Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1873-04-12
How Science Helps Tree Culture.

UP to the commencement of the pres
ent century science was little more than a
plaything. 1t was customary to speak OF
the exact and the abstract sciences; but
the abstract branches of knowledge, as
they were then called, have come to be
among the most useful to humanity. Bot
any, for instance, once regarded as little
more than an accOmplishment-the amia-
BILE science, as its dev0tees loved to term
lt-has proved one Of the most useful to
the practical man; and what were once
supposed to be mere distractions of phi
losophy, have been found of the utmost
value in founding systems of practical
tree culture.
In the nature of bark, for instance, we
have learned SO much from botany that
we how unhesitatingly adopt methods of
treatment which we would not have done
without this knowledge, and find an i'm
mense benefit therefrom. We used to re-
gard tree rs having somewhat the ma
ture and constitution of an animal; and
as the skin Is an important part of animal
structure, we regarded the bark of trees
as the equivalent of the skin. Botany
has at length taught us that the outer
bark of tree is of no more use to it than
a beard Is to man and indeed we very
often aid and encourage the development
of the tree by assisting the tree in getting
rid of it. In fact the tree spends good
portion of its early years in getting rid of
its bark; and not until it has burst its
cortical bands, as general thing, does 1t
bound forth into vigorous growth. Some
trees, as the beech tree, never accomplish
this feat; but they are provided with a
structure which Dermits of free growth
nf loto f1,rrc
expansion Is provided for.
We all know how tree looks when it
has its rough bark. Fissures are up and
down at regular distances; but these are
not caused, as once was supposed, by the
mere growth of the tree-fOr If they were
they would all present nearly the same
sort of fissures, whereas they each have
their separate way of doing the thing but
the assures are made by the development
of what are known as cork cells in the
bark, which by their growth in certain
ways give the direction to the lines as we
see them. Wenow know by the progress
of this branch of botany that the little Or
ganisms we call cork cells have for their
great object the aiding of the plant to
make these fissures, which are finally to
be the means by which the plant rids it.
self of its bark and we have found, as q
consequence of these observations, that II
we also aid in this decorticating process,
we advance the vigor and growth of the
tree.
There is, therefore, no longer any dread
of scraping bark or of using washes for
the stems of trees, as there once was.
The man who tells us we are in this way
stopping up the breathing pores of plants
is simply laughed at, and regarded as be-
ing worthy of nothing more than the IT,
tie of professor" in some college where
original observations are net taught.
This is the season of the year when we
can put these newly discovered lessons of
science into useful practice. Insect eggs
and the spores of destructive fungi
abound on the bark of trees, oftentimes
on the fresh young surface, and always un-
der the loose scaly bark. A sort of paint
made of lime, sulphur, and little earth
to give it dark color, put over the stems
of trees, will destroy all these injurious
demonstrating to loosen the bark, so
much desired by the plant, at the same
time.-Forney's Press.