WHAT TO PLANT. 51 



class, possibly. They may not be the most de- 

 sirable for timber. They may not be century- 

 growing oaks. But they are the most valuable 

 trees for him for present use, because they 

 have the certification of adaptability. They 

 are on their native ground. Let him begin 

 with these. Then, if he chooses to experiment 

 with others afterward, or even in connection 

 with these, let him do so. The first necessity 

 of the dweller on the naked prairie, or any 

 place bare of trees, is to get whatever tree will 

 hide, in part at least, its nakedness. He wants 

 to begin with a screen about his house, some- 

 thing that will stand between him and the 

 freezing and scorching blasts that by turns 

 sweep by, and he wants something to shut 

 him in a little from the boundless sea of space 

 around him and give him a sense of locality 

 and neighborhood, some companionship close at 

 hand, if it be but the companionship of trees. 

 And there is a deal of companionship in them. 

 There are " tongues in trees," as many others 

 know, as well as Shakespeare. 



And so, also, the man thus situated wants 

 sheltering belts, or stretches of trees, for his 



