The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-03-28
TREES FOR sHELTER er1rs
Aho FARMER should Have Walls OF Ever
green Between His Home and Wind.


Western Farm Journal.
Thousands of farmers in the newer nor.
lions of the West are this sprinp maxine
their first ventures in sowing grass seed
This involves stock raising to a greater
extent than before, and also an improve.
ment IN the stock raised. Improvement
In stock means improvement in the envi-
ronment, and one of the best methods of
improving the environment is the nlant-
ing OF wlndbreaks and shelter belts. In
iace' IN an open prairie country, there is
no possibility of making the best of the
natural environment without these wind.
breaks. The cheapest stock protection
that can be made on the farm is natures
protection OF the grove or windbreak. The
sneo Will become old. need to be repaired
ana finally be fuel for the flames; the
grove once started grows on for genera
lions, ana furnishes not only protection
put fuel, shelter for insectivorous birds,
and, if properly located and of the right
Hind OF trees. is an ornament to the
farm worth far more than its cost. 1t
not only improves the farm but the
whole neighborhood, and does its part in
modifying the climate of the whole coun-
try. A farmer who is making a home for
himself should look long way ahead
and map out in his own mind the ap-
pearance of his home in his old DAYS.
He should picture out to himself a belt
OF evergreens between him and the north
and west winds, and one here and there
to the south and east which, even in
winter, speak of the summers green, and
which shall stand as blizzard-proot wall
OF green against the bowling storm.
should be one of evergreens. There is
nothing like them. They, however, do
not serve the immediate purpose. Hence
back to where the permanent grove is to
stand should be the temporary grove
made up of such trees as experience has
proved to do well in the immediate
locality By doing well" we do not
best trees that will grow. In securing
shelter We may Just as we'll have beauty
and utility as well, and all that is needed
is a little time and a very little
expense in the outset. In the last ten or
twelve years we have experimental
with. great many varieties of trees
for shelter belts and have settled down,
for the latitude of Southern Iowa, to the
ash, the catalpa, the red and laurel leaved
willows of Russia, about two varieties of
Russian poplar, the Russian mulberry, the
Scotch alder, the black walnut and the
European larch as the trees best adapted
to the farm. Much depends on the way
The catalpa should be used with an eve
to fence posts as well as a shelter belt.
With good land and good cultivation the
hardy catalpa will make post large
enough for barb WIRE fence in eight years
and an acre will furnish large farm with
posts after that for all time. By trans
planting when four years old and allowing
them year afterward to get rooted they
will make an excellent live post. The ease
of transplanting makes the catalpa one of
the most valuable trees on the farm where
ever it will stand the winter. 1t is hardy
almost as far north as the north lineof
Iowa.
For immediate protection against drift
ing SHOWS there is nothing better than the
Russian mulberry. This tree has been
very much overestimated by dealers. Its
value as a fruit is mil, " or, as the saying
is, mix" in any country where other
small fruits are a success. while the fruit
is still great deal better than none. Like
all seedlings, the value OF the fruit varies,
and we have no doubt that in time some
horticulturalist will, by selection and Gull
tivation, evolve a desirable fruit from it,
but as grown from ordinary seed il is valu-
able mainly as preferred bird feed and as q
protection in this way for cherries and
other fruits for which the tastes of men
differs from that of birds.
The great value of the mulberry lies in
of roads, buildings and feed lots where an
immediate protection is needed against
drifting SHOWS, and in q very few years,
say two or three, it will accomplish the
purpose, For this purpose it should be
planted not more than two feet apart in
the row, and, if another row is required, it
should be from ten to twenty feet back of
the first one.
Whatever trees are selected, the one i'm
portsnt thing is to give them good soil and
the best of cultivation. When man
wants grove he wants it badly, and he
cannot afford. for the want of little labor
and care, to spend ten years in securing
what can be obtained in five. In plan
ming. however, he should not leave out OF
sight for a moment the grove of evergreens
that is to be the delight of his old DAYS.
He should, therefore, set all his trees far
back of his buildings TO allow a place for
his evergreen grove and plant it early:
We have not aimed in this TO give direc-
tions for groves but to point out the gen.
eral use and TO call the attention of our
readers to the wealth of material for
groves that exists in all parts of the West.
Where the catalpa will not grow the ASH
will. The Russian willows will thrive lar
better in the North than in the South. ana
the selection of the proper material can De
done very easily and wisely bv Observation
of the native trees and by getting the adj
vice of experienced nurserymen in the
neiphborhood. For sloughs we recon-
mend the Scotch alder above any other.
1t isa beautiful tree, but its value Tor tln-
her is very tritiing 1t will grow on land,
wet or dry, that will grow willows.
A Prize Doddy.
Tho nav Century Dictionary gives the