The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-08-15
Notes ON Forest Trees.

After the farm and garden seeds. are
all in the earth, it may be well to look
about and see ii there are not some other
matters which are likely to be neglected
through oversight or want of the requi-
site knowledge. There are few things.
which add more to the appearance or
value Of a farm than goodiy suprly of
ornamental and useful trees; and this is
especially true in scantiIy- wooded re-
g'ons, whether upon the prairie or in
tracts long settled and dcnuded of their
original forests. We believe that the
scarcity of trees in either instance is
owing in great measure to the want of
practical information in regard to raising
forest trees from seed. Many-persons
suppose that all our-native trees ripen
their seeds in autumn, and that to talk
Iotfa1slng seedlings at this season is not
well timed. But in this they err, because
thc-seeas of some of our most valuable
species OF indigenous trees ripen, even i'm
the Northern States, between the first
and the middle of June, and these must
oe soWn soon after or they will fail to
germlnate. The silver and red maple
and American weeping elm are we'll.
known examples of this fact; and, as>w
write, the seeds are -coloring and show
ing early maturity. If gathered as soon
as ripe and sown under a thin LAYER of
earth they will produce plants two or
three feet high before the seeds of close
iFafifea species will be ripe in the fall.
a Few weeks delay in attending to this
yery@trit1ing matter of gathering the
aDove-named seeds at the proper time
VIII cause loss OF one wear in the
growth OF the trees; and it is to these
little delays that we may charge the
barrenness, in appearance IL; least. of
many a country home.
The first frosts of autumn loosen the
seeds OF the sugar maple, and tie various
exotic species which are so extensively
planted in the streets of MANY of our eli.
les and villages. The seeds of all these
trees, as well as those of the ash, linden,
tulip tree or whitewood,- LIQUID amber.
and similar kinds, both indigenous and
exotic, should he preserved in and dur.
ing winter and, sown in early spring.
There are several good reasons for pre-
serving seeds of hardy trees in sand
through winter, instead of sowing tn, m
IN the fall, as would seem to be more i'm
harmony with nature, the most impor
liant OF which are l.. Protection against
vermin of various kinds, which subsist
lor q portion of the year upon these
seeds. 2.2ff- the-seeds sown in
the open, unprotected fields they are
subjected to greater degree of cold and
more frequent changes of temperature
than where they fall in the forest and are
there covered with leaxes.-3.!Ti,c= soil
becomes very compact over: and about |
the seeds during the winter and spring.
thereby retarding, if not frequent pre,
venting, the growth of the young, ,.nder
plants. That. the artificial processes
practiced hy-our nurserymen and others
are far superior to the strictly natural
one isreadily prov ed by the results; for
not one seed in a thousand which fall
from the parent tree in the forest grows,
Mhlie the reverse of this is true when art
steps in to aid and protect.
we call especial attention to this
poIhl.-pecanse many writers upon arbor.
culture ar" very particular to advise
,. 'ig nature as guide in raising all
n, OF trees from seed, which may,-in
the abstract, be well enou gh; but in gen.
erai practice man might as we'll wait
lor nature to cover him with a suit of
as to provide him with choice
fruits or trees through any strictly nat.
arai process. The war Of races. as ex.
NOTED ~ among both plants and animals ia
III suited to supply the wants of civilized r
nan man henee the employment of art to
=, Nces tlle fansirpiS ras,.lts. -.