108 Progressive Agriculture 



CHAPTER XVII 



TREES ON THE FARM 



Anyone living on the farm in the great plains 

 country knows the pleasing as well as the intrinsic 

 value of trees around the home. A small, well- 

 located and well-groomed grove about the build- 

 ings on the farm, lends enchantment not only to 

 the occupants of the home but to the passerby. 

 They add many times their cost to the real value 

 of the farm; in fact strong, healthy trees lend 

 value to all adjoining lands. This is true because 

 of the altogether too common idea that trees 

 cannot be successfully grown or at least four to 

 six years is the limit of their life in all semi-humid 

 sections. Fortunately there are now many groves 

 ten to twenty years old that fully disapprove this 

 idea. 



Trees, like corn, wheat, vegetables and many 

 other crops, will not grow and thrive where con- 

 ditions are such that they cannot. The reason 

 many groves and orchards have failed in much of 

 the semi-humid country is the same reason that 

 some of the crops have failed. Take for illustra- 

 tion Cut No. 25. Here is a piece of wheat grown 

 in the very wet year of 1915, what is the difficulty? 



There are certain elements that produce a very 

 rank, healthy growth that are not available until 

 certain soil conditions exist, these conditions are 

 not natural, they must be artificially produced by 

 mechanical work and is most beautifully illustrat- 

 ed by that old adage. Cultivation is manure, 



