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EVERGREENS. 197 
EVERGREENS. 
REPORT ON EVERGREENS. 
WM. SOMERVILLE, VIOLA. 
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: 
Being requested to write a short paper on raising, planting and care of 
evergreens, I will try and set forth a few points necessary to success. 
This has to be an individual enterprise on the part of the farmer, if suc- 
cess is insured. I do not believe it possible for a farmer, that only wants 
a few hundred trees, to try to raise them from seed, as they grow slowly 
for two or three years, and require more care and labor than the ordinary 
farmer is willing to give them tomakea success. Plant small trees—if 
shipped from a distance, from 12 to 18 inches—raised in a nursery and by 
responsible parties, once but better twice transplanted. By transplanting 
when young they have more fibrous roots,and when planted are more 
likely to grow. Keep the roots as much as possible from exposure to sun 
and wind. Dig holes 12 inches deep and 2 feet square. Set the tree in 
this ground,made loose by digging,two or three inches deeper than it stood 
in the nursery row. Tramp the ground firmly around the tree, then 
mulch with wet straw from the stalls.. If cared for in this way they will 
soon make a wind-break, and if set eight feet from each other around 
buildings and orchard it will beautify the home, and in a degree protect ¢ 
both family and stock from the howling blasts of winter, also give them 
the cooling shades of summer—aninvestment you will never regret. I 
have had thirty years experience in setting trees in Minnesotaand from ex- 
perience and observation, find different soilsand different locations require 
different varieties of trees, but the same care and attention is applicable 
all over the state. Here in the southeastern part of thestate we can plant 
successfully any of the spruce or pine family, they all grow well; but in 
the northwestern part of the state;the pine appears to be more at home. So 
it is in my opinion the safest to plant Scotch Pine and White Spruce in that 
part of the state. I draw my conclusions from experience and observa- 
tion, as I have ron asmall evergreen nursery for the accommodation of 
my neighbors for the last fifteen years, and occasionally would ship a few 
to different parts of the state,and with care have noted results. In 1873, 
74, 75, Mr. Hodges was employed by the St. Paul and Pacific R. R. Co. to 
set parks on their newly located town sites, especially at Morris, Benson 
and Wilmar—I also taking a part with him. We planted Scotch and 
Austrian Pines,also Norway and White Spruce; and last summer in visit- 
ing those towns with the institute, I found nearly all the Scotch Pines 
we planted grown to be fine trees. The White Spruce stood next best, 
while there were but few of the Norway Spruce living. We also se? 
