198 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
o¥er 500,000 white willow and cottonwood cuttings along the line of road, 
but they have grown well only on damp ground, or where they were 
cared for by mulching. In the villages the best success was achieved by 
planting white and jack oak acorns. They are now trees from twenty to 
thirty feet high, large enough for fence posts. If on the tree claims they 
had planted acorns in place of cottonwood and willow cuttings, there 
would be greater bodies of timber over the prairies than there are to-day. 
The interest Mr. Hodges took in trees, and carried the same out on this 
line of R. R., and indeed over the state, has built for him a better 
monument than could be made of marble. 
REPORT ON EVERGREENS. 
G. W. FULLER, LITCHFIELD. 
Of the value of evergreens little need besaid. Whether as windbreaks, 
hedges, ornamental clusters, single trees, or scattered among other trees 
in a forest, everywhere and in every way they do a work no other tree 
can. They are not only bright and joyous all through the summer 
season, but when winter comes and strips the leaves from all other trees, 
and scatters them on the ground, the evergreen laughs old Boreas in the 
face, still waves her green mantle in the breeze,and sings her song to all 
who will listen, and prophesies of the coming resurrection and reign of 
spring. 
At this day every man and woman should know the value and beauty 
of evergreens, and should need no urging to set them out largely and 
at once. 
The real practical questions to be considered are what kinds to set, 
when and how to set them. And first, what are the best varieties? In 
answering this and the other inquiries, I give only my own experiences in 
the centre of this state. Ido not pretend to say what would be best else- 
where and for others. 
The Black Spruce is not one to choose for any purpose. It is very 
pretty for a few years, but soon develops into what it really is, the 
Black Jack of the swamps, and yet millions of these have been sold under 
the name of White Spruce,or more recently, American Spruce, by men 
who know and ought to do better. It is cheating the purchaser out of 
more than the inere money he pays for the trees, for it disappoints and 
frustrates his purposes for the future. For instead of having a fine 
growth of beautiful evergreens after a few years, he has nothing, but a 
lot of unsightly scrubs. 
Neither is the Austrian Pine suitable, it will not stand the climate; 
the Norway Pine is better, and a few should be set. ' 
The White Pine is perfectly hardy, and of firm shape and color, but 
rather light in foliage to make the best windbreak. 
The Scotch Pine is the most rapid grower of all of the evergreens and ~ 
for large windbreaks the best, especially if alternate rows of Spruce are 
