WINDBREAKS AND HEDGES 



contribution of ash, maple, and elm seeds. These 

 make rapid growth, of a miscellaneous but gener- 

 ally beautiful character. Elder bushes, dogwood, 

 and many other beautiful wild bushes form fringes ; 

 and grapes with bittersweet and clematis climb and 

 festoon them. The wise farmer understands the 

 value of these buttresses against storms, and does 

 not cut them ; but the man who makes a clean sweep 

 counts them rubbish, and roots them out. He will 

 suffer for it in a decreased crop, in unbalanced tem- 

 perature, and in broken trees. 



The artificial windbreak is a very tall hedge, or 

 it is a close row of trees. A strip of natural wood- 

 land will serve the same purpose, if the owner takes 

 pains to cultivate it, trim it, and prevent destruc- 

 tion. The extensive farmer can do nothing wiser 

 than to plant one acre out of every ten to forest 

 trees. The result of needless forest destruction 

 carried on through the nineteenth century has 

 made our summers hotter and dryer, and our win- 

 ters not colder, but liable to excessive extremes. 

 Our smaller homesteads, however, suffer quite as 

 sadly from the unbroken storm as do the larger 

 farms. The sweeping wind bears away the mois- 

 ture of the soil, and dries up the plants. It snaps 



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