60 IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



During the past twenty-five or thirty years the extent of 

 artificial groves in Adair county has grown from nothing at all 

 to many acres. Almost every farm-house now has a yard full 

 of trees and a wind-break to the north, and hedges of maple, 

 willow and osage orange line many of the roads. Unfortu- 

 nately, the best species for the purpose are seldom used in 

 these groves. Instead of planting walnut, ash or white oak, 

 our farmers usually plant the soft maple, on account of its 

 rapid growth, and the result is that no sooner do the trees 

 arrive at a respectable size than the winds play havoc with 

 them. The box elder is much used, more on lawns, however, 

 than in groves, and although rather soft it is a good tree and 

 a very pretty one when properly trimmed. The willow figures 

 occasionally in groves, but more frequently in hedges on low 

 lands, where the maple is also sometimes used. Groves of 

 walnut or of ash are occasionally met with, but are not com- 

 mon. The Cottonwood is used but rarely and the oak never, 

 so far as we know. While these artificial groves are of little 

 value in conserving moisture, preventing erosion and preserv- 

 ing true forest conditions, they are useful in breaking the 

 force of the winter winds, and they exert more or less of a 

 civilizing influence by adding to the beauty of the monotonous 

 prairie landscape and the comfort of life on the farm. 



In Adair county a few species of trees, which are common 

 elsewhere in Iowa, are conspicuous for their absence. The 

 butternut, sycamore and hard maple are found in Madison 

 county, along the course of the Middle river, but we have been 

 unable to discover that a single specimen has ever been found 

 growing wild on this side of the line. The Missouri hickory 

 grows along the Nodaway, it is said, north of the state line, 

 but does not extend this far north. The pawpaw is found 

 occasionally in southern Iowa, but has not been found in Adair 

 county. The fact of a few birch trees having been observed, 

 some twenty years ago, near the town of Casey, on the north 

 line of the county, led to a search through that locality, but 

 no birches were found and none have been found in any part 

 of the county. Both the butternut and birch are reported as 

 being common along the course of the North Raccoon river in 

 Guthrie county. 



Following is a list of the species of forest trees found grow- 

 ing in Adair county. The nomenclature of Wood has been fol- 

 lowed throughout: 



