St. Charles Republican intelligencer. (St. Charles [Charles City], Iowa) 1856-1857, 1856-11-13

ant has a few surrounded by forest
trees, that are not dead. The heart
cherries, so called, have frequently
been killed, before last winter.
Mr.. Arthur Bryant of this town, has
large nursery Of fruit and ornamen-
tai trees. 1t has been established a
dozen years or more, and from the ex-
perience and good judgment of the
proprietor and his we'll known care
and accuracy, it has been and will
continue to be of great advantage to
the section. He and his brothers have
been so long in fruit culture that they
have tested to considerable extent
the adaptedness Of species and varie-
ties to this part Of the country, and
are therefore prepared to recommend
such as will be likely to succeed best.
l have walked over Mr.. BIS grounds,
and have been gratified with the good
appearance of his stock, and not less
so with the neatness of his cultivation.
The last winter was less injurious to
young or nursery trees, than to STAN
dards which had come into bearing.
l notice, however, that some varieties
of apples suffered worse than others,
and this difference is obvious even in
the nursery. 1t is more striking in
the orchard, where trees of the Rhode
Island Greening, Roxbury Russell,
and Baldwin, are scarcely to be
found alive, while those of the Yellow
Bellefower, Willow Twig, Rawle's
jeanette (or Juneating, and general
ly those whose, branches incline to a
pendent habit, are less injured.
Mr.. Bryant has made various ex-
periments in the culture of forest
trees. The road which passes through
his farm is lined with sugar naples,
twenty to thirty feet high, whose
thriftiness and beautiful figure would
compare with the best species of
which even Vermont could boast. He
is now trying larch, and various spe-
cies Of evergreen trees-as the arbor
vitae, spruce, hemlock, pine, &c. In
few years he will be able to decide
which of these will answer best for
planting for protection, or for orna-
ment. Mr.. B. is also trying hedges,
for which he has the Usage orange
and the buck-thorn. The former
grows fastest, but has more strag-
Cling habit; the latter is more hardy,
and more readily assumes the required
orm, for which reasons Mr.. B. gives
t the preference. Ihave seen many
hedges of the Usage orange, or rather
what were intended as such, in Illinois
and Iowa, but few of them are of much
use as fence. l was in hopes to
have seen some which had been right
ly cared for, and were old enough to
have their value tested, as there are
some such !; but most of those which
have met with, except Mr.. Bryant's,
which are yet young, have been neg
lected, and can make little pretension
to proper hedge. Many people sup
pose that when they have planted a
hedge, they have finished it.
Tree-planting for protection is a
most important business in the prairie
country, and should engage the atten-
tion of the people more than it seems
to do. 1t is not likely that the prai-
ries, where every day there is breeze,
and every breeze Tin the winter) is
gale, will be good for fruit trees
Trees thus exposed look like those on
the bleak shores of the sea. They need
protection against these sweeping
blasts. In few instances attempts
have been made to secure this protec-
ton by the growth of trees. Locust is
most common for this purpose. 1t
grows rapidly for time, but slowly
after it has attained the height of
Twelve or fifteen feet. In some in
stances white and black walnut have
been introduced into these artificial
groves" as they are called, and
they have grown pretty well. But to
form good barrier against wind, ev-
ergreens are required. A double row
of Norway spruces, or the common
hemlock, in full perfection, would be
better than ten times the number of
deciduous trees. 1t may be harder to
raise evergreens, but extensive trials
should be made to ascertain if there
ire not. some kinds which will sue
coed. H.