The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1901-11-19
FARM AND GARDEN.
MATTERS OF INTEREST 20 AGRI-
CULTURISTS.
Some Up-to-Date Hints About Guilt
walton of the Soil and Yields
Observation-Disclosures viticulture and
Horticulture.
HORTICULTURAL Observations.

horticultural Observations.
To what extent is it possible to
smother the roots of trees by layers OF
earth over them? There are more an
swers than one that will be given. The
following from Vicks Magazine gives
one view of the subject: 1T is fact
not generally known that trees may
readily be killed by smothering the
roots-that is, by covering them so
deeply with soil or other material, that
the supply of air is unduly cut on ana
the tree dies. Such instances have ire
quently come under the observation o!
the writer in connection with land
scape gardening improvements. he
recalls especially the case in a western
New York town, where. on certain
street, the front part of the lots LAID
so much higher than the streets that 1t
was desirable to cut the soil down be-
fore buildings were erected thereon.
Now the rear of the same lots sloped
away SO low that better shaped Duilo-
ing sites could be created by filling In
earth in these parts. The conclusion
was easily reached that by moving
soil from front to rear in the lot the
surface would be about the right shape
and this plan was carried out. In the
back of these lots, however. there were
some vigorous old orchard and other
trees, which were highly priced. Inc
filing in of earth to improve the grace
called for a depth of as much as three
and four feet of soil over the roots OF
these trees. In most cases the owners
before moving in the earth maue boxes
of plank about four feet across around
the trees, to keep the soil away from
the trunks, thinking that this was all
the provision needed for their safety.
Now for the lesson: The result of that
filling in of earth was that after nve
years, not one of the former healthy
trees was alive wherever the soil was
deeply filled in. The trees had been
smothered effectually. So far as the
final outcome was concerned, the box
ing of the trunks to keep back the SOIL
might as well not have been per-
formed"
Now for little on the other side oil
the question. The writer of this para
graph knows a good many instances
where dirt has been filled in" over the
roots of trees, in this case forest and
shade trees. In every case the trees
have remained vigorous. Some OF
these cases are on railroad grounds
and some on school grounds. Near
the home of the writer the hickory
trees have been dying for the last five
years. On his own lot all the hick-
cries and most of the oaks have died
except where the earth has been filled
in over the roots and hickory whose
roots are buried the deepest Is the
healthiest of all. These latter trees
are not even boxed to keep the earth
from the trees. How much value there
may be to the boxing we do not know
We have seen boxes put around large
oak trees whose roots must have ex-
tended rs or more feet from the trees
The active parts of the roots are near
the extremities and are the parts that
need the air. The boxes around the
trees admit the air only to the trunks
and not the active areas of roots. II
is evident to any thinking person that
the air in the box would have to pass
through more earth to reach the roots
than from the surface to the ground
There is without doubt possibility oil
killing roots by burying them too deep
but the smothering out is not by any
means as likely in one locality as in
another.
]. P. Brown, secretary of the Inter
national Society of Arborieulture, pre-
diets that fifty years hence Kansas
and the states today planting trees will
be supplying California and the Pacific
coast states with timber" He says
further that with continuation of the
present rate of timber cutting there
will soon be great dearth o.
forests west of the Rocky noun
tains. He suggests government
ownership of these forests as the
only means of preserving them
Tree planting is now going on quite
extensively in the states west of the
Mississippi river, but not so fast as i
would be done were the plantations
owned by the state. The i1dividua
planters say that they cannot hope t.
reap any returns and do not like to in
vest too much of their own money IL
posterity. The state is perpetual ant
can. afford to invest in forest planta
tons even though they will not giv'
returns till the next generation. Thu
hard woods, the most valuable of all
are not favorites for planting, taking
as they do, such long periods OF TIM
for development This is question
in which the public is deeply inter
ested; it is a problem that the public
only can handle successfully and IL
q scientific manner. 1t is not reason
able for us to ask private citizens t
make sacrifices that the future publi
of