Windbreaks for the Prairie 



Norman M. Ross, Chief of Tree Planting Division, Indian Head, Sask. 



FROM the horticulturists' point of 

 view, windbreaks on the prairie are 

 an absolute necessity. It is true 

 that even in the open a considerable 

 amount of success may be attained in the 

 growing of many of the coarser vege- 

 tables and bush fruits, but without a cer- 

 tain amount of shelter it is absolutely im- 

 possible to look for profitable return from 

 the garden, or to hope for any degree of 

 satisfaction in the growing of flowers 

 and the more tender flowering shrubs. 



There is probably no part of Canada, 

 where finer vegetables, flowers and small 

 fruits can be grown, having consider- 

 ation for the comparative shortness of 

 the growing season, than in the prairie 

 provinces. We are at present only be- 

 ginning to realize the horticultural pos- 

 sibilities of the plains. It is not so 

 very many years since the general im- 

 pression was held that even trees could 

 not be grown. Now we hear reports 

 from scattered points throughout the 

 west of the successful maturing of stand- 

 ard apples. The most successful grow- 

 er, Mr. A. P. Stevenson, of Dunston, 

 Man., has .several hundred trees in bear- 

 ing in his orchards. Several farmers in 

 southern Manitoba have also had suc- 

 cess and now we hear from points furth- 

 er west — from Saskatoon in Saskatche- 

 wan and Edmonton in Alberta — that ap- 

 ples have been brought to maturity. 



In travelling over the country one sees 

 well laid out city parks and farm home- 

 steads surrounded by well kept lawns 

 and ornamental grounds where a few 

 years ago the "old timers" would have 

 scoffed at the idea of such planting as a 

 waste of time and money. We know 

 that, provided good windbreaks are es- 

 tablished, the soil properly worked and 

 suitable varieties naturally adapted tc 

 local conditions, selected for cultivation, 

 the horticulturist has abundant scope for 

 his energies with every assurance of suc- 

 cess. A discussion as to the best varie- 

 ties for windbreaks, the manner of lay- 

 ing them out to best advantage, the re- 

 spective advantages of wide belts or sin- 



gle rows, with numerous other points, 

 can hardly be gone into fully in a short 

 article. 



The main windbreak round a farm 

 steading should naturally be composed 

 of tall growing varieties of trees. What 

 might be termed the secondary wind- 

 breaks — that is, for protecting the vege- 

 table and flower beds and lawns inside 

 the main belt — might better be of low- 

 er growing shrubby varieties. 



Where the main belt is to consist of 

 several rows— that is, from ten to twenty 

 or more in width— it has been found best 

 to plant a mixture of varieties, the fol- 

 lowing being most usually recommend- 

 ed: Manitoba maple, green ash, acute- 

 leafwillow, American elm, white birch 

 and Dakota cottonwood. This main belt 

 should be placed well back from the 

 buildings and ample room allowed for 

 subsequent development. 



SHELTER.? FOR GARDENS 

 In planning shelters for gardens it 

 must be remembered that after the trees 

 attain some height it will not be possible 

 to grow flowers and vegetables within 

 ten to fifteen feet of the trees unless 

 plenty of water is available for irrigation, 

 which is not a usual condition on the 

 prairies. For a single row making 

 tall growth and effective shelter within 

 three or four years the acute-leaf willow 

 is most satisfactory. Cuttings should 

 be set about one foot apart and as 

 the break grows up the tips of the side 

 branches may be cut or trimmed about 

 twice during the season. This soon 

 forms a very thick break most suitable 

 for a vegetable garden. 



Where one already has a good main 

 belt, but also desires small breaks with- 

 in, we should advise the Caragana 

 arhorescens as being most easily propa- 

 gated and generally suitable for a me- 

 dium-sized hedge. This plant stands 

 trimming well and makes an extremely 

 thick hedge. It may be kept down to 

 about four feet high or if allowed to 

 grow will reach a height of ten to twelve 

 feet in a very few years. The common 



lilac is also very suitable, though not 

 making such a rapid growth as the 

 Caragana. 



VALUE OF EVERGREENS 



The evergreen conifers will make the 

 most ideal windbreaks, but they are rath- 

 er slow to become established and would 

 not be of much benefit as shelter until 

 probably eight or nine years after plant- 

 ing, presuming that plants about four 

 years old or twelve inches to eighteen 

 inches are used to set out. However, 

 the enormous advantage of the evergreen 

 varieties over the deciduous kinds of the 

 same height, as windbreaks, cannot be 

 gainsaid. It would be well worth 

 while for any settler on the prairies to set 

 out such varieties as white spruce, 

 Scotch pine and Jack pine where young 

 stock can possibly be obtained. The 

 white spruce is the best variety. It is a 

 native and hardy. The growth is com- 

 pact and the lower limbs remain green 

 to the ground in later years. 



The Scotch pine appears hardy and 

 rather quicker growing than the white 

 spruce, though in later years it becomes 

 .'■traggly and the lower limbs die off. 

 The native Jack pines have the advant- 

 age of being very hardy and fairly rapid 

 growers, but will not compare with the 

 white spruce either in appearance or in 

 effectiveness for shelter purposes. 



In growing evergreens on the prairies 

 however, experience would indicate that 

 to get the best results one must first pro- 

 vide some other shelter. This shelter 

 must be sufficient to hold snow on the 

 young conifers for the first two or three 

 winters, but must not be so close to 

 them as to overshade or check their 

 growth in any way. 



In any plan then for permanent shel- 

 ter belts on a farm or around gardens, it 

 would be advisable to make arrange- 

 ments for planting evergreens with a 

 view to their being, eventually, the final 

 windbreaks ; the faster growing decid- 

 uous varieties being gradually cut out 

 as their usefulness decreases, or as they 

 commence to take up too much room. 



View at Nartery Station, lodian Head, Saikatchewan, in Spring of 1905 



From Same Viewpoint in AngutI, 1907 



