01 



. 



EVERGREEN TREES FOR IOWA 



BY G. B. MACDONULD 



Evergreens, or coniferous trees, are of great importance 

 in Iowa for shelterbelts and windbreaks, to say nothing of their 

 value for ornamental planting. Altho only a few evergreens 

 are native to Iowa, a large number have been successfully in- 

 troduced into the state, including several from Europe. The 

 most desirable of these are listed in this bulletin with brief 

 lescriptions of their characteristics, their value for various 

 >urposes and methods of planting and growing. 



A shelterbelt is essential on every farm in Iowa to protect 

 :he home buildings and the feed lots. If it is not provided by 

 tatural timber, then a shelterbelt should be planted. Like- 

 dse, the windbreak, consisting of a single row of trees for the 

 protection of farm crops from the drying winds, is of value in 

 Iowa, particularly in the northwestern part of the state. The 

 evergreen lends itself excellently to both uses much better 

 than trees which shed their leaves in winter time when shelter- 

 >elt protection is especially needed. Evergreens may also be 

 ised for the planting of waste areas of sandy, rocky or wet 

 Lands to produce posts, poles or lumber. They may also be 

 used effectively on lands which are too steep for cultivation 



protect them against erosion. 



TREES FOR PLANTING. 



As a rule, evergreen trees make a very slow growth during 

 the first few years, and stock suitable for field planting, is 

 generally from three to six years old. The average planter 

 does not care to wait this long to grow his own trees, conse- 

 quently he must purchase from a commercial nurseryman. 

 Evergreens are also much more difficult to grow than the 

 broadleaf trees and it is generally preferable to purchase trees 

 of the proper age, size and quality from a nurseryman of good 

 standing who will guarantee the trees to be the species and 

 grade specified. 



Evergreen seedlings (i. e., small trees which have never 

 been moved from the seed bed) may be purchased for consid- 

 rably less money than "transplants" of the same age and 

 variety. The additional labor involved in transplanting or re- 

 planting the young trees one or more times naturally increases 

 the cost of producing stock of this grade. As a rule, however, 

 transplanted evergreen trees, altho more expensive at the 

 start, are more economical in the end, due to the fact that a 

 greater percent of the trees live after the final planting. This 

 is especially true when the trees are to be planted on dry or 





