New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-01-02

grown In Europe An experiment with larch lies
is now in progress on the Boston and Proyi-
dence Railroad near Boston, where they have
been in use for two or three years ny inc
side Of aIlantus tamarack, catalpa, ches'hut'
several kinds of oak and other American woods.
Under this practical test the relative and absolute
durability as well as other qualities of the vaI1ous
woods can be accurately determined. Inc
Oldest larch forest of any considerable
extent in this country is that planted thirty
five years ago by Mr.. Richard s. Fay,
near Lynn, Macs. Here are 200 acres of what
were originally bleak, stony and sterile hillsldes
covered with a growth of larch principally, but
with this foreigner mary of our own oaKs'
ashes and naples besides Norway spruces with
Scotch and Austrian pines The growth here equals
that ordinarily made in the Scotch Highlands, the
trees now averaging nearly fifty feet in height.
Some OF them wear m appearance OF having reached
their PRIME II may be that they do not take kindly
TO the sea air, which is said to disagree with them
In Europe 1t may be temporary check OF CROWN
which comes from crowdinC. But at all events inc
wood if cut to-day, would pay ample interest for all
outlay for land, planting and care. Mr. j. S. Fay
brother Of the owner of the Lynn fOres s. began to
plant in S53 q tract of 125 acres at Woods Hoil,
on the extreme southwestern point OF cape Goa.
A more forblddinC field for tree-culture could
hardly have been chosen. In winter 1t is swept
over by The raw winds from Buzzard's Bay and III
the summer by the damp. salt-lqden southwestern
winds from the Atlantic. 1t is ridged with
steep hills, and the gravelly SOIL where
there is any. IS strewn with granite boul-
| ders. Nevertheless, it is now clad with
luXuTiant aid valuable growth OF timber trees IN
great variety. The scotch pines have here shot up
most rapidly, some of them, where the trees have
been carefully thinned out, having reached Il height
I 81 e ton ri
high, in fifteen years. from seed. The European
larchcs are next in size, but Mr.. Fay ranks them
| first IN vaue In East Greenwich, r. l., Mr. lie q.
Russell has planted the larch and other forest trees
on grand scale, but the experiment Is hardly far
enough advanced to give any definite results Inc
young trees, however, are receiving the oest OF
! treatment and this promises to he one of TIE most
| interesting ventures in sylviculture yet under
| taken in the Eastern States. 1t ought to be died
that the larches in Central Park. many them now
twenty-five yea Old have houTished a well as any
other conferous tree. Some of them are dying but
! IN most cases these moribund specimens will be
| found standing on made ground with rock lying
close to the surface Jud ling from somewhat
| scanty experience then. ii seems probable that
larch forest fifty years after planting, thinned cut
| to 400 trees per acre. would show trees averaging
| from sixty to seventy feet in height and twenty
| inches or more in diameter. If the enterrrise
would prove richly remuncratvr. For without
taking into account the sales of Trimmings the great
demand for railway sleepcrs, fence posts, telegraph
! poles, bridge timber and other purposes for which
the arch is specially adapted must give 1t high
value, while the and on which 1t thrves best
must be high and dry with poor gravelly soil and
consequently cheap. The tree is not suiie however,
for forest planting south Of the foriich parallel
| IL should always be remembered, too, that the
young shoots OF the arch begin grow before other
tree revive from their winters rest, and therefore
the precaution Of planning very early in the spring
| should never be neglected. Mr. Russell has Of late
years tried autumu- planting with success.
Mr. Mchi- asserts that if only a single tree could
be used Tor planting IN Great Britain, the
larch would be the one selected In our varied soil
and climate 10 one Of our forest trees
claim such an easy preemInence. In the
| rich bottom lands of our Eastern and Middle
States the white ash, air ally becoming scarce,
would be a wise selection. In the sandy barrens of
our coast the aantus with its rapid growth Of val
liable wood can without doubt be proftaby plan ed.
But periments in portions of Cape Cod where the
| aIch fails seem to point to our Onmon pitch Pine
| Pinus rigida) as a most promising tree From the
TOP of one of the hi Is about Orleans the eye can
range over 10, 600 acres of planted pine In other
parts OF tie Cape there broad plantations, and
| no doubt these would be more extensive sill
|
by losses caused by fires which have
| RACED SO destructively through the
woods of Ba1nstable and Plymouth Counties
or course the pitch pine has little value except for
cordwood But few timber trees Will sub,ist in
these sand-wastes The land, worthless for other
purposes, can still be bought for a tTife. The small
cost of planting this tree should also he consdcred
for seedlings are not used but the seed tsef. and
this can be drilled in like the seed of garden
crops at an expense of dollar or two per acre. Al
wholesale rates the viii e-pine seedlings needed for
an acre would cost 500 ut the nursery, and This with
the EXPENSE of transportation ana planting would
make the riginal cost Of 100 acres OF whts-Dlnc
a serious matter as cOmpa ed with that Of equal
area of pitch pine, even if the no
bier tree would live, it Will not,
where the other del ghtg to grow.
Besides this the high fuel value of The latter should
be considered. The accurate determin ltions Of
, the Census Bureau rank it but little below she'll
bark hickory the recognized standard in this
particular. Absolutely dry hickory weighs almost
10 per cent more than pitch pine, but cord of the
pine will give than nIue-tenths az much heat
as a cord of the hard wood. Pitch pine is sold so
rarely that it can hardly be SAID TO have market
, value But feet of coasters is constantly carry
ing to this city quantities of Old-ield or Lobloy
J pine Pinus teda) from Virginia. where 1t grows
! on vermont soils. This wood sells readily AZ
re all for 81 50 per cord. and the actual fuel
, value of pitch pine more than ~ per cent
greater than that Of Lobolly pine. Thousands Of
sandy acres on Long Island and the New-Jersey
coast as well as Cape Cod. which are now practi-
cally barren, could be made productive if sown
with seed OF Pinus riGida and quick sale at pay
ing prices would be assured.
But while we have a greater variety OF timber
trees than Europe produce it should not be for
gotten that our most useful cOnferous tree is the
, white pine and tins will generally thrive under
condi ,iong where tine larc will crow If the eXper-