1906 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



335 



for prairie planting, and is able to en- 

 dure the great extremes of temperature 

 and drouth of the treeless West. Few 

 trees have been more generally used in 

 prairie planting, and perhaps none is 

 more generally adapted for the ex- 

 posed and arid planting places of the 

 western plains and prairies. 



PROPAGATION. 



Reproduction of White Elm is by 

 seeds alone. If propagated for timber 

 it should be done by artificial methods 

 and not left to natural seeding. The 

 rearing of the young plants in nur- 

 sery beds is usually advisable. Occo- 

 sionally. when seeds cannot be ob- 

 tained, or when the nursery crop fails, 

 the seedlings which spring up in damp, 

 open places may be dug and used on 

 the plantation site. One-year-old 

 seedlings can be obtained from dealers 

 at from $3 to $5 per thousand, but it 

 is often economy for the local planter 

 to grow his own stock. 



The oval, winged fruit, with the 

 seed inclosed in the center of the 

 papery membrane, is produced in 

 abundance nearly every year. It ripens 

 in May, about the time the leaves ap- 

 pear, and should be gathered and 

 planted at once. Seeds may be obtained 

 from dealers $1 to $1.50 per pound. 

 but it is safer to depend on home-col- 

 lected material, because, since the vi- 

 tality of implanted seeds cannot be 

 ] (reserved more than a few weeks at 

 best, those furnished by dealers are 

 liable to be worthless. 



The seeds may be gathered by 

 sweeping them up from the pavements, 

 shaking them down from the trees 

 into a canvas spread out below, or col- 

 lecting them in eddies or on sand bars 

 where carried by streams. They should 

 never be allowed to become dry from 

 the time they mature until germina- 

 tion is complete. Planting should be 

 done in nursery beds in rich, moist 

 soil, an old garden spot being a de- 

 sirable site. The seed should be sown 

 in shallow drills in rows 8 to 12 inches 

 apart for hand cultivation and 2 to 3 

 feet apart if a horse cultivator is to 

 be used. In the rows the seeds should 



be spaced 1 to 2 inches apart, covered 

 about one-half inch deep, and the sur- 

 face soil gently firmed down by means 

 of a roller or by pressing with a board. 

 Irrigation should be resorted to in 

 times of drought, since a uniformity 

 of moisture conditions is essential for 

 successful germination of the seed and 

 the most rapid growth of the seed- 

 lings. Shade for the young plants is 

 not a necessity, although at times a 

 partial protection from the hot sun or 

 beating rain is beneficial. The seed-' 

 lings may be transplanted to the per- 

 manent site when 1 to 2 years old, at 

 which time they should be 6 to 12 

 inches high. 



To produce the most shapely trees, 

 some of the best nurserymen cut the 

 young trees back to the ground when 

 they are two or three years old from 

 the seed. Vigorous sprouts start from 

 near the wound ; the best one is se- 

 lected for the trunk of the tree, and 

 all other sprouts are kept pruned off. 

 The strong root forces up a tall, 

 straight trunk, which adds to the form 

 and value of the tree. 



For prairie planting the White Elm 

 may be set in rows from 4 to 6 feet 

 apart each way. Where a heavy 

 growth of grass exists is should be 

 turned under a year or two before 

 planting, and if possible a crop of ce- 

 reals grown on the ground. The trees 

 may be set in furrows or in holes dug 

 by a mattock or spade. During the 

 whole transplanting operations the 

 roots should be kept constantly moist, 

 and the dirt packed firmly around the 

 newly-placed seedlings. Cultivation 

 between the rows is advisable until the 

 trees are large enough to shade the 

 ground underneath. In the East the 

 preliminary breaking of the ground is 

 not so essential, although the young 

 trees should not be allowed to become 

 overtopped by weeds or grass. 



White Elm may be grown in pure 

 stands, or in mixtures with various 

 rapid-growing, light-needing species, 

 or with slow-growing trees if they are 

 planted first and allowed to attain a 

 height of 5 to 6 feet before setting the 

 elm. Good associate species are the 



