The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-06-24


editions of Downing's, Barry's and
Thomas works on fruit-culture, con-
tanning complete lists of all American
fruits. And yet, strange to say, our
first information in regard to the won
derful Chazie apple came to us in the
item quoted by Mr.. Robinson. An ap-
pie raised extensively enough to be
shipped to London, and to be sold there
at $40 barrel, surely ought to be GO fa-
NOUS" but it must, in this case, be
very quiet and reserved sort of fame.
There are some patent medicines that,
when first put on the market, are an
nounced as I" world-renowned." Some
tree-venders are, perhaps, emulating
this way of doing business. 1t takes
more than fourteen years after discov-
ering new Seeding apple before it can
become very famous, or abundant
enough to ship across the ocean and
sometimes " bring $40 barrel.
Whatever the flavor of the fruit, this
story seems to have flavor of humbug.
7. W., Waterbury Center, VT, pro-
pounds the following queries:
81. Can you tell us what town in
Vermont is the most elevated-that
is, how many feet above the level of
the ocean?
90. Where is the center Cor an APP
Proclamation to iD of the maple belt,
passing from east to west? l mean, in
what degree of latitude.
"3. What do you think of the Larch
trees to raise up for posts or fuel here
in Vermont? Would they do on waste
(rocky and poor land?"
REMARKs.-1. The average eleva-
ton of the highest towns in the state
and even whether they are to be found
in the Green Mountains, or along the
"height of land" is unknown to us.
Perhaps Secretary Cutting of the State
Board of Agriculture can answer this
question, as we know he frequently
carries barometer with him in his
journeys about the state.
2. The northern limit of the sugar
maple, according to map by DIR. Rob
ert Bell of the Canadian Geological
Survey, which is to be found in the Re-
port of the Montreal Horticultural So
ciety for 1878, is, in the east, the south
shore of the st. Lawrence gulf and river,
up to the mouth of the Sauguenay.
There it crosses to the north shore, and
bends northward to near the head
waters of the Ottawa river. Thence
it runs nearly westward, and crosses
Lake Superior from little north of
Michipicoten island on the east to
Thunder Bay on the west. According
to Chapais' Canadian Forestee, it does
not occur in Manitoba, but probably
the line bends strongly to the north
after passing the Rocky Mountains.
The southern limit of the sugar maple
Che variety known as black maple "
in the South) is, we think, in the hills
of Middle Georgia, Alabama, Missis-
sippi, Arkansas and Northern Texas,
on the Atlantic slope. On the Pacific
coast the southern limit is, we believe,
in the coast range north of San Fran
cisco. This would make the center of
the maple belt pass from about the po-
sition of the city of New York to the
mouth of the Missouri river, and thence
westward to Portland, Oregon. 1t
would not follow the lines of latitude.
3. The American Larch (Tamarack
or Hackmetack) is valuable timber
tree, which is not particular about soil
or locality, growing equally well on hills
and in swamps, but more rapidly, per-
haps, in the latter. Trees over forty
feet high are in view from where we
sit writing, in swamp that was cleared
twenty-eight years ago. A tree trans
planted when about six feet high, ten
years ago, from the same swamp, is
now about eighteen feet high, on a dry
sandy ridge. The wood is hard and
heavy, with coarse and not very close
grain. We have found it to wear well
on veranda and kitchen floors, though
when subject to severe travel the grain
will sometimes rise in splinters. Plank
and timbers of Larch will spring, WARP
and twist badly when exposed to sun
and rain, but stay in place very well
when protected. 1t does not rot easily
either above or below ground, when
used for posts, nor is it much attacked
by insects. 1t is timber greatly useC
in ship-building, though not suitable
for planking, on account of its ten
dency to warp The European Larch is
very similar, but is preferred as an or
namental tree, because of its thicker
foliage. 1t is more extensively planted
in Great Britain than any, or perhaps
than all other trees, for artificial for
ests, and yields a large profit on thu
barren and rocky hills of Scotland
where they have been planted by thu
million for the last fifty or sixty years
AS frewOOd the Tarch hurns well