375 



In starting a maple hedge seedlings of course will be used. 

 They may be set one and a half or even two feet apart. If allowed 

 to do so they will naturally grow in the form of a bush which 

 makes them the more valuable for hedge purposes. The silver 

 maple is not so easy to start as the willow but is rather more 

 thrifty after the first few years as the interior branches stand 

 shade better than those of the willow. 



The Russian wild olive has been tried but two years -with us 

 and in a small way at that. It is very highly spoken of as a 

 hardy, drouth resisting plant. The tree growers in western Ne- 

 braska have placed it at the head of their list. It resembles the 

 buffalo berry in the color of its foliage but is a more rapid grower 

 and more showy. The plants on the station grounds grew two 

 feet last season. It has not winter killed with us, though Mr. 

 Uelland Uelland at Edgeley reports the tops having killed back 

 a little with him. It holds its foliage till winter, does not sucker, 

 grows into good form for hedges and is well armed with stout 

 epines. We shall plant it largely next spring. If it proves hardy 

 it ought to make a valuable hedge about school grounds and 

 similarily exposed places. 



ORNAMENTAL HEDGES. 



All of the other hedge plants named are valuable for orra- 

 mental purposes only, though some of them have often sold by 

 tree peddlers under the name of "Siberian hedge," etc., with the 

 assurance that they will turn stock in three years. It is imp~s- 

 sible to tell which is the best of these as no one is the best for 

 all purposes. The buckthorn makes an excellent hedge and in 

 time will afford some protection against dogs and stock. It has 

 rich, dark green foliage that remains on till late in the fall. It 

 requires little attention, does not sucker and makes a dense 

 growth. It is slow about getting started but does well when 

 once established. 



The Caragana starts readily and will make a fairly good hedge 

 in three years. The foliage is light green and while very beauti- 

 ful in early summer is apt to rust and get dingy later in the 

 season. It is very hardy and a valuable plant. 



The silver leaf is a native of the state and is sometimes 

 known as the badger bush. It grows readily into a low, pretty 

 hedge but suckers badly. 



The Tartartian honeysuckle is about the best plant, all things 

 considered, for an ornamental hedge. It is perfectly hardy, a 



