190 
Efce  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
February  5,  191G.X 
Direct  from  our  farmaiwholesale 
Stark  Bros 
At  Louisiana  Mo. 
Since  1816 
BIG  MON EYin  FRUIT 
A  Discussion  of  Lawn  Trees 
For  small  lawns  there  are  the  green  ash 
(Fraximis  viridis).  the  English  cork 
maple.  (Acer  campostre),  the  varnish  tree 
( Koelreuteria  paninuhitaK  the  sour  gum 
( Xyssa  sylvatica).  Rivers’  purple  beech, 
the  sorrel  and  sassafras  trees,  and  the 
American  persimmon.  Still  others  are 
the  yellowwood  (Virgilia  tinctorial, 
the  pawpaw,  the  pagoda  tree  (Sophora 
Japonica),  the  Ccdrela  and  the  Chinese 
cork  tree  (Fhellodendrou  amurense). 
These  are  handsome  trees,  hardy  and 
— the  last  three — of  very  rapid  growth. 
They  thrive  in  this  latitude  at  an  alti¬ 
tude  of  4,500  feet.  Even  the  empress 
tree  (Paulnwnia  imperinlis)  might  suc¬ 
ceed  in  New  York.  It  is  lovely  in  blos¬ 
som  and  will  make  a  growth  of  15  feet  in 
one  season.  Its  single  leaves  are  more 
than  two  feet  across. 
As  to  Carolina  poplars,  they  must  be 
utterly  rejected  as  lawn  trees,  as  also 
the  entire  poplar  family.  Their  growth 
is  too  rampant  and  their  characteristics 
too  disagreeable  to  permit,  of  use  on  re¬ 
stricted  areas.  In  providing  shelter  belts 
on  wind-swept  prairies  they  serve  a  use¬ 
ful  purpose,  but  even  there  the  Carolina 
is  not  the  best  variety.  The  Norway 
poplar  grows  much  faster,  while  the  Volga 
and  the  Van  Geerti  varieties  are  stronger 
and  more  ornamental  .  Rut  all  are  short¬ 
lived  and  of  undesirable  habits. 
Your  inquirer  can  use  any  of  the  beau¬ 
tiful  trees  above  enumerated  and  there 
are  still  others  that  might  be  mentioned. 
The  writer  is  impressed  with  the  incon¬ 
gruity  of  a  Utopian  offering  advice  on 
tree-growth  to  the  inhabitants  of  befor- 
esfed  New  York,  but  stranger  things  are 
happening  daily,  and  illustrate  how  true 
it  is  that  the  "whirligig  of  time  brings 
in  his  revenges.”  JOSEPH  A.  SMITH. 
During  the  discussion  in  your  columns 
last  year  as  to  the  merits  or  demerits 
of  the  Carolina  poplar,  the  innocent  ques¬ 
tion  which  precipitated  the  controversy 
was  lost  sight  of  and  apparently  was 
never  fully  answered.  The  question,  as 
I  recall  it,  was  as  to  the  best  shade 
trees  to  replace  upon  a  lawn  two  pine 
trees  that  had  become  obnoxious.  The  in¬ 
quirer  was  fond  of  maples,  he  said,  but 
wanted  trees  of  rapid  growth  and  orna¬ 
mental  value. 
This  question  from  a  resident  of  New 
York  came  as  a  distinct  shock  to  me, 
for  part  of  my  boyhood  was  spent  in 
Ihe  beautiful  Genesee  Valley  of  that 
State,  and  my  pleasantest  recollections 
as  associated  with  a  shadowy  woodland, 
wherein  grew  most  of  the  species  of  trees 
now  so  widely  advertised  for  shade.  A 
little  red  school-house  fronted  the  high¬ 
way;  behind  it  stretched  the  gloomy  for¬ 
est.  and  at  "intermission.”  or  "recess,” 
what  eestgey  it  was  to  plunge  into  its 
cool  shade  and  roam  about  its  fragrant 
labyrinths!  There  we  made  acquaintance 
with  ash  and  beech;  with  maple,  iron- 
wood  and  tamarack ;  with  slippery  "el- 
lum,”  hickory,  butternut  and  bircb,  and 
all  the  variegated  growth  of  that  luxuri¬ 
ant  land.  It  seemed  to  me  then  as,  in¬ 
deed.  it.  does  now,  that  everything  in 
tree  nature  was  there  at  its  best  and 
that  no  demand  for  species  could  possi¬ 
bly  arise  that  the  forests  could  not  readi¬ 
ly  supply. 
It  was  a  far  journey  in  those  days 
to  the.  mountains  of  Utah,  and  my  boyish 
fancy  often  reverted  to  the  flowery 
meadows  of  home  while  following  the 
ox  teams  across  the  prairies  of  Illinois 
and  Iowa,  and  the  desert  lands  of  Wy¬ 
oming.  And  ilY  Utah  there  were  no 
trees.  Except  for  the  conifers  in  tin* 
canyons,  and  a  few  alders'  box-elders  and 
cottonwoods  along  the  streams,  there  was 
nothing  to  recgll  the  wondrous  forest 
growth  \y.e  had  left  behind.  Often  since 
tl?en  I  have  longed  for  a  glimpse  of  the 
little  school-house,  a  stroll  through  the 
mea<Jo\vs  and  a  visit  to  the  quiet  woods, 
but,  so  far,  those  pleasures  have  been 
denied  me  apd  the  scenes  of  my  boyhood 
are  revisited  only  in  imagination. 
I’ut  the  absence  of  trees  in  this  State 
has  been  a  stimulus  to  provide  them,  and 
so  it  happens  that,  we  have  cultivated 
every  species,  indigenous  to  the  north 
temperate  zone,  in  attempts  to  discover 
which  arc  best  adapted  to  our  needs  as 
fuel,  posts  and  lumber;  which  are  most 
beautiful  for  shade  and  ornament,  and 
most  valuable  for  fruit  and  profit.  The 
maples  you  suggest,  silver-leaved  and 
Wiers’  cut-leaved,  would  be  unsatisfac¬ 
tory  in  the  location  named.  The  former 
is  about  tin*  most  worthless  of  the  genus 
Acer,  especially  where  there  is  much 
wind  or  snow.  The  latter  is  weak  and 
draggling  and  inferior  for  purposes  of 
shade.  Only  the  Norway  maple  (Acer 
platanoides )  and  its  variant.  Sell wedler’s 
purple,  mentioned  by  <\  F.  Rloy  on  page 
10S4,  or  the  Keitenbach  purple  of  the 
same  species,  can  be  with  certainty  rec¬ 
ommended.  This  tree  has  been  fully 
tested  and  proven  invaluable.  The  criti¬ 
cism  that,  its  shade  is  so  dense  that  it 
is  hard  to  get  grass  to  grow  under  it  pro¬ 
vokes  a  smile.  The  grass  will  thrive  if 
the  tree  does. 
Sycamores  are  more  suitable  for  avenue 
planting  than  for  small  lawns,  and  the 
Ginkgo  biloba,  although  a  beautiful  tree, 
is  not  the  best  for  shade,  and  is  easily 
injured.  The  Eiriodendrou  in  bloom  is 
very  attractive,  and  makes  an  excellent 
lawn  ornament.  Rut  all  lawns  are  not 
of  Ihe  same  size  or  contour,  and  what 
would  be  considered  a  splendid  decoration 
for  one  might  be  deemed  too  massive  or 
too  diminutive  for  another.  Where  one 
has  a  wide,  open  greensward  specimens 
of  the  Wyeh  elm  (FIiiiuk  scabra)  or  the 
Cork  elm  (U.  alata )  present  a  magnifi¬ 
cent  appearance,  as  do  also  the  Blue  and 
Red  ash  trees,  which  have  clean,  bright 
foliage  and  are  free  from  injurious  in- 
si-cts.  Then  there  are  the  sweet  gum 
(Liquidambnr  styrneifiua),  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  trees  known,  and  gorgeous 
in  its  Autumn  colors;  the  Kentucky  cof¬ 
fee  tree,  the  Persian  walnut  and  the  Eu¬ 
ropean  beech  (Fagus  sylvatica),  but  tbi 
tree  is  very  slow  of  growth. 
WE  raise  seeds  with  as  much  care  for  “breeding’*  as  any  good  breeder 
uses  in  selecting  his  best  animals  to  breed  from.  Potatoes  are 
chosen  from  the  best  hills;  corn  from  stalks  that  produce  the  best 
ears  and  the  most  of  them;  tomatoes,  melons,  peppers,  etc.,  from  vines  that 
produce  the  best  fruit.  1  he  6eed  we  sell  comes  direct  from  this  pedigree 
stock,  and  is  far  superior  to  common  seed.  We  grow  these  pedigree 
seeds  on  our  own  farm  and  so  sell  to  you  direct  at  whole¬ 
sale  prices  the  best  seeds  that  can  be  grown. 
Clark’s  Early  Wonder  Corn.  We  offer  this  year  a  new  early  Dent  corn  for 
the  North,  it  is  the  biggest  early  Dent  corn  we  ever  raised,  and  ripens  perfectly  in  the 
Northern  States. 
Gold  Nugget  Corn.  The  largest  8-rowed  yellow  flint  corn  grown.  Ripens 
perfectly  in  Western  New  York.  A  number  of  fields  last  year  yielded  200  bushels  of  ears 
per  acre.  A  grand  corn  for  ensilage.  Will  produce  a  larger  percentage  of  matured 
grain  than  any  other  kind. 
Bumper  Crop  Oats.  Very  large,  plump  oats  that  stand  up  where  others  lodge. 
Many  yields  of  95  to  100  bushels  per  acre  reported  the  past  season. 
Samples  of  Corn  and  Oats  Free  if  You 
Ask  for  Them 
Harris’  Vegetable  Seeds.  Market  growers  and  those  who  have  gardens  for 
their  private  use  should  use  none  but  the  best  seeds  obtainable.  These  we  try  to  supply 
direct  from  our  farm  to  you.  .  ,  * 
Harris  Tells  the  Number  That  Will  Grow.  All  seeds  are  tested 
and  the  number  out  of  a  hundred  that  germinates  is  marked  on  the  label,  so  you  can  tell 
just  how  thick  to  sow.  No  other  seedsman  does  this. 
Our  Free  Catalog  tells  all  about  our  seeds,  gives  much  valuable  information  and 
will  help  you  decide  which  is  the  best  variety  for  your  condition.  A  card  will  bring  it. 
If  you  raise  vegetables  for  market  ask  for  Market  Gardeners"  price  list  also.  Write  today. 
Box  33,  Cold  water,  N.  Y. 
Write  for  a  sample  of  this  seed  corn  ( Gold  Nugget) 
The  hemlock  Ik  not  the  most  desirable 
!  m>  to  use  for  n  wind-break.  It  is  slow 
growth,  somewhat  exacting ‘in  its  mois¬ 
ture  requirements,  difficult, "to  transplant 
after  it  has  attained  size,  and  its  branches 
are  more  brittle  and  subject  to  injury  in 
exposed  situations  than  arc  the  branches 
of  the  spruces  or  some  other  species  that 
give  better  results. 
Hemlock  may  be  transplanted  with 
fairly  good  results  up  to  three  feet  in 
height,  but  better  results  will  be  had  if 
few  are  moved  above  a  foot  in  height. 
Transplanting  should  be  done  as  soon  as 
possible  after  the  frost  is  out  of  the  ground 
in  tile  Spring  or  after  the  season’s 
growth  lias  matured  in  the  latter  part  of 
August.  They  should  be  removed  with  as 
little  injury  as  possible  to  the  root  system. 
A  ball  of  earth  should  be  moved  with  the 
tree  large  enough  to  preserve  undisturbed 
a  goodly  portion  of  the  roots.  Trees  that 
are  to  In*  set  in  the  open  should  be  taken 
from  open  situations  rather  than  the 
growth  that  is  found  under  the  shade  of 
the  forest.  The  tree  is  shallow  rooted 
and  it  is  difficult,  to  adjust  itself  to 
changed  conditions  either  of  soil  or  at¬ 
mospheric  moisture.  I  would  not  advise 
its  use  for  wind-break  except  when  the 
trees  are  already  in  place,  e.  -g.,  on  the 
border  of  a  wood  lot  or  if  .  the  time  ele¬ 
ment  is  not  a  factor  and  the  owner  is  de¬ 
termined  to  have  that  particular  species 
and  no  other,  small-sized  trees  should  bo 
set  out  and  grown  to  the  desired  size  in 
permanent  position  in  the  hedgerow. 
JOHN  W.  STEPHEN, 
XT.  Y.  College  of  Forestry. 
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Orange  quince  trees-.  They  proved  to  be 
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