The Dickinson press., 1912-03-30
PLANT Trees
on THE farm
Timely. Advice on Tree Planting
by Supt. L. R. Waldron.
Don't Put This Matter
Off Longer.

ludltcI SuClC - SO IluCu plCdSuIc grow.
ing trees and shrubs, in planting them
out and taking care of them that it may
be considered almost privilege to live
in treeless country, for then one has
some stimulus for growing them. Be
that as it may, every husbandman
should plant out number of trees this
coming spring. One of the nice things
in many places east of the Missouri
river is the number of groves that are
now IS and 20 years old. Very few of
these are found west of the river. The
success of the cottonwood groves about
IS miles north of Dickinson is certainly
a guarantee that they will succeed west
of the river if they are given proper at
tention.
PRACTICAL VALUE OF TREES.
1t is not only pleasure to have
trees out up on the farm, but they
have a practical value also. A
grove of trees on the south side of the
farm will tend to keep eff the hot
winds. If every quarter section in the
state had halfmile wind break along its
south side, the effect upon the wind move
ment and upon the dryness of the wind
would probably be considerable, and the
furious effects on such winds would be
considerably lessened.
If you wish the planting of
trees on the north and west sides of the
farm or any place in the farm banks UP
the snow aud thus helps in wettine the
land. Nearly always one notices the
effect of a previous snow bank upon the
crop and it is very certain tnat the
more snow banks farmer acquires dur
ing the..winter the greaterthe crop growth
the follo~in ing season. 1t is important to
prevent, by every possible means. the
running away of water into ravines and
gullies.
The water should be forced to enter
the ground where it will he of value to
the crop. The growing of trees and
shrubs to catch the winters snow is one
method of increasing the moisture of the
soil. Water stored in the soil is the
same as money in the bank as far as
the dry-land farmer is concerned.
KINDS OF TREES TO PLANT.
1t is not necessary when one wishes
to plant wind break, 10 experiment
much regarding kinds of trees. One will
not miss it much by planting mixture
of green ash and cottonwoods. The
term cottonwood may be used to include
the Norway poplar. Carolina poplar ard
the Northwestern poplar. The idea is to
mix the ash and cottonwoods. The cot
tonwoods will deveolp more rapidly and
will act as nurse trees for the green
ash. By the time the cottonwoods or the
poplars begin to 60 back, or by the time
they are needed for fuel. the green ash
will be promising trees. If the cotton
woods or the poplars are planted alone
the grove or wind break does not have
the permanency that it should. If the
green ash are planted alone one does not
obtain the rapid growth that is so much
to be desired.
THICKNESS OF PLANTING.
We recommend that the trees be
planted in rows, the rows to be 8 feet
apart. Such a width makes it easy to
enter between the rows with q horse
corn cultivator, thus they are easily
kept clean. Within the rows they may
be planted 2 or feet apart. If later,
one finds that the planting is too thick
some of them can easily be removed.
SIZE OF TREES. <"
When one is planting a considerable
number of trees to form a wind-break or
plantation. then it is almost necessary
to start in with small trees. They de-
velop better roots systems when they are
transplanted young and consequently
they grow more rapidly. The cost of
young trees is very much less than the
cost Of older trees. Cottonwoods from "a
to 80 inches tall may be planted and
ash trees from IL to "a inches tall. The
cost Of such trees is not great One nur-
sery in North Dakota this year lists ash
seedlings IL to "a inches tall at 81. 90 a
thousand, and cottonwoods from 20 to
80 inches tall at $500 per thousand.
One will have very good success
generally BY starting cottonwoods or
poplars by means Of cuttings. The cut
tines may be made in the spring before
the buds scarcely begin to develop. Cut
ines should be made Of vigorous wood
Of the previous years growth. and they
should have length of about 8 inches.
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