Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1886-09-02
ABOUT WiND-BREAkS.
A Matter of Great Interest to the Farn-
ers Of tho Northwestern States.

ers OF tho NOrthWestern StAtes'
Our public roads a.e on the section
lines, these lines of junction, with only
very rare exceptions, being north and
south for two sides of each section,
and east and west for the other two
sides.
About dozen years ago a few OF
the pioneer settlers who came from To-
calities where the white willow was
grown, and its value appreciated, as
in Bureau County, H., and places far
Their east, finding the country to be
rather windy at times, conceived the
idea of protecting travel on the public
roads by willow wind-breaks. Such
practice of few men soon led to the
setting out of willow wind-breaks in a
few settlements scattered through IL
linois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota,
Nebraska and elsewhere.
Since snowy winters have prevailed,
the wind-breaks in many sections be-
ing from twenty to thirty feet high.
and close at the bottom, huge drifts of
snow from five to ten feet high block
the roads, making travel impracticable;
and crossroads and trespassing
through the fields (much damaging
the land in many instances) are una
voidable. After thawing weather sets
I in, these roads are occupied with al
, ternate mud holes and snowbanks till
weeks after the newly wire-fenced
roads and others not having wind
breaks are dry and fit for travel.
1t is evident then that to make the
roads passable in winter and spring,
these wind-break row of willow trees
the poles are, in truth, trees from
three to six inches in diameter must
be cut down and moved away. In fact
this has already been done, the poles,
being used for fuel in several cases. 1t
would be a great mistake to destroy all
these thrifty and handsome lines OF
trees. Instead of cutting them all
down, let one or two to rod-the
most erect and best formed ones-re-
main growing, and use them for line
fence posts, for fastening one or two
wires to, as may be desired to prevent
trespass by teams or stock. These
rows of trees, already from twenty to
forty feet in height may form beauti-
full avenues where there are rows on
each side of the roads, and being kept
trimmed eight or ten feet from the
ground up under the heads, can not
obstruct the winds that drive the snow,
or cause snow-drifts to lodge in the
highways.
Wind-breaks or tree-rows on the
south side of roads, have in some cases
kept the roads wet and muddy by shad-
ing them too much, and mainly by
obstructing the free sweep of the
winds over the roads. But when one
or more roadside tree-rows are kept
trimmed ten feet up, the wind will be
free to blow across the roads under the
trees, drying them rapidly after rains
If it is thought necessary to kill out
the roots of the old willow rows be-
tween the fine trees which are left, to
give life and beauty to the landscape,
thick mulching with litter to within
two feet of the growing trees, will
smother or prevent any young shoot:
growing up in these spaces to obstruc
the sweeping winds. This mulch
should be kept on till no more signs O
growth protrude upward from the ole
roots of the former wind-break.-J. w
Clarke, in Country Gentleman.
.