Location, Exposure, Soils, and Windbreaks 25 



the foothills, protection from north and west winds will be 

 essential in most localities. 



Every farmer owes it to his family to see that an abun- 

 dance of fruit is provided for their use. But in the strictly 

 agricultural districts, even the kitchen-garden is often 

 wanting. The lack of a garden is due to neglect in 

 many instances, but the sentiment seems to prevail that 

 fruit-growing is impossible, even for home consumption. 

 Bu a few people in almost every locality, where there 

 is any possibility of fruit trees growing at all, are proving 

 that, with suitable protection, much may be accom- 

 plished. 



Windbreaks, as the term implies, are plantations of 

 trees or similar plants intended to check the force of the 

 wind. They may be used to lessen the drying effects of 

 winds both in winter and in summer, to prevent injury or 

 loss to fruit in autumn, and to check or deflect the cold 

 winds of winter from yards and buildings. Windbreaks 

 for the last purpose are usually called shelter-belts, and 

 are often several rods in width. 



The location of the windbreak will depend, of course, on 

 the direction of the prevailing winds. For general pur- 

 poses, the north and west sides of the area are the ones 

 along which the breaks are planted in most parts of the 

 West. Shelter-belts should be planted far enough from 

 buildings so that drifting snows on the inner side will not 

 be an inconvenience. 



The simplest kind of windbreak is formed by planting 

 some one species of tree in a single, close row. If a tall- 

 growing tree is used alone in this way, there is a tendency 

 for the trees to spindle up, and in time the trunks lose their 



