102 



CaiHtdiau Porcstry Joiinuil. MarcJi, iq20 





DOES THIS LOOK LIKE HARDSHIP ON THE "BALD PRAIRIE?" 

 Tomato plants bending under luscious fruit; mammoth melons and other delectable products 

 are regularly produced on the Brooks' Demonstration Farm in Southern Alberta. How? Two 

 reasons, mainly: water, and shelter belts of trees The shelter from prairie winds is absolutely 

 essential, and in this instance the value of the laurel-leaf Willow has been splendidly demon- 

 strated The water is taken from the Canadian Pacific irrigation system. 



Successful Tree- Growing on Prairies 



^\; Norman Ross 

 Chief of the Tree Planling, T)ominion Forestry branch, Indian Head 



Tree culture will, without diaibt, 

 eventually hold a very important plac? 

 in the future agricultural develop- 

 ment of the prairies. The desiraliility 

 of encouraging- tree growth in .'-uch 

 a country a.s this is very evident, but 

 naturally time is required to produce 

 any very noticeable results over such 

 an immense tract at present pr;!ctic- 

 ally destitute of tree growth. 



Natural conditions as we find them 

 are not particularly favorable to tree 

 growth, and success can only be at- 

 tained by the expenditure of a con- 

 siderable amount of labor, which? 

 however, will be amply repaid by 

 results, and the adherence to certain 



main ])rinciples as to cultivation and 

 choice of varieties which experience 

 has demonstrated as essential. 



The success of tree culture depends 

 upon two things, namely, cultivation 

 and the choice of varieties known to 

 l)e hardy. Cultivation is required to 

 put the soil in the proper physical 

 condition, first so that the tree roots 

 may Ix'come properly established, and 

 second to form a reservoir for the 

 storage and conservation of moisture. 

 The necessary cultivation consists of 

 as deep a ploughing as practicable, 

 loosening up the soil to the greatest 

 possible depth, and at the same time 

 rooting out all native growths of 



