known by the popular 
names of Basswood, Linden, Lime-tree, and 
White-wood — the last name is, however, in 
some regions exclusively applied to the Tulip- 
tree. When allowed to grow by itself, the Bass- 
wood forms a large tree of a very regular form, 
and in the density of its shade, is equalled by few 
of our native trees. The bark of the young 
trees is very smooth, and that of the young 
shoots is of a very dark color. The leaves are 
roundish, heart shaped, with one side larger 
than the other, sharply serrate— rather thin, and 
about 5 inches long and wide. The flowers, 
which appear in July, are in clusters upon a 
long stalk, are yellowish white with a very 
pleasant fragrance. The flower stalk has a 
long leaf-like bract or scale attached to it for 
about half its length ; this alone will, in the 
flowering season, distinguish it from any other 
native tree. The fruit consists of a round gray 
nut, about the size of a large pea, which con- 
tains a single seed, and is ripe in October. The 
tree will grow in poor soil, though it delights in 
a fertile one, and is valuable as a shade tree. 
The European Linden is often planted for this 
purpose, but the native species is preferable on 
account of its greater freedom from the attacks 
of insects. The flowers are much liked by bees, 
and the honey which they furnish, is said to be 
finer flavored than any other. The use of the 
inner bark is well known to all who work in 
the garden, its flexibility and great toughness 
rendering it the best possible material for tying. 
It is largely used in northern Europe for making 
mats, cordage, fishing nets, and even coarse 
clothing. The Russian mats furnish the main 
supply of tying materia 1 , to our gardeners, 
though a superior article can be made from 
the inner bark of our native tree. The bark 
from the tree, cut any time during the grow- 
ing season, and treated as directed in the June 
Agriculturist, will give a most excellent material 
for tying. In localities where it is not found 
native, it would pay to cultivate the tree for this 
purpose only. Trees of a foot or less in diam- 
eter are preferred to larger ones, for furnish- 
ing bark. The wood is tough and pliable, and 
is used by wagon builders for panels, by cabinet 
makers for drawers, and by stair builders where 
the work has to be curved. The tree is readily 
raised from the nuts, which are planted in the 
Autumn, or kept through the Winter in boxes of 
earth. The young plants are left for two years in 
the seed bed, they are then taken up, the roots 
shortened, and the side branches trimmed up 
and set in nursery rows where they are left un- 
til large enough to be planted where they are 
to remain. The tree is also propagated by lay- 
ers. When a tree is cut down, numerous shoots 
spring up from the stump ; these at two years 
old, are layered in Autumn, and at the end of a 
year will be well rooted, when they may be re- 
moved. The engraving represents the flowers 
and smaller leaves, with fruit of the natural size. 
A Jacket to Keep off Borers. — Geo. T. 
Leach, Litchfield Co., Conn., uses a strip of 
White-birch bark 3 or 4 inches wide and long 
enough to go once and a half around the tree 
to be protected. The soil is removed and this 
is wrapped around close to the roots and the 
soil replaced. Mr. L. says that he never knew 
a tree thus treated to be harmed by the borer. 
Any wrapping which can not be penetrated by 
the young borer will answer a good purpose, 
and where birch trees are plenty the bark may 
be used instead of wrappers of strong paper, 
cloth, and other materials, which have been rec- 
ommended. We suppose that our correspondent 
means the Canoe-birch rather than the White- 
birch. A gentlemen in Connecticut informs 
us that he saved his peach trees by a mound of 
stones around the trunk to prevent the parent 
of the borer from depositing eggs near the root. 
The Growth of Pear Trees in Hedges- 
Allusion has been made to this way of grow- 
ing the pear, and those who have tried it, are 
enthusiastic in its praise. Mr. T. W. Field 
of Brooklyn has a large number of the Duchesse 
in hedges ; he thinks this variety particularly 
adapted to this treatment, and is convinced that 
he can get larger crops of fruit than can be ob- 
tained by any other mode of culture. Dwarf 
trees are planted two and a half feet apart, and 
are clipped yearly, like any other hedge. Such 
a hedge would make a very pretty boundary to 
a fruit garden. Mr. Field cultivates the trees in 
this way for the fruit, and his hedges are parallel 
with each other at a distance of only 4 feet. 
Mr. J. 0. Thompson of Staten Island is cultivat- 
ing a hedge of Bartletts, but he follows a differ- 
ent method. The trees are five or six feet 
apart ; the branches are allowed to grow up- 
right at first, and are gradually brought to the 
horizontal position by bending them down and 
tying them to the neighboring trees by means 
of strings. Low branching trees are to be se- 
lected for this purpose, and if they do not 
branch sufficiently low, or if a branch is needed 
to fill a gap, a twig is inserted by side grafting ; 
or, if a dormant bud is found in the right place, 
it is induced to start by notching the bark just 
below it, Grown by Mr. Thompson's method 
the tree is like an espalier without a trellis. The 
bending down of the branches causes the forma- 
tion of fruit buds along the whole length. Wc 
never saw a greater promise of fruit than these 
trees present, and shall watch their future 
growth with interest, and report the result. 
A New Squash— The Yokohama. 
Thomas ITogg, Esq., the well-known horti- 
culturist, now in Japan, sent from that country 
to his brother here, Mr. Jas. Hogg, some squash 
seeds which were planted and carefully culti- 
vated at a distance from any other variety. The 
vines proved to be very robust and vigorous, 
running freely, taking root at every joint; they 
bore a large crop of squashes so different in ap- 
pearance from anything we now have, as to 
mark it as a new variety. The engraving, fig. 1, 
will give an idea of its shape. It is about 8 
inches across, 4 inches thick, and weighs from 
6 to 8 pounds. The stem instead of being 
round and fleshy as in Hubbard and other fine 
fleshed squashes, is very long, woody, and angled 
Fig. 1. — YOKOHAMA SQUASn. 
like that of the pumpkin. The surface is strong- 
ly ribbed ; the skin warty, and of a dark green 
color, which frequently turns more or less com- 
pletely to a dull orange. The cavity for the 
seeds, as seen in fig. 2, is very small and placed 
near the blossom end, where the flesh is veiy 
