460 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



October 



ways. Its roots stop up the tile drains ; 

 it shades the roads so densely that the 

 surface moisture does not easily dry 

 out and mud holes are now common 

 where the roads were always good be- 

 fore the planting of the trees; it like- 

 wise causes snow drifts in winter to 

 fill up the highways. 



The one mental attitude of people 

 which is responsible for more failures 

 in tree planting than all other causes 

 combined is the desire for rapid grow- 

 ing species. The willow grows very 

 rapidly, hence it appeals to the pioneer 

 planter. The cottonwood, boxelder, 

 and silver maple are fast growing but 

 short lived trees. They have some- 

 times been planted in western Minne- 

 sota, Iowa, and the Dakotas, too often 

 for profit. During the first few years 

 they grow very rapidly on almost any 

 kind of soil, but when planted on up- 

 land with a stiff clay subsoil, these 

 species begin to become stag-headed 

 \vhen about twenty years old, and in 

 twenty years more the plantation is 

 usually dead and only its remnants are 

 left to disfigure the farm. 



Instead of demanding that the only 

 qualification of a forest growth be 

 rapid growth, the planter should in- 

 quire whether or not its growth will 

 be long continued, though it may be 

 slow. The greatest forces in nature 

 move slowly, silently, and often unno- 

 ticed. Minnesota planters who con- 

 template the establishment of perma- 

 nent plantations on the prairies should 

 consider the merits of such frugal spe- 

 cies as the hardy conifers, oaks, ashes, 

 elms, and hackberry. There is no 

 doubt but that the list of desirable 

 species will be widely extended in the 

 future as experiments demonstrate the 

 adaptability of other species. The fu- 

 ture list will likely contain slow grow- 

 ing species rather than rapid. By the 

 proper selection of seed from the 

 northern limits of distribution, it is 

 very probable that walnut, hickory, 

 and other valuable hardwoods may be 

 added to the list of desirable trees for 

 planting in western Minnesota. The 



red and burr oaks are the most hardy 

 species of this genus. 



The planting of the more fastidious 

 conifers, such as white pine, in the 

 Red River Valley is not advisable, yet 

 experiments in this region with the 

 balsam fir, arborvitae, white spruce, 

 and European larch should be made. 

 It is an indisputable fact that ever- 

 greens are more desirable on prairie 

 farm plantations than deciduous spe- 

 cies, because the protective effect of 

 the foliage in winter has a great indi- 

 rect value. 



SELECTION OE PLANTING SITE. 



The farmer tree planter should de- 

 liberate when selecting the site for his 

 grove, and not leave this matter to be 

 settled by chance. The determining 

 factors influencing the selection of the 

 site are the following: 



1. Degree of permeability of soil and 

 subsoil rendering tree growth possible,, 

 or prohibiting it. 



2. Depth to ground water. 



3. The proper planning of the fields 

 and private roads on the farm, and lo- 

 cation of public roads adjacent to the 

 same. 



4. Location of the buildings and 

 farmstead on the farm. 



5. Need of protection such as wind- 

 breaks, snowbreaks, etc. 



6. Amount and location of waste 

 land on the farm and its availability 

 for planting. 



Consideration of the question of 

 adaptability of soil and subsoil cannot 

 well be too carefully given. Much of 

 our prairie land that produces excel- 

 lent agricultural crops will not produce 

 a permanent growth of trees without 

 great care. Planting on such land, ex- 

 cept experimentally, is likely to be a 

 waste of time and energy. If an im- 

 penetrable substratum, of clay or rock, 

 exists as near to the surface as two or 

 three feet, it will probably be next to 

 impossible to grow trees successfully 

 on such ground. 



Depth to permanent moisture is an- 

 other very important point to consider. 

 Where the ground water stands too 

 near the surface successful planting is- 





