13 



one should be removed. The surviving stem should make a straight 

 branchless growth of from to 10 feet the first year. This will 

 largely do away with the necessity of pruning. Protection from the 

 wind should be provided for catalpa plantations by setting out sev- 

 eral rows of hardy species along the exposed sides. Two rows of 

 Russian mulberry or Osage orange adjoining the plantation will fur- 

 nish good protection. 



BOXELDER (Acer negundo). 



Boxelder grows naturally in moist situations throughout most of 

 the region. It can not be recommended for upland planting except 

 in depressions that receive the run-off of surrounding country. It 

 prefers a heavy soil to a sandy one, and is somew r hat more drought 

 resistant than cottonwood. 



Boxelder is a short-lived tree and rarely attains a large diameter. 

 The wood ranks low as fuel and has little other value. A straight 

 trunk is seldom found. Attacks by borers are frequent, and a leaf- 

 aphis often spoils the appearance of the tree. Under good care it 

 sometimes makes a fairly satisfactory street or lawn tree, but its chief 

 use should be for shelterbelts in the valleys. 



In planting boxelder one-year-old seedlings should be used. Since 

 it is a tolerant species, and has a tendency to form a spreading head, 

 the trees should be spaced 5 feet apart each way, or 4 feet by 6 feet. 

 It is rarely desirable to plant boxelder in pure stands except for 

 windbreaks and shelterbelts. In forest plantations the tree may be 

 planted to good advantage as a filler with more valuable species, 

 such as white elm, honey locust, black locust, green ash, and black 

 walnut. 



RED CEDAR (Juniperus virginiana). 



Red cedar may be planted throughout the entire plains region for 

 protection and for the production of fence posts. 



The Wood of the red cedar is light and soft, with a fine, compact, 

 even grain. Its great durability in contact with the soil makes it 

 especially valuable for posts and poles. The value of red cedar for 

 planting lies in its superior adaptability to the unfavorable soil and 

 climatic conditions of the semiarid region. It develops best in a 

 rather light, loamy soil, containing lime. Few trees, however, exhibit 

 a greater indifference to soils. It will thrive well on dry exposed 

 situations characteristic of this region. Despite its slow r growth red 

 cedar is one of the best trees for economic planting on the plains. 



Planting this species in the vicinity of orchards should be avoided 

 because the " cedar apple," a fungus very destructive to fruit trees, 

 passes one of its stages on the branches of the red cedar. Three- 



[Cir. 99] 



