surface. It will endure a considerable amount of drought and neg- 

 lect. Even in dry situations its growth is fairly rapid. These quali- 

 ties adapt it to both upland and valley situations. It is decidedly 

 tolerant of shade and can therefore be used for underplanting or for 

 mixing with more rapid-growing species. 



One-year-old seedlings are best for planting. They should be set 

 4 feet by 4 feet or 6 feet by 4 feet apart. This close spacing will, to 

 some extent, overcome the tendency to form a crooked stem. For 

 windbreaks one or two rows of trees may be planted at 2 or 3 foot 

 intervals. Russian mulberry may be planted in mixture with black 

 locust, honey locust, and green ash. 



OS AGE ORANGE (Toxylon pomiferum). 



Osage orange is a tree of medium size, with a short trunk and wide- 

 spreading branches. It may be planted throughout the plains region, 

 with the exception of the northern portion, where the trees are likely 

 to winterkill. 



The wood of Osage orange is heavy, tough, hard, and strong, and 

 very durable in contact with the soil. It is used for cabinetwork 

 and in the manufacture of machinery, wagon fellies, and tool 

 handles. Where it attains sufficient size the wood is valuable for 

 cross-ties. The tree is well adapted for hedge planting and has been 

 in use extensively for this purpose. It is also widely used for fence 

 posts, and its planting for this purpose is recommended. In addi- 

 tion to its value for hedge and woodlot planting, Osage orange is 

 one of the most desirable trees for windbreaks. 



Osage orange adapts itself to a great variety of soil and climatic 

 conditions and is extremely hardy. It is tolerant of shade and, in 

 consequence, can be planted in mixture with intolerant species, such 

 as black locust, honey locust, and green ash. Height growth is rela- 

 tively slow after the first few years, and no great height is ever 

 reached. It nearly equals the Russian mulberry in rate of growth, 

 but is not so rapid growing as black locust. On good soil it will pro- 

 duce fence posts in from 12 to 15 years. 



Plantations are best established by the use of one-year-old seed- 

 lings. The trees should be set close together to overcome as much as 

 possible the tendency toward profuse branching. A spacing of 3 feet 

 by 6 feet or 4 feet by 6 feet will give the best results. 



When cut Osage orange sprouts abundantly from the stump. 

 This insures the renewal of the plantation without further expense. 



GREEN ASH (Fraxinus lanceolata) . 



Green ash is a tree of comparatively slow growth when planted on 

 upland soils on the plains. Even in the better situations it is never 



[Cir. 99] 



