266 



TRANSACTIONS OF THE' NORTHERN 



FOREST TREES FOR THE PRAIRIES. BV SUEL FOSTER. 



Our Iowa State Horticultund Society take a deep interest in tliis braneli of their work; and 

 to-uifrlit, while tlie piercing nortli-west January winds come wliistling by, it reminds me of tlie 

 comforts of tlie forests. Tlie time is at liand when the farmer on the prairies, without a good sup- 

 ply of wood, timber and wind-breaks about his buil(Jiugs and lields, will be considered as far behind 

 the times as lie who now takes the sickle and hand cradle to cut his grain. "Who can live without 

 timber? It is a product of the soil, and should be produced by every farmer, not only his own 

 supply, but it enters largely into our commerce; and our villages and cities must be supplied. 



AVheu the best varieties of trees and timber are selected, and properly planted and cultivated, it 

 is as much of an improvement on the native forests and scattering groves, as the cultivated fruits are 

 improvements on the wild. Years ago I learned from the late Ur. Evan Pugh, of Pennsylvania, who 

 had traveled in Europe, where they have been planting timber for centuries, that the Americans do 

 not plant the trees for forest timber close enougli together. lie says: "Tliey plant as close as two 

 or three to the square yard, " that they may grow up straight and tall and free from limbs. My own 

 observation had long ago led me to know that four feet eacb way was none too close, and I am now 

 of opinion that it is oulj^ half close enough. 



The best and largest experience I have ever heard on this subject, was from Judge Whiting, of 

 Monona connty, Iowa, which he gave us at our annual meeting of the State Horticultural Society, 

 January, 1S7U. His location is on the Missoiu-i river bottom, eighteen miles wide, high and dry, 

 clean and smooth, and his home faiun is over two thousand acres, and his front yard is a twenty 

 acre lot, all platted by the most celebrated landscape gardner in the United States, and tree planting 

 commenced in his front yard. But the judge himself is a very practical farmer and forest tree 

 planter, gardner and orchardist, and cultivator of flowers, shrubs and ornamental trees. He gathers 

 his soft maple seeds by the tens of bushels, and plants them by the field as he does corn only twice as 

 thick. In the fall he buys his black walnuts of the boys by the bushel, and this year he has sixty-five 

 bushels for spring planting. He has been thus at work for twelve years. 



First Judge Whiting planted cotton wood eight feet apart each way, but he soon found the tree 

 spent nearly half its force in growing branches, a great waste of material, and not making heighth of 

 body enough. He soon shortened his distance oue-half each way; but of late his distance is rows 

 Jive feet apart and two feet in the row, giving ten square feet to every tree, and rows wide enough to 

 admit a horse to draw cut poles and thin out one half when the trees are five or six years old. He 

 now plants mostly soft maple and black walnut, the maple averaging seven feet in height each year, 

 and the black walnut five feet after a slow start for three or four years. 



The soft maple yields abundance of sap, about half as sweet as the sugar maple, making sugar 

 equal in flavor to sugar maple. 1 have he:ard it said that the sugar of the soft maple was inferior in 

 flavor to the sugar maple. This is a valuable consideration. He has tried many other varieties of 

 trees. So far as not succeeded with the chestnut. 



BELTS OF TIMBEIl FOR WIND-BREAKS. 



He is planting around all his fields, and well he may, for his experience is very favorable for this 

 practical work upon his prairie farm. His soil is the light alluvial Missouri river soil, five feet deep, 

 and the tree roots run very deep, so that the grain grows e([ually well up near the trees. The corn 

 and small grain show the great benefit of these timber belts for fifty rods into the field, and this on 

 both sides, whether the timber belt runs north and south, or eastand west. The corn and other grain 

 grows more thrifty all the season, and the harvest is quite perceptibly heavier. This is a valuable 

 consideration. Many of these wind-breaks have grown in eight to twelve years from thirty to forty 

 feet high. 



How changed and how beautiful will our prairie lands be, when our farms are surrounded with 

 timber belts. How convenient it will then be to take the axe aiid go to a grove of one's own plant- 

 ing, and cut his poles, hay-racks, stakes, posts, firewood and fence timber. Then the rigor of the 

 climate will be modified, both summer and winter. 



The European larch is no doubt the best tree that can be planted for wind breaks, and for timber of 

 all uses. It grows about as fast as black walnut. 



But the best of all trees for wind-breaks, and for modifying the climate, and for beauty, are ever- 

 "Tcens. They may be planted one rod apart each way, and set as many pear trees among them if the 

 jand is dry, thus accomplishing two things at once. Capt. Jas. Mathews says he has a row of pear 

 trees on the north side of a row of evergreens, whicli are healthy and bearing abundance of li-uit 

 every year, while his other pear trees have blighted and nearly all died. I last year commenced a 

 pear orchard and evergreens together, and intend this year to go on with it until I have two acres 

 covered, about three pear trees to one evergreen. 



