36 EVERGREENS. 



and they were handled very much in the same way. These 

 were put eight feet apart ea.ch way and the alternate rows 

 were planted with ^ash so as to be cut out when the trees be- 

 gan to crowd. It took six hundred and eighty trees to the acre 

 when planted this distance apart. He found he had 8,000 to 

 10,000 Ponderosa Pines and he managed to dig these with great 

 care and planted just as the buds began to swell. They made 

 a splendid stand. It took twelve hundred and eighty trees to 

 plant around the farm and they were so well handled they 

 hardly knew they were transplanted and they made a vigorou& 

 growth the first year. If we return to the garden we find that 

 row of Tree Honeysuckles has done remarkably well; they have 

 made an even compact hedge. In May they were ai mass of fra- 

 grant flowers and later on they were covered with showy red 

 berries, making them very attractive. All the evergreens were 

 so carefully cultivated they made an excellent growth. 



There is a decided advantage in the home nursery. Sup- 

 pose he had sent for two thousand White Spruce two feet high. 

 The freight would have been quite an item. Then it would have 

 been impossible to have sent the ball of earth. They might 

 arrive in the best condition. But suppose the ground was dry 

 and the spring winds were blowing a gale; it would be no time 

 to plant and if he did, he would need to water them as he went 

 along. If he had them growing in his garden he could take his 

 time. If perchance, the spring was too dry and the winds too 

 strong he could let them stand another year. Besides, he would 

 have some chance to get acquainted with his trees. Even the 

 first year quite a change on the farm is perceptible. Another 

 year passes and the trees seem to fairly get down to their work 

 as though they were conscious of their mission. The row 

 around the farm is looking finely. Planted in the open they 

 throw out their branches and look like separate pyramids of 

 green. The grove is making good headway. The trees are 

 growing so rapidly they have shaded the ground so the weeds 

 cannot grow and cultivation is no longer necessary. Five years 

 have passed and it does not seem possible that there could be 

 such a transformation. In ten years the trees are eighteen to 

 twenty feet high. And now you have a land of delight. 



The great prairie is gemmed with beauty. God had been 

 waiting to help the man, and when he was ready, this miracle was 

 wrought. As the years pass by, living is a luxury. There are 

 cozy nooks out in the grove where the ground has a rich carpet 

 of brown needles. Your couch is already made out there in Na- 

 ture's tall room; sit down and rest. What a delightful resort 

 for the children! 



One day a dude hunter with his gun and a costly overcoat 

 on his arm came to see the place and in walking along care- 

 lessly threw down the stub of his cigar. In almost a moment 

 the needles were ablaze; ft gentle wind was blowing under the 



