THE NOETH DAKOTA FARMSTEAD 



the state if not allowed to suffer for lack of water. It should at 

 least be tried in the various parts of the state to determine is adapt- 

 ability, because of its great value in all respects. 



SOFT MAPLE (Acer saccharinum) . The Soft Maple, also called 

 Silver Maple is a rapid growing tree attaining a height of about 50 

 feet. It prefers damp soils but adapts itself readily to rather dry 

 soils. It grows easily from seed and is readily transplanted. It 

 frequently winter-kills when young after which it sends up a number 

 of shoots from the base of the tree. If all of these shoots except 

 one, are cut out, the tree will again assume the tree habit of growth. 



Figure 4 Soft Maple on Experiment Figure 5 Canoe Birch (Betula papyri- 

 Station Grounds. fera} growing at Fargo, North 



Dakota. 



It has great horizontal spreading branches which are apt to be 

 broken by ice and wind. On this account it should not be used near 

 the house, but is best used with Box Elders and Willows in the 

 outer rows of the windbreak for quick effect. It does not grow quite 

 so rapidly as the Box Elder early in life. The wood is light colored, 

 easily worked and is used for flooring and cheap furniture. The 

 large trees yield a small amount of maple sugar. This is a good 

 tree for quick effect, but it is not valuable for permanent plantings. 

 It is well adapted to the Red River Valley but it is not so well 

 suited to the remainder of the state. It makes a satisfactory low 

 trimmed hedge. (See Fig. 40). 



CANOE OR PAPER BIRCH (Betula papyrifera) . The Canoe or 

 Paper Birch is grown in North Dakota for ornamental purposes. It 

 may be used with good effect by planting in clumps on the lawn 



