224 TRANSACTIONS OF THE HORTICULTURAL 



DISCUSSION. 



Mr. Minkler — I want to congratulate the young man (referring 

 to Mr. H. R. Cotta) on his paper. It is a good one, though I differ 

 with him on some points. I would never plant trees for an ever- 

 green fence nearer than three and a half feet, and am of the opinion 

 that four feet wou4d be better. If you want to have a good healthy 

 fence, the trees must not be set too close, for when they get some 

 age, if kept closely sheared, they will not have foliage surface 

 enough to support the roots, and some of them will die out. 



Mr, Rice — I am in love with the blue spruce of Colorado; it is 

 one of our most beautiful trees. I have some very nice specimens 

 and have found them to be hardy, and to stand transplanting as well 

 as any. The Douglas spruce is also a good tree. 



Mr. Periam — I think the paper recommends the proper dis- 

 tance to set trees for fences. The hemlock makes a very beautiful 

 fence, but it is not quite hardy in this latitude. 



Mr. Minkler — Keep your evergreen fences trimmed down to 

 start with, and look to getting a good base, that is the important 

 part; the top will take care of itself, if the base is properly made. 



Mr. Rice — A few years ago I bought hemlock heavily and 

 planted them in fences. They have done well in every instance, 

 could not have been more healthy. All the trees I have had in the 

 nursery have stood as well as anyone could wish. 



Mr. H. R. Cotta — I think four feet is as high as an evergreen 

 fence should be allowed, to grow, and that three and one-half or four 

 feet apart would not be thick enough for a fence four feet high. 



Mr. Wicks — Evergreens are my hobby; I have planted quite a 

 number of hemlock fences of late years and put the trees four feet 

 apart, think that is a good distance. There is no need of losing one 

 tree in a hundred, if properly handled. 



Mr. Lehman — Do we not plant all trees too close as a rule ? 



I have evergreens on my place that are three feet apart, and the 



lower limbs are dying back so the trees look scrubby. I think if 



they were farther apart, this would not be the case. I have seen 

 wind-breaks that were planted too thick and the lower branches had 



shed their leaves, thus, the utility was destroyed. My advice is not 



to plant trees too thick. 



