The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1939-1949, 1942-04-02
For shade trees in town
and woodlots and
windbreaks i'm country
TREE PLANTING

In order that everyone Snoulo nave
a clear understanding of the import
ance of the elm in conservation
program, a brief description OF the
2 leading varieties of Chinese elms,
lumus pumila (Siberian elm) and
ulmus parvifolia. Dacebark elm)
may be of interest, as even some
nurserymen and conservationists
confuse TEN.
Siberian Elm 7s-.r
The Siberian elm, though beau
tiful shade and lawn tree, being
planted by millions in other sections,
has largely lost its popularity in che
Yakima valley and other warm dis
tricts, because of its susceptibility
to attack by elm leaf beetle, which
makes spraying necessary If plant
ed around the house.
For windbreak and shelterbelt
away from the house, on waste land,
along the ditch bank, the river bank,
the south or west line of the farm,
its resistance to drought and alkali
and its rapid growth make it inval-
liable for preventing soil erosion,
which is causing losses Of top soil
running into hundreds of millions of
dollars, and if unchecked will ut
terly destroy the fertility of the land
exposed to it.
The fuel value of the Siberian elm
has been largely overlooked. In a
recent copy of the Washington Far
mer was an item stating that the
heat value of elm and other hard
woods per cord of well seasoned
wood was equal to ton of hard coal.
If you figure the cost of hard coal
at $40 per ton in the next few years
and 1t may be greater, you viii find
thtat a loodlot, windbreak or shelter
belt will give surprisingly large re-
turns. One farmer who gets his
fuel from poplars, Willows and the
like, growing along a ditch bank,
says he has not paid out a dollar
for wood for the past five years. tho
the heat value of such woods is only
about half that of the Siberian elm.
1t is just as important to. save
money on fuel as on food or cloth
ing, and in many cases by planting
on waste land and land not too
largely gone to alkali, along drain
age canals and the west or south
border of the farm, the cost of the
planting is trifling and the value of
the stakes for berries, grapes, ETC.,
fence posts and fuel may be enor-
mously greater before the war is
over than you have any idea of. BY
all means save and help to win the
war by planting Siberian elms as a
money crop.
Lacebark Elms
While not nearly so well known as
the Siberian elm, the Lacebark pos
sesses the very great advantage of
being entirely immune to attacks OF
borers or the leaf beetle. During
the many years we have had them in
the nursery at Richland, we have
never found it necessary to spray
them, nor have they been subject to
any disease. In hundred trees, in
the fall you may not find sign OF
beetles work, not even a pin hole
The foliage is smaller than that of
the Siberian elm, the leaves being
glossy as tho vanished. In the
spring the new growth has very at
tractive bronze appearance. Its gen.
eral habit of growth resembles that
of the Siberian elm, in that It
branches from the ground up, max
ing 1t desirable for windbreak, but
instead of making the rapid top
growth of the Siberian elm, subject
to being split by high winds, the top
grows more slowly, the wood is much
tougher and the top vase shaped,
thickening up as the trees get older.
While resembling the Siberian elm
in a general way, it blooms in the
summer instead of the winter, the
seeds are small and do not make a
litter, nor produce volunteer seed
Ings by falling into the flower gard
en-.
Like the Siberian elm, it is high
ly resistant to drought and alkali
and its system of fibrous roots
makes it valuable in preventing soil
erosion.
Its outstanding merit is its value
as shade, lawn or street tree. Its
leaves are smaller than those of the
Siberian elm, and if not the latest,
it is one of the latest to shed its
leaves in the fall. In some sections
of the south it is almost an ever
green, like Halls Japan Honey
suckle.
Because it is a long-lived tree,
growing to an ultimate height of 30
feet, its slower growth causes the
wood to be tougher than most trees.
do not think there has been a
single case where limbs were split
off by high winds. 1t is not neces-
Sary to de-horn them because of
tops getting too high, like poplars
and locusts, nor do they have un-
slightly pods as do the locusts and
catalpas.
A nursery man, who had many
years of experience growing the
Lacebark elm describes it as ssThe
most beautiful tree it has ever been
my good fortune to see."
There are number of these trees
growing ON he townside at Rich
land, which speak for themselves
The Home Nursery has good sup
ply of both these elms.
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