in cultivating the plantation. Care should always be taken not to 

 injure the stems of the trees in any way. 



Grazing animals should be rigorously excluded from all planta- 

 tions. Even if the trees are too large to be broken off by the stock, 

 every branch within reach will be browsed, and the desirable forest 

 conditions of shade, undergrowth, and litter will be destroyed. In 

 a well-established grove stock may do little harm, but not until the 

 crowns are entirely out of reach should the cattle be admitted. Even 

 then injury m#y result from trampling of the soil; a heavy soil 

 becomes packed so that it is nearly impervious to water, and a sandy 

 one is worn and blown away, leaving the tree roots exposed. 



Every forest plantation should be protected from fire. Where con- 

 ditions permit, a very satisfactory fire guard is made by plowing two 

 or three furrows about the plantation close to the trees, and then 

 making a second series of furrows from one to two rods outside the 

 first. These lines may be kept free from vegetation by replowing 

 each year, or they may be used for crops that do not easily burn. The 

 space between the two series of furrows should be kept free of all 

 combustible material by burning it over at safe times. 



Plantations should be carefully watched to detect the presence of 

 injurious insects. Insect damage should be reported promptly to the 

 Bureau of Entomology of the United States Department of Agricul- 

 ture, which will identify specimens sent and suggest measures for 

 their control 



TREES FOB PLANTING. 

 RUSSIAN MULBERRY (Morns al~ba tatarica). 



Russian mulberry should 'be planted only in the southern portions 

 of the plains. It can not endure the severe winters of the region 

 to the north. The characteristic form of the tree is low and bushy, 

 and while its growth is comparatively rapid it will not produce 

 large-sized material. If planted close and severely pruned, it will 

 produce good fence posts and fuel. On favorable sites posts can be 

 cut in from 10 to 15 years. If left unpruned the natural form of the 

 tree makes it suitable for low, dense windbreaks. 



The leaves of the Russian mulberry form an excellent food for 

 silkworms (Bombyx mori) . The quality of the leaf for feeding pur- 

 poses is fully as good as that of the broad-leafed varieties, but its 

 much divided form makes the labor of feeding somewhat greater. 

 The Bureau of Entomology has been for several years past distribu- 

 ting mulberry seedlings in connection with silk-culture investigations. 



Russian mulberry will grow on both sandy and clay soils, but does 

 best on rich loamy soil where water is from 10 to 15 feet below the 



[Cir. 99] 



