SOMETHING ABOUT THE TREES NEAR MY HOME. 315 



On one farm, a short distance from my home, a row of willows has 

 been planted on either side of a lane, and from this the farm has 

 been named "Willow Lane Farm." . 



Quite often we find farms named for some particular variety of 

 trees grown commonly on that place. One has a great number of 

 maples and is called "Maplewood Farm," while another is distin- 

 guished for its oaks and is called "Oakland Farm." 



The white oak and the bur oak are quite common in Rice County. 

 The white oak forms a noble and picturesque tree. It is highly 

 esteemed as an ornamental tree on account of its sturdiness and 

 magnificent spreading form. It is one of the hardiest trees, but is 

 seldom planted because of its slow growth. The wood is strong, 

 very heavy, tough and close grained and is of great value in the 

 manufacture of agricultural implements, for interior finishing of 

 houses, cabinet making and fuel. 



The bur oak is a large, magnificent tree and is the most durable 

 and longest lived tree in this section. It is very valuable for timber, 

 although the wood is coarser grained and not so strong as that of 

 the white oak. 



Evergreen trees are grown a great deal and are highly esteemed 

 because of their constant color during the entire year. They are 

 stately trees, with their branches almost touching the ground. The 

 pines, Norway, white and Scotch, form beautiful trees and grow 

 quite rapidly. They are used as ornamental trees as well as for 

 windbreaks. 



The timber yielded by the white pine is the most useful in this 

 country, Norway pine is sometimes used to take the place of white 

 pine, but is not so good. 



The white spruce is a favorite tree for ornamental purposes. It is 

 conical in form and grows to a great height, although somewhat 

 slowly. 



Among the native trees are the aspen poplar, cottonwood, white 

 elm, black cherry, wild crab and wild plum. Scattered here and 

 there were groves of the aspen poplar, which, with their trembling 

 leaves and greenish white bark, looked very pretty, but the poplar 

 is a short lived tree, and only a few trees are seen now. 



The cottonwood grows to a great height and is longer lived than 

 the aspen. 



The elm grows well and makes a pretty tree with its long sweep- 

 ing branches. 



The black cherry, wild crab and wild plum are very common and 

 grow and fruit well, but during the last few years all such trees 

 have been cut down to make room for others thought to be more im- 

 portant. 



In many places the natural timber has been cleared away, and 

 some cultivated varieties planted, while in others there is not the 

 trace of a tree left. 



It maybe worth while in this connection to quote from the Hon. 

 Eliza Wright, who says: "The nation which neglects its forests is 

 surely designed to ruin. If the trees go, men must decay." 



