FOREIGN EVERGREENS. 95 



poles to the acre. They make a rapid growth and the tlmbei 

 is quite durable, being excellent for posts, railway ties and tele- 

 graph poles. The vitality of the seed is short lived. It Is 

 only good for a year. Incidentally a good many years ago I 

 heard seedsmen tell how they fixed It. They did not wish to 

 lose all the two year old seed so they mixed it with some that 

 was fresh and sold it all as good seed. 



Along in the seventies I secured the visit of three prominent 

 Horticulturists to Nebraska. They were passed by the Rail- 

 road company to Kearney and back. They noticed quite a 

 stretch of sandy land and thought It would be just the place for 

 Larch. But they did not know the country and could not bring 

 the climate of Illinois to Nebraska. I had seen so much of it 

 In Illinois I was determined to show the people what could be done 

 in the West. So in the spring of '73 I planted half a mile on 

 the North side of my farm. They did look beautiful. But the 

 hot winds seemed to cook the turpentine in them and they 

 were all burned up. It would have been much worse at Kear- 

 ney. However, there are now fine groves In the Eastern part 

 of the state, where they can have the shelter of other trees 

 and we present here through the kindness of the Forestry De- 

 partment a picture of a thrifty grove in Western Minnesota. 

 Keep out of the belt of our Western Siroccos and there are 

 many places where these beautiful and valuable trees will suc- 

 ceed. 



Japanese Evergreens, Retlnlsporas. 

 These are charming little dwarfs very pretty Indeed where 

 you do not wish large trees. They are hardy in many portions 

 of the East, but they cannot endure the trying climate of the 

 West. 



CONCLUSION. 



We have thus described the silent partners the farmer may 

 have in securing comfort and building up prosperity. You can 

 see them, patiently waiting all around the horizon — these sturdy 

 sentinels from our own and other lands are ready to stand 

 guard around your home, sheltering you from summer's heat 

 and the cruel blasts of winter. They have been waiting long 

 and are ready to come to you arrayed In their charming robes. 

 bringing the freshness and greenness of summer into the deso- 

 lations of winter. Contrast a home defended by these guardians, 

 cosily sheltered by their protecting branches, with one storm- 

 swept, defenseless, and desolate, and then see how soon a 

 change can be wrought. To work such changes, to give beauty 

 and charm to the homes of the great West, this book Is writ- 

 ten, may It not fail of its mission. 



