18G1.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
30“ 
Plant Small Trees. 
Young America is in such haste to realize re¬ 
sults, he can’t wait for trees to grow in the nat¬ 
ural way. He wants to transport huge sons of 
the forest into his new place by some sort of 
patent machinery, so as to make a grand show 
immediately. He has little idea of what consti¬ 
tutes a perfect vegetable structure, small or 
large; he knows little of the pleasure which 
comes from watching the steady development 
and growth of a small tree, from year to year. 
No, no, he wants to leap up to grand achieve¬ 
ments at once; he wants a lot of big trees, and 
that’s all, and that’s enough for him. 
We beg a little consideration for small trees. 
Go to the open field, or to the nursery, and se¬ 
lect a good specimen of almost any good tree— 
say the beech, or maple, or tulip, or hemlock. 
Take one or more of each, three or four feet 
high, that have branches well formed on 
each side. Save all the roots and fibers in dig¬ 
ging them up, and in carrying them home 
don’t bang them to pieces, root and branch, 
but treat them with the utmost tenderness. Pre¬ 
pare large holes, in rich soil, and set them out 
so that they will grow vigorously. Clip the 
ends of the branches just a little, but do this so 
as to preserve the original symmetry. 
Now, watch these trees, from year to year. 
How healthy they look, in every limb and twig 
and leaf! How happy they look, shooting out 
their branches on every side, and dancing in 
every breeze! How graceful in every part, and 
as a whole! Can anything more completely fill 
one’s eye 1 Small as they are, thej r are perfect 
in form, and plainly predict what they will be 
when full grown. Age will only enlarge their 
bulk, and bring them nearer the time of their 
decay. Is not “sweet sixteen” more charming 
than the wrinkled and toothless octogenarian ? 
He who sets out large trees is compelled to 
top off at least the lower branches, to enable the 
top ones to live. The roots are so mutilated in 
digging them up, that nearly all the branches 
have to be trimmed up and shortened in, to re¬ 
store the balance of things. But such a tree, so 
marred in root and branch, is only half a tree. 
It is a fragment, to which the lost parts can never 
be restored.—Begin, then, with small trees. How 
they enjoy life! They will ere long outstrip the 
large stumps you set out at the same time. Set 
them on 3 r our lawn and pleasure ground. Throw 
away your pruning saw, and let them work out 
their own ideal. If you interfere at all, let it be 
only with your thumb and finger. Never fear 
their wanton ways. They will attain near to 
perfection, if you will only “let well alone.” 
For the American Agriculturist. 
The Best Elm—Desirable Trees. 
I noticed an article in the June Agriculturist , in 
which you give the preference to the American 
Elm. You are perfectly right. But twenty-five 
year’s experience with the Dutch Cork Bark Elm 
leads me to differ with your statement as to its 
being perfectly hardy or desirable in all respects. 
It is sometimes killed several feet from the end 
of the branches by the hard winters, and ex¬ 
cept in yards or places where suckers are not 
regarded, :t is a great nuisance. If planted near 
the house, the roots will travel to a great dis¬ 
tance, and rob the roots of every other fine tree 
of flowering bush chancing to grow near it. It is 
a beautiful tree, and fine grower, and probably a 
good tree for streets and sheltered situations. 
The English Cork Elm is liable to the same 
objections. The English field or broad-leaf 
Elm will not withstand the winters here, and 
like the foregoing, will throw off numberless 
shoots at the commencement of the dead 
branches, which quite disfigure it. The Scotch 
Elm is entirely hardy in this latitude, as far as I 
have observed, and has none of the objections 
incident to the others. 
But why need we regret the loss of foreign 
varieties of Elm, when we have so many other 
beautiful varieties, perfectly hardy, that will 
never sucker. The Maples are the finest class 
of shade trees we have, from the most beautiful 
and compact growing Norway, to the erect and 
graceful silver-leaf and sugar Maples. They 
afford quite a contrast in their growth, and, if 
we include the ash-leaf variety, they would 
nearly supply the deciduous trees which a grove 
or lawn would require. 
I would recommend, as a noble tree that al¬ 
ways appears bright and clean, the Tulip tree or 
white wood. Also add the White Ash and Sweet 
Gum to the list usually selected. These trees 
are handsome through the season, do not sucker 
or throw off their leaves prematurely, and are 
very pretty in the Autumn. With us, the Horse- 
chestnut and Linden loose all their beauty the 
latter part of Summer, and are a disgrace rather 
than an ornament to the grounds after that. 
The European Larch is liable to the same objec¬ 
tion, but it is such a beauty when it first leaves 
out, that we can hardly spare it from the collec¬ 
tion, but it should not be planted very near the 
house, as the wind often blows the decaying 
leaves from the trees into the rooms, to the no 
small annoyance of the careful housekeeper. 
Weeping Willows should also be planted at a 
distance, for their leaves and fine twigs are 
dropping through the season, making much lit¬ 
ter, and filling up the gutters, causing no little 
annoyance. I. Hicks. 
Queens Co., L. I. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
Hints on Tree Planting. 
October is the great month for Fall planting. 
In the nurseries, in young orchards, in pleasure 
grounds, and by the road side, the spade is now 
busily at work, all over the country, setting out 
trees. We are glad to reflect that such is the 
fact. Let the good work go forward hopefully. 
It is a subject of friendly dispute, whether 
Spring or Fall is the best season for this opera¬ 
tion. Each season has its special advocates. To 
us, it seems plain that tender trees should be set 
out only in the Spring, while hardy sorts may 
be planted both in the Fall and Spring. If the 
soil where our trees are to be set out, is low or 
wet, the work should be postponed until Spring. 
And even then, that low, or wet soil should be 
drained, or else the trees might about as well 
be thrown at once on the. brush heap. 
This, too, should be said: if one is intending 
to plant a large and choice assortment of trees 
in the Spring, it is often advisable to purchase 
them the previous Autumn, because then the 
supply of fine, unculled stock at the nurseries is 
much greater than in the Spring. Open trench¬ 
es about two feet deep and three feet wide, in a 
dry and sheltered part of the garden, and “ heel 
them in ” at an angle of about 45°, covering the 
roots and a part of the trunks thoroughly with 
earth. Here let the trees lie until Spring; they 
will suffer less than if planted out separately. 
Early in Spring, give them their final destination. 
Evergreens should not be transplanted in the 
Fall, unless we may except a few of the hardiest, 
such as the Arbor Vita;, and Norway Spruce; 
but even they would fare better if set out in the 
Spring. They can get little or no hold of the 
soil before the Winter sets in, and then, with all 
their weight of Summer foliage on, they have 
to stand the lashing of Winter storms. If they 
must be set out in the Fall, we advise that it be 
done as early as September; that they be well 
staked and tied up before windy weather sets in; 
and that the roots be well mulched. 
But hardy, deciduous trees may well go out 
in the Fall. They have taken in sail, by casting 
their leaves, and if put out now, early in October, 
in good, warm soil, the roots will make consid¬ 
erable growth before Winter sets in. To repeat 
what we have before mentioned in this journal, 
we had occasion once to take up, just on the edge 
of Winter, several bushes of Lilac, Spirea and 
Syringa, which we had set out in Early October, 
and were surprised to see what a fine growth of 
young roots had been made in six or seven 
weeks. The soil at this season retains much of 
the Summer’s heat, long after the air above 
ground has become cool, and so it favors the 
emission of fibrous roots. 
Hence, again, we advise Fall planting. Apple 
orchards, and hardy pear trees may now be set 
out. Hardy shade trees, such as maples, elms, 
and ash, may now be put in honored situations 
in the public park, the lawn, and by the high¬ 
way. Set about this work now. The leisure or 
inclination may not come amid the hurry of 
Spring work. At least, make a beginning now: 
do what you can, and leave the rest until Spring. 
Make a careful selection of your trees, dig ample 
holes, and provide good soil for bedding the 
roots. Reduce the top branches in proportion 
to the shortening of the roots, and cover the 
wounds with wax or other weather-proof ma¬ 
terial. Drive in stakes on the windy sides, and 
tie the trunks to them with flat, leather thongs, 
or with stout “ listing ” from the tailor shops. 
In our experience, this last article serves an ex¬ 
cellent purpose. It does not bark the trees, and 
by the time it rots and breaks, the tree no longer 
needs it. Orchard trees may be fastened with 
straw bands. Anchor them, also, by laying a 
few flat stones over the roots. * 
To Revive Dormant Buds. 
Every gardener knows that sometimes his 
fruit trees and grape-vines lose their branches at 
points where it is very desirable to have them 
grow. For instance, a young pear-tree has one 
or two of its lower branches broken off, on its 
way from the nursery. If the tree is to be 
grown in a pyramidal shape, it is essential that 
these lower branches should be replaced. When 
grape-vines are trained on the renewal method, 
it is quite important to have the branches 
ranged along the horizontal “arms” at regular 
distances. But often a cane will get broken off, 
or by unsuitable management it will become 
weak or be reduced to a mere dormant bud. 
What to do in such cases, is often a puzzle. 
A writer in the “ Farmer’s Journal,” thinks 
he has found out a way to meet the difficulty. 
He says: “ I passed a knife through the bark, 
and a little into the wood, just over the eye or 
“ knerl ” where the branch should have pushed, 
or where it had pushed out when young, and 
had been rubbed off by accident. A careful ex¬ 
amination will show plenty of dormant eyes or 
knerls_The sap has only to be arrested at. 
