The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-05-06
(For the Press.)
Rock Naples To The Front.


Tested in the preservation of our forests and
the planting of shade trees in our villages,
emboldens me to call attention to project
whick some time since occurred to me,
namely, the extensive planting Of Rock or
Sugar Naples in our highways throughout
New England, 1.-THE favorite home of the
Maple).
Whatever may be said of other trees, as
affording grateful shade, identifying the
landscape, increasing and equalzing the
rainfall, and utilizing the public highways,
the Rock Maple possesses the additional ex-
cellence of producing sugar.
My plan would be to take these trees from
the forest at a suitable age for transplanting,
and set them out on the borders of high
ways, row on each side, say 100 feet apart,
or with space enough to allow fair view of
our beautiful New England landscapes from
the road. Let them be arranged 50 that the
trees on the two rows may not come direct
ly opposite each other, but have the trees on
either side alternate with the trees on the
other side. In twenty or twenty-five years
the average OF these trees would be of suita-
BILE size to ''tap" for sap, and meanwhile
they would have answered all the other pur-
poses of shade trees equally well or better
than others.
HOW TO DO IT.
Of course, these trees being within the
limit of the highway, would be public pro-
'perty, and as such under the supervision of
the town authorities. BUTT is possible that
the owners of estates abutting on the high
way might be enlisted in the enterprise in
some such way as this: To parties who
would set out young Rock Maples in The
way proposed, and care for them in man.
ner satisfactory to the town, let the author
tiles aforesaid grant to them or their estates
the free use of such trees for sugar making.
for fifty years from the time of transplant
ing. In this case, the public would enjoy
the benefit of the shade tree without er-
pe'se, and at the end of the fifty years the
possession of very valuable wood-lot sui
table for timber and fuel, on the same easy
terms. On the other hand, the individual
sugar maker would have easy and conven-
ACtft dSCCoo W hiS tICCo w CCum u COllcCU
the sap, (which sap would be far richer in
saccharine than that obtained from forest
trees), while the land previously occupied
by the "sugar Gerhard" could be devoted to
tillage, if so desired.
Wherever this plan is impracticable, let
the tocn assume the setting out of the trees
and their care, and either lease the use of
them during the sugar-bearing period, or
themselves take and utilize the sap l be-
lieye most New England towns possess
poor-farm. In such case this highway SUI
gar orchard might be considered and treat
ei as part of such farm. When the trees
cease to produce sap, then the rood re-
mains. Much of this would furnish very Va
luable material for various articles of man.
ufacture, and the remainder would be Sec
ond to none for fuel. Let it be remembered
also that not only is the sap much sweeter
in these trees standing alone, but the woop
is finer and tougher. The cost in any case
would be trifling, probably not more than
dollar apiece, including the necessary slat
frame work to protect the young trees from
browsing animals. When once started,
young trees may be set out from time to
time in the intervening spaces, so as to bear
in readiness for use as the old ones decay
To sum up, the Rock Maple is beautiful.
hardy, clean and valuable shade tree, and,
in addition, is especially available for sugar
making. The immediate carrying out of
the foregoing plan would secure in single
generation all the advantages enumerated,
and would make the pure and delicious
maple syrup and sugar as plenty and cheap
as the comparatively dirty and gross molas-
ses and sugar of the tropical cane. Again,
when it is considered that the planting of
the trees as proposed would give one hum
bred trees to each mile of highway, it will
be seen that the growth of wood on land
otherwise unimproved, would be enormous
And then it would undoubtedly visibly an d
favorably affect the rainfall. And all this,
with the trifling first cost of setting out the
trees.
If anybody thinks favorably enough of
these suggestions to give the project encour-
agement, the writer would like to hear from
him or them. F. RAND.
Medford, Mass, Feb. %, 1881.