54 



THE NOKTH DAKOTA FAEMSTEAD 



very thorough. Remember that the forest soils naturally are loosened 

 to a great depth by the tree roots and that the surface is covered 

 with several inches of leaf mold while the natural prairie soil presents 

 a very different condition. A hoed crop as corn or potatoes is the 

 best to precede a tree qrop. A stubble field is not very desirable 

 as it leaves the soil too open, making it liable to dry out. Manure 

 will help to open a heavy clay soil, but is not needed for fertility 

 and should be added at least a year ahead of the time the trees are 

 to be planted. Manure should be carefully used as some trees prefer 

 poor soils. 



Figure 45 Russian Golden Willow Cuttings. (10 inches long., 250 to a bunch). 

 PLANTING THE TREES 



In planting seedling trees for windbreaks, open deep furrows 

 with a plow a short distance ahead of the planters so the ground will 

 not dry out. Plant the seedlings a few inches deeper than they were 

 growing in the nursery row, packing the ground firmly around them. 

 Cuttings should be 8 to 12 inches long and one-fourth to one-half 

 inch in diameter. Make cuttings from the young wood of the trees. 

 They should be placed in a furrow on a slant (so that the soil will 

 pack around them more throughly) with the root end down, leaving 

 about 2 inches of the cutting above ground. Another way is to make 

 a slanting hole with a stick or iron bar and insert the cuttings. Never 

 push the cutting into hard soil as this would do serious damage to the 

 bark and buds. 



When planting large trees the hole should be dug large enough 

 to receive all the roots of the tree without crowding or twisting 

 them and so that the tree will be planted a few inches deeper than it 

 was in the nursery. Always cut off all broken roots with a smooth, 

 slanting cut and cut back the top sufficiently to balance the pruning 

 done on the roots. Fill in first the top soil which in digging should 



