Page images
PDF
EPUB

stone appears. This splendid background of green bears the English ivy, the Virginia creeper, and the trumpet vine, in several layers; and in the late summer is brightened by the red flowers of the last named, in the fall is gorgeous with the creeper, and all winter long keeps green and young with the old vine of England. The stable, of which this wall forms the rear, is probably the oldest of the farm buildings standing; but so skilfully are they all hidden from the garden that one is disposed at first sight to believe that this great ivy screen must have been erected specially to hold the vines. The age of the building may be roughly gauged by the size of the roots of the vines it supports; some of these are a foot in circumference. The whole garden, containing over an acre of land, is enclosed on three sides by walls above, on the west, by the ivied stable; to the south by a stone wall five feet high, or over, with arbors set in its embrace at the ends of the paths; and below by a sunk wall, topped by a ten-foot hedge of hawthorne and mock-orange, the house itself enclosing the garden on its fourth side. Beside this sunk fence is a second gravel walk, and along it, hidden in the shade of large trees, will be seen a beautiful flowering swamp magnolia; while on the main gravel walk is first a large Magnolia tri-petala, with its large umbrella-like leaves; secondly, a Magnolia acuminata, or cucumber tree, whose red seed-vessels in their season make a glorious show against the sombre green of its leaves; next to this comes the pride of the garden, the largest Gingko tree (Salisburia japonica) we know, with a trunk seven feet and more in circumference, flinging its fantastic branches widely over the neighboring flowering beds. Its height is probably not less than fifty feet. At the southern end of the garden grows a fair-sized Sophorra japonica, its sickly sweet white flowers with their heavy aroma being a choice resort for the bees and other insects in the lazy springtime.

Beyond the southern garden wall lies the green house, with near at hand persimmon and pear trees. A Pinus strobus, too, serves even in the winter to keep away too stormy gales.

It is evident that the greatest care and labor have through many successive generations been expended upon this garden; the beds are so arranged that each throughout the changing seasons is bearing, in almost constant cycle, some flowering plant or other roses for June-roses of all hues and kinds-the old and sweet cabbage rose, crown rose, or hundred-leaved rose, the tea rose, the moss rose, the " Jack" rose, the twining Eglantine, and even the curious and now seldom seen "York and Lancaster' roses, with their red and

white petals; for July there are sweet Williams, and poppies, and pinks; hollyhocks and corn-flowers, and phlox, for August; dahlias, chrysanthemums, and I know not what more, each in its turn, so that at no time is any bed without blossom of some kind. See that stump covered with the graceful tendrils of an Akebia quinata! How it stands a silent monument, for years to come, of a once well beloved tree, perhaps, torn down too soon by the ruthless winter storm.

Over the lawn, too, the trees and shrubs are planted with the same end in view; at one season the horse-chestnuts, in blossom, make the landscape beautiful; then the catalpas, the spireas, the dogwood, the lilacs, and the various fruit trees; the gaudy parti-colored flowers of the tulip trees; the various other magnolias, mentioned above; each of these in its turn comes forth from the mass of green and bears its part in the adoration of nature. Nor have the varied shades of green which trees afford been neglected: before us at one glance are seen the bright bluish-green of the Douglas spruce, the dark and shiny hue of the silver fir, the lighter slatier green of the Austrian pine; the rich green of the several deciduous trees, and the gloomy, almost black, shade of the Norway spruce; while far away, over the tops of these nearer trees, we behold the massive clumps of forest on the surrounding hills; and when nature in autumn touches all this foilage with her brush of gold and red new beauties spring before our eyes each successive morning.

As we stand at the southern end of the garden, looking back at the house, how nearly hidden in trees it seems: beyond, the forest on the height; clear against this wood, three straight tall trees of arbor vitae, their light green a strong contrast to the distant forest; overhanging the house, that large black walnut; and the old house itself, with its blue slate roof, and many gables overhanging the bare gray walls, and the dark red roof to the porch, what a picture it all makes, and how harmonious among themselves all the products of

nature seem.

Leaving now the garden, let us walk along the main terrace, and see on the slope below some rare specimens of arboriculture. Chief among these is a great pecan nut, equalling any forest tree in size, and rising above the surrounding trees before giving out any branches. Dwarfed beside it stands a nevertheless fair-sized Indian birch; further on a spreading copper beech; some rapidly growing buck-eye horse-chestnuts; and a sturdy old belle-fleur apple tree, the only survivor of an orchard of many generations ago.

Following this winding terraced walk of grass, running along the hill, half-way between house

1

and creek, we finally come to the old Penn milestone again, at the fork of the roads. Turning now therefore to the right is seen a rugged cliff crowned with ancient forest trees, where the oak, the tulip, and the walnut abound, where the sun scarcely dares to penetrate; and, winding among the stately trunks is the wood walk, so famed from Washington's day to our own. This walk, nearly a quarter of a mile in length, runs along the same hill as the terraced grass walk, and in the same general direction; but here, to the north, what a change has come over the face of the landscape-there, we saw rare and graceful trees and groups of shrubbery tastefully disposed over a well mown lawn; here, everything tells of the ancient forest, of the groves which were God's first temples. The lofty branchless stems of the tulip trees soar far above, almost, it seems, lost to sight; each striving to reach, over his neighbor, a share of the sunlight that only at rare intervals pierces the thick and murmuring shade. Beneath all is hush, save when a squirrel rustles across the path, or when, at night, a solitary owl flaps heavily between us and the moon, About half-way along this woodland path is a crescentshaped recess hollowed out from the hill above, with rustic benches arranged; and here, tradition tells,

"Remote from town where noise and revels reign, And fierce ambition fires the phrensied brain,'

that Washington, his friends and companions came as guests of Mr. Charles Ross, to sip their wine and eat their cake, after a summer's day dinner in the house. Sitting here beneath the overhanging branches, down the steep hill is seen and heard the splashing waters of Cobb's Creek, churning against many a mossy stone, and flowing in and out around many a gnarled root of ancient tree, half hanging over the running waters beneath.

Leaving this scene of forest shade and quiet, the most fascinating nature can afford, returning once more towards the house, cutting across the lawn by a narrow path bordered with box, attention is arrested by what we had not time fully to appreciate before-namely, the magnificence, both in quality and quantity, of these box hedges; and more than that, the infinitely rarer box-trees, twenty or thirty feet high, while some of the ordinary box edging has been so judiciously trained for over a hundred years that it now forms a massive wall some ten feet high, and proportionately thick. Nowhere else in this country have we seen such glorious specimens of box; and standing among these clumps, most appropiately placed, is an ivy covered ruin, the remains of a

building used in Colonial days, and later, for a bath, the water flowing in directly from a spring, and being so intensely cold that few unaccustomed to such bathing cared to take the plunge.

Immediately behind the mansion house stands a very large trifid, horse-chestnut, the trunk measuring over eleven feet around, and spreading at the heigth of about six feet into three good-sized trees. Higher on the hill stands the historic "Bell Tree," a huge black walnut, fourteen feet in girth, on which in olden days hung a large bell, used to assemble the slaves from over the plantation at mealtime and at sundown.

What a change in customs and in persons, since those days when the black slaves were digging Capt. Wilcox's trench to the gay scenes of postRevolutionary times; and still later to the present, when steam railroads yearly threaten to invade the solitude of the Grange; what a change in persons, and in customs in even a few years; yet the ground and the trees, unchanged remain—yesterday; to-day; and forever?

N. B.-A somewhat similar description of the Grange, as seen by Mr. Thomas Meehan over forty years ago, will be found in the Gardner's Monthly, for March, 1864.

For those who are interested in statistics, the following list of some of the largest trees now standing at the Grange is appended:

[blocks in formation]

Forest Experiment Station at Milford, Pa.

A

FOREST Experiment Station is to be established by the Yale Forest School at Milford, Pa. Since 1900 Yale has conducted a Summer School of Forestry at Milford, on the estate of Mr. James W. Pinchot. The efforts of the Summer School hitherto have been directed entirely towards instruction, and only a little experimental work has been done. The object of the new station is to conduct important experiments in forestry, and also to furnish a centre where students can study methods of research work.

The station has been made possible through the generosity of Mr. James W. Pinchot, who has furnished the funds for its establishment and maintenance. About 100 acres of Mr. Pinchot's estate will be used for the experimental ground. Two-thirds of this area is covered with a mixed forest of hardwoods and conifers, and admirably suited to the study of improvement thinnings and other kinds of cuttings, and their effect on growth and reproduction. The open ground, which will be used for experiments in tree planting, shows a variety of soil conditions and meets all requirements for practical experiments. The station will take up problems which require continued observation of a single forest, and other investigations which can be conducted only by an Experiment Station.

Pennsylvania Forest Academy.

TH

HE beginning of any reform is to educate the people until they see the necessity of such a reform. Among the propagandists of almost any advance movement there are usually found so-called "cranks" who, by forcing upon the people their own mistaken ideas, do more harm than good; but finally the right ideas spread until the reform is actually put into practice, and then means are taken to perpetuate it. Such is the record, in brief, of forestry in this country. Forests have been wasted, misused and destroyed. A reform became a necessity, and it was not without its noisy hindrances. Now, forestry is in actual practice and is found to be a profitable busiThat it is here to stay is evidenced by the establishment of schools of forestry in various sections of the country.

ness.

In Pennsylvania the cause of forestry has steadily advanced from the most indifferent consideration of the forests to the realization that they are an absolute necessity. It has led to the appointment of two commissions to consider the subject, the establishment of a Division in the Department of Agriculture, and finally to a Department of Forestry, the head of which is on an equality with the other members of the Governor's cabinet. As a result, not only private forestry has been advanced by the passage of favorable laws, offering assistance and protection to private

The general line of work to be organized the individuals, but in addition the State has taken first year is as follows:

1. The study of forest growth, with particular reference to the effect of thinnings on growth.. 2. The study of natural reproduction.

hold of the work itself, and already owns about 600,000 acres of forest land. It was evident that this possession would be useless without men to care for it properly, and since the study of economic

3. The study of the characteristics of young forestry methods is practically a new field in this seedlings when growing in the forest.

country, there naturally arose the feeling that because of the scarcity of trained rangers and foresters, it would be nothing more than proper for the State to prepare men for State work. Accordingly, the last Legislature provided for "practical instruction in forestry, to prepare forest wardens for the proper care of the State Forestry Reservation lands." Mont Alto, on the South Mountain Reservation, was designated as the place of train

4. Practical experiments in forest planting. 5. The study of the effects of forest fires on soil, on tree growth, on natural reproduction, etc. These particular investigations supplement the forest studies being carried on by Yale in New Haven. Other lines of work will be developed as soon as practicable. Professor Henry S. Graves will organize the station in the spring of 1904. [Our readers will regret to learn that on De-ing, because of the work already going on there cember 12th the Yale Forest School building was destroyed by fire, the loss being estimated, according to the press reports, at $100,000. We trust this will not seriously interfere with the successful forestry work being carried on at Yale University. -ED.]

This issue of FOREST LEAVES was held in order to include the narrative of the Annual Meeting and the reports presented at it.

and because of certain other advantages of that location.

On the first day of September, thirteen young men reported for duty to the Forester in charge of the Reservation. Three of these had been working on the Reservation for from six to eighteen months as student-assistants. They have now become the advance class of the Academy. Each of the new boys, before being appointed, was asked to sign a contract, that in return for a con

sideration of $30 per month he would reside at the school unless other provision is made, and not to absent himself without permission from the person in charge; that he shall conduct himself as a gentleman, apply himself diligently to the studies assigned and labor faithfully and earnestly upon the Forest Reservations at whatever work is set for him to do; that he furnish his own clothes and pay his own expenses for boarding and washing, etc.; that he comply with the rules adopted for the government of the student body either within the school or upon the Reservations; that for violation of the agreement or rules adopted, expulsion may follow. The contract is

good for a year.

The students have understood from the beginning that their object in being here, and the State's purpose in having them here, is work. They are subject to be called to do anything that comes up in the management of a Reservation, and at any time of the day or night. In addition to that, they are given certain branches to study and must recite upon these texts at varied intervals. The instruction in their work and study is given them gratis. In this manner they not only know what is done in forestry management, but learn to know about the various operations and how to perform them from doing them. In other words, In other words, theory and practice are combined. Along nursery lines, their work will be gathering seeds, keeping them over winter or until planted, care of seedlings while in the nursery, transplanting, etc. In the spring they will plant out many seedlings. They make roads and trails, including bridges and culverts; survey lines, roads and streams and plot their work. In the forest they make improvement cuttings, thinnings, and in fact everything along silvicultural lines, from making the first thinning to harvesting mature wood. The forests will be measured and working plans made, and anything else that is to be done they will do, at the same time receiving instruction in all branches of forestry work.

Their study will comprise as much mathematics as they can learn in two years, together with bookkeeping and practical surveying. Political, physical and commercial geography are studied in reference to the distribution, effects and products of the forests, etc. They learn business law and must be thoroughly acquainted with the forest, fish and game laws of the State which they are expected to enforce upon the Reservations. Some little of the sciences with reference to forestry will be learned, and, not least, the art of shooting.

As is stated in the law providing for the school, the object is to "prepare forest wardens for the

proper care of the State Reservations." One of the things which each State has to adopt as a part of its forest policy is to experiment to find out the trees best adapted to its soil, climate, etc., and under what conditions these trees give the most and quickest revenue, as well as to study the local forest conditions. The school at Mont Alto will train young men accustomed to Pennsylvania conditions and teach them how to deal with such conditions wherever found within the State. However, the principles of forestry are general, and those who rise to the position of forester will be able to study and adapt themselves and rational methods to any condition in our country.

While the main object is to furnish men to properly care for State land, there are still other benefits that will come from the school. From its doors will go a class of young men who will be veritable missionaries for the State. First of all, they will be a set of law abiding and law enforcing citizens. They will know the value of the State's forest resources and see to it that they are rightly used, and to this end will educate the people. With this education must come a higher plane of morality, for the disrespect to, and the disregard for, the forest can be attributed to-day to a lack of the proper moral fibre in our citizens. The idea will spread that the forest is a valuable heritage that can be used profitably and still left in a better condition for the rising generation, and all the time it is making our country more pleasant to live in.

But there is still another point which can be considered. In the estimation of some, it is thought that before long, as in other countries, this State will be patroled by mounted police. There could be no better training ground for mounted riflemen and revolver shots than on the State Reservations, and when once the Reservations are fully patroled the Governor will have a fine company of mounted, uniformed, armed and sworn officers upon which to call in time of emergencies; nor is it unlikely that they would compare favorably with the old-time riflemen who hailed from the Keystone State.

GEORGE H. WIRT,

State Forester.

It is stated the porcupines have been damaging timber land situated on North Mountain, near Wilkes-Barre, Pa. The bark of the trees is gnawed by the animals, and numbers of trees have been killed, the trunks being girdled. Expert hunters are employed to kill these pests, and it is hoped to soon exterminate them.

President Roosevelt on Forestry.

PR

RESIDENT ROOSEVELT has always been a friend of forestry, and in his Annual Message to Congress makes the following reference to the necessity of their preservation, especially in the West.

"The study of the opportunities of reclamation of the vast extent of arid land shows that whether this reclamation is done by individuals, corporations, or the State, the sources of watersupply must be effectively protected and the reservoirs guarded by the preservation of the forests at the headwaters of the streams. The engineers making the preliminary examinations continually emphasize this need and urge that the remaining public lands at the headwaters of the important streams of the West be reserved to insure permanency of water-supply for irrigation. Much progress in forestry has been made during the past year. The necessity for perpetuating our forest resources, whether in public or private hands, is recognized now as never before. The demand for forest reserves has become insistent in the West, because the West must use the water, wood, and summer range which only such reserves can supply. Progressive lumbermen are striving, through forestry, to give their business permanence. Other great business interests are awakening to the need of forest preservation as a business matter. The government's forest work should receive from Congress hearty support, and especially support adequate for the protection of the forest reserves against fire. The forest-reserve policy of the government has passed beyond the experimental stage and has reached a condition where scientific methods are essential to its successful prosecution. The administrative features of forest reserves are at present unsatisfactory, being divided between three bureaus of two departments. It is therefore recommended that all matters pertaining to forest reserves, except those involving or pertaining to land titles, be consolidated in the Bureau of Forestry of the Department of Agriculture."

The Bureau of Forestry has undertaken the preparation of a working plan for the 10,000-acre tract of the Mount Pleasant Hotel Company, in New Hampshire. The forests on these lands have been heavily cut, and the company desires to put them in the best possible condition, both for the benefit of the forests themselves and for the scenic effects.

To Raise Timber for Railroad Ties.

THE

HE Pennsylvania Railroad has completed. the work of planting 50,000 young locust trees on a tract of 100 acres of land near Conewago, Lancaster County, Pa.

The trees are about ten feet high and planted ten feet apart each way. One hundred and twentyfive men have been employed on the work, which occupied three weeks.

This is a small beginning of what the railroad company expect to do in the next few years. The real estate representative of the railroad company stated recently that next Spring the railroad company will plant 150,000 locust trees, next Fall 200,000, and the following Spring 600,000 trees. This means 1,000,000 trees which the company will plant within the next two years on 2000 acres of ground. This is equivalent to a locust forest one mile wide and three miles long.

In the course of twenty-five years the railroad company expects to get 5,000,000 cross ties from this vast locust forest.

Forestry Commissioner J. T. Rothrock examined the ground and directed the preparation of the soil and the planting of the trees.-The Press.

IN FOREST LEAVES for February, 1902, the chestnut groves of Mr. C. K. Sober, of LewisIn a letter burg, Pa., were described in detail. lately received, Mr. Sober gives some additional information which will interest our readers. He

says:

"About six years ago I began to reclaim waste mountain land by chestnut growing, and at present have fully 300 acres and nearly 100,000 trees. The orchards produced this season about 300 bushels. The trees grafted on one-year old sprouts, from stumps of native trees, begin to bear when two years old, and each crop is found to be sweeter in flavor and less woody than those which are produced at first. In other words, the older the trees the more like the native nut in taste they become.

"I have expended considerable money in this industry and am convinced it will, in a short time, become a most profitable investment. I have the orchards amply protected against forest fires, and while the insect pests are most formidable foes, I am quite certain they, too, can be successfully combatted."

« PreviousContinue »