AND U. S. EXPERIMENT STATION. 9 



" dust blanket " of the tree-plantations, and the orchards. If there is 

 a, remedy short of irrigation for long seasons of drouth, it will be found 

 in deep plowing and thorough shallow cultivation. 



The plantation was cultivated on the following dates : May 4, June 

 10, June 22, July 6, July 22. Each time the cultivator was followed 

 by the hoe, so that no weeds were allowed to stand near the trees. 

 The harrow-tooth cultivator leaves the surface soil very fine, and al- 

 most without furrows. It stirs the soil to a depth of two to four inches. 



The only serious enemy experienced during the year was the cut- 

 worm. Probably on account of the extremely dry autumn and open 

 winter, this worm appeared in large numbers. The months of May 

 and June were unfavorable for tree growth, so that in June, when the 

 cutworms were most numerous, the trees in the forestry plat had but 

 just begun to grow. The worms ascended the small trees in the night, 

 and in many cases completely denuded them of leaves. The elm and 

 black wild cherry suffered most: in many of these trees not only the 

 leaves, but the young buds also, were eaten off, destroying quite a num- 

 ber of trees. All the varieties, including the pines and spruce, were 

 more or less damaged. A few trees of box elder were barked by jack 

 rabbits, but only small loss resulted. 



In the following table, all the figures given are averages. A num- 

 ber of the trees that made the greatest growth during the month were 

 measured, and the average of these measurements is recorded as the 

 maximum growth; the other columns were determined in the same 

 way. It will be seen but little growth was made in May. This month 

 was quite cold, and for the time of year, dry. Cutworms, also, seriously 

 retarded growth during the latter part of the month. 



