The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-02-23
LOTS OF LITTLE TREES.

Miniature Forestry a Fad in Baltimore.
 The fad for dwarf shrubbery has been taken up in Baltimore. When one goes to caiI on friend in that city one is greeted by two tiny evergreen trees which stand sentinel on either side of the stoop. When one enters the drawing room there is perhaps tiny orange tree before the window, and if one Is asked to dine the most diminu- tive of towering trees Is smiling at one from the center of the table.
 From the outside of the barber shops to the windows of the most exclusive residences, says the Baltimore News, one sees these little trees, which are dainty enough to grace. some fairy grove Not only are they outside the door, but they fill window boxes, where the bright blossoms live in the summer. Of course. the trees used outside are the evergreen variety, but indoors one sees, besides the orange and lemon trees, miniature peach, cherry, apple or quince trees in bloom.
 A nurseryman, when asked about the fad, said that the little trees have been popular for several winters, but, with it's usual conservatism, Baltimore was little late in adopting the fad. It is abroad that the small trees are grown in perfection. The small pines and ee- dars are raised in the nurseries in the vicinity of the city, but the pyrimidal box, the arbor vitae and other fancy trees are brought to this country most ly from Holland.
 But it is Japan that beats the world in raising miniature trees, and some times specimens which are not over foot in height are handed down in a family from one generation to another. The small fruit trees reach perfection there, and, contrary to the general idea, the process is not a mysterious art.
 The trees must be taken when young not more than a year old-and the temperature in which a plant is kept must not be too warm. In selecting a young fruit tree or one of the deciduous forest trees, care must be taken to se- lect a healthy specimen. After the switch has been transplanted it should UC h6pl III ti IOO4lA OL ltNE ilNQlC bll1AA AAA- ty degrees Fahrenheit and carefully watered It is when the tree gets ac- customed to it's new surroundings that the first work of dwarf1ng is started, Of course, the very fact that the tree Is planted in a pot with a limited amount of earth and nourlshment would keep it from attaining it's natu- ral growth, but the tiny, stubby bushes are attained by tying the trunk of the tree In knots. This is done when the tree is only a. switch and the trunk is pliable. the effect presenting a gnarled and knotted appearance. However, If one would rather have @ smooth trunk and it Is not necessary to have the tree so extremely low, the effect desired can be produced by twisting the trunk. This, nurseryman declares is a more delicate task, as great care must be taken that the tree is not bruised. If the branches of these trees are to be made into form, such as a fan, or to taper like the fir tree as the little Jap anese trees frequently do, the branches, too, must be knotted.
 Strange as 1t may seem this knotting and twisting does not injure the trees in the least, for 1t is done when the wood is So soft and pliable that the bark Is not broken, and the circulation Is retarded just enough to keep the tree from growing and yet it is kept aalive, When the trees begin to bud as they are about to bloom they may be placed in room of about seventy-five degrees. When these ornaments are bought at the fforits's they mean an ex- penditure of several dollars, but with a little patience and ordinary skill the amateur can have as beautiful assort- ment as his more fortunate brother with the conservatory.