The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-06-22
PLANTING TREES
in NORTH DAKOTA

Devils Lake Journal: The practf-
cability OF w~indbreaks is being
brought home forcibly to North Da-
kota farmers. ID. r. Mclaughlin OF
Cando, who owns severalfarms stu
ated in the vicinity Of Cando and
Starkweather. ordered from the Dew
lis Lake nursery this spring a ship
n1ent of 1900 forest trees. He said.
II noticed last year that a farmer
nea me saved his fax crops by his
wind breaks 1t protected the fields
so that they escaped the rayages of
the wind which destroyed so many
fields"
Wind breaks have long been ad-
vocated by President Worst OF the
agricultural college who would have
trees planted along every section line
in the state. Mr.. Maher, proprietor
of the Devils Lake nursery, who also
makes a study of horticulture, deliv-
cred last winter an address on Ever
green and Deciduous Windbreaks for
the Western Prairies. This address,
together with cuts showing wind
breaks on the Devils Lake nursery,
was published in a recent number of
The Minnesota HorticuIturist. Some
of the good things Mr.. Maher said
are as follows:
"Windbreaks are necessary to en-
us to raise more and better live
stock, to grow more fruit, to conserve
the fertility of the soA and to do bet
ter farming. In a word they are nee
essary to make farming more profit
and farm life more enjoyable"
He recommended for home shelter
the evergreen in preference to the de-
ciduous trees because of the density
of its foliage from the ground UP and
because it does not become bare and
leafless in the winter.
The varieties to plant IN consider
alton of their hardness and value are
as follows: First, is our native west
ern yellow, or bull pine, the penderosa.
This tree deies drought and cold, and
the hot winds and burning sun, and
grows singly equally as well as in
solid or mixed paintings. The jack
pine, the Colorado blue, the Douglass,
the Black Hills, the Englemani, the
white and the Norway spruces, and
the Austrian and Scotch pine are
likewise very satisfactory in shelter
belt plantations.
"In the shelter belt Of deciduous
trees for the field / would always have
the outer row on the south or west
For this row / would plant caragana,
buffalo berry, Russian olive. wild cher
ry, J~uneberry, wild plum, thorn APP
~ W "AAAO"s l4CoS ia ~
ground up, are absolutely hardy and
will protect the balance of the belt
from the drying winds and sun. The
next row would be of Carolina or
Norway poplar or white willow to
the shelter for the re-
mainder Of the belt by carrying it
high above them and assisting them
to come up quickly. Next / would
three to six rows of native green
ash, white elm, silver maple, black
walnut, European larch, blackberry or
wild black cherry. alternating or fol-
each other until at least
eighteen rows r planted. making
with the two rows at the outside
twenty rows in the shelter belt. Less
twenty rows OF deciduous trees
will not make Ia complete shelter belt
that will protect itself from the u
and wind and snow and at the same
time quickly establish forest condi-
tons, hold SNOW enough to carry it
through dry seasons and rapidly tow
ed up into high growing trees, having
q a reaching effect as a protection
to the field.
If the shelter belt is designed to
protect the home buildings and stock,
plant the same number Of row and
varieties in the same manner,
with the exception that the north and
west should be the outside and that
this row should De trained as a hedge
or limbed fro mthe ground. The ma
tive fruits above mentioned which are
valuable in the home and as food for
the birds might advantageously be
transferred to the inside OF the plant
ing, at least al to the north wing of
the belt. It would be well also to
plant for a snow catcher two rows of
willows, six OF eight rods to the north
and west of and parallel with the
main planting. The Intervening
space could be used for orchard. gar
den or meadow.
Close planting causes trees to shoot
straight up and make tall trees in
of letting them limb out and re-
main low. In planting p1ow deep fur
going two or three times in the
same furrow, il necessary. Hold the
tree erect In the furrow and draw the
earth from each si5s with the feet
and tramp 1t solid about the tree un-
til the roots are well covered. The
balance OF earth to fill the furrow can
better worked in gradually when
cult1vating the trees. Plant in rows
four feet apart with trees two feet
apart in row. Two seasons cultiva-
ton will be sufficient when the trees
are closely planted, and after that
the tree will shade the ground and
take car Of itself.
II the outlay for small trees is too
much, prepare the ground as for a
garden and get poplar and willow
- R~. $780,. -a LET