Wyoming Experiment Station. 



ets of shrubs scattered in and about open woods give that charm 

 and naturalness to the scene which man cannot reproduce. No 

 -landscape is complete without them. 



VALUE OF NATIVE GROWTHS. 



Apart from aesthetic considerations, native growths of shrub- 

 Ibery are of much importance. The value of forests in retaining 

 the water from melting snows in the mountains is well known, 

 and in this shrubs aid very largely. Swales and mountain parks 

 with their dense willow growths serve as storehouses of moist- 

 tire, and thus supplement the influence which forests have in 

 regulating the water supply. The preservation of the shrubs 

 on the banks of our mountain brooklets is therefore of import- 

 ance, as their destruction by fire or through excessive cropping 

 Iby grazing animals will have the effect of increasing the flood 

 'waters of spring, resulting in a shortage of water later in the 

 season. Small creeks often run dry earlier than otherwise in 

 consequence of destruction of shrubs and other vegatation 

 about their spring heads. The natural thickets in our valleys 

 furnish shelter for stock during inclement weather, and the 

 willows and other shrubs along the streams prevent the banks 

 from washing. Ranch buildings, gardens and orchards can 

 •often be so located that they are sheltered by natural thickets. 

 -As windbreaks they are a source of some protection to fields 

 of agricultural crops, and by deflecting the wind prevent the 

 excessive evaporation, which accompanies dry winds passing 

 unobstructed over the land. 



PLANTING OE NATIVE SHRUBS. 



Our native shrubs may be planted for several purposes. Va- 

 rious ones may be used for ornamenting the home grounds. 

 The buffalo-berry is an excellent shrub for hedges; willows 

 may be planted for windbreaks or along canals and ditches to 

 hold the banks in place, and several are of value for their fruits. 

 "-Though most of them are not readily transplanted, they do 



