Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1886 [PAGE 269]

EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:

•261 Forest Tree Record for 1875 and

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18/6.

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1S75.

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1876. Cost C o s t . ! fro m beginning. j

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Varieties. Height. Growth,; £

Cost.! j

Height.

Growth,

x

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Ft. Norway Spruce White tPine Austrian Pine Scotch Pine White Ash Green Ash Catalpa American Elm E u r o p e a n L a r c h . .. Osage Orange Butternut .Black Walnut White Willow Soft M a p l e Chestnut Box Elder

Apple

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Ft. 1 I n . I 1

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In. 8 8 8 8 10

Ft,

1 1 2

In. 8; 11

In.

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Ft.

in. 3 8

2! 2 2 3! 11! 15' 12 12 8 10 8 9 12 17 '3 All 15

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6 2 7 8

3 3 3 3 1

m 5 2 2 2:' "i 3 /5"" 6 00 8 1 ,J/io 62 1 2 4 r-vs 3 1 V-A 1 "•""9jm"'" 1 3 71 l 3 /o 9 2H 7 4 6 3%

55' • / 4 95 1 4 55 <i 4 55 '4 50 2-V 15 00 l,{, 17 15 ' i 16 50 V 13 50 2 ! 10 25 '4 13 05 H 10 05 M' 12 50' M' 20 55, V 21 25 '<,

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6 6 6

1' 2 1, 1' 3 3 4

6 #1.75; If 16 31 'Hi 5 75; 862 7962 1 801 99 76 • 82 ' 4 1 «/5 1 80 i 77 3J> il'-Vio 5 40! 253 46 80 i 46 69 \2% 801 39 09 18 10 501 ""i\% 21 8oi 246 24 ii>2 1 25! 21 96 n^ 43 OC 5 50! 18 14 10 60, 38 16 25 42 «|2*_ 40 8<> 41 59

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6

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de ad 3 7

B u t few " t r

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Total cost Tot'l c'st fr'm b ' g ' n g

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$36 9 0 , . . . . I

25 20! 175! $95 10

2(5 95 $1466 97

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"The foregoing table shows the average-height and size of the trees in this plantation' the growth during the summers of 1875 and 1876, and the cost of cultivation, together with the total cost of each kind and the whole plantation from the commencement. With the exception of the Chestnut, all the kinds planted are now represented by nearly their full numbers except as removed by thinning, and all are in a healthy, vigorous condition. In 1875 a peculiar blight affected the young leaves and shoots of the Sugar Maple, but its cause was not ascertained. It has not appeared this year, and the trees have recovered. A fungus leaf parasite has made its appearance upon the Silver-leaf Maple, forming black shining patches or scabs sometimes an inch across and often several of them upon a leaf. It does not appear to be very destructive, but evidently reduces the thriftiness of the tree. The disease is by no means new elsewhere, being widely disseminated east and west, but not found, to my knowledge, in this vicinity before. No remedy is known to me except the (all but impracticable) one of gathering the fallen leaves and burning. From the nature of the parasite, this must be a specific where possible to mak^ use of it. The scientific name of the fungus is •lihy tisma acerinwn, Fr. The plantation has been remarkably free from insect depredations. Seveial leaf eating caterpillars have worked upon the elms and walnuts, but not so as to do serious damage. The larva of a butterfly (Grapta interrogationis) has defoliated very injuriously the Elm trees planted singly, as along streets and on the ornamental grounds, and a sphinx larva in like manner the Ash, but upon trees in masses they do not appear to work much. The only addition made since the last report is a quarter of an acre of Apple, planted four by four feet. I recommend the addition of Box Elder and Honey Locust, the plants to plants to be grown from seed, which can be obtained at little or no cost. The measurements of a few Box Elder are given in the table for 1875. They were planted by chance with the White Ash and were then of the same age and size of the latter; but at the date given the average height of the Box Elder was 15 feet 7 inches, against 11 feet 10 inches for the Ash, and the diameter of trunk one foot from the ground, 3% to 1% inches. By the showing of the table,the Willow is now making the most rapid growth, having gained in average height six feet in 1876. Next comes in order the Soft Maple (Acer dasy. carpran),louv feet six inches; the Catalpa and Osage Orange, each four feet, and the White Ash and European Larch, each three feet four inches. The two first do not furnish very valuable timber, while that of the four following are very useful. From the most reliable information, we know that the wood of both the Osage and the Catalpa is almost proof against decay—the dead logs in their native places lie for ages upon the damp ground, hard and sound, while generations of human beings come and go—a log of Catalpa certainly known to have lain upon the earth in the wet woods of Pulaski county, 111., during the whole century of our- republic, was sawed into boards, and one of them, perfectly sound and receiving a high polish, helped form the collection sent by this University to Philadelphia; a piece cut from the plantation, nearly four inches in diameter, also went with the collection. This was from seed sown in 1869. The Osage Orange wood, perhaps, is still more valuable,while that of the Ash and Larch is highly esteemed. Upon very extended inquiry during the last winter, in connection with the centennial wood collection, it was found that the price of wood as fuel had not increased during the last ten years in our State, and that in more than half of the timbered regions the growth was estimated to be fully equal to the destruction. With