AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
317 
in 1842, and the noble elm has ever since 
flourished. A house stands upon its old 
site. As the neighbors lent a willing and 
free hand in the removal, the cost was tri¬ 
fling, while a hundred dollars would not have 
purchased the tree the summer after its re¬ 
moval. We have narrated this instance to 
show what may be done in extreme cases. 
We have seen scores of small and large 
trees transferred in mid-winter, from the 
forest to the door-yard, lawn and road side, 
with the best success, and we are not quite 
sure that this is not the best plan even for 
small trees, where the distance is not great. 
The great advantage of this method is that 
the frozen ball of earth retains the small 
roots, which are the l'eal feeders of the tree, 
unbroken; and there is no check to the 
foliage or growth, and no loss of time. But 
this plan is not necessary. It is more agree¬ 
able to transplant trees during the warm 
comfortable weather of thismonth. Follow 
the suggestions given last month in full, 
which apply to shade and fruit trees, and 
there need be no fear of failure. 
WHAT SHADE TREES TO SELECT. 
We have a growing affection for the na¬ 
tive trees of our own forests. We could not 
be tempted to exchange the long rows of 
symmetrical maples that stand upon each 
side of the street before our homestead. 
Anything else would now seem to be out of 
place. We should, perhaps, love them as 
well were they arching elms, or lindens, 
(basswood,) or any one of half a dozen na¬ 
tive varieties. 
But there are a large number of both native 
and imported trees which possess peculiar 
merits, and from which a selection may be 
made to suit the taste, circumstances, or lo¬ 
cality of the individual planter of trees, or 
associations engaged in adorning streets or 
public grounds. Last year, with the assist¬ 
ance of some gentlemen of acknowledged 
taste and judgment, we prepared a carefully 
written article describing some of the best 
shade trees. We here republish a part of 
that article for the benefit of our present read¬ 
ers, who number four times as many as at 
this time last year. 
A smaller class of trees is required for 
the streets of cities and compact towns, than 
for parks, and for more thinly settled vil¬ 
lages, and the grounds surrounding rural 
residences, where there is abundance of 
room. 
For compact streets, we recommend the 
following as among the best: Oriental 
Plains, Paulownias,Catalpas, and the Silver- 
Leaf Poplar. 
The Oriental Plain is a pyramidal tree, 
with clean stem and foliage, is scarcely ex¬ 
ceeded in the rapidity of its growth, and has 
as yet no insect enemy. 
The Paulownia is of very rapid growth, 
has a large leaf, often two or more feet in 
diameter on young trees. We measured 
some of them the past season that were 
over two feec in diameter. The size of the 
leaves diminish with the growth of the tree. 
These leaves resemble the ordinary Palm 
leaf fan. The tree is perfectly hardy in this 
latitude, though introduced originally from 
the climate of Japan; and it is chiefly re¬ 
markable for the exceeding beauty of its 
flowers, which, before the leaves appear in 
the Spring, cover the trees in large clusters, 
from six to nine inches in length. The 
flowers are of a rich purple color, and fill 
the whole air around them with a fragrance. 
This tree bids fair to supplant the Ailantus, 
as it grows quite as rapidly, excels it in 
many things, and is without its objectionable 
features. At this season the buds present 
a beautiful appearance. 
The Catalpa is more generally known, and 
need not be described. The only objection 
to this tree is that its “pods ” or seed ves¬ 
sels furnish the rudiments of cigars to 
“ Young America.” 
The Abele, or Silver-Leaf Poplar, grows 
as rapidly as any one of the others. The 
upper side of the leaf is of a rich dark green, 
the under side a silver white, and the con¬ 
trast of these colors produces a pleasing ef¬ 
fect upon the eye, when the leaves are set in 
motion by the wind. It is, however, only fit 
for paved streets, on account of the multi¬ 
tude of suckers it throws up from open 
ground. 
For open streets and grounds the follow¬ 
ing list comprises the most choice collec¬ 
tion ; we place first in order those which we 
consider the best, all things taken into ac¬ 
count : Silver-Leaf Maple, Oriental Plain, 
English and American Elms, Tulip-trees, 
Sycamore Maples, Sugar Maples, Pin Oak, 
Scarlet Oak, Burr Oak, Catalpa, Linden, 
Deciduous Cypress, Liquidambar or Sweet 
gum, Laburnum, Cucumber Magnolia, Ken¬ 
tucky Coffee-tree, &c. This list embraces 
all those recommended for streets, except 
the Silver-Leaf Poplar, which is left out 
for reasons given above. We omit the Ever¬ 
greens, as we recommend setting them in 
Spring, unless it be done early in Autumn. 
Most of the above trees can be obtained of 
first-class nursery men, and they may all be 
set in Spring, but we prefer this season of 
the year, if it can be done before the ground 
becomes solid. 
The Silver-Leaf Maple in its foliage some¬ 
what resembles the Silver-Leaf Poplar, and 
is by many persons preferred to it. It is the 
most rapid growing of the Maples. 
The other Maples are well known as strong 
robust growing trees, with thick, dense foli¬ 
age, holding on to late in the Autumn ; and 
they are among the most desirable of shade 
trees. 
The Elms are well known—the American 
for its gothic arch, and the English for its 
dense foliage. 
The Oaks are of a more slow growth, and 
are well known. The Pin Oak is the finest 
of them, on account of its pyramidal form, 
and glossy foliage. 
The Linden, (basswood,) is known for its 
symmetry of form, and the Mountain Ash for 
its beautiful red berries. 
The Deciduous Cypress has a soft feath¬ 
ery foliage, of a delightful light green, and 
very unique in its character. We recently 
noticed one of them in front of the residence 
of Mr. S. B. Parsons, of Flushing, L. I. The 
foliage, at this season, is of a rich maroon 
color, and contrasts finely with the green 
terrace near it. 
The Liquidambar, or Sweet-gum, has a 
star leaf, which assumes a beautiful red tint 
in Autumn. This is one of the finest native 
trees, and is not half as well appreciated as 
it should be. 
The Laburnum is noted for the abundant 
clusters of rich yellow flowers with which it 
is clothed in June. 
The Cucumber Magnolia is a tall growing 
tree, with large leaves and symmetrical 
habit. 
The Kentucky Coffee is a handsome tree, 
its light foliage somewhat resembling the 
Locust. It produces a bean which was used 
as coffee by the early settlers. (The flavor 
of the fruit from the cultivated tree is, in our 
opinion, not equal to that of Mocha or Old 
Java.)— Ed. 
FAR MS ' CLUBS. 
The club room is among the prominent in¬ 
stitutions of city life. Almost all trades, 
arts, and professions have their associa¬ 
tions, and regular reunions, where social 
culture and enjoyment mingle with the dis¬ 
cussion of their peculiar interests. There 
are objectionable proceedings no doubt, of¬ 
tentimes, at these meetings, but these will 
always depend upon the character of the 
associated. That every pursuit should have 
its guild or association for the cultivation of 
fraternal feeling, and for the discussion of 
the principles and news which pertain to 
itself, we believe to be eminently praise¬ 
worthy and useful. 
Such societies among farmers, until quite 
recently, have not been possible, except in 
favored localities, because it was thought 
that this calling had neither science or news 
to discuss. The oldest inhabitant in the rural 
districts saw nothing different in the hus¬ 
bandry of his old age, from that which pre¬ 
vailed in his youth. All was stereotyped 
from the “ planting of corn when the white 
oak leaves were of the size of a mouse’s 
ear,” to its harvesting early in November. 
If in any calling Solomon’s saying “ There 
is nothing new under the sun,” went un¬ 
questioned, it was among farmers. If they 
came together, it was for the discussion of 
scandal or politics, rather than to learn any¬ 
thing new in regard to the science or prac¬ 
tice of husbandry. 
But a new spirit is abroad among the cul¬ 
tivators of the soil, and farmers’ clubs are 
no longer a doubtful experiment. They 
have been tried in many localities, and have 
been found not only interesting and profita¬ 
ble to their immediate members, but to fur¬ 
nish valuable information to the public 
through the agricultural press. It is now 
felt among the best cultivators, in almost 
every community, that agriculture is still an 
experimental art, and that the man most 
thoroughly booked up in all the details of 
the business, is probably ignorant of much 
more than he knows, of matters pertaining to 
husbandry. Farmers have become learners, 
and receive with eagerness all new crops 
and new methods of cultivation, that prom¬ 
ise to be improvements. 
