294 Journal of Agriculture, Victoria. [10 May^ 1917. 



may be kept shapely with a little attention. It thrives well under all 

 conditions, but its great fault is that it offers a safe domicile to sparrows, 

 starlings, and other pests, which often cause considerable loss to the 

 orchardist through the destruction of large quantities of his fruit. 

 This hedge runs north to south, and does good service to the orchard 

 by protecting it mainly from westerly winds. 



Plate 87 shows a row of large Pines {Firms insignig) sheltering the 

 orchardist's home from westerly winds, as the trees extend north to 

 south. When necessary to combat strong winds in open situations 

 it is diftieult to find a better tree biirrier than Pinus insignis. and its 

 scope of usefulness in Victoria as a shelter tree is unlimited, owing to 

 its adaptability tO' such a wide range of soil and climatic conditions. 

 It is a free-grower, and may he easily raised from the seed. 



Plate 88 is also Pimis insignis, but shown as sheltering the fruit 

 trees. When large shelter trees are used, they should be planted at 

 least 20 feet away from the nearest row of fruit trees. And when their 

 roots extend into the area occupied by the fruit trees, a trench should 

 be dug about 6 feet away from the break-wind, and deep enough, to 

 permit of the oj>erator bisecting the roots, which, if permitted to re- 

 main intact, would rob the fruit trees of the food so essential to their 

 profitable cultivation. This operation may be repeated as often as 

 occasion requires. Thus the shelter trees are obliged to search for 

 their food in the opposite direction. The trench may then be filled 

 in, should the lieadland not be wide enough to permit of cultivation 

 being carried on, or it may be left open to carry away the surface drain- 

 age- 

 Plate 89 is Cupressus ((Jiipresims Laiiibertiana horiiontalis). This, 

 on account of its well-known decorative beauty, combined with its un- 

 questionable utility as a shelter hedge either for city gardens or for 

 orchards, is, in the opinion of the writer, the best of all our hedging 

 trees. As an orchard shelter the trees may be planted from 6 to 10 

 feet or more apart in the row. When they reach about 10 feet in 

 height, the centres may be removed so as to cause the trees to spread, 

 Or they may be allowed to assume their natural shape as shown in the 

 illustration. These trees grow freely from cuttings, and this is the 

 usual method employed in their propagation. They may be raised 

 from seeds, but only a small percentage of the young trees are endowed 

 with the good characteristics of the parent. 



Plate 90 is Cherry Plum (Prunus cerasifcra). This is the best 

 known, and was until recent years, perhaps, the most extensively grown 

 of the artificial break-winds The tree is a hardy, vigorous grower, 

 and payable prices are often obtained for the fruit. The Cherry Plum, 

 although deciduous, blossoms and conies into leaf earlier than the 

 Apple. This, supplemented by it.« usual density, genei-ally affords a 

 protection to the Apple during its blooming stage. For these reasons 

 the Cherry Plum makes a very good double-purpose hedge. 



Tree Lucerne (Vtjtisus /jrolifenis) makes one of the best shelters on 

 light drifting sandy soils. It is a rapid gtower, and provided the 

 sub-soil is fairly rich in plant food, the Lucerne will thrive well and 

 quickly develop into a substantial break-wind. 



Quinces, Chestnuts, Walnuts, English Holly, English Laurel, and 

 Hawthorn, are used as shelters, but those figured in the illustrations 

 give most satisfaction. 



{To hf cotrii lined.) 



