Sharp County record., 1885-07-09
TIMBER ON HIGHWAYS.
How Trees Should BE Planted-Ihe 'ur
tiyation Necessary.

In the prairie sections of Illinois the
highways, which were properly lald out
and plotted when the land was tirSt sur,
veyed, run upon all section lines ana
are sixty-six feet wide. In some local
tiles, however, the highways were not
laid out when the land was surveyed,
and the farmers who bought the lana
set their hedges and fences ten to
twenty feet from the line, leaving
space of only twenty to forty feet IN
width for the road. In townships where
this was done the farmers, rather than
move their hedges and fences, manage
by hook or crook to elect road COM
missioners who will allow things to re-
main as they are, and consequently
they have no roads fit for travel except
in the dryest portion of the year.
When a person driving across the
country passes out of township where
all the roads are sixty-six feet wide INTO
one where the other short sighted policy
prevails he can not fail to be struck
with the vast difference in the general
appearance of the country. Where the
lanes are narrow the people seem mar
row and selfish in their views. Their
roads are chroncally bad, and they ap-
pear to be similarly affected. Their
lawns, when they have any, are made
to match their highways, and every
thing about them seems to be on the
same pattern except the army OF ours
they keep, and they are constructed as
to teeth and bark, on a generous SCALE
To talk to such people about planting
forest and fruit trees along their high
ways, is like throwing pearls before
swine, because they have no highways
that respectable tree could live, much
less grow, upon. To those who live
where the hi gh&ays are wide, or who
have been generous enough to widen
them, a few hints may not come amiss.
That man owning a farm of one
hundred and sixty acres with high
way on two sides of it can grow about
all the fence posts he needs with very
little cost to himself is fact often
overlooked, even by thrifty, enterpris-
ing farmers The law gives him per-
mission to plant forest or fruit trees
along his SIDE of the highways adjoining
his farm, The Stock law prevents own
ers of stock from perm ting them to
run at large upon the highways, and
thus insures his trees against injury
from that source. All he has to do is to
plant the trees and bestow reasonable
amount of care upon them.
Forest-trees for planting along the
highways should be at least six feet
high. They may be planted in either
spring or fall, whenever other work is
not pressing. Those planted on the
north sides of the road may be set eight
or ten feet apart; eight feet is not too
close for ash. On the south side, how
ever, they should be placed fully
twenty-five feet apart. If set closer
they so shade the road as to prevent its
driving readilyaand thus do more harm
! than good, GAS and west sides they
may be set twenty feet apart without
injury to the road.
The cultivation and care necessary is
good mulch of wet or half-rotted
straw or other material placed around
them in the spring of the first, third and
fifth years after they are set, and the
shortening in or cutting off of useless or
struggling branches and superfluous
leaders early each spring. With such
care they are sure to make fine trees.
The mulch should cover space around
the tree three to five feet from its trunk,
in order to keep the soil mellow and
kill out the grass and weeds.
As soon as the trees will make one
post, each alternate one should be cut
down and another planted close by its
stump. When these are large enough
for one post, those left standing at the
previous cutting will make three posts
and an enormous quantity OF flreWood,
and they should be cut down and Others
Immediately planted by the stumps
By alternating in this manner the sup
ply of posts and wood will be constant,
while the attractive appearance and
usefulness of the highways will not be
impaired in the least
The principal objection to trees along
the highways lies in their being allowed
to attain such size as to completely
exclude the sunlight from the roads,
and thus prevent their drying quickly,
By pursuing the method / have outlined
this trouble will be entirely obviated.
1t is not generally expedient to plant
fruit trees along highways, except i'm
mediately in front of the house, as they
are apt to be neglected, and thus be-
come harbor for insect pests, which
are multi piled by wholesale, to the great
detriment of the fruit interests.
~ !. Examiner.