42 THE NOKT.H DAKOTA FARMSTEAD 



as a complete substitute for fences to hold back live stock, as the stock 

 will soon learn to get through and the hedge will take on a ragged 

 appearance. They are valuable for protecting stock from winds. 

 Hedges have other values in that they are ornamental, hide unsightly 

 objects, afford wind protection, and some hedge plants produce edible 

 fruit. Still another use to which hedges could be put, especially in 

 localities where soil drifts, is to plant them east and west across fields 

 to break the force of the winds ajid prevent soil drifting. A hedge 

 planted across a field will protect the- adjoining parts of the field 

 for 50 feet, for every foot of its height. Thus a hedge 5 feet high 

 will protect a field from wind damage for 250 feet. These figures are 

 from actual measurements taken at Indian Head, Canada, by Dr. 

 Saunders who states that after a violent spring storm a belt of trees 

 15 feet high protected the grain for 750 feet, beyond which distance 

 the grain became gradually thinner until a little further on where 

 it was entirely obliterated. Should a community get together and 

 agree to plant hedges uniformly throughout that region they will get 

 excellent results. The objection to one farmer doing it alone on less 

 than a section of land is that his hedges will stop and hold the snow 

 coming over the prairie for a great distance, with the result that he 

 must wait a long time in spring until the parts of the field along the 

 hedge are dry enough to work. With community co-operation in this 

 matter, the snow would be more evenly distributed, as there would not 

 be such a wide sweep of open country. 



Some of our best hedges for stock protection are : Russian Golden 

 Willow, Russian Olive, Buffalo or Bull Berry, Soft or Silver Maple, 

 Wild Plum, Barberry and Buckthorn. For ornamental hedges we 

 have the Siberian Pea Tree or Caragana, Tartarian Honeysuckle, 

 Buckthorn, Russian Golden Willow, Flowering or Missouri Currant, 

 Silver Berry and Red Cedar. 



ORNAMENTATION OF THE FARMSTEAD 



Next to the point of utility, the chief reason for planting trees 

 around a farm home is to make it more comfortable, more beautiful and 

 a more homelike place to live. The best way to secure this is to 

 have the house, which is covered with vines and whose foundation 

 walls are hidden by shrubs, set back from the street quite a distance, 

 with large open lawns all around. The edges of the lawn can be 

 lined with ornamental hedges either trimmed or natural, depending 

 on the plants used and with a border of ornamental shrubbery planted 

 in irregular naturally curved lines. Clusters of trees and shrubs can 

 be planted here and there along the edge of the lawn and on the lawn 

 to hide objectional views and to emphasize good views of natural 

 objects as hills, lakes, streams and fields or of the house from the 

 street, by serving as a natural picture frame. Where possible, plant 

 shrubs and trees in the hollows of curves in drives and walks to give 

 an apparent reason for the curve and to keep people from going across 

 the lawn. 



