Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1911-07-27

and the yellow oak, the last known
to botanists as quercus muhlenbarii.
regard the oaks as the most val
liable material for shade and orna-
mental planting in our entire forest
fora. They are, with few exceptions,
fast growers, very compact, not liable
to accidents from storms, insects or
diseases; they easily adapt themselves
to great variety OF soil, although by
nature raised In affluence. AS to eli
mate they have as much OF latitude,
the best of them being native from
the great lakes to the gulf AS proof
OF their fast growth | wish to point
to the water oak or pin oak, as some
people call 1t, standing in the back
yard of the communicates cottage.
This tree was taken up from the al
luvial bank OF creek, carried in my
botany can and planted In that place
In 1890. Hence 1t has just reached its
majority. II Is younger thansall of the
blackberry, elm and chinaberry trees
on the place, and has never shown the
white feather In drouth. have not
taken the trouble to measure this tree
for the present paper, but four years
ago VI was thirty-two feet high and the
same number of feet in spread. Dur.
ing the four years intervening 1t has
grown faster than ever, in spite OF
drouthy summers; il is now bulkier
than any of the hackberries and cedar
elms whose planting antedates IL by
many years. Observations on the
paintings OF 1901 and 1902, which In
cluded water oak, oyercup oak and
white oak, have brought me to the
conviction that the white oak is Of
much faster growth. than the water
oak and gives at present the largest
promise of success.
am dwelling on this matter of rela-
tive growth because the common idea
among people that oaks are OF too
slow growth for planting is very err
roneous. Another common idea Is that
hackberries and cedar elms, removed
from the forests as poles eight to ten
feet high, are suitable for shade and
ornamental trees. This Is equally err
roneous, as plenty OF ugly cripples in
our towns and cities bear testimony.
Neither can any other trees of such
size be removed from the forest and
planted for shade and ornament with
out numerous ugly gaps and cripples
to mar the plantation. Hence four to
five feet high nursery grown trees,
which have been once transplanted in
the nursery, is the kind of stock that
will easily grow and give rise to trees
of uniform vigor. The treatment after
planting should be- First, top care
! fully, cut back TO be in balance with
roots: second, continual cultivation I;
third, not to remove the lower
branches, to secure the desired height
of trunk or stem, faster than this is
sheltered by the crown from the burn
ing sun during the larger part OF the
day, hence gradually and year by year.
The more arid and windy the locality
is the more care there should be in
this respect; fourth, cultivation ought
to be continued until the shade from
crown is sufficient to hold the grasses
and weeds underneath 1t in subjuga'
ton, after which the cultivator and
hoe may be exchanged for the lawn
mower.
In regard to shade trees for the va
rious regions, we will have to be guild
ed by the natural growth OF each re
gion and take into consideration moi
only the climate, but also the soil MOI
must we conclude that the treeless
prairies are treeless because they are
unsuited TO tree growth; but remem
Der that the forests everywhere In
the state are engaged in invading the
prairies from the eastern forest bell
westward, from the cross-timber belt
into the black waxy and the grand
prairies, even on the coastal plain a
diffusive movement of the forest is SO
rapid that II is plainly evident to the
comparatively recent settlers. The
same Is also going on from the wooded
CANYONS and water courses OF the
western plains. At first this advance
vegetation is short and scrubby, as In
the so-called skinny forest of the mid
die west, but as the forest becomes
denser and the trees offer wind brakes
| for each other, their size and luxuri
ance of growth increases. These are
facts which have been observed al
throughout the semi-arid West, anC
from which we may conclude that ev
erywhere in the state where grass and
lchapparal grow and the soil Is moder
ately pervious and well supplied with
plant food, and water for irrigation
can be obtained, the stately forest
trees of the more eastern regions car
be reproduced. Among the trees alone
the canyons and other protected places
we frequently find the oaks, pecan
hickory and even black walnut The
magnificent basket oak and overcul
are among these advance agents of th'
eastern forest trees. AS evidence tha
no part OF the arid West need be with
out shade and wind brakes, is the fac
! that wherever our fruit trees, such a:
apple, pear, peach, etc, have beei
tried they have surprised us with theil
luxurious growth and productiveness
As to chemical nature of the soil, mos
OF these trees seem to be equally a
home, both on the silicious soil of the
Ignite belt and in the limestone re
gion. This is especially true of MANY
of the oaks, such as the live oak, over
lcup, burr oak and basket oak. Others
like the sweetgum, blackgum, tulil
tree and magnolia, seems in their nat
ural distribution to have preference
for silicious sandy soils, and may D.
trusted to do we'll wherever such SOIL
are moderately porous so as to ADM
of easy penetration of the roots.
CITY DEPOSITORY NOTICE.