32 AMEllICAN THOUGHT AND ACTION. [May 



recommendations of Mr. Phipps in his official report on Ontario 

 Forestry, that what remains of the original woodlands, even though 

 only ten to forty acres, in different farmers' clearings, should, be 

 carefully preserved. Country school teachers have had the bright 

 example of Miss Nye, of Michigan, prominently placed before them 

 by western editors. Despite the official " No " from trustees to fence 

 in and ornament the school grounds, this lady's individual handling 

 of tlie spade indoctrinated, in a year's time, first the children and 

 afterwards the whole community, into enthusiastic plant-growing. 



PLANT GEOVES. 



The farmers of Iowa who wished to be at New Orleans during the 

 cold weeks of tianuary last, are reminded by the local organ that the 

 best way to shut out the cold is by a dense grove. Now that grass 

 is to be the prevalent crop, every consideration of profit and 

 ornament, utility and mercy, requires the cultivation of groves. 



" One of the greatest mistakes we have made in our farming- 

 operations is the failure to set out groves the first year. And they 

 ought to be not merely a row or two of trees, but such a combina- 

 tion as to make an effective blizzard-barrier. Outside we should 

 have planted Lombardy poplars — as worthless a tree as ever grew 

 — but it has this merit, it will grow rapidly and will bear crowding. 

 Next would come cottonwood, maple, or anything that would stand 

 crowding. Next, valuable timber, such as ash, catalpa or walnut for 

 the main grove, and then, to make it perfect, a row or two of Scotch 

 or Austrian pines. Let a farmer get all these between the north 

 and west winds and his house and stock, and a few rows of valuable 

 timber between him and the south wind, and he can laugh at 20*^ 

 below zero, with tlie wind thirty miles an hour." 



COXIFEES WHICH GEOW ON THE PEAIEIES. 



Professor Budd notes, in the Prairie Farmer, that Picea rungcns, 

 AUcs yicta, and Picca alha, the silver spruce, Siberian fir, and 

 American white spruce, grow welj in Iowa. The latter has been 

 tried here and there over the whole north-west, even up to Bismark, 

 Dakota, and pronounced one of the finest district trees for lawns, 

 parks, and streets, as also for prairie wind breaks. 



SYLVICULTUEE BY GONTEACT. 



The Philadelphia Press, when referring to Government forestal 

 undertakings in South Australia, says : — " bne and one-third million 



