Canadian Forestry Magazine, August-September, 1920. 



583 



grass has taken possession of it, or 

 "Why is it my house plants don't grow?" 

 ''\Miat varieties of apples and crabs 

 would you advise for this country?" and 

 "Why is it the evergreens I transplanted 

 from the hills did not grow ?'' or "How 

 would you set about planting a shelter 

 belt across the farm?" Some are not 

 easy to answer at first, but usually a few 

 questions are enough to get at the root 

 of the trouble, and we have always man- 

 aged to find some solution that seemed 

 to fit the matter in hand. It is interes- 

 ing, too. how one's theories (the know- 

 ledge of experience) are confirmed time 

 and again by someone who has reached 

 the same result by following the same 

 processes we have been describing. Such 

 testimony is very valuable, and never 

 fails to impress. It is at the same time 

 very encouraging to the speaker. 

 7.S- the Dry Prairie Fatal? 

 A very striking instance of this occur- 

 red at Lethbridge. where Mr. N. J. 

 Anderson, of Barnwell, confirmed all we 

 had said regarding the possibility of 

 growing trees on the Dry Prairie. Some 

 people in the irrigated sections especially 

 are very sceptical as to dry land tree 

 growing, more particularly in the last 

 three or four years, when everything has 

 been so dry, and it was refreshing, to say 

 the least, when ]\Tr. Anderson was able 

 to endorse everything we had been say- 

 ing. Trees do so well with irrigation, 

 planted even singly, and witli very little 

 cultivation afterwards, that the tendencv 

 is to expect the dry land trees to suc- 

 ceed in the same way. and with little or 

 no attention afterwards, a mistake which 

 is fatal every time. 



Flere's a Real Success! 

 A visit to Mr. Anderson's place on our 

 way to Taber anijily bore out ever\tliing 

 lie had said. TTis trees were obtained 

 fn^m the riovernment. the same as nnv- 

 body else could get. and thcv were plant- 

 ed in l'^17. jusl at llie l)eg"inning of the 

 dry years, and yet he had a full stand, 

 nearly every tree growing, many of them 

 14 feet high now. a splendid example of 

 what can l)e done in a very short time 

 liy carrying out instructions and tiding 

 a little energy and conunon sense. On 

 cn(|uiry. it \\a< found he hail ma<'; ;». 

 |>erl\Tt suninu-r I'mIIdw prepar.-itii >ii. 



plowed the land deep about the end of 

 Alay, the year previous to planting, and 

 kept it well tilled all summer. There 

 were no weeds on it. He cultivated to 

 conserve moisture, and consequently was 

 not bothered with weeds getting much 

 of a start. The trees were planted care- 

 fully, the soil trodden well down about 

 the roots and cultivation was carried on 

 frequently during the dr>' summer of 

 '17, the same system of not waiting for 

 the weeds being carried out. The years 

 '18 and '19 were dr}\ but ]\Ir. Anderson 

 believed in the irrigation of the Culti- 

 vator, and persevered, keeping the 

 ground stirred all summer, and the re- 

 sult is those trees have grown to all ap- 

 pearance as well as if the usual rainfall, 

 liad been taking place the last three 

 years. Fourteen feet high is as good 

 as can be expected in any three years 

 \vith normal rainfall without irrigation, 

 and is enough to satisfy anybody. The 

 whole plantation is a standing proof of 

 what can be done in tree growing, even 

 in dry years, when correct methods are 

 carried out. 



Aiding Tozvn Schemes 



Every town or village has its own 

 local little tree problem ; sometimes the 

 wrong trees are being used, sometimes 

 they are being injured by a too frequent 

 use of the sprinkler, actually being in- 

 jured by kindness, and sometimes insect 

 or fungus attacks are doing damage. At 

 every place we try to get through the 

 town before the first meeting, taking i-» 

 the local tree troubles and successes and 

 securing specimens for the meetings in 

 the car. so that we can speak intelligent- 

 ly on whatever may turn up. and advise 

 accordingly. 



We have seen a great deal of damage 

 from soil drift in our travels, and when- 

 ever that is mentioned it is not difficult 

 getting people's attentic^n. 



Two Crops Bloxi'u Out 

 Mr. .Anderson's iilantation is a strik- 

 ing example of the .idvantagc^ of tree 

 belts in checking soil drift. His trees 

 arc in three belts, about 40 rods apart, 

 running north and smith. Tmnie liately 

 west of the outer one there is a crop of 

 flax which is the result of the third 

 soetliuL:' this year, the two previous crops 

 Ihmu'-: blown ;n\,i\- ccnii^lcti'K-. 



