16 THE NORTH DAKOTA FARMSTEAD 



Dakota conditions than the other sorts. It is native to Minnesota 

 where it grows on very dry soils. 



BURR OAK (Quercus macrocarpa), is a native oak with timber 

 about equal in value to the White Oak grown in other sections. It is 

 very ornamental in growth with beautiful yellow leaves in autumn. 

 It is a very slow grower. 



Figure 17 Burr Oak (Quercus macrocarpa) growing wild in one of the parks 



at Fargo, North Dakota. 



WILLOWS. The chief value of the willows lies in their rapid growth 

 and hardiness which makes them the most desirable trees for snow 

 traps and the outer rows of shelter belts or windbreaks. They can also 

 be used for low formally trimmed hedges. Their use for timber is 

 limited to the production of rather low grade fence posts, which, how- 

 ever, can be made to test many years if well treated. These posts 

 can be cut in about 7 or*8 years after planting the trees. All willows 

 grow readily from cuttings, which for windbreaks are cut to about 

 10 to 15 inch lengths, stuck in the ground at an angle, to a depth of 8 

 to 10 inches about 18 inches to 2 feet apart in the row. This should be 

 done in the early spring. 



WHITE OR GRAY WILLOW (Salix alba) has been grown most largely 

 of all willows for windbreaks throughout prairie regions. It fills all 

 the requirements very well but is less ornamental than the Russian 

 Golden Willow. 



RUSSIAN GOLDEN WILLOW, (Salix vitellina var. aurea). This tree 

 has a golden yellow bark which changes to a beautiful reddish color 

 on the young twigs in autumn. It also has very attractive glossy 

 leaves. A growth of five feet in one season is not unusual for this 



