50 The Canadian Horticulturist. 



SOMETHING ABOUT WINDBREAKS.? 



DO not think a more valuable thing was ever devised for the horticulturist 



than the planting of wind-breaks. Of course its greatest utility is in the 



winter season, when its presence gives a home the look of cosiness and 

 comfort, and rightly located on the windward side saves much fuel, and food 

 for animals which always require a greater amount where exposed to 

 the cold. 



The protection afforded to the more tender fruit trees is invaluable. I 

 have known peach trees to bear heavily during the past few years when 

 there has been such a general scarcity, on account of enjoying such protec- 

 tion in winter, the fruit of course bringing greatly advanced prices over years 

 when crops were plentiful generally. A windbreak on the north and west sides 

 of a fruit patch, twenty feet high, not only protects the trees from heavy winds 

 but distributes the snow evenly, thus avoiding the heavy drifts in certain 

 places to the bareness of the ground in another, making a good mulch for 

 small things like strawberries, etc. 



No one should be deterred from having an effective windbreak of the 

 Norway Spruce, which is the best for the purpose, the trees being very low 

 in cost for good planting stock. The proper distance apart for planting the 

 trees should be according to the means of the planter, or his haste to obtain 

 shelter. In time, trees planted six feet apart would give complete shelter 

 for an apple orchard, though often the distance is as near as two feet when 

 shelter is needed as soon as possible, though the things to which protection 

 is given in this case have, of necessity, to be small growers. 



There are other evergreens beside the Norway Spruce which make a 

 good shelter belt, but this variety being so entirely hardy, growing rapidly 

 on a large variety of soils, and is not easily injured by snow lodging in its 

 branches as in some other kinds, stands at the head of the list. 



In starting a windbreak the greatest difficulty lies in transplanting, so, 

 where it is possible to procure the stock near at hand, it is much more 

 certain to succeed than when ordered of a far-off nursery man, as the roots 

 are very impatient of becoming dry. In fact they cannot become dry with 

 very perceptible injury. Where the roots can be kept moist until planted, 

 there is but little fear of having a good proportion of the plants grow. 

 Small sizes are to be preferred, as the chances of growing are more certain. 

 But when once planted rightl}^ there are no easier trees to grow. 



It has been estimated by one who has planted a number of large wind- 

 breaks in all sorts of locations, from that of a small one for the home, to 

 those of considerable magnitude now being started in some of the prairie 

 States that the average cost of the stock is less than $5 per 100 feet, and 

 where one has the patience to plant the very small seedlings which are often 

 sent by mail, the cost may be reduced materially. 



Buffalo, N.Y. W. F. LAKE. 



