Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-03-19

"land" don't leave a strip of unbroken prairie
from SIX inches to two feet wide as many do,
but clean out your 'dead furrow" so thor
oughly that no green grass is visible in it
Having done this much nature then steps in
and the process of the decomposition OF the
iough prairie sod commences Usually by the
middle of the ensuing August the sod has SC
tar aecomposed that you can commence
Dack-setung." This can be done with your
breaking pillow, unless the gauge wheel prevents
the pillow from running deep enough. If so,
change 1t for the strongest stirring plow you
can get Commence ''backssttiug" at the dead
furrow-throwing your burrows ia and toward
II, and bring up three or four inches of fresh
9nrL SIMPLY turning over the sod is OF no
account and is worse than useless 1t is full
as heavy work to sbackset' properly as to
break, aud 1t costs as much TO do it. You have
now laid a substantial foundation for success.
and 1t Will be good practice to let the ground
rest TILL the following spring. that the action of
the elements may step in and aid you in tho
process of disintegration. Then commence
narrowing, and harrow still you can't rest :"
BY this time, unless il Is peculiarly perverse
piece of ground, you have got it pretty thor
oughiy ''bulldozed," and if you are in no ur-
gent hurry to get your trees planted, plant the
ground TO corn or potatoes, the thorough cult
Va1on OF which leaves the ground in excellent
condltlon. Ii you can't plant 10 some hoed crop,
you can
sow IT TO SMALL GRAIN
and IN doing this you cannot be too careful in
procuring clean seed, for an almost itnper-
ceptible amount of ''foul stuff" is sure to en-
tan vast amount of labor in its determination.
After the crop is of, again pillow the ground as
deep as you can afford to, bringing up more
new dirt There is no possible danger of
blowing too deep for forest trees. In this the
danger is ali the other way-In shallow ploW
ing If you are not so situated as to cultivate
to crop, then summer-fallOw the ground to be
planted the coming fall or spring.
Mhen TO plant Is now the question. Either
fall or spring, which? Could I predict with
any certainty what the weather would be for
SIX months ahead, L could answer this question
positively: Without this positive knowledge,
the best can GO Is to present the ''pros" and
cons, leaving you to assume the RESPONSE
blllty to go ahead on your own Judgment If
fall planting is preferred, don't begin until the
frost has killed the foliage In our latitude
about the first week in October is early enough
to commence, and you can keep on planting
TILL the ground freezes up. If spring
planting Is preferred, begin as soon
as the frost is out deep enough and
the ground in good working condition.
one year with another, the entire month of
May can be devoted to planting forest trees in
Mlnnesots or Dakota. The advantages of fall
planting are chiefly III the fact that the ground
becomes firmly packed among the roots of the
young tree to the exclusion Of the air and that
IL Is IN better position to appropriate the moist
spring rains, getting thereby such ''send-off'
as to enable the young tree TO successfully go
through dry spell thai would be very damag-
ing, II not fatal, to spring planting. Such dry
spells do occasionally prevail all over the
Northwest about planting time and hang on
numerically. On the other hand, IN open
winter, with frequent or occasional thawing
or freezing, occasionally proves fatal to
fall planting, the action of frost heavng
the fail planted seeding or emitting
nearly or quite out of the ground. Where
well rooted young trees are used we
overcome this trouble to a great extent by deep
planting While spring planting escapes this
danger, it Is in bad shape to Withstand pro-
tracted growth, and right there is where fall
planting has the inside track But should your
spring planting be followed up by occasional
timely showers, the newly planted trees grow
right along with great vigor. The tree planter
must take his chances. / have for many years
planted largely both spring aud fall, aud my
experience does not yet justify me in bringing
In verdict either way. In fact, consider 1t
one of the least important of the many conun-
drums Of forestry.
THE HANDLING OF YOUNG TREES
before planting is an important matter, and
deserves passing paragraph. You viii not
be greatly astonlshed to learn for fact that
very large percentage of all the forest trees
planted on the Northwestern prairies are prac-
tlcaIly dead before they are planted. This is
especially true of all the evergreens or conf
fers, and the trouble is aggravated i'll this that
the inexperienced planter can't always tell q
dead tree from live one, and keeps right on
planting stuff only fit for a brush heap. It
would seem as if any one could tell dead
cottonwood Seeding from live one; and as
more cottOnwoods are being planted than any
other variety, think it best TO say that millions
of them are gathered every fall before the ter
minal bud has formed-are packed with all
their green foliage in full vigor in tight boxes
gllnnanf hoo ffv,u
and on arrival at their destination are ''tOo
dead to skln"-they are planted, and the victims
are naturally discouraged, and lose their in
terest in tree planting, because they don't
grow. Millions Of young trees and cuttings,
shipped by careful, conscientious men, VINO
know their business. are unaccountably de-
layed IN transit, arriving at destination in a
damaged condition Railroad managers and
freight agents ought to make a men,
orandum of this, as the losses occasioned
thereby are particularly aggrayating, and
arouse the most bitter feeling against
the railroads. The damage to- and total loss of,
the trees themselves, are wholly insignificant
in comparison to the losses involved in their
delay; for man can plant damaged trees on
his tree claim If he can get them in time, but
If they are delayed too long on the railroads,
his claim, worth anywhere from 500 TO
Sl, 900, is In jeopardy for the want OF $50 or
$40 worth of trees which he has bought am
paid for, railroad freight included, and he
must resort TO the most degrading and con-
temptible articles TO hold his claim. As
railroad employee and as an independent cii-
zen. and acing in both capacities, il is my
duty TO call the attention of the proper authori-
ties to the necessity of reform in this behalf.
PLANT DEEP,
and press the loose earth so firmly about the
roots as to prevent any cavities and any circu-
lation of air among the ROOFS. This process
also assists in retaining the moisture and thus
Lessons the danger from drought Unless the
weather is unusually vet, it is good practice to
Ulake a puddle of mud and water of the con-
sistency Of gem cake batter, into which the
roots of the young tree should be thrust 1T
all times during the planting season keep on
your guard against the whitening effects of sun
and wind on the roots. Do not permit the least
exposure in this direction that can possibly be
avoided, and when it comes to evergreens, bear
IN mind that owing to the resinous nature of
the sap, what an inexperienced man would
consider but a very slight exposure is usually
fatal From my own experience i'll fishing,
am satisfied than q brook trout Will live OUT of
water about as long as an evergreen will live
with Its roots exposed to wind and sun.
WHAT VARIETIES TO PLANT.
A good general rnle is to slant those varieties
that are indigenous to your locality, or as near
you as you can find them. In going from the
big woods of Minnesota TO the foot hills of the
Rocky mountains, one variety after smother
drops out until our choice is limited to the
cottonwood and box elder. These varieties