The Portland daily press., 1882-07-11
AGRICULTURAL.
Plant Forest Trees.
rRv Henry Reynolds,l
q a meeting Of the MASSACHUSETTS, Boz

At a lleetlLH VI bllS AAoooclShucCplS 0OhhA
Of Agriculture two or three years ago Geo
B. Emerson LII. D. gave a lecture upon.
s'The Restoration of the Forest" He
stated that at the present rate of destruc-
ton, the forests of New England, the Brit
ish Dominions and, indeed all the forests OF
America would be cut down in how long9
Half century? No, in eleUen and hdF
gears. This at first seems short period,
but when we reflect how nearly destroyed
the forests are already, we shall be more in
clined to accept the statement as made to
be not far from the truth.
This destruction of trees should not go on.
Every farmer can do something to retard
1t. He can be saving of his wood lot, avoid
culling it over, and carefully manage to Sc
cure the greatest possible rapidly of growth.
Much may be done in the way of extending
the limits of woodland There are many
pastures and fields in which evergreens
or dicidous trees are continually springing up,
and if they were protected from browsing
by cattle and sheep, would soon cover large
areas with fine thrifty growth.
A law by the State has been enacted to
secure exemption from taxes, for period OF
wears of land which shall be devoted to
wood growing. There are thousands oil
acres in every county and in many towns
even which at present do not pay for fences
and taxes, which might well be turned into
forest-land. If trees do not spring up spon-
taneously, the seeds may be sown. The
sugar maple seeds will come up in great
profusion when the seeds are merely sown
upon the top of the ground. 1t may often
be noticed that in the vicinity of sugar ma
pies, the ground is covered with little trees
two or three inches high, the product OF the
previous seasons seeding,
The total forest area of the county can
be considerably increased by planting trees
about the buildings, by the roadside and
to the windward Of the farm house. Many
locations are greatly exposed to the search
ing and bleak winds of winter. The plant
ing of several rows Of trees upon the north
west. north and northeast sides OF such
location will greatly mitigate the blasts OF
winter, which shake the buildings and
search through every nook and corner in
side and pile the snow high around outside.
Shade trees about the buildings add great
" to the beauty of the scenery. 1t is sur
prising how much elegance is impaired to
neat farm house by a tasteful array OF trees
about The premises, or how much the ap-
pearance of a country village is improved
bv a profusion of shade trees about the
roadside and around the dwellings.
Some of the pleasantest and most charming
villages in New England are made so by
tasteful ordering of an abundance OF shade
trees. Shade trees add more to the beauty
of a village than fine houses do,
The sugar maple is one of the most beau
tiful trees to be found in any country. The
beech is a tree well adapted to planting near
houses, as no shrubbery grows beneath
it. and the ground is easily kept clean about
it. Its nut bearing qualities also tend to
make it favorite with children. The white
and brown ash are also valuable to give va
riety to the tree ornamentation. The elm is
Justly celebrated for its grand statelness.
The spruce, the pine, juniper and hemlock
all claim a place in suitable locations.
There is no want of varieties suited to all
locations and adapted to all purposes.
There is needed greater earnestness and
more interest in tree planting. Our road
sides should be planted to either forest or
fruit trees, and the waste places covered
with yerdure and made to bloom and to
blossom with the luxuriance of our thrifty
forest trees.
Trees have a sanitary effect upon the air
and soil. The tree with its leaves absorbs
yoxious vapors from the air and its roots
take up miasmas and impurities from the
soil. Many diseases, such as typhoid fever
and other fevers arise from poisonous vapors
in the air and noxious substances in the soil.
Now one of the best means of disposing OF
these death bearing elements, where the
removal otherwise is impracticable, is to Sc
cure their filtration through leafy expo
sure of tree branches. The millions OF lit
tie pores of the leaves take up the poisonous
narticles and the sunlight disarms these of
their fatal power. The tree roots penetrate
far and wide in the soil, and take up the de-
cayine substances and diminish the exhala-
tion from the earth. A little close obser-
walton will convince any one that villages
well supplied with shade trees are healthi-
| or than those destitute of them, and that
| farm houses, other conditions being the
same, surrounded with trees, If not too near
the house will be healthier dwelling places
| than those without trees near them. Plant
trees then that the health of yourself and
| family may be promoted.
Farm culture is destined to be profitable
undertaking. Almost any of our land will
weld wood at the rate of thirty cords per
acre in thirty years, which at present prices
of wood could not be reckoned at less than
ninety dollars per acre or three dollars per
wear. which would be the interest ON nifty
dollars. A farmer with pasture which is
worth only ten dollars per acre, if he can
Mace the same in wood can count on its be-
ING worth $25, or $50 per acre. There are
MANY high hills and rocky fields which
should be turned to forest raising at once
Such course would tend to check the force
of high winds and would also materially i'm
prove our country for fruit raising, and Sc
cure various advantages.
Open Secrets In Cookery.
Both doctors and epicures agree upon rare
meat-the former for digestion, the latter for
taste, and that a ! meats and game are the
better for slight cookery, with the exception
of veal and pork-that they do not recon-
~ III o,,;+o non, NOR, NOM for q