350 THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, February 24,1857. 
to take its place. The introduction of the Cinchona tree 
would not only cheapen the most valuable of all known drugs, 
and place it within the reach of a native population which 
is fever-stricken through half the year, but it would add a 
new industry to our hill sides. Slopes unsuited to the 
growth of tea would grow Cinchona. New modes of culture 
would thus gradually encroach on lands which, in spite of 
their unquestioned fertility, have hitherto been untilled 
because they are not fit for the growth of cereals. The 
great problem of the colonisation of India by Europeans 
will never be fully earned out, for the land is but limited on 
which Europeans can live and thrive; but, unless our 
Indian mountains were upheaved for nothing, they seem to 
have been destined to give support to large colonies of 
settlers from among that class of Europeans which, while 
unable to return to England, is unwilling to live and die in 
the plains of India. The class is even now a large one, 
and it is increasing from day to day. It numbers already 
hundreds of families, and the hundreds will swell to 
thousands when room for patient agricultural industry is 
found in a congenial climate.— Friend of India. 
j TIMBER TREES.—THE SWEET CHESTNUT. 
As much inquiry has of late been made of the relative 
S strength, durability, and other properties of different 
: kinds of timber, perhaps some one would be kind enough 
to investigate the cause why there is so much difference 
in the qualities of the timber of the Sweet or Spanish 
Chestnut, resembling oak in many respects. Its principal 
defect lies in its being what, in sawyers’ phrase, is 
termed “ heart-shaken,” so that when trees of it of only 
a moderate size are sawn up, it not unusually falls to 
pieces by large portions shelling off in the direction of 
the layers or rings of its growth. I have even seen a 
large piece like a waterspout shell off. Now, this is a 
great defect; but what makes it remarkable is, that all 
the trees are not alike affected, while there is no outward 
sign why they should not be so, as healthy young trees 
are often affected by it as well as old or diseased ones. 
Certainly older trees are worst, and it is common in 
many places to cut them when they arrive at a certain 1 
size, say under a dozen cubic feet of timber or so; but i 
now and then much larger trees are found which work 
remarkably well. This has led to the belief that these 
trees are another variety, which they possibly may be; 
but I have never been able to detect the difference in 
the growing tree, although I have had some hundreds 
cut up with different results, and then grown on all 
descriptions of soils; but in a general way the tree 
thrives best on a dry, stony soil, though such a one is, 
perhaps, the worst of any for producing good, sound 
timber, for quite two-thirds of the trees grown on dry, 
stony soils are unfit for any purpose smaller than a 
gate-post. J. Robson. 
THE WALNUT. 
The planting of this useful timber and fruit tree is, I 
fear, not so much practised as formerly, a circumstance 
that is much to he regretted. Succeeding generations 
will have cause to blame the present one unless the 
owners of landed estates awake out of their lethargy on 
this point, and plant this useful tree more largely. 
As it requires a somewhat peculiar soil and manage¬ 
ment, I intend to treat upon it first as a timber tree, 
and, secondly, as a fruit tree, the management of the 
two being considerably different. 
1. The Walnut Tree for Timber.— This tree is a 
native of Persia and the south side of the Caucasian 
mountains ; hence it is rather tender, at least the young 
shoots and blossoms are often injured by late frosts, 
otherwise, when the wood is well ripened, our severest 
winters do not injure it. The tree grows in good soil to 
a great size, equalling the Oak in magnitude, though 
more tame in its outline and the form of its head. 
Soil and Situation. —The Walnut thrives well in 
exactly such soil as suits the Oak, that is, a good deptli 
of loam mixed with gravel in preference to clay; but it 
will grow pretty well in a clay subsoil, providing it is 
dry or well drained. I have seen young trees growing 
very rapidly in peaty soil; but, as they grew old, the 
young shoots cankered, and the trees then made no 
progress. Hence, if they are intended for timber mainly, 
the first-named soil is indispensable. The situation 
should be a little sheltered, though they will bear strong 
winds better than most trees. It has been found that 
they will stand the sea breezes well; hence they will 
serve as a protection to other trees if planted at the out¬ 
side of plantations near the seacoast. However, to 
obtain timber quickly, they should not be planted in 
high, exposed situations or in shallow, poor soils. 
The timber of the Walnut is used largely for gun 
stocks, being light, elastic, and strong. It enters largely 
into cabinet work, especially for billiard and other tables., 
As much as ,£50 has been given for a single old, 
large tree for such work. On the Continent it is highly 
valued for dressing-cases and other nick-nackeries. The 
young trees are said to be of the finest colour, but the old 
to be better, and more beautifully variegated and shaded, 
surpassing even the finest mahogany. Surely a tree so 
highly valued for such delicate work, and so perfectly 
hardy, is worthy the attention of the planter for profitable 
timber. 
The Walnut as a Fruit Tree. —The same directions 
as to soil and situation serve for the tree when planted 
solely for its nuts. As it is a tree suitable to protect 
other more tender fruit trees from high winds, it may, 
with great use and propriety, be planted on the ivind 
side of extensive orchards. The wind often does great 
mischief to the Apple and Pear when nearly ripe by 
blowing off such heavy, tender fruit; but it cannot blow 
off the nuts of the Walnut until they are ripe enough 
for the dessert. Hence this fruit tree is the very one 
for the purpose of breaking the power of the wind from 
the other inhabitants of the orchard, doing away with 
the necessity of planting any other kind of tree for 
sheltering purposes. Planted on the outside of orchards 
they should be in a double row, each alternating with 
the other in this manner 1 , * , 1 • at twenty-five 
feet apart in each row. So planted they form an im¬ 
penetrable barrier from the attacks of the strongest 
winds. 
Having fixed upon the site and mocte of planting, the 
soil should then be well prepared. If kept under the 
spade entirely the whole plot should be deeply trenched 
the summer preceding the season of planting; then, 
when the autumn arrives, the planter should be on the 
look out for suitable trees. As this tree, if raised from 
seed, is a considerable time before it bears fruit, it is a 
good plan to get them from a nursery where they have 
been transplanted several times. If allowed to remain 
in the seed rows till they attain any size their roots will 
be found to be few and deep in the ground, and in such 
a case success in removal will be doubtful; hence I 
recommend such trees as have been frequently shifted. 
Such trees will have numerous small fibres, which, if 
taken care of in taking up, will be of great service, 
rendering the removal quite safe. 
Some cultivators and nurserymen, in order to over¬ 
come this tardiness in producing fruit, have resorted to 
inarching young trees with the branches of such as 
were already in a bearing state. The late Mr. Knight, 
of Downton Castle, relates his experience in the “ Hor¬ 
ticultural Transactions ” on this point as follows :—“ I 
planted in the spring some Walnut trees of two years 
old in garden pots, raised them up to the bearing 
