The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-12-01
concluded from First Paae.l

ly used by glass blowers, to weld, or fuse
on the handles of glass utensils, which pro-
cess fails when these Is the smallest portion
OF sulphur etc., in the wood.
The elm, alma americana is a fine tim
Der tree, the heart wood, red brown when
finished, darker than the oak, the sap wood
yellowish, or brownish white, with pores
Inclined to red. The wood OF this elm Is
porous, cross grained, and shrinks much In
drying, Is not liable to split, bears the driv-
ing of nails on bolts better than most any
other timber, and Is exceedingly durable
when constantly wet; 1t is therefore much
used for the keels of vessels, and for wet
foundations, water works, pumps and the
shells of tackle blocks, as well as for many
other purposes, where exposed to rough
usage.
OF the oak, their are many different kinds
in.Vermont. The quercus alba, or white
oak, comes nearest to the best English oak,
and is largely exported to England and
the West Indies this oak is very valuable
for ship building, or for machine frames
requiring great strength, or Subject to
much exposures the red varieties are much
interior and are mostly used for ornamen-
tai furniture.
There are many other kinds of wood In
the forests of Vermont, which are useful
and valuable, but time will not permit their
mention. OF the growth of wood, permit
me to say, that the process of increase, or
the manner in which the tree, from year to
year, lifts its towering head, crowned with
foliage, and adds ring to ring, encircling
its colossal stem, cannot fail to be of inter
est to ALL as well as to the student of ma
ture, and yet it is among the simplest. of
her stupendous PROJECTIONS. Among all the
growing trees that perform their functions
in a solid body, there are none, but what,
in their normal condition, deposit the
woody fiber in concentric circle around
the tree, between the bark and the wood.
The great variation, in thickness of the
iings of the same, or of different trees, is
due to the more or less favorable growth of
successive years, and to the different ex-
posure of the tree to the sun and air, which
develop the side of the plant exposed to
their influence, in an additional degree; a
tree growing against wall or any other
obstruction, become remarkably stuntid on
that side of its axis. 1t will be observed
that the heart, or central part OF the tree is
often of an irregular triangular shape.
This, the primary portion of the plant, is,
at first, always cylindrical; it is supposed
to assume its accidental form, triangular,
or hexagoual from the compression to
which it is subjected. The heart governs,
in great degree, the general figure OF the
tree, as all the series of rings will be OBJ
served to have q disposition to project at
the angles, but with the successive addi-
tions, the angular form is gradually lost.
Exogens, or trees having a soldlstructure,
always present two sets of fbers, in which
the growth of the plant is accomplished.
The annual rings consist of series of tubes
arranged side by side, and in close contact
with each other, the other set of fibers pro-
coed from the center to the circumference
of the tree; they are called the medulsry
rays. These two sets of fibers afford the
necessary support to the tree, and by their
distinct continuity constitute the principal
source of combination and strength in the
wood. The vertical fbers of the annual
rings, and the horizontal f1bers of the med
hillary rays, are closely and uniformly in.
termingled, and they form collectively the
substance of the wood. They also consti.
tute two series of separate cells or vessels,
the larger part of which proceed vertically,
the smaller part radislly. These vessels
or cells running among the fbers, are to
the plant what the blood vessels, and air
cells are to the animal; a part of them
convey the crude sap from the roots,
through thessexternal layers of the wood to
the leaves, in which the sap is evaporated,
and prepared, this fluid afterward returns
through the inner bark, as the elaborated
sap, and combines with that in the exter-
nal layers of wood, the two constituting the
cambium. This ultimately becomes con.
solidatcd for the production of the new an.
nual ring that is deposited beneath the
loosened bark. and which is eventually to
constitute a part of the general substance
or wood. The bark also receives a minute
addition yearly; and the remainder of the
fluid returns to the earth, as an excretion,
not lost but stored up with the potash and
carbon of the dead foliage for future use.
The proportions which the forests bear
to the cultivated lands of the state, at the
present time, are about as three to five.
The most extensive and valuable forests in
Vermont are divided between three dis
tinct portions of the state. First, the
northeastern part, on the upper waters
that flow into the Connecticut river; sec.
ond, and most extensiue, occupies both
slopes Of the central mountain range, and
is sub.divided by the summit of the
Green Mountains, which are rarely clothed
near their sumits by any very valuable tim.
bers. The third forest section Of
the state is located along the sides,
or on the TANKS of the Taconic
range, mostly in the southwestern part OF
the state. If the acknowledged fertility
of the valleys in Vermont are to be perpet.
uated, the forests must be preserved or the
drainage from the hills must un-
avoidably bring down to the valley
detritus too coarse and too crude ia
maintain their fertility, without the aid OF
excessive artificial fertilizers. Forests re.
moved, will speedily renew themselves, il
projected from fires and animal deprada-
lions, but very rarely, again clothe the
soil with the same kind of timber removed
therefrom-the renewal is generally of ar
interior quality, unless resort is had to
planting, which has never been pursued tc
any great extent in the state of Vermont.