FLOWERS ABOUT THE HOME. 185 



Whether we cultivate few or many flowers, however, we must not 

 neglect to plant roses. No garden is complete without them. The 

 rose is truly called the queen of flowers, for it is unsurpassed in 

 beauty by any other. A rose garden well repays one for all the care 

 and expense it requires. It is a delight to go out in the morning, 

 while the buds are partly opened and gather them to adorn our 

 rooms. We may cut them freely, and not only enjoy them ourselves, 

 but send them to those who are so unfortunate as not to have them, 

 and we may be sure they will be appreciated. 



THE SHELTER BELT IN MANITOBA. 



H. L. PATMORE, BRANDON, MANITOBA. 



Although in Manitoba, especially in the northern part of the prov- 

 ince, may be found a considerable area of scrub and bush land, the 

 need of shelter belts and windbreaks is felt by the farmers and 

 others in all parts of the province; and a considerable amount of 

 discussion amongst the farmers themselves, and in their institutes 

 and farming papers, as to the best means of providing suitable 

 windbreaks, has been carried on for several years past. Stilh 

 progress in the way of planting and successfully growing suitable 

 shelters is as yet very slow. 



The principal reasons why this is so are that the spring season 

 being usually such a busy period the farmers are not able to give 

 their attention to the work at the most suitable time, and also be- 

 cause, being in a new country, it is not generally known which are 

 the best methods of providing shelter, and which are the best trees 

 to be used for the purpose. 



I am, therefore, glad of the opportunity to send this paper to your 

 convention, because with your longer range of experience, you will 

 probably be able to give us some suggestions, which will be profita- 

 ble to us in the future. 



During the past summer, I met with a party of Nebraska farmers 

 who were traveling in this province. Hoping to learn something 

 from them, I asked many questions as to the general experience with 

 tree planting in Nebraska, and I was rather surprised to be told that 

 after many years of experience the farmers found that the box elder 

 was one of if not the best and most profitable tree they could plant 

 for either shelter or wood. 



In this province we have various authorities, each with a slight 

 difference of opinion on the subject. The box elder has few friends 

 among them, for one will claim favor for the elm, another for the 

 Cottonwood, another for the Russian poplar, and so on; and as to the 

 method of planting, one will claim that it is necessary to plant a 

 wide belt of rows of assorted tree, while others will advocate simply 

 hedges in single or double rows. 



I do not expect that you will be able to tell us just what opinion is 

 right or wrong on the subject, but I do hope to learn from you 

 something of the experience you have had in providing the beauti- 

 ful shelters and groves of trees to be seen in traveling through the 

 state of Minnesota. 



Now for a little of my own experience as to what can be done here 

 in this province. In 1889 I helped to plant a shelter belt on the 



