Buchanan County bulletin and guardian. (Independence, Iowa) 1866-1869, 1867-02-26
For the Bulletin.
PLANTING FOREST TREES.

For the Bulletin.
PLANTING FOREST TREES.
Mn. EpiroR Arc yoar readers aware Of
the importance o. planting forest trees on
the prairie in this country, and Of the ease
with which il may be Accomplished OF all
places in the world, i, would seem ,ha. a
| cold open prairie country like this should be
/ the first to receive the attention Of its ooeu.
! pants IN this respect. Bat am aware that
there are imperative demands upon the early
/ settlers attention, which at first seriously in
tersere with considerations Of this kind.
But procrast nation, is the thief Of
time and the first opportunity should be
siezed upoa 70 perform this most
important duty. Next to the planting
Of frui, trees, If not before it, trees for
screens, for shade. for ornament, and .or
wood. should be planted on every available
spot, on every mans farm in the country
At his earliest convenience. every man
should break up sufficient ground, especially
on the north and west sides of all building
| places, orchards and gardens, and as far as
possible, all roads, on which to plant belts
of trees wide enough to break the wind and
stop the snow drifts. The enhanced interes:
and value that good artificial groves, wind
breaks. and ornamental shruhbery would give
to the country, could scarcely be computed
in dollars and cents, and when this all can
be accomplished 50 easily, and so quickly,
do we need to be urged to give the subject
our earliest attention? And when we reflect,
that there are many considerations be.
yond the mere pecuniary advantages cons
nected with the culture Of trees.-shat homes
are made delightful, landscapes are made
| pleasing, the air made balmy in summer
and bland and GENIAL in winter; and that BY
consac; with the beautiful and the lovely,
| mans moral nature is elevated, his temper
sweetned. and himself advanced in the scale
Of civilization and refinement. Isl sensible
| that be should remain Indifferent? Indiifer-
ent while his soul yearns for relief from
the monotonv and sameness of the naked
landscape? and the weary trave'er pants
for rest in the sal.ry and shadeless prairie,
while for the want o. shelter the wind beats
down the standing grain in harvest, and
sweeps with restless energy in the winter
over all the wide domain7 Does the owner
Of any spot on the green earth, whether
large or small, need to be told that it will
pay TO plan. tree? Do even fair hands
need 10 be prompted 10 assist to plant the
pretty evergreen q: the corner Of the yard,
or be told tina. . a thing Of beauty is Joy
forever" But, Mr.. Editor, am departing
from my original design at the commence
mens Of this article, which was simply to
call the attention Of your readers to The ease
with which some kinds Of trees may be
started here, and to suggest few practical
hints, which might per chance aid the mex
perienced 10 make successful effort in such
an undertaking. The process Of raising
such trees as may be props gated from cut
sings is very simple, and set many who IN
aeriake 70 plant the willow or the cotton.
wood, or any Of the fas. growing kinds,
make signal failures for the want Of little
kno~ledre or experience in the business.
Cuttings, except those OF the willow. should
be taken from the new OF last wars growth.
cut say eight inches long and inserted into
The ground nearly the whole length, leaving
no more than one bud above the ground.
Il is best 10 remove most Of tie lower buds.
Spong:oles Or rootlets readily start out fsom
tie place where the buds are broken Of
| 1t should be borne in miai sha. cuttings
will seldom gro. unless tie ground i made
very mellow. Many fail from this Cause
alone. Not unfreqaensly the farmer ~ishes to
plan, his b sdge 100 near his old fence, where
tie ground i not well subiaei. Hence 4
partial or an entire failure; and par.ial fsi,
ure is fatal; for gaps vii BE- left ahieh /, VII
be nearly impossible 10 stl. If hedge asn /.
be planted, there should always be a reserve
Of strong, vigorous trees with whieh i SCI
up the gaps; They should be stronger ss44s
the trees in hedge, as tl.eir growth Al Il
checked BY sransplan.;ng and u keep II
hedge even, it should be watched AMI IL,
rampant trees cut back TO prevent feeble
ones from being crowded down. The sof
maple is beginning to attract considerable
attention in the west; and Is no doubt De
serving Of all its popularity. For rapii
growing, and for valuable timber it has se.
superiors-indisinoas and hardy ever,
where in the west. Il caano. ordinarily b
grown from cuttings; but by taking it'll
pains the seeds may readily be obsaine'
from which trees may be as easily grown a
corn or beans. The seeds do not ripen i,
the fail ike most seeds, but what may seer
} anomalous 10 those unacqaainted, the so,
maple, Acer RuJram lripens its seeds abou
the FIRST Of June, or from the twenty>iifth 3
J May to the fifth Of June, according 10 III
season. The seeds should be planted a
soon as gathered, in finely pulverized sol
and covered more lightly than corn, as sh
feeble germ will no. be able to force itself u
through clods The young plants are tender
and have been known to wilt down and di
the first few days after coming up, therefor
if the season be very hot aud dry, lit,l
straw or something light should be scastere
over them 70 shade them for few dayi
The interest manifested in this matter in thi
part Of our County is quite gratifying, Their
probably having been not less than Is or 2
bushels Of the seed planted in this township
alone the past year. The seeds havins bee
mostly obtained from trees skir,ng the But
falo creek between Buffalo grove and th
railroad. Thousands Of the trees are no,
standing in the nursery beds, ready to d
service in the great work Of redeeming tn
country from timberless waste TO TEN
poral paradise.
! need not, Mr.. Editor, enter into calcu
lasions to convince your readers that ever,