40 ARBOR DAY. 



WHAT TO PLANT. But the question will be asked, 

 " What trees shall we plant, and how many ?" I would 

 answer, let every prairie farmer set out one or more trees 

 on this first Arbor Day. Let every school teacher make 

 preparation to have one or more trees planted well, as an 

 object lesson for the pupils. Let every head of the family 

 devote half an hour to plan ting one or more trees on Arbor 

 Day, so each member of the family will become inter- 

 ested in caring for and studying its wants and require- 

 ments. For Southern Illinois the following trees will be 

 found suitable, and can easily be obtained from established 

 nurseries at reasonable prices throughout the state: red, 

 white, and slippery elm, white ash, beech, tulip tree, 

 linden, white birch, blue ash, soft and sugar maple, 

 bird cherry, box-elder, hackberry, sycamore, black wal- 

 nut, sweet chestnut, European larch, golden willow. The 

 beech and tulip are not advised for general planting, 

 except in the extreme southern counties of the state in 

 timber and hilly country. The linden and sugar maple 

 are adapted to prairie planting where there is a good depth 

 of soil, but on poor washed-out places they will not suc- 

 ceed. The same may be said of black walnut. The age 

 of trees for transplanting varies somewhat, but I recom- 

 mend a thrifty nursery-grown tree from three to six years 

 old, once or more transplanted from seed bed. The soft 

 maple, white elm, white ash, box-elder, and bird cherry 



