TREES IN THE SEELTER BELT. 229 



tected with a good shelter belt of evergreens and deciduous trees. 

 It costs no more to arrange them properly than to plant otherwise. 

 The measure of satisfaction and benefit derived will depend largely 

 on the arrangement. The value of a good shelter belt is always 

 many times greater than its cost. 



Mr. O. C. Gregg: I would not like to let that paper pass 

 without a word or two of comment. I listened carefully to 

 what was read, and I am in happy accord with every statement 

 made. One point he made emphatic is the tree culture in the 

 western portion of the state. I think the trees upon the prairie 

 that will be successful are the willows, and it looks now as if 

 the most successful of all would be the Russian willow. The 

 golden willow will make a great record, I think. I would like 

 to have the nurserymen speak of that matter and see how our 

 success corresponds. The laurel leafed willow with me is a 

 good one, and after four years experience with it I find it is a 

 beauty. When people come to my place — and we are often 

 called on to meet them — they are always filled full of en- 

 thusiasm when I take them down and show them the laurel- 

 leaved willows, but when fall comes I am taken with the golden 

 willow. I do not think it is safe to say that those willows are 

 not infested with insects, but so far we have had little trouble 

 with the bark louse and the saw fly. The statement Mr. Smith 

 makes just hits the whole history of evergreen planting on our 

 prairies. I was much pleased with the report Prof. Green 

 made in reference to growing deciduous trees and evergreens. 

 I find we can grow the other kind just as nicely as can be if 

 we only protect them with these willows against the hot winds. 



Mr. G. P. Strand: I would like to ask Mr. Smith how large 

 he prefers seedlings. 



Mr. C. L. Smith: I have not handled anything for twelve 

 years except from the forest. I usually help to gather them 

 myself, and never take anything longer than eight inches and 

 from that down to three and four inches. I think the six inch 

 seedling is about the most preferable size I have handled. 

 Those I spoke of were about two years old when I took them 

 up, and I saved over ninety per cent of them in the nursery 

 bed in the woods. The whole secret of success is to keep the" 

 sun and wind off from them all the time. Pive minutes expo- 

 sure in May will sometimes kill a bunch of a hundred. 



Mr. Gregg: We have used Prof. Green's underbrush shelter 

 for those evergreens. I followed out his instructions as to 

 planting, but they were carefully protected from south winds 



