380 ~ MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
EVERGREENS IN DENMARK. 
L. P. H. HIGHBY, ALBERT LEA. 
It is perhaps difficult for an American who has not been abroad to 
imagine just how a forest in Europe appears. It should be borne in mind 
that the forests there have been under man’s care for a very long time; also 
that in Denmark, for example, the land is worth from $150 to $300 per 
acre, and that taxes are very high. Hence, it is necessary that the best 
results obtainable should be aimed at. The forester will to that end see 
that no ground is lying idle, that the tree best adapted to the ground actu- 
ally occupies it, and that the trees are thinned in due season so as to allow 
development of the fittest. You will there see no dead trees or dead limbs, 
as such are picked up at least once each week by the poor people; neither 
are there any stumps in the ground, as it pays weli to grub them for the 
sake of the fuel they contain. These facts put together give the forests of 
Denmark a very pleasant and garden-like appearance, and they are alysis 
admired by American visitors. 
Of the deciduous trees the European birch and English ae are the 
most important. An ordinary sized beech costs from $10 to $z2c, and I 
remember one very large specimen near my home which was, I[ believe, 
sold on the root for $106. 
Of the conifers the Norway spruce is the most common, although other 
varieties are fast taking its place. The spruce are planted in rows about as 
close as we here plant corn and are thinned every few years, the trees cut 
down being sold at auction. 
As to windbreaks the Norway spruce is no more a success in Denmark 
than it is in Minnesota. It cannot endure the quite severe wind that con- 
stantly sweeps over the kingdom. The Norway spruce is, however, grown 
much farther north than Denmark, and one form of the tree is called the 
polar spruce, and is found only north of the 67th parallel. This tree is 
hardier than the common Norway spruce; it grows slower, has a thicker 
foliage and is undoubtedly the variety that should be grown here, if any 
of the Norway spruce. 
The concolor does well in Denmark, and will outgrow the Norway 
spruce; so will the great silver fir, imported from British Columbia. 
The Caucasian silver fir is doing splendidly. This tree, by the way, 
ought to do well in Minnesota. It starts growing very late in the spring 
and takes no notice of 25 degrees below zero for a whole week. 
The Sitka spruce is giving good satisfaction. The largest specimen in 
Denmark measures 80 feet and is but forty years old. It is said to do well 
on windy locations. 
The twisted pine (Pinus contorta) of the western part of this continent, 
is grown in Denmark. Some fifteen-year-old trees measure 24 feet. It is 
said to be indifferent to low temperature, and is well adapted to peaty soil. 
Of all the imported varieties none are of greater importance than the 
mountain pine and the mountain spruce. 
A large portion of Denmark consists of heath or dunes, where the 
ground is so barren that for practical use it is little better than a desert. 
If once plowed it will not’ overgrow again, but the wind sweeping over it 
will produce a sandstorm that covers up any little struggling plant. A good 
many years ago a company, assisted by the government, began to experi- 
ment for the purpose of converting those heaths into forests. Many vari- 
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