six] windbreaks and HEDGES 



healthy; but, if hacked with saw and axe, they soon 

 become diseased, and the homes of pestiferous in- 

 sects ; they are then brittle before the wind. 



Another economic windbreak may be made of 

 apple trees. When there is only one row these 

 can be planted as close as twenty feet. Care 

 must be taken, however, in selecting tough- wooded 

 sorts. Most of our seedlings are not easily broken, 

 but Baldwins and Roxbury Russets would soon 

 become a mass of brushwood. The Wealthy, the 

 Duchess, the Golden Russet, the Mcintosh, and 

 nearly all apples of the Pippin family, especially the 

 White Pippin, will stand firm, and bear heavy loads 

 of fruit. You will, however, have to keep out suck- 

 ers and look out for borers, exactly as you would in 

 an orchard. Crab apples are especially adaptable 

 for making these protective walls, and they are very 

 useful for fruitage. Set them about fifteen feet 

 apart in a row. Let all apple trees, crabs included, 

 branch out four or five feet from the ground. They 

 will then bend down enough, with the first load of 

 fruit, to make the wall close and compact. A 

 hedge of Martha, Florence, or Whitney crab will 

 be glorious in blossom, and especially glorious in 

 fruit. 



[109] 



