Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-09-23
USEFUL TREES.
Interesting Suggestions for Farmers De-
sirOus of Growing Good Wood.

Interesting Suggestions for Farmers De-
slrous of Growing Good Wood.
During the past few years an enorm-
Gus number of trees have been planted
in the prairie region of the West. Some
of them have been good, some bad and
some of comparatively little value.
The have been planted for all sorts Of
purposes, as for furnishing shade, sup
plying fuel. providingprotection against
wind, adding shade and producing or
naments for the farm. A few have
planted hickory, black walnut, butter
nut and pecan trees for the purpose of
raising nuts, and many have planted
catalpa and other sorts of trees with q
view of raising trees that could be
worked up into fence-posts and railroad
ties. Occasionally an enthusiast has set
out plantations of trees designed for
producing saw-logs and dimension lum-
Der. As rule, however, people have
set out forest trees for no special rea-
son. They had been accustomed to
them in the parts of the country where
they had formerly lived and thought
that their farms looked bare without
them. Generally they planted the
kinds of trees ''that came most handy"
that could be raised from seed easily
obtained or propagated by cuttings.
Many took the trees that the nearest
nurseryman was best supplied with and
which he was willing to sell at very low
prices.
Observation shows that cottonwood,
white maple and catalpa trees have been
most generally planted, chiefly for the
reasons that have been stated. Scarcely
any farmer has planted oaks, though
there are many things in their favor.
Acorns are easily and cheaply obtained.
can be kept without difficulty, while
they terminate rapidly. An oak tree
is highly ornamental, affords good
shade, is hearty and long-lived. The
wood makes good fuel. The common
post oak is highly ornamental in all
stages of its growth. The white oak
furnishes most excellent timber as well
as fuel. In England and Austria large
tracts of land are annually being planted
to oaks, the acorns being obtained in
this country. Large quantities of acorns
are collected in Missouri every year and
sent to Great Britain. In all the States
east of Lake Michigan the beech tree is
very plentiful, yet no attempt has been
made to introduce it as timber or fuel
producing tree in the far Western States
and Territories. 1t has much to COM
mend it. 1t is specially adapted to thin
soils and to rocky and billy land. The
seed is easily and cheaply obtained, and
it terminates almost as readily as. corn.
Beech wood ranks next to hickory and
rock maple as fuel, while it is more easy
to cut and split.
One tree of very great value to
farmers has wholly escaped the atten-
ton of nurserymen and planters. 1t is
the hornbeam, irOn-wOod, lever-wood
or American Hgnum vitG. The wood
is very useful for making beetles. mall
lets, mauls and mortars, and for levers,
stakes, piles. 1t is the strongest wood
found in American forests. The variety
ordinarily found in the woods of the
States and Canada is
called the hop-hornbeam, because the
seeds are in catkins that resemble a
bunch of hops, though they are smaller.
These catkins ripen during the present
month, when they should be collected
and dried in the shade till the seed can
be rubbed or thrashed out. Persons
having friends living where the horn
beam grows can arrange with them for
obtaining trees for planting. With little
doubt this tree would be the best of any
that has been used for supports for
barbed fence-wire. 1t has almost as
great strength as iron, while it is not
liable to be injured by animals. The
rec seldom grows more than thirty feet
nigh, and trunks are rarely found which
ire more than foot in diameter. This
rec would be attractive in the west on
account of its novelty. AS it will stand
! large amount of abuse, it can be
planted on land where animals daily
ramp over the ground.
The common black alder, whose di-
ninutive size hardly entities it to rank
with the trees, is after all worthy of
attention. 1t succeeds best on land too
ow and moist to be cultivated or even
% produce new good grass, and on the
borders of lakes, streams and BAYS. 1t
IAN be propagated by seed, cuttings. or
entire plants. Once introduced on a
moist piece of ground it will continue
20 grow without further care. As soon
Is the small trunks are cut off the roots
will throw up sprouts to take their
places. Alder wood makes very excel
ent fuel for a stove, and furnishes the
pest quality of charcoal. Large alders
make good bean-poles. Those of me-
lium size are used as tishing-rods, while
he branches are valuable for pea-sticks.
4 bunch of alders in a field or pasture |
S highly ornamental. The European
alder, which is not so much inclined to |
,row in bush form as the American
'ariety, and which attains larger size.
S now extensively planted in parks and
private grounds. Chicago Times.