Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1870-03-10
From The Western Pomologst.
Climber The American Chest
nut.

concerns every lnhabitant Of the great
Mississippi valley. Providence, though
always wise in her provision for the
well being Of the human family, has
not seen fit to distribute to every
mans wants, Just as man would seem
to have it; striking example OF which
is to be seen in the vast extent Of our
treeless prairies; and the greatest OBJ
stacle which now impedes their settle
ment is lack Of timber, ard there is
no other feasible way to supply that
in the time to come, except to grow
it. The facilities for transportation,
however good, cannot for any consid-
cradle time to come, supply the thous-
an1s and millions that viii ere long
inhabit the broad prairics Of the West,
with timber for mercantile purposes,
to say nothing of fencing, fuel, &c
Should the facilities for transportation
keep pace with the demand, the fact
stands out IN fearful demonstration
that the sources from which our sup
ply is now drawn will at no very dis
tant day be exhausted.
1t has been estimated by careful
observer 'that the pine timber within
the limits of the United States and &C
cessible territory will be exhausted in
less than fifty years. Already i'm
mense quantities of pine lumber are
being imported from the Canadas, AID
find way TO eastern markets, and yes
scarcity increases, and prices rise
Every variety Ct timber composing
American forests is alike disappear
ing; and it requires no prophetic ken
to toresee what is to be the fearful
destitution a century hence, if no
measures are adopted and prosecuted
vigorously, to supply by art what
hitherto has been SO abunnantly sup
piled by Divine Providence
a Michigan lgmbcrman estimates
that, taking the ratio Of consumption
Of the pine lumber from the pineries
of Michigan for the last five years. the
whole OF those mighty forests will be
well nigh exhausted in Ten years.
The facts are startling, and the ques-
ton naturally arises, From whence
shall come the supply Of timber for
future generations The only ration
al answer is Forest Culture. This
settled, what varieties OF forest trees
shall we grow: OF the decduous
trees, tho Chestnut, Black. White and
Hickory WalnutS, White and Sugar
Naples, White Ash, Elm and Birch
are all very desirable and may be
easily grown from the seed. Among
the number, Chestnut stands pre-emi-
nent in our estimation. There is no
tree that can be produced from the
seed more readily, or that possesses so
many valuable qualities. For posts or
rails the timber is valuable, as it is al
most imperishable. We have seen
fence rails of it in New England fifty
years old from the log and apparently y
as sound as ever. The tree is 4 ram
pant grower, reproductive and pro-
duces a most valuable and profitable
fruit. No other forest tree possesses
the reproductive power of the chest.
nut. y chestnut forest may be cut
at any age and it viii reproduce Itself
in six to ten years We have seen
sprouts pushed up eight 10 ten feet in
4 single season from the stumps oi
trees cut the previous winter.
Eow TO GROW TIE CHESTNUT.
The seed should be gathered whel
il drops from the burr and mlNed
with three parts oi sandy loanl TO one
OF the nuts, and stored in q cool cellar
tor the Winter. Fail planting, OF
burying out of doors exposed to the
frost, Is unsafe, though attended witt
success sometimes. The loan should
be Just moist enough to retain the
natural moisture OF the nut, so that
the meat will not shrink from The
she'll. The nuts may be boxed up
fresh from the burr and kept two OF
three weeks without injury before
packing in loan.
NURSERY GROWING.
For nursery growing, (Which, by thc
way, We totally ignore,) plant eight to
ten inches apart, in rows 1oar fec.
apart. The plants. when young, arc
tender. and liable to injury from a hot
sun. The best protection is through
cultivation of the soil to induce a Wig
o:ous growth, thereby increasing the
vital power of the plant, and enable ii
to resist the effects OF great heat
Late in Autumn turn turrow on
either side Of the row up TO the plants
hilling them up four or five inches
In Winter they will kill down to the
surface line, but If well buried up, the
plant will send up new shoot from
below ior the future tree.
FOREST GROWING.
For standard timber, or forest grow
ing, lay off the ground as tor corn ant
plant the nuts foar feet apart each
way, and put hill of potatoes be.
tween them one way. The potatoes
will serve to show the rows in cult
waiting. The second year, plant pota-
toes or beans the other way, and con
tinue alternating those crops until the
trees are too large to admit of crop
When large enough TO be of service
in fencing, thin out by removing alter
nate rows each way, leaving the tr e>
in squares Of eight feet II a large
growth and a permanent grove is de:
sired, when the trees begin to crowd
repeat the thinning out by again re.
moving alternate rows, leaving the
trees in squares of sixteen feet. Where
hops are grown we do not see why
the Chestnut may not be protitably
grown for poles. Where grown close
together, as in the nursery row, the
trees run up very straight and slender
Ii well cared for, FIVE or six years
growth will make good hop,pole.
We would not advise transpiantins
the chestnut, for, after some years OF
most thorough trial, we are fully con