WINDBREAKS 49 



The American, or white, elm will give permanence, height, 

 stability, and beauty to any windbreak. It is therefore a very 

 valuable tree for this purpose. 



The best single deciduous tree for a shelter belt, according to 

 the general opinion, is the common gray or white willow. In 

 twenty years it will attain a very dense growth and a height of 

 from 40 to 50 feet. It is easily and cheaply started from cuttings, 

 and will do well on all soils except the very dry or alkaline. 



Of the evergreens, Norway spruce, which is hardy and needs 

 protection only when young, is decidedly the best, although not 

 yet very generally planted in the plain region. Box elders may be 

 set out among the spruces to protect the young plants from the sun. 

 Being more effective in a single row than three or more rows of 

 deciduous trees, the Norway spruce has become the most popular 

 windbreak tree wherever it has been tried. 



The Western yellow, or bull, pine, which makes a dense, heavy 

 growth, is becoming recognized as a valuable shelter tree. It grows 

 readily under adverse conditions, such as very dry soil and extreme 

 temperature changes. 



The jack pine, a native of the plain region, is a rapid-growing 

 tree when young, quite cosmopolitan as to soil, but especially 

 valuable on sandy soil, and perfectly hardy. 



For certain purposes the windbreak may take the form of a high 

 or a low hedge. One of the best hedge plants is the buckthorn, 

 another is the oleaster. Either of these will make a desirable low 

 windbreak or stock fence. 



In starting a hedge, the land must be carefully prepared the 

 season before by breaking up a strip about 8 feet wide. In the 

 spring plants from 12 to 18 inches high should be set a foot apart 

 in the middle of the cultivated strip. The land should be cultivated 

 or mulched for two years, at the end of which time the plants may 

 be cut back to between 2 and 6 inches of the ground. They will 

 then form a dense, bushy hedge that can be readily trimmed into 

 any shape. The hedge may be kept always fresh and vigorous by 

 the removal of the older canes. It will thrive better if not allowed 

 to grow too wide at the top. 



It is often stated that " a single tree or row of trees planted on 

 the open prairie cannot succeed so well as a mass of trees." This 



