62 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
[February, 
tt has a perennial root from which arise the stems 
which are much branched and form a bushy mass 2 
to 3 feet high, and about as broad; the lower leaves 
are iance-oblong, the upper are narrower, and all 
more or less coarsely-toothed The stems are ter¬ 
minated by a broad, much branched, compound 
panicle, which bears numerous small flowers. The 
engraving gives the upper portion of a panicle or 
flower cluster with the flowers of the natural size; 
a cluster of the root-leaves is given below. The 
flowers are pale-blue and though individually very 
small, they are produced in such numbers that 
the effect of the whole mass is exceedingly graceful 
and pleasing The projection of the style beyond 
the corolla gives the flower an appearance greatly 
unlike that of most Bell-flowers. Blooming in July 
and August and continuing later, it makes a wel¬ 
come addition to our summer blooming plants, 
especially as blue flowers at that season are by no 
meaus abundant. The Harebell ( Campanula ro- 
tundifoha), quite common in the northernmost 
States and in the mountains farther south, has a 
bright blue corolla three-fourths of an inch long, 
and is altogether such a neat and graceful plant 
that those who have access to it in its native locali¬ 
ties, should not fail to introduce it to their gardens. 
Tree Planting—The Ailanthus. 
Suppose this problem were given : *'I live in a 
tree-less country where, excepting the cottonwood 
alosgthe rivers, there is no woody vegetation other 
than shrubs I have some good land that must be 
put into crops, I have some poor land that is not 
worth cultivating. What trees can 1 grow upon 
this poor soil, and at the leasi expense for a start. 
I need wood for fuel, rails for fences, poles for 
making straw shelters, and later I shall need useful 
timber for building and other purposes. What will 
best meet my present and future wants with the 
least present outlay?”—This is not quoted from 
any one letter, but is the substance of various in¬ 
quiries that have been put in one way and another, 
by those who have settled in tree-less localities and 
would supply themselves with wood as rapidly as 
practicable with the least possible outlay, or have 
land that is better suited to tree culture than to any 
other use. Some 12 or 15 years ago, we gave it as 
our opinion that the best single tree for persons 
thus situated, was the Ailanthus —a much abused 
tree, and one with which we have much sympathy, 
for we have been roundly abused for recommend¬ 
ing it. Years have gone on, and no better substi¬ 
tute—one meeting all the conditions—has been pro¬ 
posed, and we have seen no reason to regret our 
advocacy of this tree, as we still hold that, wider 
certain circumstances —mind not for ali localities and 
conditions—it is the most useful tree of which we 
have any knowledge Om setting forth of the good 
qualities of this tree has been met by just two ob¬ 
jections—1st, its foliage smells badly when braised, 
and 2d, the tree gives ofl a most offensive odor 
when in flower. A pig is not especially desirable 
as a household pet, yet we have never heard its 
general utility questioned on that account. We have 
not recommended the Ailanthus to be made into 
bouquets, and its leaves need not be handled. Nor 
have we advised that it be planted as a lawn tree, 
but as a crop, in plantations that are likely to be 
at a distance from the house, and there is no reason 
why sensitive persons should go near it during the 
few days that it is in flower. Aside from these most 
trivial objections, everything else about the tree is 
in its favor. Having advocated the claims of the 
Ailanthus so long with so little support, it was with 
no small pleasure that we read a paper upon the uses 
of the tree, presented to the Mass. State Board of 
Agriculture, by one of its members, Prof. Chas. S. 
Sargent, Director of the Botanic Garden and the 
Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University. In the 
capacity of Director of the Arboretum, as well as 
through his membership of the State Board, and of 
that venerable body, “The Massachusetts Society 
for the Promotion of Agriculture,” he has warmly 
advocated the importance of tree culture, and has, 
by suggesting premiums, by offering facilities to 
experimenters, and supplying the necessary instruc¬ 
tions, given a greater impetus to tree culture In 
Mass., and through that to New England, than all 
other agencies combined. Many of the inquiries 
about tree-planting might be answered by referring 
the writer to Prof. Sargent’s article, were the re¬ 
port containing it generally accessible. As it is, 
we propose to give the essential points of his paper, 
in this and a subsequent article, with such additions 
of our own as may be to the point. We regard the 
objections that have been made to the tree as alto¬ 
gether too trivial for serious consideration, and 
having stated them, feel sure that no one will allow 
them to stand in the way of planting the tree, if 
that is shown to be desirable. Leaving the rais¬ 
ing of the trees, and making a plantation, to 
another time, we give a summary of what Prof. 
Sargent says of the value of the timber. Firstly 
The Ailanthus as Fuel. 
The specific gravity of wood is a fair indication of 
its value for fuel (and to some extent for other uses 
also). Several samples of Ailanthus wood from 
trees grown in New England being tested, the 
average specific gravity was found to be .614. This 
is lower than that of Hickory, San Domingo Ma¬ 
hogany, and White Oak, and much above Black 
Walnut, Honduras Mahogany, Canoe-Birch, and 
Wild Cherry, these being the woods commonly em¬ 
ployed for cabinet-making, or as fuel. It is only 
seven per cent lighter than White Oak, while Ca¬ 
noe-Birch is fourteen per cent lighter than Ailan¬ 
thus. Our own experience agrees with that of 
Prof. Sargent, who finds it a pleasant and lasting 
fuel, burning without snapping, leaving a good bed 
of coals and very little ash. When we consider the 
rapid growth of this tree, the specific gravity of the 
wood, and consequent value as fuel is something 
remarkable. This joined to the fact that such valua¬ 
ble fuel may be produced on the very poorest of 
soils, give the Ailanthus a high rank among useful 
trees. One of the important uses suggested for the 
Ailanthus, where no other tree can gro.w, is that of 
Fixing’ Drifting Sands. 
Not only upon the sea-coast upon both sides of 
the Continent, but along the inland lakes and other 
localities, blowing sands are a great annoyance. 
Near Odessa, on the Black Sea, where experiments 
were made upon a large scale, the Ailanthus was 
found to be by far the most serviceable tree for re¬ 
taining these sands, and large tracts were planted 
with complete success. It will interest many living 
in such localities to know that the Ailanthus will 
not only live, but really flourish in such sands, 
and that it will endure the sea air, and soon pre¬ 
pare the way for the planting of various other trees. 
The India-rubber Tree.—( Ficus elastica.) 
A letter from a friend asking how to prune his 
India-rubber tree, and our reply, to not prune it at 
all, remind us to say a word in favor of the beauty 
and utility of this plant in window gardening. We 
are aware that it has one fault—in the eyes of many 
a great fault.—it does not bloom. Just here we may 
say that our people will never enjoy window-gar¬ 
dening until they get over the notion that every 
plant must flower. Most of those who attempt 
window gardening start with the idea that they 
must have flowers, and fill their windows with ge¬ 
raniums, roses, carnations, and other things which 
should bloom, but rarely do so until towards spring. 
We were specially pleased with the Rev. Dr. John¬ 
son’s book on window gardening, because he called 
it “Winter Greeneries at Home.” That expresses 
what those who would cultivate window plants 
must aim for—winter greeneries. To one of taste 
there is more satisfaction in one healthy plant 
that presents a fine outline of beautifully formed, 
dark green, vigorous foliage, than in a whole 
windowful of subjects struggling into a weakly 
bloom. The number of plants that, under ordinary 
treatment, will flower in windows, is not large, 
while those that give beauty of foliage are many. 
Green of any kind in winter is cheerful, and doubly 
so when it is the robust, shining green of a heal¬ 
thy India-rubber tree. This has, even when small, a 
dignity, not to say majesty, of port, an expression 
of vigor shown by few other plants. Each leaf is 
an object of beauty; in vigorous specimens they 
are a foot long—with a dark, polished upper sur¬ 
face that is most pleasant to look upon. The com¬ 
ing of a new leaf is an event worth watching. At 
first it is enveloped by a delicate sheath (stipules), 
and this of itself, being of a crimson color, is as 
handsome as some flowers; this sheath at length 
falls away, and the new leaf unfolds, a wonder of 
beauty and freshness. A young and vigorous 
specimen like that in the engraving, is a window 
garden of itself. But the plant is one that bears 
abuse, and will tolerate any treatment provided it 
is not frozen. It will do better at the window, but 
will hold its own if used to decorate an apartment 
or hall, away from abundant light. After making 
the house cheerful all winter, it may be put outside, 
when warm weather comes on, and stand as a soli¬ 
tary specimen upon the lawn, or be combined with 
other sub-tropical plants to form a group. For the 
best effect it should be kept to a single stem; if it 
branches above, let these branches grow until loDg 
enough to make cuttings, when they may be re¬ 
moved to be rooted to keep up a supply of young 
plants. The botanical name, Ficus elastica, indicates 
that it belongs to the same genus with the Fig. It 
has a similar fruit to the Fig, but belongs to an ev¬ 
ergreen section, of which some botanists make 
another genus. Like its allies it has a milky juice, 
which in this is so copious that it is collected, and, 
when dried, it forms the India-rubber of the East 
Indies. The South American product comes from 
a number of different trees. While this is an India • 
rubber tree, it is by no means the India-rubber tree. 
Foreign Horticultural Items. 
Do Leaves Absorb Moisture ?—This has been 
under discussion for the past century and a half, 
and the weight of authority seemed to indicate 
that they did not. But just now the question is 
re-opened by the Rev. Geo. Henslow, in a paper 
read before the Linnaean Society (London), on Nov. 
7th last. Mr. Henslow thinks that his experiments, 
extending over several years, prove that not only 
do leaves absorb water, but that they also take up 
whatever nutriment may be dissolved in the water. 
Akebia qutnata. —This has long been a prime 
favorite with us. Its neat foliage is almost ever¬ 
green, and its flowers, while not showy, are curious, 
and of the most exquisite fragrance. We were sur¬ 
prised to read in a recent “ Gardener’s Chronicle ” 
(London), that when trained to a trellis “ it should 
be afforded the protection of a mat in winter.” 
When we first saw this plant, some 30 years ago, it 
