Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1872-05-07
THE GAZETTE.
Remarkable Mortality Of Evergreens.
TUESDAY EVENING, MAY I.

From Virginia to the Canadian shores, and
from the eastern slope Of the Rocky Mountains
to the Atlantic, the evergreens are dead or dy-
ing. Millions of dollars, worth of hardy plants,
that have for years withstood our norther win
ters now show the ravages of the zero weather
of the last season. Norway spruce, pines ar,
boryta, jumpers, rhododendrons, dwarf and
standard roses in public parks aud private gar.
deus have put on the sere and yellow leaf,
their symbols of decay.
Long Island has suffered severely. In the
gardens at Astoria, where Immense numbers OF
eyergreens were growing for sale, the loss Is
estimated at hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Rows of arboryite, containing thousands OF
nlants are absolutely valuelesS. Prospect Park
and the private gardens in Brooklyn have not
been spared in the general disaster, and the
gardeners at the Central Park, New York, pro-
nounce the loss in these grounds almost ire
parable. At Flatbush, L. T., and in Wlnches-
ter county the loss has been very great Some
of the nurserymen have lost their entire stock.
In other places the effect has been peculiar.
Plants of the same age and apparent health,
growing in long rows, have been touched at To-
tervals of few feet. The first dozen in the
row are dead and the next half dozen are well
and thrifty ln Brooklyn, the plants on the
north and east side of the houses have suffered
most.
Iu New Jersey the horticulturists have no.
ticed that plants which were shaded from the
Winter sun have escaped the worst effects OF
the season, and may be saved with much trou-
bic and time.
The reports from the vicinity Of Boston and
further east confirm the sad tidings Of what
was only rumor few weeks ago, and from
the great nurseries at Rochester, the Ohio
valley, and even further west the words come
to us:-'Our evergreens are dead. The
causes assigned for this unexpected loss are
various, but from among them the following
may be taken as having in them most of prob
ability: First, it is said that the warm days
of February gave the plants an early start. as
if the Spring had really opened, aud then
when all were swelling with the new life the
weather changed again to hard Winter, freez-
Ing with the cold March winds.
Another view is that the plants were killed
very early in the Winter There was not a
former years. but the season came suddenly
upon the plants before they were properly
shielded or prepared for it. Their color changed
slightly, but not enough to cause alarm, and
although the plants remained green they were
dead Only when the warm weather OF the
last few weeks started the other plants into
general activity was the damage to the ever
green's visible.
Ia support of the first theory it is observed
that in one place on the Hudson, private
garden, there were several fine specimens OF
the golden bark arborvita. They had been
covered nearly all the Winter. During the
warm days of February they were exposed,
and seemed remarkably vigorous They have
not been covered since and are now dead
Where the new supply will come from is as
yet matter of conjecture. Nurserymen are
afraid to purchase the few plants offered for
sale until the season is more advanced. Many
think they could save some Of their stock BY
carefully nursing it for two or three years; but
the ground is too valuable to be used for that
purpose, and the evergreens will be cut down
and cast away. There are many sorrowtul
faces among the nurserymen, and some of them
will be sorey tried in the effort to recover from
the losses inflicted by the death of the ever
oroon, AZ Y T,urou1 of HomD7erre