The Portland daily press., 1874-10-05
THE PRES S.
MONDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 5. 1871
THE FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.
Dendrurgic.

occupied column of the PRESS in enGeavor-
Ing to show that forests are an especial injury
to the state of Maine; the current of sober
thought sets in the other direction-for the
preservation and increase of timber lands.
In regard to the use of forest trees in cities,
for ornamental shade, there is room for mole
diversity of opinion. The great beauty of
Free street from the head of Cotton, or look
ing up State and down Danforth, from their
junction, would make us wish to preserve ev-
cry tree possible; and the weIl-known health
fulness OF Portland, would lead us to think
that the protection from direct sunlight, in
the dog days. is conducive to health.
Yet it is manifest that house may be too
much overshadowed, and rendered positively
unwholesome as dwelling place, by the ex-
clusion of sunshine, the obstruction TO air,
and the dampness and mildew, produced by
trees too near it, and too dense in foliage.
When, how wever, in the exercise of good
Judgment it is decided that tree should be
removed, it is better on every account to cut
it down, and dig out the stump; rather than
to torture it and destroy it by ill usage, MAX
ing it offensive to the eye, and prolonging its
injurious effects. And when it is decided that
a tree is in the right place, and that it should
be retained, it is better on all accounts, to
take good care of it, and have it thrifty and
handsome.
A tree is vegetable republic, and has no
natural limits to its life, other than such as
may be obyiatcd by human care; excluding
from natural limits the attacks OF any new
disease now unknown.
The tree must of course have room, and sun
light. Then it must have an inexhaustible
soil, else the deficiencies in the soil must be
from time to time remedied by properly chos-
ell manures. 1t must have, supply of wa
ter, sufficient for its nature. The elm is one
of those trees that thrive best in rather
moist soil; or on a dry knoll, but sufficiently
near moist land, for the largest roots to reach
it. In the streets Of cities, trees are apt to
suffer from both these causes. The pave
ments exclude the rain, and send the showers
off into the sewers, so that the roots are too
dry. The quantity of earth is limited, and
becomes exhausted of its proper elements TO
feed the trees, while the pavements prevent
the roots from getting much benefit from the
excellent manures which lie along the streets.
The lover of his trees will attempt to remedy
these defects by watering and manuHng, but
in the paved streets and sidewalks there are
great difficulties in the way.
The tree is vegetable republic, aud the
interests of the whole are dependent to some
extent upon the interests of each part. Two
dangers, at present, conspicuously threaten
many of the noble elms which are the pride
and glory of our forest city; two dangers
which are additional to those from the pave
ments alluded to above.
The first is the reckless wounding of the
trees. Some are used as hitching posts, and
have the bark gnawed off by horses. Others
have been trimmed, and in this process lost
large limbs; while the PAYERS of the side
walks have Topped off huge roots from some.
When tree is in good health, and in good
and we'll watered soil, it readily outgrows
such injuries, and covers up the wound with
new wood and bark. If on the other hand,
the tree is feeble, in dry and exhausted
soil, the wound is not covered; it remains
open, wasting tie sap of the tree by evap-
grafton; after few years the exposed wood
begins to rot; this penetrates deeper and
deeper, and finally, it may be in fifteen, it
may be in fifty years, the tree is killed by
the action of the wound. In all such cases
the remedy is simple, and may be success
great length. We have repeatedly wrought
almost miracles of healing, by simply cover
ing the old wounds, first removing the de-
cayed wood, when it had gone so far as to
rot) with good coating of rosin softened
with mutton tallow.
The other danger threatening our trees at
present is the cankerworm. Various reme-
dies have been proposed; the greatest faith
at present seems to be placed upon the Euro
pean sparrow; but citizen of Philadelphia
told us this summer of his observations in
that city, which led him to suppose that even
the sparrow is not infalIible. Meanwhile the
danger in Portland is imminent; some of our
finest trees have already been seriously in
jured. There is no immediate remedy more
to be depended upon than to catch the wing
less female moth, as she attempts to crawl
up the trees, in the fall aud in the early
spring. The attempts smade last year were
but partially successful,-many persons failed
to renew frequently the application of the
printers ink, or 'grub exterminator;' it
soon grew dry and offered no obstacle to the
passage of the moth. The ink must be fire.
quently renewed during all the mild weather
of the fall, winter and spring; and the fight
must be kept up without cessation for two
more years, before the cankerworm can be
conquered. Such is the experience in Massa-
chusetts, where they have suffered for so
many years, at intervals, from this pest.