1743 were nine feet three inches in circum¬ 
ference when measured at four feet- from the 
ground, in 1795. Tiie Larch ia unquestion¬ 
ably the most enduring timber that we have, 
it is remarkable that wlfile the red wood or 
heart wood is not formed at all in the other 
resinous trees till they have lived a good 
many years, the Larch on the contrary be¬ 
gins to make it soon after it is planted, and 
while you may fell a Scotch Fir of thirty 
years old and find no red wood in it—you 
Can hardly cut down a young Larch large 
enough for a walking stick without finding 
just such a proportion of red wood compared 
to its diameter as a tree, as you will find in 
the largest Larch tree in the forest compared 
to its diameter. 
northwest corner of the county of Moray, 
Scotland, and are composed of small hills of 
sand, ranging from 20 to 140 feet high, the 
Rurface of which is ever changing by the 
influence of the wind. 
“ R. Grant, Esq., of Efcocorth, was the first 
to reclaim part of the sands In this quarter 
by plantation, and all the sandy space on his 
property (about 70 acres) is now completely 
covered with thriving wood. These planta¬ 
tions consisting of Larch and Scotch Pine, 
now (1865) from twenty to twenty-eight 
years of age, range from twenty-five to 
forty-five feet in hight, and are very vigorous. 
They yield valuable thinnings, and, although 
they stand on pure drift sand, give promise 
of producing heavy timber at a period not 
Fifteen European Larches, 3 feet high, 
were planted by the Harrisons, at Minneap¬ 
olis, Minnesota, in the spring of 1872, the. 
stood about 30 feet high, the largest one 
measuring 34 incites in circumference 1 foot 
above the ground. e noticed a European 
Larch in a thickly settled part of the city of 
Milwaukee, "Wis,, that is of larger growth 
than any we have ever seen in Illinois. 
Four by four feet is the distance recom¬ 
mended for planting the Larch and other 
coniferous trees in forest on the prairies, as. 
at that distance apart, they can be worked 
both ways with the cultivator for two or 
three years. The side branches will by that 
time shade the ground and destroy the 
undergrowth, and no mute cultivation be 
required. We would recom¬ 
mend plowing up to the trees 
the first autumn after plant¬ 
ing, plowing tho furrows back 
late in the spring. Most Euro¬ 
pean planters prefer mixi ig 
k Pines with the Larches, as this 
ZA adds to tho appearance of the 
H plantation, and gives a choice 
in thinning. We would advise 
" planting a few rows of the ad¬ 
mixture on the margin of the 
plantation, at least, and in all 
cases where the plantations arc 
placed along tho outer bound¬ 
aries of the farm, we would 
recommend a free admixture 
of evergreens, A cleau corn 
stubble, from which the corn 
stalks have been removed, 
v would be a suitable place for 
: v ' — planting a Larch forest in the 
* ~ fall; planting a tree close up 
to the nort h side of each corn- 
.V~ - w hill, the stubble (which should 
- ~ be left about two feet high) 
3g5||jsg . making a good protection 
tnrough the winter. A good 
spadeful of earth should be laid 
up to each tree after it is plant¬ 
ed, to prevent its heaving by 
the frost. 
Full planting should be prac¬ 
ticed only on land from whicl 
water wall pass off freely. 
When spring qhanting is prac¬ 
ticed the land should be plowed in the fall, 
as the Lurch ought to be planted early in the 
spring. 
When the land cannot conveniently be 
prepared in autumn, or planted early in the 
spring, the trees should be kept in a cool 
place, to keep them from vegetating, till 
ready to plant. 
EVERGREENS AND LARCH FOR SPRING 
PLANTING. 
We copy the following from the wholesale 
catalogue of Robert Douglas & Sons (Wau¬ 
kegan Ill.) which gives information that will 
Interest our readers who intend planting 
forest trees next spring : 
The Scotch Pine is the most rapid grower 
of all our hardy Evergreens—very valuable 
for forest planting. It is also valuable, for 
planting in poor soil where other evergreens 
will not flourish, and makes an excellent 
wind-break for sheltering or- 
chards, buildings, etc. 
The Norway Spruce is so 
well known ns being the best 
evergreen for ornamental pur¬ 
poses that it is only necesary 
for us to say that it is also valu¬ 
able for hedges, belts, screens 
and for timber. 
The Austrian Pine. —,The 
Black Pine of Austria was in¬ 
troduced into Britain in 1835, 
and into this country a few 
years later, and is deservedly a 
favorite in ornamental grounds. 
It is very hardy, symmetrical 
and compact, presenting a 
dense mass of rich, dark green 
foliage in winter. It is also 
becoming a favorite lor forest 
planting. Grigor says “ It is 
of robust growth, particularly — _ r 
in soft soil of any quality. It ' 
carries a breadth along with 
its upward growth, which ad¬ 
apts it for exposed ground. In 
its native country it sometimes . V. 
attains the hight of KJU feet, and 
its timber is r.trong and resin¬ 
ous." 
M o un ta i n I‘i nc (Pinna 
Montana), is a beautiful little 
tree or bush, foliage very 
dense, and of rich dark green, 
valuable for ornamental pur¬ 
poses. It is perfectly hardy in 
the most exposed situations. It can be 
used with good effect to cover barren and un¬ 
sightly bluffs, sandy knolls, railroad cuts, etc. 
The European or Tyrolese Larch (Larix 
Europa) of Do Candolle, is undoubtedly the 
most valuable tree for extensive planting, 
combining the durability of the Red Cedar 
with rapidity of growth, extreme hardiness, 
freedom from disease, and adaptability to 
almost every variety of soil. It has proved 
more profitable in Great Britain than any 
other timber tree, and is now planted more 
extensively than all others combined. A. J. 
Downing was so favorably impressed with 
the value of this tree us he saw it in Europe, 
that he devoted several pages in his “ Land¬ 
scape Gardening," published in 1849, to its 
description, from which we quote as follows: 
“ It is highly valuable to produce effect or 
shelter suddenly on portions of an estate too ■ 
thin or meager in their soil to afford the sus- < 
tenanca necessary to the growth uf many : 
other deciduous trees. The Lurch is the i 
great timber tree of Europe. Its wood is J 
remarkably strong and durable, exceeding in i 
those qualities tho best F.nglisli oak. To j 
these it is said to add the peculiarity of being 
almost uninflammable aud resisting the infill J 
ence of heat for « long time. The wood is 1 
also recommended for the decks or vessels 1 
aud the masts of ships, us it is little liable < 
either to lly in splinters during an engage- j 
rnont or to catch fire readily. In Groat Brit¬ 
ain immense plantations of this tree are ] 
made with a view to profit, and as yet noth- ( 
iug like rearing trees for timber has been j 
at tempted here. Nevertheless the time must j 
come when our attention will necessarily be j 
turned in this direction. When such is the t 
case, it is probable that the Larch will be , 
found to be as much an object of profit on j 
this side of the Atlantic as on the other, t 
Indeed, we are much inclined to believe that , 
tliousands of acres of our sterile soils in some g 
districts might now be profitably planted I J 
with this tree. t 
“In Scotland, the Larch was'first intro- f 
duced in the year 1738, when eleven plants a 
were given to the Duke of Athol, who after- j 
wards, struck by the rapidity of their growth r 
and the excellence of their timber, planted c 
thousands of acres of them. The Larch is a a 
very quick grower. Between 1740 and 1744 c 
eleven trees were plant ed at Blair, the girths li 
of which, at growths of seventy-three to t 
seventy-six yeara, ranged (from eight feet e 
two inches to ten feet. c 
11 We find by the Duke of Athol’s tables of b 
measurement that trees planted by him in s. 
AN OXFORDSHIRE DOWN RAM 
Herewith is given a jjortrait of an Oxford¬ 
shire Down Ram engraved from a photo¬ 
graph, the face and texture of the wool 
being faithfully reproduced. This ram was 
bred by Mr. Charles Howard, Biddenliam, 
Bedford, Eng.—is a three-shear, had been 
extensively used aud is not in the usual fat 
The Oxfordshire 
condition of show sheep. 
Downs, say's the Agricultural Gazette, date 
from 1833, but were not known by tins name 
until a more recent date. They were produced 
bj' crossing the Hampshire (and in some 
instances the Southdown) ewe with a Cots- 
wolcl ram. By constant attention and judi¬ 
cious selection a most successful result has 
been accomplished. The breed can now be 
said to possess large frames, good fleeces, 
hardiness of constitution, uniformity ©f char¬ 
acter, and superior quality of mutton. The 
Oxfordshire* form a very important and 
attractive feature at Engand’s national 
shows, aud a great demand lius sprung up 
for them, both at home and abroad, a large 
number of rams being annually disposed of. 
Tile principal breeders are the Duke of Marl¬ 
borough, Messrs. Druce, Gillett, Hobbs, How¬ 
ard. Roberts, Street, Treadwell and Wallis. 
We present tbit portrait andrather meager 
description of this type of English sheep, 
because wc aim to keep the readers of the 
Rural New-Yorker posted^is to the char¬ 
acteristics of the different breeds, so far as 
we cau obtain them. 
Number op Sheep on an Acre.—I have 
seen it stated that the number of sheep an 
acre of land will support varies from three 
to seven, of course tins must depend upon 
the condition of the land—and rpon the 
crops grown upon it and the lnannei of feed¬ 
ing. I should be glad if any of your readers 
eau furnish you data upon which I can cal¬ 
culate how many sheep twenty acres of good 
clover, timothy and June grass pasture will 
keep during the summer,—p. o. 
] 
