ALBERT R. MANN
LIBRARY

New York STATE COLLEGES
OF
AGRICULTURE AND HoME ECONOMICS

 

AT

CoRNELL UNIVERSITY

 

 

 

 
The trees of America.

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THE

TREES OF AMERICA

BY

RY UMPIPER M.D..“%

 

WOBURN, MASS.

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WILLIAM WIITE, PRINTER TO THE COMMONWEALTH,
BOSTON.

ENTERED, ACCORDING TO ACT OF CONGRESS, IN TIIE YEAR 1855, BY

Ra Us PLPER,

IN THE CLERK’S OFFICE OF TIE DISTRICT COURT OF THE DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTROTYPED AT THE BOSTON STEREOTYPE FOUNDRY.

 

 

 
“CORNELL
UNIVERSITY.
\. LIBRARY Z

 
   
 

  

376492
TO THE

HON. MARSHALL P. WILDER,

PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY,

As a Token of Respect
FOR HIS EFFICIENT PROMOTION OF THOSE PURSUITS UPON WHICH THE

WELFARE OF A NATION SO MUCH DEPENDS,

AND

FOR HIS GENEROUS ENCOURAGEMENT OF THE AUTHOR,

FROM THE VERY COMMENCEMENT OF HIS UNDERTAKING,
THIS WORK
I8 RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED,

BY THE AUTHOR,
THE TREES OF AMERICA.

“Father, thy hand
Hath reared these venerable columns, thou
Didst weave this verdant roof. Thou didst look down
Upon the naked earth, and forthwith rose
All these fair ranks of trees. They in thy sun
Budded, and shook their green leaves in thy breeze,
And shot towards heaven. The century-living crow,
Whose birth was in their tops, grew old and died
Among their branches, till, at last, they stood,
As now they stand, massy, and tall, and dark,
Fit shrine for humble worshipper to hold
Communion with his Maker.” — BRYANT.

No one, it seems to us, who possesses the least spark of intelligence, can look
abroad upon the works of nature, without bemg struck with the fact that the
design of the All-wise Father was to address us more directly, and to impress
us more powerfully, through the esthetic, or sense of the beautiful, than by any
other means. All his works are clothed with beauty as with a garment, as if to
conceal their utility, in the usual acceptation of that term, in order to make us
forget that sordid appreciation of them, which is too common with us all. He
might have given us fruit, without first clothing the trees in a robe of beauty
and of joy. He might have given us corn and grain, without their successive
stages of beautiful development. He might have given us rain and sunshine,
without every moment, during the solemn march of the ages, presenting new
pictures in the earth and sky. He might have given us trees and plants, and
2 THE TREES OF AMERICA.

clothed them with leaves and flowers, without forming them as now, so that no
two trees in all the world are alike, nor any two leaves in all this mighty mass
of verdure that we cannot distinguish from each other, nor any two flowers, upon
the same stalk even, which are not sufficiently unlike, to enable us to mark them
as individuals.

Take for instance the branch of an oak, and examine every leaf in succession.
You will find each is unlike every other, and that in addition to this variety, by
the combination of lines and angles, the arrangement of the leaves on the stem
so that each presents a different aspect to the eye, the effect of light and shadow,
the shadows of some passing over the others, and in the thousand variations of
tint and tone, which no language can describe, you have a mass of bewildering
beauty, every part of which is felt to be distinct from the rest, and yet so alike,
that you would not for one moment mistake the kind of tree to which it belongs.

But if nature presents such a variety in the single bough before us, what shall
we say when we behold her in the majestic tree or solemn forest? “The leaves
then,” in the language of Ruskin, “at the extremities, become as fine as dust, a
mere confusion of joimts and lines between you and the sky, a confusion which
you might as well draw sea sand, particle by particle, as to imitate leaf for leaf.
This, as it comes down into the body of the tree, gets closer, but never opaque ;
it is always transparent with crumbling lights in it, letting you through to the
sky; then out of this come, heavier and heavier, the masses of illumined foliage,
all dazzling and inextricable, save here and there a single leaf on the extremities ;
then under these you get deep passages of broken, irregular gloom, passing into
transparent, green-lighted, misty hollows; the twisted stems glancing through
them, in their pale and entangled infinity, and the shafted sunbeams, rained
from above, running along the lustrous leaves for an instant, then lost, then
caught again on some emerald bank or knotted root, to be sent up again, with a
faint reflex, on the white under sides of dim groups of drooping foliage, the
shadows of the upper boughs running in gray network down the glossy stems, and
resting in quiet checkers upon‘ the glittering earth; but all penetrable and trans-
parent, and, in proportion, inextricable and incomprehensible, except where,
across the labyrinth and the mystery of the dazzling light and dream-like shadow,
THE TREES OF AMERICA. 3

falls, close to us, some solitary spray, some wreath of two or three motionless
large leaves, the type and the imbodying of all we feel and imagine, but can
never see.”

If we should follow out this investigation in all the varied works of creation,
we should still find beauty every where; addressing us in every sight and sound,
as if it were its special mission to lead us to the skies. It may not be inappro-
priate to add, that if the meanest human soul is capable of appreciating all this,
and ten thousand times more, in the varied beauties of thought and action, how
passing wonderful it is, and how solemn a thing is life, when it is viewed as the
time for the commencement of the development of a being whose existence shall
run parallel with the march of the ages!

We have not written thus to vindicate the object of our work to the public,
but as a sort of introduction, which we should like to extend much farther, did
our proposed limits permit. Such is the general intelligence of our people that
we deem ourselves fortunate in having such a tribunal to decide upon the useful-
ness of our undertaking. If in a single district of one of our rural villages,
containing not more than two thousand inhabitants, two hundred subscribers
could be obtained in advance, to encourage a work of this description, we need
not fear the verdict in this respect. We shall endeavor to perform our task in a
manner which shall show our appreciation of such enlightened patronage. It
has been repeatedly said to us by eminent gentlemen, who have honored us with
the approval of our design, that in no other country could such an instance be
found, and we may be pardoned if we glory in it, as an evidence of the intelli-
gence of the people.

Downing says he is “almost forced to believe that the famous common schools
of New England teach the esthetics of art, and that the beauty of shade trees
is the care of especial professorships.” Strutt, im his work upon the trees of
England, claims that there is no people who feel so much reverence, or manifest
so much love, for these “most beautiful things in nature,” as the English, in-
stancing, in proof, that a tree on the estate of a nobleman was preserved, although
two hundred pounds had been offered for it. In our travels, while collecting
materials for this work, we have constantly met with instances of this kind,
4 THE TREES OF AMERICA.

where a large price has been refused for favorite trees, by those whose whole
property did not amount to much more than the sum offered for a single tree.

The fact seems to us to be, that while in England this taste must, from the
nature of the case, be confined to the few, with us it is almost universal. We
have met with but few exceptions to this rule, and these, as usual, go to prove
it. In one instance, where one of these “ tree Vandals” commenced destroying
an avenue of elms, a public meeting was called upon the subject, and such was
the force of public opinion, that he could not bear up against it, and though
dollars rung loudly, and most musically in his ears, “ that other voice” compelled
him to abandon his design. This took place in a small town in the interior of
New Hampshire. What Irving says of English gentlemen seems to belong to
the people with us, and confirms Mr. Downing’s opinion, that our “ famous com-
mon schools teach the esthetics of art.” In this, however, we only claim for
ourselves, that we have inherited from our fathers that feeling which we have
here wider room to develop.

“TI am fond of listening,” says Irving, “ to the conversation of English gentle-
men on rural concerns, and of noticing with what taste and discrimination, and
with what strong, unaffected interest, they will discuss topics which in other
countries are abandoned to mere woodmen or rustic cultivators. I have heard a
noble earl descant on park and forest scenery with the science and feeling of a
painter. He dwelt on the shape and beauty of particular trees on his estate with
as much pride and technical precision as though he had been discussing the
merits of statues in his collection. I found that he had even gone considerable
distances to examine trees which were celcbrated among rural amateurs; for it
seems that trees, like horses, have their established points of exccllence, and that
there are some in England which enjoy very extensive celebrity, among tree
fanciers, for being perfect in their kind. There is something nobly sweet and
pure in such a taste; it argues, I think, a swect and generous nature, to have
this strong relish for the beauties of vegetation, and this friendship for the hardy
and glorious sons of the forest. There is a grandeur of thought connected with
this part of rural economy. It is, if I may be allowed the figure, the heroic line
of husbandry. It is worthy of liberal, and free born, and aspiring men. He who
THE TREES OF AMERICA. 5

plants an oak looks forward to future ages, and plants for posterity. Nothing
can. be less selfish than this. He cannot expect to sit in its shade nor enjoy its
shelter; but he exults in the idea that the acorn which he has buried in the
earth shall grow up into a lofty pile, and shall keep on flourishing and increasing,
and benefiting mankind, long after he shall have ceased to tread his paternal
fields. Indeed, it is the nature of such occupations to lift the thoughts above
mere worldliness. As the leaves of trees are said to absorb all noxious qualities
of the air, and to breathe forth a purer atmosphere, so it seems to me as if they
drew from us all sordid and angry passions, and breathed forth peace and philan-
thropy. There is a screne and settled majesty in woodland scenery, that enters
into the soul, and dilates and elevates it, and fills it with noble inclinations.

There is another evidence of the almost universal prevalence of this feeling
among us. The entire newspaper press of the country, however discordant upon
other themes, harmonizes upon this. ‘This is evident, from the manner in which
all attempts in this direction have been met by this mighty power, which so
controls and directs public opinion. From the outset of his work, the author
has reason to appreciate this, and to be grateful for the kind encouragement he
has received from every one of the many editors to whom he has submitted his
plans.

There is another point of view, in connection with this subject, to which the
lovers of trees, and the friends of our country, should direct their attention ; that
is, the planting and cultivation of trees for profit, and to supply the demand of
those who are to occupy this glorious land, when we shall have passed away.
“We ought not to cease our efforts,” says Downing, “till every man feels it to
be one of his moral duties to become a planter of trees; until every one feels,
indeed, that it is the most patriotic thing which can be done, to cause trees to
grow where no foliage has waved and fluttered before.” If we find them so
necessary and useful, will not posterity have reason to curse us if we provide not
wisely for their wants in this respect? and if we “plant thus wisely we are more
certain of recciving the thanks of posterity, than the most persuasive orator, or
the most prolific writer of his day and generation.” “In what one imaginable
attribute that it ought to possess,” says Christopher North, “is a tree, pray,
6 THE TREES OF AMERICA.

deficient? Light, shade, shelter, coolness, freshness, music, all the colors of the
rainbow, dew and dreams dropping through their soft twilight at eve and morn,
dropping direct, soft, sweet, soothing, restorative from heaven. Without trees,
how in the name of wonder could we have houses, ships, bridges, easy chairs, or
coffins, or almost any single one of the necessaries, comforts, and conveniences
of life?” |

We may anticipate the verdict of posterity, in our own feelings when enjoying
the shade and coolness of the leafy road, or in contemplating the many uses to
which the tree is adapted. Who has not felt to bless the name of Tudor, when
rambling over “the stern and rock-bound shores” of Nahant? And who does
not feel a glow of gratitude, when walking the lofty aisles of verdure in the
“ City of Elms,” to him who did so much to produce so vast a leafy temple?

In our enjoyment of the present, we are apt to forget that we cannot, without
sin, neglect to provide for those who are to come after us. In order to do our
duty to our country, to those who are to succeed us, we should do all in our
power to encourage the planting of trees. In some parts of Germany the gov-
ernment makes it a duty for every landholder to plant trees in the highways,
before his property; and it is said that in a few towns no young man can marry
till he has planted a tree. As the people govern here, they should see that their
government be as enlightened in this direction as that of the despotic rulers of
the old world.

Lord Bagot planted, during his life, over two million oaks in Staffordshire and
Wales, which are said to be the most planted by any one man in England in his
time. It would seem as if a sort of noble rivalry existed among many English
gentlemen, in respect to planting trees. Davy speaks of Sir Joshua Vannec,
who, he says, “has, with his noble plantation of oaks, beeches, chestnuts, &c.,
ornamented the whole country, and which in half a century, as the soil is favor-
able to them, will be an inexhaustible treasure to the public, as well as to his
family.” — The profit of growing forest trees is a subject upon which we hope to
be able to present some data in the progress of this work, which will be of value,
and furnish additional inducements to the planting and preservation of trees.
Mr. South mentions that an oak of sixty years’ standing will in twenty-four years
THE TREES OF AMERICA. 7

double its contents of timber, and of course increase its value im a much greater
ratio. Another foreign writer mentions a growth of two hundred acres of wood,
which was three times cut over in twenty-four years, producing in all fifteen
hundred dollars of our money, when, had it been allowed to stand from the first
an equal number of years, it would have produced, at the very lowest valuation,
thirty thousand dollars. We shall see from this how much care and judgment
should be exercised in the cutting down of our forests. But we hope to pursuc
this subject further in the future. The editor of the Horticulturist, a publication,
we would remark, which ought to be in the hands of every family in the country,
furnishes us with some facts which are of so much interest to all, that we shall
avail ourselves of this opportunity, to present them to our readers. It seems
that the supply of many kinds of wood, which are necessary for mechanical pur-
poses, is becoming so uncertain, as to make it a matter of serious inquiry, what
is to be done, in our own day, to meet the demand. It is proposed to plant the
sides and embankments of railroads, canals, and public roads, with locust, white
oak, chestnut, hickory, and larch, which would, in a few years, not only add
much to the beauty of the country, but create a supply, sufficient, if properly
managed, to meet an immense annual demand, and yield a very large profit on
the first investment. This is a subject of so much importance to every onc,
whether small or great, in our country, that, although it may seem to some a
little out of place in a work of this description, we shall pursue it still further.
State governments should at once take this matter in hand, and thus do as much
as is in their power to remedy past neglect. No public road or canal, of any
kind, over which these governments have control, should be constructed, without
making the planting of the borders with trees, and their after care, imperative
upon those who have the management. Had this been done early in the history
of these enterprises, says the author quoted above, “in the Southern States there
would now have been an ample provision of live oak timber, and in the North-
ern of white oak, locust, &c., for national and private purposes.”

“By planting the acorns, or seeds, scarcely any cost would be incurred; but
it can be shown by practical men, that, at present prices, a mile of seedling
oaks, one year old, planted ten feet apart, — which would give for both sides of
8 THE TREES OF AMERICA.

a road one mile in length, one thousand and fifty-six trees, —could be bought and
planted for twenty dollars, and locust for the same, if not for less. At a low
estimate, we will assume that these trees, in twenty years, would be worth, on an
average, two dollars each, or two thousand one hundred and twelve dollars. : (Or-
namental trees produce a much greater result in from five to eight years.) If the
route from Philadelphia to Pittsburg, which, with its branches, is four hundred
miles in length, was planted on both sides, say eight hundred miles, the value
produced, where nothing of value is now growing, would, if we are correct, yield
eight hundred and fifty thousand dollars! Apply this estimate to the whole
length of railroads, canals, and turnpikes in the Union, and the result is too
startling for figures.” It scems that we are now greatly dependent upon Canada
to meet this demand, and the question is seriously asked, “ When Canada has
exhausted her supply,” which she must at some time do, “where are we to go?”

In this calculation, trees of known mercantile value are taken as samples. It
is recommended to change their character, according to climate and soil, and the
demand in various localities. In case the companies already formed refuse to
do this, it is recommended to form companies for this special purpose, the stock
of which, we are assured, would be of much more value than that of the roads
themselves. The governments of France and Switzerland, and of some other
countries, long ago attended to this matter; and now we are informed that the
turnpikes and canals furnish an abundance of timber for ship building and other
purposes. Shall we, with all our common schools and freedom, be less wise than
they? The English walnut, which is in such demand in this and other countries,
is furnished, to a great extent, by trees planted on the sides of the roads leading
from France to Switzerland over the Jura.

In Germany, the very near vicinity of the railroad track is cultivated by the
lookout men, and the station house grounds, in many instances, are made so
beautiful, by trees and flowering shrubs, as to compensate for a journey over the
roads to see them.

We would again, however, appeal to the thousands of intelligent landholders
in our country. It is to them that we look mainly for a reform in this direction.

We know of an instance in a neighboring state, where a pasture, of but little
THE TREES OF AMERICA. 9

value, was covered with fruit trees, which in a few years produced an annual
income of more than twelve hundred dollars. ‘The father of the late Duke of
Athol lived to see a ship launched that was built out of the larch wood planted
by himself on his naked Scotch hills.” This larch flourishes well with us, and
there are thousands of places, where it and other valuable woods should be
planted, which would yield a thousand per cent., upon a very small outlay. It
is calculated, by the able editor of the Horticulturist, that five hundred dollars
worth of locust trees, planted at the birth of an infant, on land of moderate
value, would be worth more than ten thousand dollars at its majority.

In order to foster and rightly develop this love of trees, which, according to
a celebrated writer, is peculiarly the property of the northern races, several meth-
ods suggest themselves, which have been before presented by the lamented
Downing and others. First, every private individual who owns a garden should
every year give some portion of his own time, and that of his gardener, if he
employs one, to his neighbors and the public, in order to beautify and improve
his town or village. There is no benevolence which pays a higher money interest
than this. But we would not urge this as a motive, though it may properly have
its influence; nor do we think that it often enters into the calculations of those
generous tree planters, whose favorite pursuit, according to Irving, is so ennobling
in its nature. We know of one gentleman, who has pursued this course, and in
a few years has, by his generous system, more than doubled the value of his own
property, and that of his neighborhood. We were pleased to see inscribed over a
beautiful arched entrance to his grounds, “ People are requested to walk in these
grounds,” and though fruit and flowers are exposed in every direction, his confi-
dence is never abused. Where there is not time to devote to this object, trees
might be given away, upon the condition that they be carefully planted and cared
for; and, as every successful cultivator must have some proper method of trans-
planting, &c., he should give some little instruction to the recipients of his gifts,
in order to secure, as far as possible, a successful result. There is nothing in
which people fail so often as in transplanting trees, and yet nothing is easier, or
more certain, if it is conducted upon correct principles. We shall give a few
simple rules in another part of this work, which we think cannot fail of being
10 THE TREES OF AMERICA.

easily.understood and put in practice. We have transplanted hundreds of trees
and shrubs, and with such uniform success, that we now not only expect them
in all cases to live, (where their character and condition would warrant such an
expectation,) but to make a rapid and vigorous growth. In the second place
we would call upon the nursery men to lend their aid. It is their business, we
know, to sell trees, and it may seem strange that we recommend them to give
away their goods in order to increase their business; but we are convinced, by
actual observation, that what Downing recommended some time since is the best
course. He says, “It may appear, to some of our commercial readers, an odd
recommendation, to urge them to give away precisely that which it is their busi-
ness to sell; but we are not talking at random, when we say, most confidently,
that such a course steadily pursued by amateurs and nurserymen, throughout the
country, for ten years, would increase the taste for planting, and the demand for
trees, five hundred fold.” We know of an instance where this course has been
pursued, by one liberal-minded nursery man, and the result has been, that his
sales have more than doubled, every year, since he commenced the practice. It
is but just to say, however, as this will fall under his eye, that he has done this
with no view to profit, but from the promptings of a noble and generous heart.

It should be remembered by those who are disposed to benefit individuals
and the country in this manner, that they have it in their power to do much
to form a correct taste in regard to the choice of ornamental trees. They
should urge the cultivation of our native trees. There are two reasons for this,
which would seem to be conclusive: In most cases they are far more beautiful,
and better adapted to our climate, than foreign trees. We have but to visit
other countries to see how mistaken we are when we choose foreign trees and
shrubs in preference to our own. An eminent Belgian collector said to an
American traveller, after speaking of the difficulty he had in obtaining our native
plants and trees, “ And so, in a country of azaleas, kalmias, rhododendrons,
cypripediums, magnolias, and nysas, the loveliest flowers, shrubs, and trees
of temperate climates, you never put them in your gardens, but send over the
water, every year, for thousands of dollars’ worth of English larches and Dutch
hyacinths. ‘Voila le goit republicain!’” — Behold the taste of republicans!
THE TREES OF AMERICA. 11

In France and Germany great attention is paid to the cultivation of American
plants and trees, while in England every pleasure ground of any note has its
American department, comprising, in many instances, a large number of acres.
Our mountain laurel, (Kalmia latfolia,) our azaleas and rhododendrons, are
here met with in great profusion. This beautiful shrub, the laurel, which de-
serves a place in every garden, has been introduced, to some extent, in the
neighborhood of Boston. It occurs, among others, in the garden of the Hon.
Bowen Buckman, of Woburn, Mass., a gentleman whose fine taste and public
spirit have done much for that beautiful town. Downing says of the American
laurel, “ There is nothing which surpasses it, when in perfection, as to the richness
of its dark-green foliage, or the exquisite delicacy and beauty of its gay masses
of flowers.” In order to transplant it successfully, it should be taken up in
masses in the month of May, or with a frozen ball of earth about it, in the fall
or winter. It should be set out in a clump, the larger the better, in a cool or
shaded aspect,—a northern exposure is the best, —where the subsoil is rather
damp. The soil should be sandy or gravelly, with a mixture of decomposed peat,
or a cart load or two of decayed leaves; or perhaps meadow mud would answer
for a part of the compost. This bed should be made at least two feet deep, to
retain the moisture during long droughts. It would be well, also, to shade the
ground for a few years with a bed of leaves or grass; this may be secured against
the wind by covering it with stones. A mass of this beautiful evergreen, grown
in this manner, will convince any one that it possesses all we claim for it.

As a third means to this end, we would ask the attention of Horticultural and
Agricultural Societies to the subject. They have already done so much to devel-
op the resources of the country in other directions, we feel confident, that if
they were to take this matter in hand, we should soon sce great and beneficial
results. It would not become us to point out methods, but leave it to those who
have already shown so much wisdom in giving direction and energy to the de-
velopment of kindred pursuits.

We cannot better close this part of our subject than by quoting from one to
whom we are already so much indebted. “In Saxony,” says Downing, “the
traveller beholds with surprise and delight, on the road between Wiessenfels and
12 THE TREES OF AMERICA.

Halle, quantities of the most beautiful and rare shrubs and flowers growing
along the foot paths, and by the sides of the hedges which line the public prom-
enades. The custom prevails there, among private individuals who have beautiful
gardens, of annually planting some of their surplus materiel along these public
promenades, for the enjoyment of those who have no gardens. And the custom
is met in the same beautiful spirit by the people at large; for, in the main, those
embellishments which turn the highway into pleasure grounds are respected, and
grow and bloom as if within the enclosures.

“ Does not this argue a civilization among these ‘down-trodden’ nations of
Central Europe, that would not be unwelcome in this our land of equal rights
and free schools?”

PLATE I.
OUR ENGRAVED TITLE PAGE.

Tuis group is composed, mostly, with reference to one which haunts our mem-
ory, though seen long ago. It consists of the birch, whose graceful, pendulous
branches, in all its varieties, are so beautiful, while its quivering leaves make
music at the touch of the gentlest breeze, and the white and pitch pine, those
trees of the “soft and soul-like sound,” and the red oak, with such a variety of
shrubs as would surprise any one but a botanist. And here let us say, that
this science, botany, should be one of the first taught in our common schools,
if for no other reason than to make the young denizen of this beautiful world
acquainted with the wonderful variety of his playmate trees and shrubs within
the reach of his hand. The wild grape vine had climbed over the whole group,
and twined its long, trailing arms lovingly about the old birch, which seemed
THE TREES OF AMERICA. 13

almost ready to fall, as if to protect it in its hour of need. The figure of the
vine protecting the tree in its old age and decrepitude, though very common, seems
like the rose, to lose none of its beauty for being so. Who has not seen, in a
group like this, old trees, entirely decayed at the bottom, still upheld against the
tempest and the storm by the clinging vine.. The female figure, in the foreground,
we have introduced, as we found her, gathering berries by the road side, to help
eke out a scanty living, and yet here, as in all our experience, manifesting what
seems peculiarly to belong to the sex, woman’s loveliest trait, pointing to the
highest development, the love of the beautiful. We have chosen the oak for
our border, as the representative of American trees, we having, I believe, more
than all the world besides; there being forty-four species of native growth be-
tween the twentieth and forty-eighth degree of north latitude. England, proud
as she is of her oaks, (which deserve all her regard,) has but two species. "We
might write a long chapter on our title page, so many things are there in it —
its variety of rocks, its many plants, including eight or ten species of the beau-
tiful trefoil, the purple eupatorium, the delicate blue vervain, and several species
of that flower which defies all attempts to tame it, (the yellow geradia,) the despair
of the cultivator, but the joy of the bees and butterflies, and all the gay tribe
of honey-loving insects. But we hope that we have already said enough to con-
vince every one of the great sources of enjoyment which are all around us, and
which a little study of natural history would open to our vision. A single hand’s
breadth of the earth’s surface not unfrequently contains twenty or thirty species
of plants. That eminent naturalist Professor Agassis once said that he could
spend a whole life upon the border of one of our small ponds, and yet find aoe?
about which to be profitably and pleasantly employed.

a
14 THE ‘TREES OF AMERICA.

PLATE Il.

SEQUOIA GIGANTEA, TORREY;. WELLINGTONIA GIGANTEA, LINDLEY.
(GIANT REDWOOD.)

“Giant trees,
Children of elder time, in whose: devotion,
The chainless winds still come, and ever come,
To drink their odors, and their mighty swinging
To hear —an old and solemn harmony.” — SHELLEY.

Dr. Liypiey says of this vegetable giant, whose age is estimated to be three
thousand years, “It-must have been a little plant when Samson was slaying
his Philistines, or Paris running away with Helen.” It is found in a single
district on the elevated slopes of the Sierra Nevada, near the head waters of the
Stanislaus and San Antonio Rivers;— thirty-eight degrees north latitude, and
one hundred and twenty-nine degrees west longitude, —at an elevation of five
thousand feet above the level of the sea. Some eighty or ninety trees exist within
the circuit of a mile. The following are the dimensions of some of the largest
of them, from a source which we believe is worthy of credit: One, four hundred
feet in height, one hundred and nineteen feet in circumference; a cluster of
three, three hundred feet in height, ninety-two in circumference; one, two
hundred feet in height, eighty-five feet in circumference; one, three hundred
and twenty-five feet in height, ninety-one and a half feet in circumference ; two,
united at the base, three hundred feet in height, ninety-two feet in circumference ;
two, three hundred and twenty-five feet in height, ninety feet in circumference ;
one, three hundred feet in height, ninety-four feet in circumference; one, three
hundred feet in height, seventy-two feet in circumference; two, three hundred
feet in height, eighty-five feet in circumference.

The tree from which our plate is made was two hundred and ninety feet in
 
THE TREES OF AMERICA. 15

height, and ninety-six feet in circumference. ‘This measurement corresponds with
many others which have been made of it, and we are also assured by several gentle-
men who have visited it, that our portrait is very correct. As will be seen, it has
been broken at some distance from the top. By continuing the sides, they will
be found to meet at a distance of four hundred and fifty feet from the base, which
would make this tree higher than any now standing, of which we have an account.
It is said that one has been discovered, lying prostrate, which must have been,
at least, five hundred feet in height. The top was partly destroyed. It is diffi-
cult to form an adequate conception of the magnitude of these enormous trees.
It will be seen that the base of some of them covers an area equal to that of a
pretty good sized dwelling house. The “ Father Pine,” as it is called, aside from
its branches, would make more than a thousand cords of wood. Dr. Hunter, in
speaking of one of the gigantic English oaks, which measured forty-eight feet in
circumference, says, “ When compared to this, all other trees are but children
of the forest.” This enormous oak would scarcely make a branch for one of
these gigantic Californians. A drawing of this oak and the Boston elm is shown
in the plate, drawn on the same scale as the redwood.

Mr. Frank Marryat tells us that the wood of this tree, which is so light and
easy to work, is very durable. From the specimens which we have seen, we
should not judge it to be more than two thirds as heavy as white pine. The red-
wood bark, which is a foot in thickness, is penetrated towards the top of the tree
with numerous holes, made by a kind of starling called carpentero — the carpen-
ter. These birds fill their cells with acorns, for winter use. They are always at
work, when they are not fighting among themselves, or engaged in scolding the
gray squirrel, who frequently pillages their stores. When the squirrel ascends
the redwood, he is immediately surrounded by the carpenteros, who, well knowing
his errand, do their best to drive him away. ‘The squirrel takes no notice of
their angry remonstrances against his invasion of their rights, but chooses the
acorn which suits him best, whisks his silvery tail from side to side, and turns
his head with a comical look of composure, as if he were doing the most innocent
and commendable action imaginable. The birds, however, do not view the matter
in the same light, for they keep such a screaming over the “ rascally business,”
16 THE TREES OF AMERICA.

that they soon assemble a whole flock of their neighbors, who join in the noise,
until it becomes absolutely deafening to human ears. The squirrel, in the mean
time, continues his thefts until his appetite is satisfied.

But a greater foe to the carpentero and the noble redwood is the Digger. In-
dian, who burns down the giant for the sake of the acorns stored in the cells of
the industrious bird. Some of these mighty monuments of antiquity have also
been destroyed by the cupidity of showmen and others; “men,” as an eminent
author says, ‘“‘ who would dig up the bones of their fathers, and expose them in
the market-place for sale, and dispose of their household gods, of their very souls,
even, for pence.” The poor Digger has some excuse in his hunger and his
ignorance for destroying these venerable monuments of the past; but what shall
we say of the civilized man who dares to imitate him, especially where he has
only the desire of gain to plead in excuse? ‘Will not the people of California see
to it that no more of these “children of elder time,” whose birth was coeval
with that of the Pyramids, be unnecessarily destroyed. Every pains should be
taken to preserve them. They are monuments of the past, as are the Pyramids,
and much more worthy of reverence and a pilgrimage. If, as says that writer
whose fame is our nation’s honor, the love and reverence of trees is worthy of
liberal and free born men, will not the liberal and free born men of our sister
state guard the redwood from all wanton injury? Ere long it seems to us that
thousands will journey to the golden land to look upon these trees, “its greatest
wonder.”

Three thousand years ago — “ how strange the story !” — these trees had their
birth; and, while the monuments of Egypt are crumbling into dust, the red-
wood lives on, every fibre of its wondrous structure as sound as if it were des-
tined to endure while the world lasts. And who can say when it shall become
aged? The ancient cedars of Lebanon have nearly all passed away; the cedar
of California has but begun its wondrous existence. When the Savior walked
the earth, these trees had already seen twelve centuries pass by in their noiseless
tread; and eighteen centuries more have glided away, and still they remain,
clothed with a robe of living green, which may sing to the passing breeze until
the “Final Day.”
 
THE TREES OF AMERICA, 17

PLATE III.
ASSABET OAK, ON THE RANDALL ESTATE, STOW, MASS.

« Jove’s own tree,
That holds the woods in ‘awful sovereignty ;
For length of ages lasts his happy reign,
- And lives of mortal man contend in vain ;
Full in the midst of his own strength he stands,
Stretching his brawny arms and leafy hands;
His shade protects. the plains, his head the hills commands.” — VIRGIL.

Tur oak is eminently the historic tree. From the earliest records of man-
kind, through all past history, it has been connected with the most important
embodied ideas of the race. It has looked down as calmly, in its dignity and
-grandeur, upon the priests who made it sacred as the emblem of deity, and
offered sacrifices beneath its leafy arches, as upon the murdered son of the royal
Psalmist, or upon the more terrible offering of the relentless Jean Ziska.

_ The first oracles which conveyed ‘the will of the gods to man were revealed
in the sacred oak groves, or uttered : through voices from the inspired trees
themselves, — =

Which in Dodona did enshrine;
So faith too fondly'deemed a-voice divine.”

Our ancestors, the Britons, worshiped the oak. The Druids believed that every
thing came from God which grew upon it. Their very name, it is said, is derived
from it, as only beneath its solemn shade did they dare-to address the gods.
Four centuries ago the hero Wallace, with his boy companions, played beneath
the shade of the Wallace oak. Now
18 THE TREES OF AMERICA.

“The old memorial tree is down,
But its stirring legend still lives on —
A tale of grief and withering woe,
Of tears that ceaséd long ago.”

Beneath the Queen’s Oak Elizabeth heard of the death of Mary, and knew
that by this event she had become the ruler of a mighty kingdom.

From the top of an oak, separated from the fight by the waters of the swollen
river, Owen Glendower witnessed the defeat of his friend Harry Hotspur, and
the triumph of the tyrant king. We, too, have our historical oaks, as venerable
for age as those of other lands, and like them fraught with a people's weal or woe.

The present noble queen of England, before she ascended the throne, planted
with her own hands an oak at Chatsworth. Long may it live and flourish as
the Queen’s Oak, and tell to ages yet unborn far other tales than those told by
the venerable tree which looked down upon the great queen who so long ago
swayed the sceptre of the fatherland.

Tn our country, where all are born sovereigns, it is to be hoped that ere long
every lady will deem it her duty to imitate England’s queen in this, and plant at
least one tree. When our ladies shall do this, then will the work be done, and
throughout our broad land the reproach of neglect, in this respect, have passed
away. This act of Victoria’s, it seems to us, is not the least significant in the
life of one to whom a people look, not in vain, for a high and noble example.
If, as says the North American, the influence of Evelyn is now more felt for
good, by the race, than any of the rulers and statesmen of his times, “ private
gentleman” though he was, may we not hope that many will thus strive to
embalm their memories, and build for themselves leafy pyramids, monuments
of love and good will, which shall preserve their deeds when the pyramids of
Egypt shall have crumbled into dust, and the very names of the tyrants who
hoped thus to perpetuate their memories have passed away, and left no trace
upon the sands of time ?

On another page we have alluded to what Mr. Tudor has done at Nahant,
and since then we have taken pains to obtain further information upon the
subject. It may be as well to remark in this connection, that as our work is
THE TREES OF AMERICA. 19

being published in parts, and must of necessity extend over a considerable space
of time, and therefore develop itself as we go on, this will serve as an apology
for any irregularity in its arrangement as a whole. We shall revert to subjects
again and again, as we may deem them of value and interest. We wish not only
to “ make sacred the trees of America,” but to preserve for future time the mem-
ory of our co-laborators in this field. We should like to inscribe on our Libro
@ Oro the name of the humblest individual who causes a tree to grow where
none grew before. Surely he is more worthy of being remembered than the
noblest butcher who ever strode the earth leaving desolation in his track.

~ “Thirty years ago,” says Mr. Tudor, “I began at Nahant, when the scene pre-
sented little but bare and bleak desolation. Now the trees are greeting me with
the delicate perfume of flower and leaf;—-and the wordless music of the breeze, as
it sings through their branches, with the joyous carol of the birds, answers the
roar of the ‘deep-voiced neighboring ocean.’ The birds! I had forgotten that
they would come with the trees, and it is with glad surprise that I have watched
them from year to year, as new varieties come and take up their abode with us.
The robin, the bobolink, many kinds of sparrows, and even the humming bird
now make their home here. The birds make free with my fruit, taking the
best; but they are welcome to it, for they amply repay me with their music and
their unceasing war upon the insect tribes.

“Tt seems to me that no object in nature is more beautiful than a tree ; — com-
bined with glancing, babbling streams, in the midst of ravines and precipices,
standing beneath frowning, jagged rocks, or looking from the heights above upon
the plains below, as if to invoke a blessing upon the dwellers in their shadow:
they fill the soul with something akin to worship. But here at Nahant, with
tame water and wild water, where the waves dash and the spray flies, where we
have the rocks, and the precipices, and the mysterious voices from the caverns
of ocean, they seem to me to combine to produce an effect before which interior
scenery must give way.”

Mr. Tudor has planted more than ten thousand trees at Nahant, and by the
results of his experiments, has fully demonstrated that trees properly cared for
in the beginning may be made to grow up to the very bounds of the ocean,
20 THE TREES OF AMERICA.

exposed to the biting of ‘the wind and the spray of the sea. The only shelter
they require is, at first, some interruption to break the current of the wind, such
as fences, houses, or other trees. ‘“ My experience convinces me,” he says, “ that
a tree will grow on the bank where the storm beats and the salt spray flies, if the
wind is not allowed a free passage.” We shall again refer to this subject, and
show how almost every vegetable production is influenced by these same causes,
giving, as we think, the true theory of many failures in agriculture which have
as yet remained a mystery. Mr. Tudor invites others to come to Nahant and
see what has been done. “ Nantucket,” he says, “can as easily be covered with
trees as Nahant;” and there is no one better qualified than himself, or more
ready to point out the way.

Mr. Tudor began his tree planting with the balm of Gilead and willow; rapid-
growing, hardy trees. These he selected to commence with, as he was desirous
to sit beneath the shade of trees of his own raising. Had he remembered that
tree planting almost surely conduces to longevity, he might not have despaired
of enjoying the shelter of an oak, over whose infancy he had watched. As he
has planted some of these noble trees, we hope he may live to see them grow
into vigorous manhood. Some forty years since, a gentleman of seventy com-
menced planting fruit and forest trees, not with the expectation of receiving
much benefit from them himself, but with the unselfish, noble desire to
benefit those who should come after him. As is too frequently the fact in
such cases, his neighbors ridiculed the undertaking, on the ground that it was
foolish to plant for others. In his case, however, they were disappointed, for he
has lived to enjoy his trees and his intellect to the ripe age of one hundred and
ten years, while they have all passed away. Besides poplars and willows, Mr. T.
is cultivating white and red oaks; the latter a noble tree, and a very rapid grower.
The white oak may also be made to grow rapidly. The rate of growth of all
trees, however, depends very much upon management.

He has the rock maple, also the red, white, and Norway maples. The Nor-
way maple, he observes, he has found very hardy, and peculiarly well adapted
to exposed localities. Of the graceful birch family he has the white variety, a
tree which the author has transplanted with success, and which he regards, in
THE TREES OF AMERICA. 21

groups with other trees, or by itself, as very beautiful. James Burt, the artist,
whose early promise was so high, and who, had he lived, would have well
fulfilled the mission to which he was called, used to speak of the birch, in
all its varieties, as peculiarly graceful and beautiful. Myr. Tudor has the
white ash and the white pine, raised from the seed. He has the horse chestnut,
the butternut, and the Madeira-nut bearing fruit; also pears, apples, peaches,
plums, and quinces, all of which do well under the conditions mentioned
above — that is, shelter from violent winds. This condition is also necessary to
be observed inland, and the neglect to do so has been the cause of failure in
the planting of fruit and ornamental trees in numerous cases which have come
under the notice of the author.

Mr. Tudor has also been very successful in the transplanting of large trees.
In a letter to the author he says, “I have done a good deal in transplanting old
and full-grown trees. I have removed forty or fifty apple and pear trees ten
miles or more, each tree being a load for two horses. Some of these trees are
more than fifty years of age, and yet I have not lost one of them. The balm of
Gilead trees at Nahant, raised by myself, I have transplanted repeatedly, even
when they have attained to a large size. Last year I removed forty of these,
some of them at least sixty feet high, and from twelve to fifteen inches in
diameter at a foot or more from the ground. All these are doing well, as are
some forty others, nearly as large, transplanted the previous year.” Mrs. Tudor
warmly sympathizes with her husband’s noble work, and thus sets an example
to the fair daughters of our country, which we hope will induce many to use
their influence to the same end. She has herself planted trees, carrying with
her own hands the Madeira-nut tree into the interior of New York, thus intro-
ducing there a tree of which Mr. Tudor thinks much. We shall endeavor to
give some account of this tree in the future. If every lady who has the oppor-
tunity would do thus, how soon would our whole country have distributed
through all its broad extent the various species of trees which contribute so
much to the comfort and support of the race! It must be pleasant to look back
upon acts like this, and to remember that when we have passed away, the noble
trees will tell to those who come after us that we have not lived in vain.
22 THE TREES OF AMERICA.

We have been thus particular in giving the result of Mr. Tudor’s experiments,
as we look upon them as of the highest importance. He has demonstrated, as
he says, “that trees may be made to grow close to old ocean, spite of his anger
and his storms;” and he has also shown that other vegetation can be as success-
fully cultivated in the same vicinity, if only sheltered by the guardian trees.
Thus thousands of acres of barren land may be converted into fruitful fields, and
vast populations be supported upon soil now deemed valueless. Certainly, by
his experiments, it seems to us, he has conferred the greatest boon upon the
race, and that, like Evelyn, he will receive the thanks of the world. His method
of transplanting, etc., we shall give in another part of this work.

There are others, also, to whom we are more or less indebted for the shade,
and verdure, and tree music of Nahant. Mr. Stephen Codman was one of the
earliest tree planters here. It is said of him, as no mean praise, he was a great
lover of trees. Mr. Charles Amory has also both fruit and forest trees of his
own planting. The Hood family, the Johnsons, Mr. Whitney, Mr. Bryant, and
Mr. Hammond, — and amongst the ladies, Mrs. Bulfinch and Mrs. Colby, — have
aided in producing the change from barrenness to comparative fertility which
Nahant now presents. They deserve, as they will receive, the thanks of the
thousands who, from year to year, come here to visit old ocean, as well as a
more lasting memorial in the general interest and value of the facts they have
aided to establish.

There are various ways in which climate is influenced by the presence or
absence of trees, and the success of the agriculturist often depends entirely upon
their protection. They yield vital heat, and thus, in some degree, equalize the
temperature of the air; they draw moisture from the earth, and give it off, by
evaporation, from the surface of an infinitude of leaves. They protect the tender
plant from the violence of the winds, which would, in this manner alone, in
many instances, destroy the labors of the husbandman. By obstructing the
winds, they prevent the rapid abstraction of heat and moisture, and perhaps in
this manner render their most important services. They afford shelter and
breeding places for the birds, without whose aid in destroying insects and
worms we should try in vain to produce many important vegetables. This last
THE TREES OF AMERICA. 23

fact is not sufficiently regarded by the agriculturist. What farmer expécts to
raise doves or domestic fowls, if he provide no dovecots or places for them to
breed in.

As well might he expect the birds which guard his crops against the insect
armies, and cheer his labors with their music, to build their nests without the
shelter of bush or tree, or hatch their young, as is the fable in regard to Mother
Carey’s chickens, in the air through which they soar and sing. But are the
birds so important to the farmer — (and if to him, to all, for we all depend upon
him for food) —as we regard them? Weare too often so obstinate in our opin-
ions, or so careless in our habits of observation, as to learn wisdom only by sad
experience. Even the experience of others fails to arouse our attention, until
too late we find ourselves the victims of the inexorable law. The “ open secret
of nature” lies spread out before us, and yet we fail to profit by it.

We should remember one thing in regard to insects injurious to vegetation ;
that is, that they all undergo several transformations, and that the bird which
may shun them in one state may destroy myriads of them in another. Thus
the barn swallow does not, to my knowledge, destroy a single insect in its larva
or caterpillar state; but he all day long, from early morn to gray evening, with
untiring wing and insatiable appetite, devours them by thousands, when, as
moths or butterflies, each one is capable of laying eggs enough to produce a
whole army of caterpillars.

But do birds really do much to prevent the destruction of vegetation by in-
sects? “In England,” says Carpenter, “the caterpillars of the beetle kind —
especially those of the cockchafer — would speedily destroy the roots of all our
corn and grasses, were it not for the rook and other birds. In some parts of
the country, where rookeries have been destroyed, it has been found necessary
to restore them. In some of the eastern counties of England, a few years since,
the turnip crop, which is here considered so important, was nearly destroyed by
the turnip fly. This result was only prevented by the increase of domestic fowls
and the birds.” Buffon informs us that there was once danger that the Island
of Bourbon would be entirely devastated by locusts, their eggs having been
introduced with some plants from Madagascar. ‘This result was, however,
24 THE TREES OF AMERICA.

prevented by the intelligence and foresight of the governor, who obtained from
India the grackle, — a bird which first seeks for its food the larva of the locust, —
which in a short time devoured the destroyers.

After their legitimate food disappeared, the grackle began to feed upon the eggs
and young of other birds, and also upon some of the crops, as our crows and
some other species of birds do, when starved by the farmers, whose best friends
they are. A law was then passed for the destruction of the grackle, and it was not
long before they disappeared entirely from the island. But soon the all-powerful
locusts compelled the people to send to India again for their feathered friend ;
who is himself now kept within due bounds by laws allowing him to be killed.
for food during certain seasons and under certain regulations. We have fre-
quently seen articles in the periodicals of the day, in which the writers contended
that certain kinds of birds did not destroy the caterpillars which infest our apple
trees, for instance, because they had never been seen to feed upon them, whereas
it is known to every naturalist that, in their perfect or insect state, these worms
are devoured by thousands by the birds thus gravely condemned. There is
no excuse for such mistakes, for every one knows that caterpillars turn into
moths or butterflies; and it is well known, too, that the birds so barbarously
killed in what is called sport have their crops stuffed full of these very insects.
It is strange that beings claiming the possession of souls, as a distinction from
all other animals, and also to be the noblest work of the divine hand, can call
blood spilling, in any manner, sport. Can it be sport, indeed, to stop the joy-
ous life which seems born of music? to see lying at one’s feet, all blood-
besprinkled and torn, the most wonderful organization of motion and music,
of beauty of color, and form, that it is possible for the human mind to conceive
of, or that the Deity has made? Is it a proud deed for a man to conquer a
tiny bird? a noble sport to take, for no cause, the life we can in no manner
restore? Is the short-lived child of earth in this manner fitting himself for that
mysterious land beyond the “dark river” he must so soon explore? We could
almost say with Burns, to one who needlessly destroys the helpless crea-
tures he should rather be proud to protect, and thus show his claim to supe-
riority, —
THE TREES OF AMERICA. 25

“Tnhuman man! curse on thy barbarous art,
And blasted be thy murder-aiming eye ;
May never pity soothe thee with a sigh,
Nor ever pleasure glad thy cruel heart!”

Trees and shrubs, then, are important as giving homes and shelter for the birds.

We have said that they probably affect the climate, and of course agriculture,
more by preventing the rapid abstraction of caloric and evaporation of moisture
by the wind, than in any other manner. If, for instance, a thermometer be
placed in the open air, even when it is but slightly in motion, the mercury will
cool down much more rapidly than when it is placed under the shelter of trees.
We have tried the experiment repeatedly, and in various ways, during the past
winter, (1855-6,) and have found, for example, that if the instrument were
taken from the house at 65°, and placed in a current of air 2° below zero, it
would fall to that point in three minutes, although the air was not moving very
rapidly ; while, if placed under the shelter of a thin growth of trees, it would be
ten minutes reaching the same point. It will be readily understood from this why
we feel colder and freeze more quickly when the wind blows, than when it is still,
though the thermometer may indicate a much lower degree of temperature under
the latter condition ; it is because the wind takes away the heat from the system
faster than it can supply it; and the same effect is produced upon living, growing
plants, — which supply their own vital heat. Blight is caused in many cases
and the growth of plants is retarded, — fruit is prevented from maturing. and
ripening, — the new wood, even, fails to be matured, and during the next winter
it is “winterkilled,” and many valuable trees are thus lost. From this it
appears how necessary it is that every species of vegetation should have shelter
from the violence of the wind during certain stages of growth; and we are
able to appreciate the benefit of Mr. Tudor’s wise experiments, since forest
trees must constitute in most cases, as nature has intended they should, the
barriers against the. forces of the wind god. By further following out this
subject, I think we shall see how blight, and other diseases may come from the
same source. ‘This word is used to express several different kinds of disease ;
but in its most extended sense, as far as I am able to ascertain, it may in
96 THE TREES OF AMERICA.

many instances be traced to this cause. There is no doubt that want of
proper and sufficient food may, and often does, produce similar results. If a
plant be deprived of its proper food, of course, like an animal under the same
condition, it cannot grow, or develop its vital heat, and blight and death must
follow; but I think that I have sufficient proof to show that blight and
kindred diseases are much more frequently produced in this manner than in
any other. Mr. Tudor’s experiments seem to show this conclusively. Nothing
that he plants on bleak Nahant fails to grow, when protected from the full
force of the winds. In order to a proper understanding of this theory, how-
ever, we must examine somewhat more fully the process of the elimination of
vital heat by plants.

The fact that all parts of growing plants eliminate vital heat is established
beyond a doubt, says Carpenter, and even, as the author himself has proved by
repeated experiments, during winter, when they are generally supposed to be in a
quiescent state. Indeed the production of vital heat seems to be necessary to
organized existence, however low in the scale it may rank; but it is during the
process of flowering that its evolution is carried to the highest point. The
geranium, during this process, has shown an elevation of temperature of 6°
above that of the surrounding atmosphere. In the Arum tribe, where the
flowers are collected in great numbers, in cases which act as non-conductors,
this elevation of temperature is best shown. In one instance, where five
spadixes, of the Arum cordifolium, were made the subject of experiment, the
thermometer being placed in .the midst of them, it rose to 111°; in another,
where twelve spadixes were used, it rose to 121°; the temperature of the exter-
nal air, in both cases, being but 66°.

In considering this law of vegetable existence in its relation to blight and other
diseases, it will be seen at once that plants, like animals, can of course supply
only a definite amount of heat during a given period of time; and if more is
demanded from any cause, injury must follow in proportion to the character and
condition of the plant, and the increased demand made upon its vital power.
If, for instance, a plant is capable of supplying a definite amount of heat to the
passing breeze, say 60°, during ten minutes, and the wind be increased in violence
THE TREES OF AMERICA. Q7

so that it demand this amount in three minutes, it is not difficult to perceive
that disease or death must follow. Again, it will be seen that the same
effects may be produced by the rapid giving off of heat from the wind, when its
temperature is much above that of the object with which it comes in contact.
Ice, as Mr. Tudor remarks, wastes much more rapidly in the wind than when
exposed to a much higher temperature where there is no current of air. As is
well known, the air is a bad conductor of heat; and if it remain at rest, im contact
with an object, it imparts or takes it very slowly. But let it once be set in
motion, at the rate of twenty miles an hour, which is by no means an uncommon
breeze, and it will be perceived at once how many thousands of particles of air
must in a short space of time come in contact with any object, and give or take
heat, as the case may be. Every one is familiar with the rapidity with which
the snow and ice wastes, when we have a warm wind in winter; liquefying
much faster than on a still day when the thermometer shows a much higher
degree of temperature.

It is also well known, that if a part of the human body be burned or frozen,
and it be too rapidly cooled in the one case, or thawed in the other, a much more
serious disorganization follows than if the process had been a gradual one. The
analogy, without doubt, holds good in regard to vegetable life; and we may here-
after ascertain that the wind, in blowing both hot and cold, is to be looked upon
with the same suspicion, in regard to its effects upon both animal and vegetable
health and life, as that with which, in the ancient woods, the Satyr is said to
have regarded his guest, who warmed his fingers and cooled his food with the
same breath. I have not, as yet, however, evidence that our winters kill well-
ripened wood, if it is of a kind that is at all adapted to our climate.

The wind, like the skilful destroyer of a people, lays its hands upon the infant
plant, and blights it at the commencement of its wondrous life; so that when
winter comes, and it is called to bare its arms to contend with the breeze and
the storm, it perishes in the stern contest. One of the best proofs of this is
shown in those shrubs and trees which require protection during the first few
years of their existence, and after the wood becomes mature, stand our climate
from year to year, producing flowers or fruit, as the case may be. Among
28 THE TREES OF AMERICA.

td

numerous cases of this kind, I may mention the experiments of Mr. Buckman, a
gentleman whom I have before alluded to in this work, upon the Bignonia, — fine
large vines of which he has growing, and flowering from year to year, in a sit-
uation where they invariably die if not protected in their infancy.

Every one is familiar with the fact, that blight is often attributed to the wind,
and that it is said that the wind poisons the plants. Thus a writer, in accounting
for Mr. Tudor’s success in raising fruit at Nahant, where his trees are protected by
open fences, says, that these fences “ sift the wind,” — that is, take the poison out
of it, we suppose. A scientific friend remarks to the author, that a neighbor of
his has a field which was much exposed to the east wind, upon which repeated
trials to raise wheat had been made, but in vain, as it was all blighted in flower,
until a few rows of trees were planted upon the windward side; since then there
has been no difficulty in raising a good crop.

The statement, then, may be made in brief, as follows: Mr. Tudoyr’s success
in raising fruits and flowers, &c., at Nahant, by protecting them with open
fences, depends upon the fact, that these fences, besides shielding them from
mechanical violence, prevent the rapid abstraction of vital heat, by retarding
the motion of the wind, and perhaps, also, by breaking the currents, causing
them to return upon each other, and in this way contributing to the same result.
Further, they may operate, as Mr. Tudor himself suggests, in shielding them
from the effects of warm winds in winter, which cause sudden changes to the
opposite extreme, and may in this manner, in some cases, cause them to “ win-
terkill.”

The abstraction of moisture is subject to the same laws, and tends to the
same end,—the destruction of life; it also takes with it vital heat. Elec-
tricity, no doubt, plays its part also, and the chemical changes which are
constantly going on in plants must of course be directly affected by the
same causes.

Whatever be the theory we adopt to explain the fact, it is sufficient for our
purpose that trees protect vegetation, and by their agency a barren soil may be
made to yield food for man and beast. Their effect in preventing drought, the
permanent drying up of ponds and streams, and equalizing the flow of rivers,
THE TREES OF AMERICA. 29

&c., we shall notice hereafter, and shall, perhaps, find that here they act as
important a part in the general economy of nature as any other agents.

The Assabet Oak, with which we commenced this chapter, is on the Randall
estate in the town of Stow, Massachusetts, near the Assabet Brook, whose gently-
flowing waters were singing in my ears while I was engaged in drawing the
portrait of the beautiful tree.

I have chosen this tree for my plate on account of its great beauty, more
than from its size, and also on account of my regard for the family in whose
possession it is, who have resisted many large offers of money for this and other
fine trees on the estate, while all around, the forests have been converted into
dollars. The author of “The Consolations of Solitude,” who has protected this
noble tree, with its brothers, from the woodman’s axe, speaks of the scenery
of the brook and river as he saw it ere its glory had departed through the short-
sighted cupidity of those who should have well considered, before they made
such sweeping destruction. The beautiful stream upon which the monarch tree
looks down is thus described in melodious verse: —

“ Low on either margin bending,
Drooping elms, their dark boughs blending,
Lock their long arms the gorge across ;
And as the breeze-fanned branches toss,
The green leaves, fluttering to and fro,
But half conceal the surge below,
Whiter than the drifted snow;
While the pale mists, all silvery gray,
Brood o’er the gulf of boiling spray.”

The estate has been in the family almost since the first settlement of the
town, and this tree, together with many other sturdy sons of the wood, has
been preserved with pious care from generation to generation, so that the spirits
of the red men of the forest, if they ever revisit the scenes of their council fires,
and their hunting grounds, would find here many of the “old memorial trees”
which looked down upon them when all this broad land was theirs. This oak is
nearly one hundred feet in height and span, and some twenty feet in circum-
ference near the ground. These dimensions may not be entirely correct, as I give
30 THE TREES OF AMERICA.

them from memory. It is in full health and vigor, and bids fair to live for
centuries to come, if it escape the cupidity of the spoiler man. On the left
hand of the engraving will be observed a curious specimen of natural grafting
— two large limbs, which have united and grown as one. From this accidental
union we may learn a method of making hedges of trees, which will be both
picturesque and durable. This method of making hedges has been described
and figured in one of the very valuable Patent Office Reports for the year 1854.
It is mentioned, that in Belgium very handsome and strong fences are thus
made. ‘The beech is the tree used for this purpose. The young plants, after
they are set in the hedge, are bound together with osiers, the stems crossing at
right angles. The red American beech might be used for the same purpose. It
is a hardy tree, and is found in great abundance in New England, New York,
and the British Provinces. We have seen instances of natural grafting in the
pine and other trees, and no doubt there are many kinds which might be used
for this purpose. Such tree hedges, besides being sure barriers against the
intrusion of cattle and other large animals, would afford protection against the
winds, and be secure breeding places for the birds. They would, we should
think, be comparatively inexpensive, as they would cost nothing for repairs
after the first few years. They would do away with stone fences, which
now occupy land without profit, and furnish homes for the mice, whose
destructive ravages upon our orchards are so often witnessed. As to the
objection that they occupy land, and are for this reason costly, it may be
answered, that the same objection, to a greater or less extent, may be urged
against any kind of fence; and also, that where they are in use, land is worth
much more than with us; but as the advantages there seem to more than coun-
terbalance the disadvantages, it would seem that the most cautious money cal-
culator here, can with propriety urge no dollar argument against them. To
those who consider the sense of the beautiful as much a gift of God as those
senses which demand food, and clothing, and dollars, —they will particularly
recommend themselves.
  
 

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THE TREES OF AMERICA. 31

PLATE IV.
THE AVERY! ELM, STRATHAM, N. H.

Tuts tree is on the border of. the town of Stratham, near the line which
divides it from Greenland, about. seven miles from the ocean, and eight from
the city of Portsmouth. It is probably: the largest: tree = its age in the world.
It is known to be but about one hundred years old. It was carefully measured
by the author, assisted by the thén town clerk of: Stratham, James H. Dimon,
Esq., in the fall of 1854. The dimensions are as follows: Smallest circum-
ference of the trunk,’ twenty-four feet ; circuniference of’ the trunk at one foot
from the ground, tweiity-eight ‘feet ; circumference of the branches, two of eleven
and a half feet each, one of ten feet, “twenty-two ‘of: thrée feet each, and one
hundred from one foot and a half to two feet or mote. The span of the
branches is one hundred’ and ten ‘feet ; ‘the’ height about -ninety feet. It
has been estimated by judges to’ contain thirty-two cords of wood.

The author well remembers ‘the white-haited’ ‘old man, who. in his youth
planted the baby tree by the side of his dwelling, that it might grow with his
babes and shelter him and them in after years. He remembers him as he sat
beneath the shade of the majestic tree, which séemed only in its vigorous
manhood, while he who had planted it when it was but a little younger than
himself was now silvered with the frosts of foursdore years. With what interest
I then listened to his words as he told of the troublous times of the war of the
revolution, in which he and my own ancestors had borne an active and honorable
part! Side by side had they stood, devoting property and life to their country ;
and now, beneath the shadow of their own trees could they sit down and tell to
their children of the third and fourth generation what perils they had passed
32 THE TREES OF AMERICA.

through to secure to us this glorious heritage. His numerous descendants, who
are now scattered over the country, have shown in their lives how much influ-
ence a wise and good man exerts over those who come after him. There is not
one of them, they proudly say, who has done dishonor to the name.

At this time the tree was called the Great Elm. It is enshrined in the mem-
ory of the author, as is also the venerable Captain Avery, who planted it, and
after whom it is named. In those days it was to me more than the “ talking
tree” of the Arabian story to him who so earnestly sought it, for it spoke a
“various language.” Then —

“There was in every thing an inner shrine ;
And tree, and hill, and mountain, and the great
Magnificence of ocean, and the sweep
Of sounding storms, and all the choral state
Of octaved stars in Heaven’s rejoicing deep
Were everlasting worship...”

Sometimes I used to stay all night at the old mansion, over which the guar-
dian tree had, from year to year, more widely spread its protecting arms, and
after listening with childish eagerness and awe to the stories of my venerable
friend, I would retire to my bed to hear the tree whisper to me in all its leaves,
as if with ten thousand voices, all night long, and the brook, which ran then,
as now it runs, close to its roots, sing its song, old as the universe, telling of
the other land, to which that silver-haired old man was so soon to take his
departure. Now all have passed like adream away. The old man with the
white hair, his children in the strength and vigor of their manhood, and his
children’s children, whose glad voices used to make the arches of the old elm
ring with their joyous shouts, are to the aged tree as if they never were. And
when [I last visited it for the purpose of taking its portrait, on a cold gray day in
the fall of the year, when the leaves, in their faded colors, were beginning to de-
sert the branches to which they had clung all summer, spite of the storm and the
breeze, it seemed as if it were sighing over the buried past. I could but think
how soon this great tree, with its “hundred arms so strong,” and the solemn
forest around, and we who were looking upon them, would, in the march of the
ages, become as specks upon the illimitable expanse of the past.
 
THE TREES-OF AMERIGA., ~~ 38.”

PLATE VY.

ASH FOREST, STATE OF MAINE.

“4% "

“ Leafless are ‘the trees ;: their. purple branches
Spread; themselves abroad, like reefs of coral
Rising silent
In the Red Sed of the winter,sunset,”— ATLANTIC: Mowrenyt

Tus view is from a homes taken by. an English. artist, while travelling.
in this country ; the-author is indebted, for it to, Messrs. Whipple .& . Black, of :
Beston, and also: for liberal offers of aid during the progress of his work.

Such forests are becoming very scarce in. New England. We formerly knew.
of an island of three hundred’ acres situated - in, a lake in the State of Maine,
which was covered: with a: ‘growth of ash: timber ‘like that shown, in, our plate.
The owner said that he could drive an ox team through any part of.it without
being obstructed -by.shrubg.or, stones. We are. . fortunately able to preserve,
by the art of the engrayer, one of these old memorial forests before they have
all passed away, leaving behind them, for a short time only, a few crumbling relics
of their mighty.columns, which confirm the traditionary legends of their former
grandeur.. We are glad to present: to our readers. this woodland view, taken at
a season of the year when the trees are divested of their leaves, i in order that
their detail may be studied, and .the arches and angles formed: by | the crossing
branches may be seen. in all their wondrous beauty. Our plate, we think, will
also be of interest to those who have never seen the trees when thus stripped
to do battle with the blasts of. our northern winters. There is an individuality
in every part of any-species of tree, which will enable the man who observes at
all ‘to distinguish it from every other species of. tree. Thus a small portion of
_.the bark, viewed only in. regard to its. external configuration, would enable any
one of even moderate powers of observation to pronounce at once upon its species,
34 THE TREES OF AMERICA.

Before the window by which we are writing is an ash tree which is looking in
upon us clothed in a robe of rippling green and sunlight. Its individuality is so
marked that it would seem impossible not to recognize it, even if it were in the
midst of the forest and surrounded by thousands of its fellow-trees. And yet
every day we meet with those who do not recognize this difference. It is sad
to think that all this beauty of variety, which must have been intended mainly
for our enjoyment, should thus be a sealed book to most of us. It is not that
we do not possess powers alike, I am well convinced, that we thus differ, and
that to most people the myriad glories of the universe, which are spread all
about us, are unenjoyed; but it is mainly because they shut their eyes and
close their ears against them. What is the use? is the common question.
We would answer, Does not He who made the ear to enjoy the choral harmo-
nies of sound, and the eye to see the beauty and accord of every variety of form
and every tint of color, know best? Has he given us beauty every where, and
the capacity to appreciate it to all, and yet commanded us to close our eyes and
ears against its teachings, and that we should bend our powers, so like a god's,
to make ourselves so like a crawling worm ?

“Nature is the visible spirit, the spirit the invisible nature, said Schelling,
he who lives an immortal hero in the world of mind,’ wrote Professor Hasse
to Andersen; “and yesterday this was rendered clear to me by your stories. As
you, on the one hand, penetrate so deeply into the secrets of nature, understand
and know the language of birds, and what the feelings of a fig tree or a daisy
are, so that every thing seems to be there for its own sake, and we, together
with our children, participate with them in their joys and their sorrows, yet
on the other hand, every thing is but the image of the mind, and the human
heart, in its infinity, trembles and beats throughout.” As great and glorious
as is this wondrous human heart for good if it but develop its powers in
this direction, so powerful it seems for evil if it develop itself to this end.

The meanest human soul, if indeed there be any difference, is an instrument
capable of being attuned to harmonies so grand, that in our highest moments of
power, we cannot even imagine the limits of its attainments. All around us
every where are the means for this development. “ Every leaf in the immeasura-
ble forest, every drop of the world of waters, contains its myriads of wondrous
THE TREES OF AMERICA. 30

and harmonious life,” all of which may be made to contribute to our knowledge
and worship, as they are said to have done to that of the Magian brotherhood.
It is to this end that we would ask all our human brothers and sisters to go
forth with us into our common heritage, the kingdom of nature. Go forth into
the solemn forest, and every where, through all its sounding aisles, we shall hear
the whisperings of the voice divine, and witness the workings of our Father’s
hand. Do we desire food for scientific study and careful investigation, let us
examine the development of the little cellule which contains in its almost incon-
ceivably small body the power to produce the mighty oak. Do we wish to com-
mune with Him who is the author of our being, here are his first temples, before
whose sublime architecture the noblest human structure becomes feeble, and
dwindles into insignificance, when compared with the extent of the forest arches
and columns, stretching arch beyond arch and column beyond column, until lost
in the gray and shadowy distance. And then here, too, is the music of the

woods : —

“The phantom fingers of the Breeze
Play upon the slumbrous trees
Their wondrous, untaught minstrelsy ;
Making every leaf a key,
Every string a flat or sharp,
Every sycamore a harp.”

A gifted friend, long since passed away, thought he could distinguish every
species of bush and tree by its peculiar music when played upon by the passing
breeze. There can be no doubt that the slightest change in form of leaf or
branch must give back a different tone to the touch of the airy musician, and
that it would require only an ear nice enough, to distinguish one from the other.
The music of the pine groves is familiar to every one. The poet Coleridge
calls it ‘ soul-like music.” The great and the good of every land lend us the
influence of their example in this communing with the woods. Our own poet,
Longfellow, to whom the world pays homage, thus speaks of his communings
with the trees in their own

“green land of dreams,
The holy land of song.” —
36 THE TREES OF AMERICA.

“The green trees whispered low and mild;
It was a sound of joy!
They were my playmates when a child,
And rocked me in their arms so wild ;
Still they looked at me and smiled
As if I were a boy;
And ever whispered mild and low,
‘Come, be a child once more !’
And waved their long arms to and fro,
And beckoned solemnly and slow.
O, I could not choose but go
Into the woodlands hoar ;
Into the blithe and breathing air ;
Into the solemn wood,
Solemn and silent every where!
Nature with folded hands seemed there,
Kneeling at her evening prayer;
Like one in prayer I stood.”

There is interesting subject for study in the arrangement of the branches of
trees. To carry out the design of nature, which every where strives to produce
the greatest variety of form in the arrangement of lines and angles, it is neces-
sary that the attachment of the branches of trees should be of such a character
as to insure them against being torn from the parent stem by the ordinary forces
to which they are exposed. Thus rectangular-branching and fruit-bearing trees
have their branches much more securely united to the trunk than those whose
angles are more acute, or that do not yield fruit. Again, the branches of ever-
greens, which are liable to be loaded with snow and ice during our winters, come
directly out of the body of the tree, so as to present longitudinal fibres only
to the action of the forces which tend to break them. The fibres, which, by their
complex arrangement, make what is called branch-wood, which is so much prized
in the manufacture of furniture, are mainly intended by nature to prevent the
branches from splitting from the trunk.

It may not be inappropriate in this place to trace the progress of the devel-
opment of vegetable structure; since all vegetable forms, from the Baobab of
Senegal, with its hoary age of sixty centuries, and the giant Redwood of Cali-
fornia, scarcely less venerable, which has looked down from its “ far height” upon
the storms of ages, to the fungus of a few hours, —all owe their origin to the
THE TREES OF AMERICA. ay

same law, the principle of cell formation. Starting, then, with the idea that all
vegetable forms, from the mushroom to the tree, are but a heaping up as it were
of little cells, like a pile of soap bubbles, or like the forms wrought in embroid-
ery, which, when examined minutely, are found to consist of a series of similar
stitches, which, when combined, produce such various results, we shall be pre-
pared to examine to some extent into the growth of plants; that is, into cell-
life, which, according to Professor Schleiden, is “ almost the only really scientific
part of botany.”

The basis, then, of the structure of all the multiform developments of vegeta-
ble life, is a little vesicle composed of a membrane, like, so to speak, the skin of
water which is, stretched around a portion of air, and is called a bubble. This
cell, which, it must be recollected, is so small as to require a microscope in order
to examine it, is usually transparent and colorless. Within the outer membrane,
which is somewhat firm in structure, is found a soft, yellowish substance lining
the first, and thus constituting one of the coats of the cell. The external or
proper cell-wall is composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen ; the internal lin-
ing membrane has, in addition to these, nitrogen. Out of this internal lining,
or primordial utricle, as it is called, spring the new cells, which become crowded
together in the process of growth, and constitute the cellular tissue which forms
the whole structure of the plant. We may regard the cell as a sort of independ-
ent existence, living by its own inherent power. It draws its nutriment from
sources in contact with it, and, by chemical processes which are continually going
on within it, changes this into its own proper tissue, thus producing growth, and
also into substances, some of which are stored up for future uses, and others ex-
pelled as unsuited for its special purposes ; but still, in accordance with the univer-
sal law which makes every thing useful, these excretions have their place in the
economy of nature. Thus the life of the cell, and also of the whole plant, since
it is but an accumulation of cells, consists in this constant change of absorption
and nutrition, the formation and decomposition of substances. In the growth
of plants the cells undergo changes in form as they are subjected to the laws of
growth ; that is, some become changed by simple enlargement, others are elon-
gated, flattened, or become star-like in shape; some are spindle-shaped, others
are stretched out into the form of long, thin filaments. Cells are, however, subject
38 THE TREES OF AMERICA.

to other changes than those of mere form. The cell-wall is usually thickened
by a deposit between the two walls. This deposit takes place often irregularly,
varying in quantity and arrangement; and if we add to this that lime, silex, &c.,
are frequently deposited in the cell-walls, we shall understand what produces
the almost countless number of differences which exists in the texture of
different plants.

The multiplication of cells, which constitutes usually the growth of plants, takes
place in the following manner. The nutrient matter within the parent cell forms
secondary cells, which increase in size while the original or mother cell dissolves
and disappears. ‘his process goes on so rapidly in some cases that it is said that
in a certain species of mushroom twenty thousand new cells are formed every
minute. The different development of cells, as we have said, produces the different
tissues of vegetables. Thus the production of what are called bast cells in the
bark of many plants gives us substances of which cordage and various kinds of
cloth are made. Such are hemp, flax, New Zealand flax, &c. Another develop-
ment of cells produces cork, which is the bark of a species of oak; and still
another, wood itself. The colors of plants (with the exception of green,
which is found to depend upon colored granules which adhere to the inside of
the wall of the cell) depend upon the colored fluids which are found in the cells.

Albumen, gum, sugar, citric and malic acids, &c., are found in solution in the
cells ; the various vegetable oils are also found there. Another important prod-
uct of vegetables, starch, is found packed away in cells; and in wheat and rye
the starch cells occupy the centre of the grain, while the external cells are filled
with gluten. This substance, gluten, is much more nutritious than starch.
Hence bread which is made of carefully bolted flour is not as good as that in
which what is generally supposed to be a poorer article is used. We have thus
glanced at some of the facts which the science of botany reveals to the student.
If we have failed to make ourselves clear to our readers, the fault is ours; it does
not, we are sure, exist in the subject itself, which, as it is now taught, may be
understood by every one, and should, we are fully convinced, be a leading study
in all our schools. The objects of our investigation are every where about us.
They enter into every department of life; and shall we be content to be entirely
ignorant of that which it so much concerns us to know?
wma

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Sheep AOR
Pea. bi
aor
&

 
THE TREES OF AMERICA. 39

PLATE VI.

THE CHARTER OAK, HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.:

Tuts venerable and historic tree-has at -last, after the ‘lapse of nearly ten cen-
turies, yieldéd to the storm winds, and bowed its -head low in the dust. .;Could it
but answer our questionings, it would tell us.taleg of the buried past, long ages
before the pale-faces conimenced ‘that -havoc upon" the forest, which, in the pro-
phetic language of Bryant, may cause them to vanish hence, “ as the red ‘man has
done, leaving perhaps i in a’ short time: scarcely a trace to tell of their occupancy.”

This prophecy, which the poet puts in the mouth of the red man, is so in
accordance with what we are ‘constantly witnessing; and shows, withal, such
scientific knowledge of the ie that a ne

al
‘

“But I behold a fearful sign, . . :
To which the white men’s eyes are blind ;
Their race may vanish hence like i thine,
And.leave no trace behind, , ;
Save ruins ° rer the regions spread,
And the white’ stones above. thé dead.

“ Heist ete fields were’ atone and tilled,
Full to the brim our rivers flowed ;
The melody of waters filled __
The fresh and boundless wood ;
And ‘torrents dashed, and rivulets played,
And fountains spouted in the shade.

“Those grateful sounds are heard no more ;.
The springs are silent in the sun ;
The rivers, by the blackened shore,
With lessening current run ;
The realms our tribes are crushed to get
May be a barren desert yet.”
~

40 THE TREES OF AMERICA.

Our drawing of the Charter Oak was taken from the front of the house of
the Hon. J. W. Stuart, who was the owner of the glorious old tree, and who
cherished it with that love and pride which its venerable character and historic
renown fully warranted. The author has to make acknowledgments to Mr.
Stuart and his interesting ‘family, for their kind attentions during the time
he was engaged in drawing its portrait. Long may they live to enjoy their
beautiful seat, and to give their protection to the other noble sons of the forest
which stand near the spot where the giant fell. The Charter Oak was about
seventy feet high, and the same in spread of branches. The trunk was about
sixteen feet in diameter at the ground; some thirty persons have been at one
time within its cavity. When the author saw it, it appeared as if it might endure
for many years ; but alas, it has now fallen. The historical facts connected with
this tree are known to all our people, but it will not be inappropriate to repeat
the leading incidents here.

Rev. Thomas Hooker led the first settlers into Connecticut in the years 1635-6.
They made a settlement at Windsor, Hartford, and Weathersfield. From the
very commencement, the people chose their own rulers. On the 24th of Jan-
uary, 1639, the fathers of the State met at Hartford and framed a written con-
stitution. This is said to be the first example in history of a people establishing,
through representatives chosen by themselves, a constitution, defining and limit-
ing the powers of government.

April 20, 1662, Charles II. granted a charter to the colony, confirming the
rights set forth in the constitution they themselves had previously formed. In
the language of Cotton Mather, this was “the freest charter under the cope of
heaven.”

James II., who succeeded Charles upon his death, in 1685, soon after his
accession to the throne, ordered Sir Edmond Andross to demand it, or obtain it
by force. The following extract from Judge Sewall’s diary describes the manner
in which Sir Edmond proceeded to obey the order.

“Wednesday, October 26, 1687. His Excellency, with sundry of y° Council,
Justices, and other gentlemen, four blew coats, two trumpeters, Sam Bligh, fifteen
or twenty red coats, with small guns and short lances in y® tops of y", set out
THE TREES OF AMERICA. 4]

for Woodcocks, in order to go to Connecticut to assume y° government of y'
place.”

On his arrival at Hartford, he sent a message to the General Court demanding
the surrender of the Charter. The Assembly met on the 31st of October, 1687,
and deliberated until evening upon this message, without coming to the conclu-
sion to obey the royal order. The divine right of kings had already begun to
be disputed by these hardy sons of the Pilgrims. In the evening, Sir Edmond,
becoming impatient of the delay, came in person to demand it, or to seize it, if
the Assembly should refuse to yield it up. Suddenly the lights were extin-
guished in the very face of His Excellency, and when they were re-lighted the
precious document was nowhere to be found. It had been conveyed away and
lodged in the old oak, which had for ages stood the guardian of the land, and
now was to become the keeper of an instrument which secured the liberties of
a people. This bold deed was done by Captain Joseph Wadsworth, then a young
man, who, in spite of the presence of the governor and his armed soldiers, bore
away the precious Charter in triumph, and consigned it to the keeping of the
“brave old oak.” For some time after this, Sir Edmond administered the gov-
ernment of the colony, and sadly oppressed the people, loading them with heavy
taxes, questioning the titles of their estates, and causing them much trouble.
Upon the accession of William and Mary to the throne, he was seized and
imprisoned by the people of Boston, and the old Charter again became the law
of Connecticut. The government was administered under this instrument until
1818, when the present State Constitution was adopted. This venerable docu-
ment is preserved in a frame made of the wood of the Charter Oak itself. This
was the gift, we believe, of the patriotic gentleman on whose estate the tree
stood. One of the children of the old tree has been planted on the spot where
the parent grew. May it live a thousand years.
42 THE TREES OF AMERICA.

PLATE VII.
“THE: BOSTON -ELM, * + >

Tue Great: Elm on -Boston.Common, which, according «to ‘Dr. ‘Warren, is over
two huridred years’ old, is 721-2. feet in height ; cixcumference,, one foot above
the ground, 22'1-2 feet';. greatest:span of: branches; 101 feet, The author is in-
.debted to the late lamentted.president of ithe Boston-Society of Natural History,
J. C. Warren, M. D., for'most of. the:facts i -his. description: of the: great tree,
as well:as other. kindly encouragement, in* connection with ithe publication of
his book.: This eminent surgeon: and naturalist’ had ‘such a love for the old elm
as to lead him’ to write.a book upon it. -A-copy-of this. book now lies before
iis while we are writing; and we value.:it. much, not only as a-token of regard
from its distinguished aes but: as ‘teaching: a ‘lesson to. all, when: one whose
name is known to science. throughout: thé world-could. deem a single tree of so
much consequence as: to induce‘him’:to write ‘its biography. Dr. Warren tells
us that we owe a debt‘of. gratitude to- General Gage, the commander of the
British army when encamped in Boston,.and suffering, under the inclemency of
winter, for the preservation of this and:.other fine .trees. More than a century
ago, as is shown in a picture by: Miss Hannah G. Otis, aunt.of Hon. H. G. Otis,
there was a cavity in the trunk, witha hole on the side sufficiently large for a
boy of nine years of age to enter. This orifice was known’ to Dr. Warren, and
according to him was made to heal.up by covering the edges with a mixture of
mud, &c., and protecting the whole by fastening a piece of canvas over it.
Four of the largest limbs have also been split from the tree during a great
storm, their ends resting upon the ground. These were raised by Mr. James A.
Sutton, master block maker, assisted by others, and bolted in their places; and
       

      

       

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THE TREES OF AMERICA. 43

such was the vigor of the old tree that they have become apparently as firmly
united as at first. I have mentioned these facts somewhat carefully, in order
that those who have fine trees which have been injured may not despair of their
restoration. When Dr. Warren first knew the Great Elm, seventy years since,
it bore, he says, “strong marks of decrepitude and approaching dissolution.
The interior of the trunk was rotten, and much of it had disappeared. The
aperture was from two to three feet in length, and about a foot in breadth.”

Could the old tree but find a voice, how many tales of human passion, of joy
and sorrow, might it not reveal to us! It has listened to the love vows of the
children of the forest, and the death song of the warrior. It stood calmly by
when old Matoonas fell by the hands of his own people. They brought him
here “ bound with cords,” and his betrayer was allowed by the pale-faces to be
his murderer. Here, too, Woodbridge and Phillips fought a duel for the favor
of a young lady whose name is buried in the past, which caused the death of
both of them, — one being fatally wounded in the combat, and the other dying
soon after from remorse. The old tree has also, no doubt, been made the confi-
dant of many a deed of crime which it never told to the police of the good city.
Here, too, have lovers’ vows been plighted, and sad farewells spoken,

“such as press
The life from out young hearts.”

As to us, while drawing the picture of the patriarch, the human crowd, which
hurried by, seemed like the waters of a mighty river which rush on their course
to return no more forever, so have the tides of life for centuries flowed past it,
to be swallowed up and forgotten in the ocean of eternity.

The Mayor of Boston, in 1854, Hon. J. V. C. Smith, erected a permanent
iron fence around the ancient tree to aid in its preservation. We are also
indebted to the same gentleman for the introduction of the beautiful gray squir-
rels, which are seen sporting among the branches of the trees on the Common,
with all the freedom and liveliness displayed in their native haunts. Dr. Smith
deserves the thanks of every lover of nature for this. All the young people, at
least, will never cease to be grateful to him for this evidence of his kindly
44. THE TREES OF AMERICA.

interest in their welfare. “It has done much,” says a gifted lady, “to benefit
the children by teaching them to take an interest in the lower animals, and to
treat them with kindness, thus writing the law of kindness upon their own hearts.”

The Great Elm belongs to the species Ulmus Americana — White Elm. This
is the species so common in all parts of New England. For grace and beauty,
and variety of form, so that each tree might have its own individual name, it
excels all other species. ‘The prevailing types, however, are, as noticed by Em-
erson, three in number. The first is formed by a number of branches starting
from a common centre, twenty or thirty feet from the ground, diverging very
gradually as they ascend until they reach the height of sixty or seventy feet ;
then curving rapidly outward, forming a flat or rounded. top, with a border
formed of the ends of the branches pointing downwards, or in some cases bend-
ing inwards towards the centre. Sometimes the branches which compose the
body of the vase, as well as the trunk, are clothed with foliage springing from
innumerable small sprays. This gives the tree the appearance of having a wild
vine clinging to it, and in these cases nothing can exceed its beauty. The irreg-
ular arrangement of bunches of these small twigs is common to many individuals
of this species of elm; and although in all cases they add very much to the
variety and beauty of the tree, they are usually cut off by the professed “ tree
surgeons,” and also by a great many others who must, like Mr. Samuel Weller’s
“Deputy Sawbones,” practise upon something. The author once knew a “ Dep-
uty Sawbones ” of this description who had, in addition to the tree-improving
mania, an irresistible desire to exercise his art upon cats and dogs, asserting that
it was necessary to the appearance of these animals that they should have their
ears and tails cut off, “especially their tails.” He contended that nature had
given them these appendages, as it had the superfluous branches to trees, in
order to exercise and improve our taste in trimming them. There is a beautiful
avenue of elms near the residence of the author which has lately undergone this
improving process. The desire seems to be to destroy their graceful, pendulous
character, and to make them as stiff and ugly as possible.

Another common form of the elm is the plumose. In these cases the tree
rises in a single trunk to a great height before giving off its branches, as in the
THE TREES OF AMERICA. 45

case of the Pittsfield Elm, which is one hundred and fourteen feet to the first
branch ; or it divides lower down into two or three branches, which rise to sixty
feet or more, and then spread into a light, graceful plume. In other instances,
the elm seems to try to resemble the oak in its general form, and in the rectan-
gular arrangement of some of its principal branches, as is the case of the Great
Elm on Boston Common. There is a tree in Boston, and one in Woburn, every
branch of which is composed of a series of short curves, giving them, when
stripped of their foliage, a very curious appearance. Again, I have seen the
elm so closely resemble the hickory, that at a little distance it would be mistaken
for that tree even by a careful observer.

We hope to give a plate comparing a number of these beautiful forms of trees,
thus giving a much -clearer idea of them than can be done by any written de-
scription. The description of the different species of elms, their uses &c.,-we
must reserve for a future page.
46 THE TREES OF AMERICA.

PLATE: VIII.

THE WINCHESTER PINE, ON. THE ESTATE OF THE HON. F. O. PRINCE,
WINCHESTER, MASS.

We owe the preservation of this: fine tree to the good taste of Mr. Prince.
There is also much credit due to this: gentleman for the fostering care he has
bestowed upon the forest trees around his mansion, situated upon that beautiful
lake, which might well be called Silver Lake, so pure and bright are its waters.
The other dwellers upon the marge of the lake have also not only spared the
forest trees, but have done much to add to the ‘natural beauties of the scene.
Among. these, we may mention Hon. John A. Bolles, C. P. Curtis, Esq., and Mr.
Bellows, while: we are indebted to Messrs. 8. & H. Cutter and O. R. Clark for
the beautiful Willow Walk which skirts the head of the lake. Were we to
mention all the tree planters i in Winchester, ‘we should be obliged to record the
names of a large portion of its citizens. ‘The very name of the town recalls the
memory of one who gave tlie means to preserve and hallow a forest cemetery —
as lovely a spot as one could desire to lie down to rest in when the battle of life
shall be ended. <A- few months since, the commander-in-chief of the British
army, with many of England’s chief nobility, with the inhabitants of a great
city, joined in a holiday to commemorate the gift of a piece of land to the people,
not many times larger, and certainly not more beautiful, than this we have here
referred to. And surely we may be allowed the privilege of showing, in some
degree, our appreciation of a similar act. Among those here who have done
much in the cultivation of fruit is Charles McIntire, Esq., whose labors, with
others, we shall have occasion to notice hereafter.

The Winchester Pine is the White Pine — Pinus strobus of the botanist. The
 
THE TREES OF AMERICA. . 47

white pine is perhaps the most beautiful evergreen tree of the world. When
allowed to grow singly, as is the case with the specimen we have drawn, it may
perhaps be open to the objection which is sometimes urged against some other
species of evergreens; that is, that it presents too regular an appearance. But
even in single individuals, unlike the spruce or fir, the pine is very liable to a
considerable variety of form. ‘The slightest accident is sufficient to produce this
modification, and in many cases no tree can be more picturesque, while its dense,
green foliage, light and feathery almost as the plume of the ostrich, its inviting
shade and the soft brown carpet it spreads beneath, with its “soul-like music,”
inspired by the gentlest breeze, render it worthy of the love of all noble souls.
The white pine, too, with its congeners, is the “ health-giving tree, the favorite
of Hygeia.” But this we shall speak of hereafter. It is one of our most rapid
growing trees, and for this reason, as well as the protection it affords against the
winds, it is peculiarly well adapted for growing in belts to that end, as has been
suggested on a former page.

The New England Farmer of December 5, 1857, has an editorial article upon
the influence of trees in modifying climate, which we wish could be read by every
one in the country. We have referred to this subject before on a former page,
showing that the unobstructed blowing of the wind causes the rapid abstraction
of caloric in those cases where it is colder than the objects with which it comes
in contact, and the rapid imparting of heat when the reverse is true — that is,
when the wind is warmer than those objects. From this fact, and that the same
cause — the unobstructed blowing of the wind — produces the rapid evaporation
of moisture, we stated that droughts and the drying up of rivers, lakes, &c.,
and freshets, also, are due to the destruction of our forests. The extreme and
rapid changes of weather, which of late years have been so frequent, and which
exert so pernicious an effect upon vegetation, are probably due in some.degree to
the same cause. Freshets are produced by the rapid concentration of water in
the streams. In this country, this result is brought about, in most cases, by the
sudden thawing of snow and ice, sometimes assisted by rain, but always mainly
dependent upon the blowing of warm winds. In the woods, as every one is
aware, the snow remains much longer than in the open country; and as, of
48 : THE TREES OF AMERICA.

course, it lies level. there, the ground beneath is frozen only to a slight depth.
When a thaw commences, the porous nature of the soil, and the little hollows,
which are between the growing trees and beneath the fallen ones, retain the
water until the earth is thawed ; when it slowly trickles through its pores to the
small streams and ponds which supply the rivers, which by this process are kept
in an equal state of flow. But in an open country, the surface of the ground
is more regular and the soil more compact, while in winter it is frozen to a
much greater depth ; and as the snow is usually blown into heaps, the frost pen-
etrates irregularly, so that in the bare spots a long time is required before it can
be thawed. Under these circumstances, when the weather becomes warm or
rain falls, the water must at once concentrate in the ponds and small streams.
These, in their turn, pour out their overflowing contents, and thus cause the
terrible freshets which every year devastate portions of our country. In addi-
tion to all this, the unobstructed blowing of a warm wind will dissolve the snow
more than ten times as fast as when, at the same temperature, it is protected from
the wind. To determine this point, during-the winter of 1856-7, I tried, among
others, the following experiments : —

First, a body of snow, one foot in depth and sixteen feet square, was protected
from the wind by a tight board fence about five feet high, while another body
of snow, much more sheltered from the sun than the first, six feet in depth and
about sixteen feet square, was fully exposed to the wind. When the thaw came
on, which lasted about a fortnight, the larger body of snow was entirely dissolved
in less than a week, while the smaller body was not wholly gone at the end of
the second week.

Experiment second. Equal quantities of snow were placed in vessels of the
same kind and capacity, the temperature of the air being seventy degrees. In
the one case, a constant current of air was kept passing over the open vessel,
while the other was protected by a cover. The snow in the first was dissolved
in sixteen minutes, while the latter had a small unthawed portion remaining at
the end of eighty- five minutes ; that i is, it melted five and one third times as fast
in the first case, where a feeble current of air was kept up, as in the other, in
which the snow was covered from the air.
THE TREES OF AMERICA. 49

Experiment third. The result of a series of experiments with the ther-
mometer is as one to seven, nearly; that is, the temperature of the room being
above eighty degrees, the mercury rose from thirty-two to eighty degrees in one
seventh of the time when an artificial current of air was kept up by means of
a fan, which of course could be of but little force, as when the instrument,
placed in the same position as in the first case, was allowed to remain undis-
turbed. As a further illustration of the rapidity with which thawing is pro-
duced by the unobstructed blowing of a warm wind, a gentleman informs us
he has found, by actual experiment, that ice will waste more in one or two
hours under this condition than during a whole day of sunshine when it is
entirely sheltered from the wind. From this we may perceive how freshets
may be produced by the action of the wind, and also the only means we have
in our power to guard against their production. And it is satisfactory to
remember that the Creator has placed it within the ability of every one to aid
in this, as the humblest individual can plant a tree. ‘

The causes which produce freshets, as also the freshets themselves, produce
droughts. The unobstructed blowing of the wind, especially if it be warm and
dry, is, as is well known, the most rapid possible method of producing evap-
oration, and is, perhaps, the main cause of drought. During the blowing of
the simoon of Africa, evaporation goes on so fast at the surface of the body
as to dry the skin, and cause it to crack. The throat becomes inflamed, the
respiration is accelerated, and extreme thirst and fever are the results. The
water contained in the skins, which are the water casks of travellers, evap-
orates, and leaves them a prey to the most terrible sufferings. A traveller at
Palermo speaks of his first experience of the sirocco— the hot wind of the
Mediterranean: “ The first blast of it on my face felt like the burning steam
from the mouth of an oven. On another side of the house, not exposed to the
wind, I found the heat much more supportable. Such are the drying effects of
this wind, that the leaves of the trees become so parched that they can be
rubbed into dust. Even household furniture cracks, and in many instances
flies to pieces.” From the above statement it willbe seen how the mere bar-
rier of a building produced a sensible modification of the wind.
50 THE TREES OF AMERICA.

Heat, without motion of the air, would never carry away the least particle
of moisture from a given locality. The only waste of moisture, so to speak,
in such a case, would be that which would be required by plants and animals,
and also in the chemical processes of nature. A single rain, then, might last
a country a century. In such a country, however, supplied at first with water,
no rain, we should think, would be possible. As in the “ Ward Cases,” the
air would be in a constant state of saturation, and, of course, only certain
kinds of plants and animals could exist. The atmosphere, at a temperature of
32°, is saturated with zg> of its weight of moisture; at 59°, with sy; at 86°,
with 75 — that is, it doubles the quantity at every 27° of increase of tempera-
ture. Of course, in a country where there was no lateral motion of the air,
moisture would rise in the form of vapor, and fall as dew; and this process
would go on forever, in accordance with the rise and fall of temperature.

There is a good illustration of the effects of the destruction and reproduction of
forests in drying up and restoring streams and ponds, in my immediate neighbor-
hood. Within about one half of a mile of my residence there is a pond upon which
mills have been standing for a long time, dating back, I believe, to the first set-
tlement of the town. These have been kept in constant operation until within
some twenty or thirty years, when the supply of water began to fail. The pond
owes its existence to a stream which has its source in the hills which stretch
some miles to the south. Within the time mentioned, these hills, which were
clothed with a dense forest, have been almost entirely stripped of trees; and, to
the “wonder” and loss of the mill owners, the water in the pond has failed,
except in the season of freshets; and, what ‘‘was never heard of before,” the
stream itself has been entirely dry. Within the last ten years a new growth of
wood has sprung up on most of the land formerly occupied by the old forest ;
and now the water runs through the year, notwithstanding the great droughts
of the last few years, going back from 1856.

Instances of the same kind, and on a much more extended scale, might be
multiplied from all parts of the world. William C. Bryant, in his letters from
Spain, adds to the testimony of other travellers, that many of the rivers of the
country are dried up or lessened in volume from the destruction of the forests,
THE TREES OF AMERICA. ol

while the soil is “literally being blown away,” from the same cause. Mr.
Bryant has also furnished me with an interesting fact in our own country
which strongly illustrates my statements, and shows that every one is interested
in this investigation.

“Tt is a common observation,” says this correspondent, “ that our summers
are becoming dryer, and our streams smaller. Take the Cuyahoga as an illus-
tration. Fifty years ago large barges loaded with goods went up and down that
river, and one of the vessels engaged in the battle of Lake Erie, in which the
gallant Perry was victorious, was built at Old Portage, six miles north of Albion,
and floated down the lake. Now, in an ordinary stage of the water, a canoe or
skiff can hardly pass down the stream.

“‘ Many a boat of fifty tons burden has been built and loaded on the Tuscarawas,
at New Portage, and sailed to New Orleans without breaking bulk. Now the
river hardly affords a supply of water at New Portage for the canal. The same
may be said of other streams —they are drying up. And from the same cause
—the destruction of our forests — our summers are growing dryer, and our
winters colder.” Ory perhaps it should be stated, the seasons are becoming sub-
ject to greater extremes of heat and cold — of dryness and moisture. Hum-
bolt says, “ The clearing of a country of trees has the effect of raising the mean
annual temperature; but at the same time greater extremes of heat and cold are
introduced.” These very extremes are the great sources of mischief to vegeta-
tion, and also to the health of man and animals. I will add upon this point
the testimony of the American Agriculturist.

“ Forest trees should be preserved for their beneficial influence upon the cli-
mate. It is universally conceded that the winters of the northern states are
colder” (subject to greater extremes) “ than they were thirty or forty years ago,
and that the weather is more windy, fluctuating, and disagreeable. We are also
subject to severer droughts. Peaches once grew in abundance throughout Cen-
tral New York; now it is almost impossible to raise them. The wheat and
some other crops are more uncertain. These facts are to be ascribed not so
much to the deterioration of the soil as to the destruction of our forests. For-
merly our farms had belts of woodland, which broke the force of the winter and
52 THE TREES OF AMERICA.

spring winds; our hill-tops were covered with battalions of trees, which de-
fended the slopes and the vales. The snow was not blown off from the tender
grain crops in winter, nor were the fields laid bare to the blighting winds of
spring. One of the greatest drawbacks to farm life on the western prairies is
the absence of forest trees. Every mail brings accounts of sufferings and death
occasioned by the want of sheltering forests.” The prairies of the West, like
the boundless wastes of ocean, being destitute of opposing objects to break the
force of the wind, are subject, like it, to fearful gales and tornadoes which
spread ruin and death in their paths.

Trees and bushes prevent the drifting of snow and sand; and certain species
conduce to the covering of barren, sandy plains with grass. For this purpose
the locust —(Pseudacacia) one of the “nurse trees of the world,” as Evelyn
calls them — seems peculiarly adapted. By the planting of this tree the author
has seen rolling sand hills covered with a soft green turf. The method of plant-
ing is to begin upon the most exposed side of the sand barren, and cover what
is to be planted at the time with brush, or any kind of coarse litter. This
prevents the sand from blowing at the commencement; and, as it decays, forms
a coating of manure for the young trees. It may be necessary, in some situ-
ations, to follow Mr. Tudor’s plan in building slight open fences of laths on the
windward side. If the locust seed is to be planted, scalding water should be
poured upon it, and it should be allowed to stand in a warm place for three or
four days. It should then be sown in the interstices of the brush, and cov-
ered with sand or soil to the depth of one or two inches. Of thousands which
we have planted in this way, not one has failed. Almost every one is familiar
with instances where many acres of fertile land have been lost to cultivation
by drifting sands. Mr. Bryant mentions a large farm, which he visited, which
had thus been ruined. The very fences had sunk, as it were, in a sea of sand.
This farm had been cultivated till within a few years of Mr. Bryant's visit, when
a thin barrier of trees, which had stood between it and the sea shore, had been
removed. This opened the sluice-way through which the wind and the sand
had rushed upon their prey, burying the fertile acres as completely as did the
waters of the Red Sea the hosts of the Egyptian king. Many of the buried
THE TREES OF AMERICA. 53

cities of antiquity, mementos of the mighty races which have passed away, might
have been preserved to us from the all-conquering sand by “ ranks of trees.”

Trees prevent the drifting of snow. ‘This is important to all cultivators of
the soil, as, if the snow lies level, the ground is prevented from exposure to
sudden changes of temperature, which are the principal sources of mischief to
vegetation during winter and spring. There is also, as we have seen, much less
liability to freshets, as the ground is in a better condition to receive and retain
the water produced by melting snows and ice. This fact is also important in
regard to keeping in order common roads in winter, and also of special im-
portance to railroads, as a very large item of expense is occasioned in clearing
the track in winter of snow and ice, to say nothing of the expense of additional
fuel, the wear and tear of engines and cars, etc. In order to obtain some facts
upon this important point, the author, during the past year, 1857, sent a cir-
cular to the officers of some one hundred of our railroads, and received in
substance the following reply: —

Answer to question 1. We have never been troubled with snow drifts where
the road is protected by trees.

2. Two rows of evergreens, planted in the manner you describe, (that is, the
trees three feet apart, the rows the same distance, so that those in one row would
be opposite the blank spaces in the other,) would ordinarily afford sufficient pro-
tection.

3. Three or four rows of pines, of a few feet in height, if thrifty, or an equiv-
alent amount of underbrush, would protect the roads.

4, Level snows, however deep, offer but little obstruction.

5. If the road passes through the forest, and the wind, during a storm, is in
a line with the road, still the snow lies level, and offers but little if any ob-
struction.

6. More fuel is consumed in the open country than in the woods.

7. An engine will burn more fuel when there is a high wind, though it be a
“ fair wind ;” but when blowing in an opposite direction to the passing train,
the consumption of fuel will be increased twenty or twenty-five per cent., if the
train is run at its usual speed.
b+ THE TREES OF AMERICA.

8. From ten to twenty-five per cent. more of fuel is used on windy days than
on calm ones.

9. This is the case when the wind is blowing in the direction of the passing
train, and when, as might be supposed, the wind would aid the progress of the
cars.

10. Less fuel is used upon cloudy days than upon fair — both being calm ;
less, also, upon rainy or snowy days, under the same condition in regard to the
wind.

11. The lowest estimated cost of fence is two dollars and seventy-five cents
a rod — eight feet high.

It will be perceived by this that trees or bushes form not only a barrier against
drifting snows, but also, by affording a protection against the wind, cause a ma-
terial saving in fuel, by preventing the abstraction of caloric. Rows of trees,
which will form efficient barriers to break the wind and prevent the drifting of
snows upon our railroads, might be planted at a small part of the expense of
the ordinary fences for this purpose, while they would continue to increase in
value from year to year as the others were passing into decay. Such live fences
would do much to benefit these roads, in many ways which will suggest them-
selves to every one, while they would materially aid in the larger idea of ameli-
orating the climate. This subject, which we have not room to pursue further, is
one of great importance. If the payment or non-payment of dividends upon
railroads, as says an authority upon the subject, often depends upon the amount
of fuel consumed, it would seem to demand the attention of the thousands con-
cerned in these enterprises. While who does not perceive that the additional
comfort which the protection of trees would afford to travellers would add much to
the attractions of this method of journeying! The Scotch fir or pine seems to
us, so far as we have examined the matter, the best adapted for the purpose.
They can be purchased by the thousand for one or two cents apiece; and such
is the ease of transplanting them, that this process may be done for perhaps a
less sum, (such, at least, is our experience in regard to them,) while they will
thrive in almost any situation, and upon any soil, however poor.
 
THE TREES OF AMERICA. 55

PLATE IX.

- BLACK: WALNUT, Ae. FERN SIDE, NEAR “THE RESIDENCE-OF W. C.
. BRYANT, ESQ., | ROSLYN,* LONG ISLAND. Pye po
% : ok
Tuts tree is very near Mr. Bryant's beautiful’ seat at Roslyn, Long" Island.
It would be a hopeless task for us to attempt a description of the wonderfully
beautiful scenery- of this and other -patts of the island which we visited. An
_artist might spend a life delighted here without’a wish to roam.’ The old tree
stands, as it were, a) guardian over the most lovely little*glen in the world, where
the ancient cottage with” its clustering vine, and garden pay with: flowers; ‘seem
as if sleeping beneath. its sheltering arms, or lulled to ‘restsby’ the music of the
“brook whose bright waters flow. singing at its base. “The kind family whio dwell
in the ‘ancient mansion we hope may. long, be spared to enjoy the’ beautiful na-
ture so lavishly spiead all ‘about them. - Never, in all our wanderings, have’ we
hhad more genuine sympathy and interest in our. ‘undertaking than from them
and others whom we met there. Mr. Bryant, witha poet’s instincts, has chosen
this beautiful spot, for his life’s resting place. Will the future furnish scenes *
more fair? The. thought of death i in such a place seems doubly hard, although
we know that He who created such Edens can give us, mansions “beyond the
dark river of which’ we cannot even. conceive in ‘this imperfect: state. .
There are some historical facts connected with the ancient: mansion which we
hope to give in the future. ats i ;
The Black Walnut — Juglans nigra —is a native of this country. Large
forests of it are found atthe West. It is valuable for its fruit, which by some
is preferred to that of the shagbark hickory. “The kernel contains an abundance
of oil, which, according to Emerson, “ig superior to most others for use in
56 THE TREES OF AMERICA.

cookery and for lamps.” The wood is much used for the manufacture of furni-
ture, and for posts, for which it is said to be very durable. On account of its
certain and rapid growth from the seed, its beauty as a shade tree, and its value
in other respects, we would recommend its cultivation. The fresh nuts planted in
the fall will come up in the following spring. It is best to plant them on the top
of the soil, covering them with two or three inches of leaves or rubbish. We
have used spent tan bark for this purpose.

The Butternut or Oilnut tree — Juglans cinerea — belongs to this genus. This
is a beautiful, rapid-growing tree, and well worthy of cultivation. When plant-
ed upon moderately rich soil, composed mostly of vegetable mould, it soon makes
quite a large tree. We would for this reason recommend it to those who wish
to have the benefit of shade trees as soon as possible after planting. Mr. Tudor
has one of this species at Nahant which in five years from the nut has made a
tree ten feet in height, and sixteen and a half in spread of branches. This tree
has been managed in the same manner as his other trees. A description of this
method we have given in another part of this work. The fruit of the butternut,
when carefully dried, says Emerson, is sweet and very pleasant. Several kinds
of dyes are made of the bark and the nut shells, such as purple, brown, and
black. The nuts, when half grown, make excellent pickles. The wood is used
for gun stocks, posts and rails for fences, wooden bowls, drawer fronts, panels
for coaches and carriages, &c. It is very valuable for these and like purposes,
as it is light, tough, and durable.
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THE TREES OF AMERICA. 57

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PLATE: X.
‘BALM: OF: GILEAD, (POPULUS: CANDICANS:)

Tus is a very-hardy. tree, and was chosen by Mr. Tudor for his experiments
for this reason as well as for its rapid.growth, which, with other qualities, ren-
der it peculiarly valuable as a.“ nurse -tree.” Evelyn-.¢alls the poplars “ hos-
pitable trees, for any thing.thyives under, their shade.” This fact is well shown
at Nahant by the vegetation which; flourishes near them, and the improvement
of the soil in theit neighborhood. - The willow is also of this class... ‘Fle pop-
lars, says- Emerson, ie grow: readily .amid.:the dust and smoke of close and
crowded towns,” and they may, therefore, be- considered, valuable for planting in
these situations... The, ease. with which they may be. transplanted; together with
their rapid growth, strongly recommend them for : this purpose. . As the bad.
gases which poison the air-in such crowded’ localities .conduce to the growth of
vegetation, they,must be of much, value to this end. |In this connection it may
be well to give: Mr.-Tudor’s method of .transplanting trees. . His success has
been so marked, and. is so well known in the country, that we do not think we
can confer a greater. favor upon our Beaders ‘We have before noticed, to sotne
extent, the results of his experiments."

He says, In answer to our inquiries, ““I have: tried various pluie ‘for trans-
planting. all kinds of trees — large: and small,, ‘forest’ and: frait trees ; 3 at all sea-
sons — spring, summer, autumn, and winter, I. give up all stakirig: or..tying
of trees, at all seasons, and under all states of the soil, as being highly injurious.
I substitute for this, ballasting swith -stone-— varying in quantity from: five or
six hundred pounds.to three or four tons. _-This stone has a very favorable effect:
on the tree by condensing: the-dews, preventing evaporation, and by keeping the:
58 THE TREES OF AMERICA.

soil loose and friable. For a tree, however small, I dig a hole seven feet square,
and, at the least, two feet and a half deep. When the tree is large, say fifty or
sixty feet high, the hole should be fourteen feet square, and of course deeper,
if the roots require it. In digging the hole, the top soil is thrown by itself, to
be used in setting out the tree, while the gravel, etc., is carted away. A com-
post is then made, composed of rich soil, decayed forest leaves, peat, manure,
etc., according to the requirements of the kind of tree to be planted. This is
placed in readiness by the side of the hole. In case the ground is sloping, some
of the poor soil is retained to make a half-moon dam of on the lower side of the
tree, to retain the water.

“In digging up the tree I cut off as few roots as possible, and not any top
the first year of planting. According to the size of the tree to be dug up, we
break ground at some distance from the body, working under the roots towards
it. If the tree is large, some slats are tied to the trunk, where the tackle and
fall are to be attached — say at a point where the tree will be likely to balance
when it is out of the ground. The tackle and fall are attached to a derrick, the
derrick being secured by three guys fastened to the earth by iron pins. The
tackle is to be drawn taut before the tree is wholly free from the ground.
A wagon is brought up conveniently near the tree. In this wagon are two bun-
dles of pressed hay, standing on end, upon which the tree is to lie. A yoke of
oxen are hitched to the fall, and made to hoist the tree from its place, when it
is swayed into position over the hay, with the roots towards the cattle. It is
then lowered into its resting place, and fastened by ropes, and driven to where
it is to be replanted. The derrick, guys, and tackle are transported at the same
time, and the tree set in its new place by reversing the order of proceeding.
Care should be taken not to plant the tree any deeper than it stood previous
to moving. The soil should be well brought up under the roots; and it is a
good plan, in all cases, to mix some of the soil with water, so as to form a thin
mud, and turn it upon the roots. This may be mixed in a tub or pail. Trees
which are difficult to make live after transplanting will in many cases have their
lives insured by this process. It is well to mulch the tree previous to ballasting
it with stone. This will pay in all cases, but is absolutely necessary to the
THE TREES OF AMERICA. 59

healthy growth of those trees which dislike to be moved. Leaves, or straw, or
almost any waste vegetable substances, are good for mulching, and they also
constitute food for the trees. But the best material I have found for this
purpose, especially for fruit trees, is weeds, used before seeding, in July and
August. The stone is removed from around the tree, the weeds put in place,
and the stones returned to their former position. I pave around all my trees,
and in many cases allow this pavement to remain for years. With some little
care in placing it, it may be rendered quite ornamental. In lawns, where it is
required to keep grass from growing close to trees, this paving process is an
admirable one.

“The cost of moving trees of six or eight inches in diameter one mile, is not
over ten dollars each. From one foot to eighteen inches, the cost will be from
seventeen to twenty dollars. This includes all the expenses of transplanting.”

There are several native species of the poplar. The River Poplar — P. levi-
gata —is perhaps one of the finest. Emerson says of it, “The river poplar is
a noble tree, rising often to the height of eighty feet or more, with a fine long
open head. The river poplar deserves to be introduced into cultivation as an
ornamental tree. It is much the tallest and most graceful of those which grow
naturally in New England. It grows readily from cuttings, and by selecting
these from the sterile tree the evil complained of in the cotton of the Balm of
Gilead will be avoided. It has been extensively introduced into England and
France, where it is valued for its beauty and its wood.” The wood of all the
poplars is very durable if kept dry. Loudon quotes an old distich, said to be
inscribed on a poplar plank, which he says is strictly correct : —

“Though heart of oak be e’er so stout,
Keep me dry and I'll see him out.”

The Necklace Poplar, another species, is said to be the most rapid growing
tree known. Emerson mentions one at New Ashford, some sixty years of age
in 1838, when he measured it ; it was then twenty feet five inches in circum-
ference at the smallest part between the ground and the branches. This tree,
in the neighborhood of London, grows between thirty and forty feet in seven
60 THE TREES OF AMERICA.

years ; in Scotland it has grown to the height of seventy feet in sixteen years.
Male trees should be selected for cultivation. The cuttings of this tree root
freely. The necklace poplar gets its name from the aments resembling a neck-
lace of beads. It has long been introduced into Europe, where it is cultivated
to a considerable extent. It is called there the Virginian Poplar, and Swiss Poplar,
the last name being derived from the fact that it has been extensively propagated
in Switzerland. It is also called Black Italian Poplar in England, from its hay-
ing been carried there from Italy.

There is another poplar found in Canada and the New England states. This
is the true Balsam Poplar. It very much resembles the Balm of Gilead. It
differs from this species in its leaves being smaller, with uniformly rounded bases.
It has been pretty widely propagated in York county, Maine. Emerson found
it growing naturally on the land of George Thompson, near the Kennebunk
river. From here it has been carried into the neighboring towns.

The American Aspen, which is a favorite species with some, does not ap-
pear to do well in exposed, windy situations. At Nahant it suffers very much
from the wind, and, judging from the specimens there, would by no means be
considered a beautiful tree. There are, however, specimens in our neighborhood
which are very fine. Some of the introduced species we hope to notice on a
future page. -
  
   
   

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THE TREES OF AMERICA. 61

PLATE XI.
STORM TREE, (RED- CEDAR,) NAHANT, MASSACHUSETTS.
: te. Say >

Tus is one of the few trees which stood upon Nahant when Mr. Tudor
began his ,tree-planting there. “Forty years since,” said a gentleman to the
author, “I visited Nahant, and do not recollect of seeing a single tree. It
seemed to me the very picture of bleakness and desolation. The very idea of
attempting to plant trees seemed the height of folly. I would almost as soon
haye made.the attempt upon the sand washed by the waves as amongst those
barren, desolate. rocks. ‘When I first heard the e experiment had been tried, it
seemed. like an idle.dreamr- Now I Have c come to-see for myself, and the half
has not been told me. Surely, if hivnan energy dnd talent can do all this, what
desert, however desolate, but may‘be made to bid: and blossom as the rose? I
would rather have done this than to have cofiquered a nation.” “And this was
said by one.who has made for himself a’ position to which many look t up. " The
rocks in our picture tell the story of diffictlties overcome, when we comparé the
appearance “here with that where th Malai of Gilead stands. We have called
this: tree: the. Storm Tree from its appearing as if it were continually struggling
in a gale ‘of wind. Its branches all point to the south-west. °'The very bark
has been worn from the north-east side. of the tree by the north-east gales.

The Red ‘Cedar — Juniperus ‘Virginiana - —of which there are many varieties,
has a geographical range, it is said, superior to any tree known. “ It is found,”
says Emerson, “in America, from the Saskatchawan, ‘in Canada, ‘latitude ‘fifty-
four*degrees, as far as Georgia, Florida; Louisiana, ‘the Bermudas; and Barbadoes’
Islands; around the Gulf of Mexico beyond St. Barnard’s s Bay, and through the
western states to the Rocky Mountains. It abounds in Europe and Northern
62 THE TREES OF AMERICA.

Asia, as far as the Crimea and the Oural.” The wood of the red cedar is used
for posts, it being very durable. It is also used for pencils, the handles of paint
brushes, and for various other purposes. As an ornamental tree, it is not in
much demand. It might be made very useful for this purpose under certain
circumstances, as it bears heading in to almost any extent; and may, by this
process, be made so thick in foliage as almost to exclude the sunlight. For the
purpose of live hedges it is well fitted, and it is to be regretted that it is not
more extensively used in this way. A neighbor of ours, Jonathan Tidd, Esq.,
has a very promising hedge of this description. Emerson, quoting from the
New England Farmer, says, “The cedar is peculiarly well fitted for the purpose
of live hedges. It throws out boughs near the ground, pliant, and capable of
being woven into any form. They gradually, however, become stiff. Clipping
will make cedar hedges extremely thick. No animal will injure them by brows-
ing. Manured and cultivated, they come rapidly to perfection. The plants are
frequently found in great abundance without the trouble of raising them. As
an evergreen, they are preferable to deciduous plants; and they live better than
any young trees I have ever tried. They should be planted, with a sod taken
up of sufficient size to prevent injury to the roots, between December and the
middle of April, on each side of a fence, the plants and rows being each ten feet
apart, and each plant in one row opposite the centre of the interval between two
successive plants in the other row. They should be topped at a foot high, and
not suffered to gain more than three or four inches yearly in height, such boughs
excepted as can be worked into the fence at the ground. Of these, great use
may be made in thickening the hedge by bending them to the ground, and cov-
ering them well with earth in the middle, leaving them growing to the stem.
Thus they invariably take root and fill up gaps.”

Evergreen trees are usually thought to be very difficult to transplant. Our
beautiful white pine is generally so regarded; but we have never had any
trouble with this most valuable variety. The month of June is perhaps the
best time in which to move it. It is best to take some soil with it when it is
dug up; and we would advise the same care with it as we bestow upon other
trees. We follow Mr. Tudor’s plan in all cases, thinking if a tree is worth
THE TREES OF AMERICA. 63

planting at all, it is worth planting well. If one would realize how much these
beautiful trees, with other evergreens, will do to make home comfortable, and
with how little expense this may be done, he should visit the place of Dexter
Hart, Esq., of Woburn, Massachusetts. Many people are deterred from making
the experiment from fear of the expense; but we can assure every one who has
a house, that evergreens may be planted so as to make a saving of expense by
the shelter they yield against the cold winds of winter and spring, and also in
the influence they exert upon the health of the occupants. "We do not recom-
mend any of our New England spruces or balsams for this purpose, but, in-
stead, would mention the Norway spruce fir, the Scotch fir or pine, the Austrian
pine, and last, not least, our own white pine, the most beautiful evergreen in the
world. We should think some of the western spruces and pines might be very
valuable for this purpose. We shall speak of these hereafter.

August 9,1858. Since the above has been put in type we have carefully ex-
amined Mr. Tidd’s hedge of Juniperus Virginiana, and find that it far exceeds
our expectations in the rapidity of its growth. In June, from one foot to eigh-
teen inches of the ends of the branches were clipped. From all these points
numerous shoots have been produced, which are now as long as the original ones,
while the uncut short branches have made an equally luxuriant growth. Within
the short space of two years an evergreen hedge has been formed, which already
is quite a formidable fence against intruders, while the foliage, fed by a compar-
atively rich soil, is very beautiful. In a very short time this hedge will become
an impassable barrier for man and beast, while it will be a far better protection
against the wind than any artificial fence. This tree, so far as we have had
opportunity to observe it, shows the beneficial effect of man re more than any
other forest tree. It would be very valuable for the purpose of planting along
the sides of railways and common roads. Judging from the success of Mr. Tidd’s
experiment, no such care in planting or trimming is required as directed by the
New England Farmer. These were “pulled” from the ground in April, and
hastily planted. We would, however, recommend proper care in the experiment.
64 THE TREES OF AMERICA.

P LAT E XII.
YELLOW PINE (OF. THE WEST) — PINUS PONDEROSA.

Tus pine is also known = the names of P. Brachyptera, P. Engelmanni, P.
Berdslezi, and P. Benthamiana.

We are indebted for our description and Plate to the “ Pacific Railroad Sur-
vey.” We take pleasure in acknowledging our obligation to Dr. Newberry,
“Geologist and Botanist of the expedition,” for much valuable information upon
the botany, etc., of this interesting portion of our country. “This pine,” says
Dr. Newberry, “is the most widely distributed of all the pines which are found
in California or Oregon, and. over large areas it-is not only the most common,
but the only species. “The range of this. tree is from the mountains of New
Mexico, (San Francisco, &c.,) northward to and ‘beyond the Columbia, and from
the coast in California, where it ig, pene rare, to the Rocky Mountain
chain on the east.”

We should think that this species. att be ‘introduced here with advantage,
for it seems well adapted to almost any climate or soil. Speaking of its range,
Dr. Newberry goes on to say, “ At McCumber’s, it forms an important element
in the magnificent forest of that region ; and:still higher, on the flanks of Lar-
ren’s butte, it composes the ‘entire forest, rising nearly to the line of perpetual
snow ; as we descended into Pit river and Klamath basins, we found it still abun-
dant, forming the most constant feature in the vegetation of our route from Pit
river to the Columbia. Near or distant trees were always in sight ; and in the
arid and desert regions of the interior basin we made whole days’ marches in for-
ests of yellow pine, of which the monotony was unbroken either by other forms
of vegetation, or the stillness by the flutter-of a bird or the hum of an insect.
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