WINDBREAKS AND HEDGES 
contribution of ash, maple, and elm seeds. These 
make rapid growth, of a miscellaneous but gener- 
ally beautiful character. Elder bushes, dogwood, 
and many other beautiful wild bushes form fringes; 
and grapes with bittersweet and clematis climb and 
festoon them. The wise farmer understands the 
value of these buttresses against storms, and does 
not cut them; but the man who makes a clean sweep 
counts them rubbish, and roots them out. He will 
suffer for it in a decreased crop, in unbalanced tem- 
perature, and in broken trees. 
The artificial windbreak is a very tall hedge, or 
it is a close row of trees. A strip of natural wood- 
land will serve the same purpose, if the owner takes 
pains to cultivate it, trim it, and prevent destruc- 
tion. The extensive farmer can do nothing wiser 
than to plant one acre out of every ten to forest 
trees. The result of needless forest destruction 
carried on through the nineteenth century has 
made our summers hotter and dryer, and our win- 
ters not colder, but liable to excessive extremes. 
Our smaller homesteads, however, suffer quite as 
sadly from the unbroken storm as do the larger 
farms. The sweeping wind bears away the mois- 
ture of the soil, and dries up the plants. It snaps 
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