1880 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
4r35 
gin to ripen. We have no doubt that some herba¬ 
ceous perennials, that bloom so late that they rare¬ 
ly afford seeds, might be advantageously treated in 
the same manner. 
Planting Trees in Autumn. 
Each year we are asked, “ Do you approve of 
fall planting?” An answer, “yes” or “no,” can¬ 
not be given to many questions asked us on such 
matters of practice. As . to tree-planting, and also 
the shrubs that bear small fruits, it is only on our 
northern border, where the winter is prolonged at 
both ends, and commences with as much sudden¬ 
ness as it breaks up, that fall planting may not be 
done. Late October and early November are of¬ 
ten the portion of the year in which out-door life 
is most enjoyable, and in which outdoor work 
seems to tell better than at any other. Such golden 
days ! Then the soil has not yet lost the warmth 
that it has been accumulating all summer, and to 
plant in it is like giving the trees bottom heat. It 
is rarely too dry, and if properly drained cannot be 
too wet. In proper tree-planting the fingers often 
do a part of the work in filling in among and 
around the roots, and it makes the greatest possi¬ 
ble difference whether the soil be cold or warm. 
.Some will admit every argument in favor of fall 
planting, but add as an insuperable objection : “If 
we get our trees in the fall, the leaves will be 
stripped.” This stripping of the leaves is need¬ 
lessly made a bug-bear. A nurseryman who re¬ 
gards his reputation, who expects his customer to 
come again, would not strip the leaves from his 
nursery trees, to their injury, if he could. Those 
who observe closely know that the preparation of 
the leaf for its fall is a most interesting operation. 
When the tree is in full growth, a leaf cannot be 
Temoved without some force; if pulled away in 
midsummer, it will be likely that some of the ten¬ 
der bark will come with it and a wound be left. 
Wait until the leaf has done its work, and examine 
it in October; there will be seen a distinct line be¬ 
tween the leaf and the now ripened bark of the 
stem; a slight pull, or a lifting up as one would 
lift a pear to see if it was ripe, and away comes 
the leaf, leaving a clean scar, over which the pro¬ 
cess of healing has already commenced. When 
the leaf has completed its work and is ripe, it makes 
no difference whatever whether we remove it by a 
brush with the hand, or wait until the winds and 
rains beat it off. This matter of stripping of the 
leaves need give no anxiety, simply for the fact 
that the stripping cannot be done until the leaves 
are ripe and have nothing else to do. The roots of 
trees, placed in the warm soil in autumn, are not 
mere dead sticks stuck in the ground. A change 
and a certain growth is taking place. As an illus¬ 
tration of this, put a currant cutting in the ground 
in September ; it looks only like a dead stick, but 
take it up iu November, or just before the ground 
freezes, and the lower end will show a callus, and 
often small roots will have started, but the cutting 
is, to all appearances, dormant. So with trees. No 
matter how carefully they may be taken up, 
some roots will be broken and torn. If in plant¬ 
ing in autumn we cut, as we should in planting at 
any time, every broken root back to a sound 
part, leaving a clean, smooth wound; in a short 
time these, roots will begin to repair damages, and 
before winter checks all action, much will have 
been done towards overcoming the effects of re¬ 
moval. In the warmer States, anywhere south of 
40°, in most years planting may continue the 
greater part of the winter without harm to the trees. 
The Nettle Tree or Hackberry. 
There is no native tree of which so many speci¬ 
mens are sent to us for a name as of the Hackberry 
(Celtis occidentalis) ; although it is found in most of 
the states and territories, it seems to be no where 
abundant, and is but very little known even to those 
who are familiar with trees. In general appearance 
the tree is like the Elm, and belongs to the same 
botanical family, but it differs from the Elm in 
producing a small berry about the size of a pea. 
A £ found in the Eastern States, it is a tree of 
moderate size, but further West, specimens are 
sometimes found 80 feet or more in liight. As a 
tree for ornamental planting it is desirable, but it 
is not very valuable as a timber tree, as the wood 
is not durable when exposed to the weather. The 
shape of the leaf is shown in the engraving, which 
gives a twig with the leaves and fruit of the natural 
size. At one side are shown the very small flowers, 
which appear in early spring, in small clusters ; 
some of them are staminate only, while others are 
perfect. The fruit, which, when fully ripe, is a 
blackish purple, has a very thin, sweetish pulp, 
and is sought after by birds and also by children. 
Although the tree is so little known, it is remarka¬ 
bly well provided with names. Besides those al¬ 
ready given, it is also known in different parts of 
the country as Beaver-wood, Hoop-ash, Many-berry, 
False-Elm ; and in the Southern States it is called 
Sugar-berry and Sweet-gum, this last being a name 
also applied to other trees. The name of the French 
Canadians, Bois inconnu (unknown wood), would 
imply that it was little known to them. The tree 
varies so much in shape and thickness of its leaves 
in different localities, that four species have been 
described from its different forms, but they are all 
local modifications and are now properly so re¬ 
garded. One peculiarity about this tree is, that 
one seldom finds it in groves or clumps ; indeed it 
is rare to find two within a radius of many miles. 
George B. Emerson says: “The tree might be 
described to one who wished to be able to recog¬ 
nize it, as an Elm bearing purple, sweet cherries, 
which continued on the stem through the winter.” 
According to Arthur Bryant, the most important 
use for the wood of this tree is to make the flat 
hoops of flour and fruit barrels. He says that it is 
sometimes sawed into lumber to use for inside 
work, but that its tendency to shrink and swell 
with the moisture of the atmosphere, makes it of 
little value. The European Celtis, on the contrary, 
is much valued for the character of its wood, and 
is cultivated in some parts of France. Its long 
suckers are used for handles to hay-forks, to make 
whip stocks, ram-rods for muskets, walking sticks 
and carriage shafts, and the wood is a favorite 
with the wood carvers. 
The Treatment of Celery. 
Those who have adopted the modern method of 
growing celery upon the surface of the ground, in¬ 
stead of placing it in trenches, often make a mis¬ 
take in banking it up too 
early. If celery be banked 
up in growing weather, 
the central portion will 
continue to grow at the 
expense of the rest, and 
the consequence will be 
that the outer stalks are 
pithy and worthless. Cel¬ 
ery intended for winter 
use requires no banking 
up where it grew, it only 
needs to have its 6talks 
straightened up, by bring¬ 
ing some earth to them 
with the hand ; this opera¬ 
tion is known to gardeners 
as “handling.” If this is 
not sufficient to keep the 
stalks upright, enough 
earth may be drawn to 
them with a hoe to hold 
them in an erect position. 
Celery will stand a mod¬ 
erate frost without injury, 
but hard freezing will kill 
it. Celery that has been 
straightened up, will, after 
a few days, remain erect, 
and be ready to put away 
for the winter. It may be 
stored in trenches, a foot 
wide, deep enough to hold 
the plants, and as long 
as may be needed. The 
plants are stacked in this 
trench as close as they will 
stand, and a covering of 
leaves, straw, or bog-hay 
is put over it—light at 
first, but increased as the 
weather becomes severe. 
For family use, a very 
neat way is that described 
in our columns a few years 
ago by Peter Henderson. 
Boxes are provided, about 
nine inches wide, of a 
hight a little less than that of the celery, and of a 
convenient length to handle. A few inches of sand 
or good soil is placed on the bottom of the box, and 
the plants are stood erect and close together, as in 
trenches. This method is practicable only in a 
cool cellar, and the boxes, if placed side by side, 
should be so far apart that there can be no danger 
from heating, which would spoil the celery. 
“ Madeira Nut.”— Mrs. “W. D. E.” asks when 
to plant the “ Madeira Nut.” This nut is generally 
known as the “ English Walnut,” though the tree 
is not a native of Great Britain; but probably of 
oriental origin. We much doubt if the nuts, as 
they are found in this country, will germinate, as, 
like other nuts, they should be placed in sand or 
earth as soon as ripe, in order to preserve their 
vitality. They should be thus kept during the win¬ 
ter and planted in the spring. In Europe, where 
many varieties are known, the trees are grafted, in 
order to produce fruit of desirable kinds, much in 
the same way as with many varieties of fruit trees. 
If our correspondent only wishes to have a tree or 
two, it will be better to purchase them, as they are 
grown by the large nurserymen and kept by them for 
sale. In the Northern States they rarely produce 
fruit, but are productive in Virginia and southward. 
THE NETTLE TREE OR HACKBERRY (Celtis OCCidentalis.) 
