2 74 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. ' 



The improvements made along the lines of horticulture and for- 

 estry, as well as the developments along other lines, in Minnesota 

 in the last fifty years, seem to be almost marvelous, so great has 

 been the progress. The treeless prairies have been brought under 

 cultivation by the enterprising and frugal husbandmen ; trees have 

 been planted for protection from the wintry blasts and for shade, 

 and comfortable buildings erected within the windbreak of planted 

 trees. As a result of these efforts are seen many comfortable and 

 happy homes with ample protection from the cold winds of winter. 

 Many farmers now have an abundance of fuel from trees of tlieir 

 own planting and are independent of coal strikes and fuel com- 

 bines. In many of these planted groves are trees three feet in 

 diameter, large enough for good saw logs and suitable for the 

 manufacture of lumber for commercial purposes. Thriving vil- 

 lages and cities have been built, affording markets for the products 

 of the farm. Shade and ornamental trees and shrubs have been 

 planted along the streets and on the lots, which add both beauty 

 and utility to the effect. In Winnebago City, where the writer 

 resides, shade trees planted along the streets thirty and thirty-five 

 years ago measure two and three feet in diameter. Maple, box 

 elder, elm, ash and other varieties are large enough for saw logs. 



There is a tendency of late years to replace the cottonwood, 

 box elder and willow trees with more valuable and desirable varie- 

 ties. This is worthy of commendation. In the early settlement of 

 the country there was more excuse for planting the cottonwood, 

 willow and box elder than now. Other varieties of trees, more 

 valuable and beautiful, can easily be had now for planting. Some 

 of them grow nearly as rapidly as the cottonwood, and are more 

 valuable and desirable when grown. 



The question of what to plant, where to plant and how to plant 

 is one worthy of careful consideration, and includes the selection 

 of varieties adapted to location and soil conditions. This is quite 

 important. Even the cottonwood tree will not thrive well on thin, 

 gravel soil en a knoll. Some varieties succeed best on sandy loam 

 or alluvial soil. On the village lot the selection of varieties to 

 plant is limited, owing to the small area of ground, but on the 

 farm a sufficient amount of ground should be used for tree cul- 

 ture to include all the native varieties adapted to the soil condi- 

 tions. The elms, ash, linden, black walnut, butternut, black wild 

 cherry, oaks, maples and native evergreens are valuable timber trees 

 and are worthy of more extensive cultivation. Nut bearing trees, 

 such as black walnut and butternut, succeed best and make much 

 more rapid growth from nuts planted where the tree is to stand, as 



