1865.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
185 
The White Maple.— dasycarpum. 
This tree is attracting much attention at the 
West as one of those possessing qualities which 
adapt it to planting on the prairies. It is some¬ 
times confounded with the Eed Maple, from 
whieh it is very distinct. The White or Silver 
Maple is found nearly all over the country, but 
attains its perfection in the Middle States, where 
it forms a stately tree. Its branches spread 
widely and form a broad head, but not a very 
dense shade. The young twigs are yellowish 
green, marked with brownish dots, but the old¬ 
er wood is gray. The leaves, of the shape shown 
in our figure, but considerably larger, are downy 
when young, but become smooth when old. 
The upper surface of the leaves is dark green, 
while the lower side is silvery white, the two 
siirfaces affording a remarkable contrast of col¬ 
or, and a character which serves to distinguish 
the species from the Red Maple, the leaves of 
which sometimes resemble those of the White. 
The flowers, which are small, greenish yellow, 
and woolly, appear early in spring, before the 
leaves, and are soon followed by the conspicuous 
two winged fruit, which though hairy when 
young, becomes quite smooth when ripe. The 
shape of the fruit, which is nearly two inches 
in length, is shown in the engraving. It consists 
of two one-seeded capsules or “ keys,” joined at 
the base, and furnished with a broad wing 
which is beautifully veined. The wood is nei¬ 
ther very strong nor durable, but it makes tol¬ 
erable fuel and excellent charcoal. The spread¬ 
ing habit of the tree and its often pendulous 
branches, give it an aspect quite different from 
that of any other maple, and it is fine for orna¬ 
mental purposes. Although its shade is not 
dense, this is more than compensated for 
by its greater freedom from insects than any 
other of our native species. It is not very par¬ 
ticular as to soils, though it reaches its great¬ 
est development in rather moist and rich ones. 
The ease with which this maple is raised and 
the rapidity of its 
growth, especially 
adapt it to form 
timber belts on 
the prairies. The 
books recommend 
gathering the seed 
in the fall, which 
is about as pos¬ 
sible as to make 
snow balls in Au¬ 
gust. The seed 
ripens very early 
and should be 
sown as soon as 
ripe. The time of 
maturity of the 
seed varies with 
locality and sea¬ 
son, but it is usu¬ 
ally toward the 
end of May or the 
first of June. In¬ 
sects, birds and 
squirrels are very 
destructive to the 
seeds, and it is 
well to gather 
them before they 
fall. They are 
then to be plant¬ 
ed at once in 
moist, well pre¬ 
pared soil. They 
are sown in drills 
an inch deep and the young plants kept clear 
of weeds, and carefully cultivated for two years. 
- - — a w —-- 
Coal Ashes for Walks and Roads. 
In February last attention was called, in a 
brief item, to the use of coal ashes as a service¬ 
able material for making walks in places where 
gravel was not readily obtainable. A corre¬ 
spondent, “ C. S.,” at Montreal, Canada, has 
since written an account of his "fexperience, as 
follows: “ In 
the spring of 
1863,1 laid out 
a new vege¬ 
table garden, 
and having fil¬ 
led the walks 
4 inches deep 
with chips from 
a stone-yard, I 
put on a 2-inch 
coating of coal 
ashes. After 
these had been 
carefully raked 
over, we let 
them be, and 
found that al¬ 
though they 
were not rolled, 
they very quickly packed solid. The walks 
were equal in every respect to those made 
with gravel, and they were more free from 
weeds and grass. They cost only the cartage, 
as people in the city are glad to be rid of the 
ashes. The cost was 12^- cents a load against 
75 cents for gravel. Four years ago I laid out 
a carriage road of gravel, having 10 inches of 
stone underneath. We intended to cover this 
over with sand to keep the gravel from going 
down through, but when about one third of the 
drive had been thus coated, the supply of sand 
gave out. One half of the remainder was cov¬ 
ered with brick dust, etc., the other with coal 
ashes. The whole was then coated over with 
gravel. The part on which coal ashes were 
placed, hardened first, and has, with much less 
labor, always been by far the finest piece. That 
covered with brick dust has been fullest of grass 
and weeds and has been the most troublesome, 
while that laid with coal ashes has been the 
cleanest, hardest, dryest, and in evfery way much 
the best. If I ever lay any more gravel roads 
or walks I shall certainly put a coat of ashes 
between the stone bottom and the gravel. Last 
spring I laid as an experiment a small walk, 
solely with coal ashes and with no stone in the 
bottom. I put in about 4 inches and the walk 
was good. It has been tried but one season.” 
■ t I 1^-^^ > m 
Rustic Bridges. 
It often happens that a brook which traverses 
the farm or runs through the grounds has to be 
crossed b^ a path, and it affords the proprietor 
an opportunity to introduce an ornamental 
structure in the shape of a rustic bridge, which, 
if the location is well chosen, will add much to 
the attractions of the place. To facilitate the 
crossing of small streams, we find on slovenly 
places a plank, or even a rail, made to serve as 
a bridge, but where the proprietor is more re¬ 
gardful of neatness and comfort there is usually 
a bridge of carpenter work. A bridge of rustic 
work is in much better taste than one carefully 
planed and painted, and can be made plain or 
quite elaborate according to the fancy of the 
builder. The best material for this, as for other 
rustic work, is Red Cedar, as the wood is not 
only of pleasing color and durable, but with a 
proper care in selecting, pieces may be found 
having a natural curve which adapts them to 
the use. In a bridge the work should be strong, 
and those parts in contact with moisture may 
be preserved by a coating of coal tar. The de¬ 
sign may be graceful or express solidity, accord¬ 
ing to the size and situation of the structure. 
As an example showing strength and solidity, 
we give an engraving, from a sketch by one 
of our artists, of one of the small bridges 
at the Central Park. This bridge is in that 
part of the Park called the Ramble, and be¬ 
ing subjected to constant use, is built in the 
most substantial manner. It was designed bj' 
Mr. Vaux, one of the architects of the Park. 
The Park contains many fine specimens of 
rustic work, in the way of seats, shades, sum¬ 
mer-houses, etc., which afford examples worthy 
of study by those who would undertake the 
construction of anything similar. No stranger 
RUSTIC BRIDGE IN THE CENTRAL PARK. 
