The Dickinson press., 1913-03-29
Plant Trees
On he Farm

vtaldron. Dent Put This
Matter OF Longer.
Our people should give considerable
attention to the planting Of trees for
there is nothing that will add greater
value or more pleasure to the farm
than a good drove. 1t is something that
many people neglect in the first years
on the farm.
Following is the advice of Supt. L.
r. Waldron of the Dickinson station
given to PRESS readers last year on
tree planting and it is certainly worth
reproducing this year:
1t is not necessary when one wishes
to plant windbreak, to experiment
much regarding kinds of trees. One
will not miss it much by planting a
mixture of ereen ash and cottonwoods.
The term cottonwood may be used to
include the Norway poplar. Carolina
poplar and the Northwestern poplar.
The idea is to mix the ash and cotton
woods, The cottonwoods will develop
more rapidly and will act as nurse trees
for the green ash. By the time
the cottonwoods begin to 60 back,
or by the time they are needed
for fuel, the areen ash will be promis-
ing trees. If the cottonwoods or the
poplars are planted alone the grove or
windbreak does not have the preman-
ency that it should. If the green ash
are planted alone one does not obtain
the rapid growth that is so much to be
desired.
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 2-horse
corn cultivator, thus they are easily
kept clean. Within the rows they may
be planted or feet apart. If later,
one finds that the planting is too thick
some Of them can easily be removed.
When one is planting a considerable
number of trees to form windbreak os
plantation. then it is almost necessary
to start in with small trees. They de.
veiop better root 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
nursery in North Dakota last year listed
aah seedlings IL 10 "a inches tall at 81 q
thousand. and cottonwoods from 20 to
80 inches tall at IS per thousand. One
will have very good success generally
by starting cottonwoods OF poplara by
means of cuttings. The cuttings may
be made in the spring before the buds
scarcely begin to develop. ...
Cuttings should be made of vigorous
wood of the previous years growth. and
they should have length of about 8
inches. They may be soaked for "a
hours Nfter cutting before they are
planted. They should be planted near.
ly their entire length, leaving but one
or two buds above the surface.
In planting the trees, furrows are
plowed 8 feet apart wherever the rows
are to be. A pail of thin mud is pre-.
pared and into this bunch of seedlinf
cottonwoods and Seeding ash are
placed. The pail of trees, spade and
a man forms the planting crew. The
spade is inserted into the ground and
worked back and forth and as it is re.
moved with the left hand the seeding
tree is showed into the hole with the
rieht. A person generally works back.
ward, thus saving injury to the trees
already planted. After the tree il
planted. the dirt must be packed firmly
with the foot ground the roots If de.
sired the furrow may be partially filleG
with corn cultivator. It is we'll tt
leave something of furrow along thu
row as water from rains will tend t
run in and irrigate the trees. At thu
end of the 6rst season it is we'll t
prune the young trees up to gle
whip. II this is not done they tend to
acquire bushy form. This method oi
pruning should. be repeated for 2 OF. 8
years. The trees should finally be made
to head at q height Of S or feet o.
perhaps more. 1t is best to prune asf
and cottonwoods when the leaves have
fallen. Pruning these trees while thu
leaves are on has weakening effect.
The food that is the leaf generally eoes
back into the tree before falling in the
autumn. It should be remembered that