THE NOETH DAKOTA FARMSTEAD 11 



season, turning to a yellow shade before they drop in autumn. The 

 wood is hard and durable. It is believed that larch wood will out- 

 last oak. The tree is adapted to close planting in groves or shelter 

 belts, where it will produce almost perfectly straight timbers suitable 

 for posts, railroad ties or eventually telegraph poles. The European 

 species is superior to the native American species. It is an excellent 

 tree for low wet soils. It can easily be grown from seed and can 

 be transplanted. Because of its beauty and valuable timber it 

 should be planted on every lawn and should be made a part of every 

 timber plantation. 



HOP HORNBEAM OR IRONWOOD (Ostrya virginiana) is a small, com- 

 pact, very hard wooded tree, native to North Dakota. It is a good 

 ornamental tree for dry places. The wood is very hard to work but 

 outlasts all other wood when used for mallets, levers, tool handles, etc. 



WHITE SPRUCE (Picea canadensis) is a tree that grows as far north 

 as any tree. Its chief values are for ornamental and shelter belt pur- 

 poses and for its ability to grow on a great range of soils. The 

 lumber is rather inferior. 



BLACK HILLS SPRUCE (Picea canadensis) is a distinct variety of 

 the White Spruce (P. canadensis) growing as a smaller tree with 

 stockier leaves and branches and more adapted to prairie conditions. 

 It should be planted quite freely inside the shelter belt for ornamental 

 effects. 



Figure 12 Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea pungens) on Experiment Station 

 Grounds, (15 years growth from seed transplanted as 3 year old trees.) 



