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ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 



great value to the orchardist. Windbreaks 

 shield the trees from the hot drying winds 

 of summer, reduce the percentage of wind- 

 falls, and assist in holding the snow in 

 winter. The location oi the windbreak 

 should be determined by local conditions, 

 though generally speaking our most de- 

 structive winds are during the growing 

 season, and are the hot dry winds from 

 the south and west. It is inadvisable to 

 plant a windbreak on more than two sides 

 of the orchard. 



"The windbreaks may consist of either 

 deciduous or evergreen trees. If decidu- 

 ous trees are used, they may be planted 

 in rows about eight feet apart and the 

 trees four feet apart in the row, with the 

 idea of thinning as they become larger. 

 In this way a supply of timber and post 

 material can be secured at the same time. 

 The catalpa, diamond willow, and green 

 ash are desirable deciduous trees for this 

 purpose. The soft maple is also widely 

 used though it is a gross feeder and 

 should be given more room and also placed 

 at a greater distance from the last row 

 of apple trees than the kinds we have 

 named. 



"Among the evergreens, the white pine, 

 Austrian pine, white spruce, and Norway 

 spruce are widely planted. It is often ad- 

 vantageous to plant two rows of ever- 

 greens, using one row of quick growers 

 such as Norway spruce or Scotch pine, and 

 the second row of slower growing, long- 

 lived kinds, such as the white pine. The 

 windbreaks should be cultivated with a 

 corn cultivator for the first two or three 

 years after planting, as the annual growth 

 can be greatly increased thereby. The 

 red cedar should not be planted as an 

 evergreen about the orchard, since it is a 

 host for one stage of apple rust or cedar- 

 apple-fungus, which is very troublesome in 

 some orchards. For further information 

 regarding different species of evergreens 

 and their characteristics, we refer the 

 reader to Bulletin 90 of the Iowa Experi- 

 ment Station, which may be obtained upon 

 request. 



"If possible the windbreak should be 

 started one or two years before the apple 

 trees are planted. If the white pine is 

 used it should be placed on the lee side. 



using some more hardy variety, such as 

 the Austrian pine, on the windward side. 

 The windbreak should not be planted 

 closer than 40 feet from the last row of 

 apple trees. Many of our orchardists 

 have made the serious mistake of planting 

 evergreens close to the apple trees, and as 

 a result the last row of fruit trees is over- 

 shadowed and practically worthless." 



Tbe AVindbreak for Idaho 



Where orchard sites are particularly 

 exposed, windbreaks are especially advan- 

 tageous. They stop the force of the wind 

 so that the trees are allowed to attain 

 their normal shape instead of having 

 their limbs on the southwest and west 

 sides forced to grow up through the cen- 

 ter of the trees. They prevent the loss 

 of apples which autumn winds shake 

 down at a time when their value is great- 

 est. They protect the buds of winter 

 from drying out and losing their vitality. 



Evergreen 



Evergreen trees furnish ideal wind- 

 breaks since the winds are broken at all 

 seasons. Such barriers stop the sweep of 

 winter winds as well as winds occurring 

 during the growing season. The Norway 

 spruce, because it possesses these qualifi- 

 cations, is unsurpassed as a tree for wind- 

 breaks. 



Lombardy 



The Lombardy poplar is used in some 

 sections but its roots are so extensive and 

 its tops afford protection for only part of 

 the season. 



The windbreak should be planted in ad- 

 vance of the apple trees in order that it 

 may afford protection from the start. 

 Spruces should be set ten feet apart with 

 the rows at least 40 feet from the nearest 

 apple trees. Since most of the strong 

 winds of Idaho come from the west and 

 southwest, a windbreak should occupy a 

 position around the south and west sides 

 of the orchard. In wind-swept i)laces a 

 bank of evergreens, made in this manner 

 halfway around the orchard, should be re- 

 garded as a necessary part of good or- 

 charding. This wall of evergi-een will 

 also add a delightful variety to the land- 

 scape in all seasons. 



J. R. Shinn, 

 Moscow. Idaho. 



