THE NOETH DAKOTA FARMSTEAD 25 



Elders mostly used are the common Black Elder, Golden Leaved Elder, 

 Red Berried Elder and Cut Leaved Elder. They are valued because 

 of their midsummer flowers. 



BUFFALO OR BULL BERRY (Sheperdia argentea). This is a native 

 shrub, hardy in all parts of the state, adapted to rather dry soils. It 

 has narrow silvery leaves and in the fall produces a crop of golden 

 yellow and red berries a little larger than currants. In many ways 

 it resembles the Russian Olive, though it is not as tall. It is 'used 

 extensively for hedges and along the inside of the shelter belt, though 

 for a hedge it is not as good as Russian Olive. Its berries are at pre- 

 sent mostly used for making jelly. It is said to have derived its name 

 from the fact that the berries were roasted and served with buffalo 

 meat in the earlier days. The objection to using it as a hedge is its 

 tendency to send out suckers. 



Figure 25 Buffalo or Bull Berry (Sheperdia argentea) in shrubbery cluster on 

 North Dakota Agricultural College campus. 



SPIREAS. The Spireas form a group of our most graceful flowering 

 shrubs. Their chief asset is their very prolific blossoming during 

 June. They are of medium to dwarf height. 



SPIREA VAN HOUTTEI (Spirea Van Houttei) is the most graceful of 

 them all (See Fig. 20 and 26). In June it is completely covered with 

 a mass of small white flowers which are placed along the gracefully 

 drooping branches. For the rest of the season its dark green leaves 

 give beauty to the grounds and in autumn its leaves display some of 

 the most beautiful colors, mostly in shades of orange and red. It 

 develops into a beautiful medium size symmetrical shrub when 

 used as a specimen plant. It is excellent also for use in the fore part 

 of the shrubbery cluster and for informal hedge's of medium height. 

 It is entirely hardy in most parts of the state. 



ANTHONY WATERER SPIREA (Spirea Bumalde var. Anthony Wat- 

 erer) is a compact, dwarf shrub, excellent for planting in front of tall 

 shrubs. It produces bright crimson flowers in late summer. 



WILLOW LEAVED SPIREA (S. salicifolia) is a native of the state. 

 It is often recommended for dry soils. It is a medium height shrub 

 producing pink flowers and having dull dark green leaves. 



