234 



broken and softened, will be in much better condition to hold moisture 

 and will require less irrigation than otherwise. 



Choose those trees that are hardy, rapid, and vigorous in their growth. 

 The following have been found to thrive well here when planted under 

 the proper conditions : Soft or Silver Maple, Box-Elder or Ash-Leaved 

 Maple, White Elm, Eed Elm, White Ash, Black Walnut, Butternut, 

 American Chestnut, Black or Yellow Locust, Honey Locust, Aoierican 

 Linden or Bass-wood, Black Cherry, Black Birch, Red Oak, Piu Oak, 

 Black Alder, Eussian Mulberry, Mountain Ash, and the many varieties 

 of Poplars and Willows. * 



Foreign conifers have not succeeded well as yet. From the nature 

 of their foliage they seem to be less able to endure the hot sun and dry 

 atmosphere than deciduous trees. Even the native conifers from the 

 mountains are difficult to transplant to the plains on account of the 

 increased dryness and exposure, and only succeed with the greatest 

 care. 



Plant in the spring, as earl}^ as possible, but so as to escape the hard 

 frosts. If possible select trees which have grown in a nursery in this 

 climate at least one year, in preference to trees brought from lower ele- 

 vations and different conditions. In general it is better to bu^' small 

 trees than attempt to raise from seed, which requires peculiar and care- 

 ful treatment. 



Dig large holes, much larger than are needed for the roots of the 

 tree, cover the bottom of the hole with 6 inches of good top soil, mixed 

 if possible with a little manure. Just before planting till the hole with 

 water. Plant the tree a little deeper than it was before and spread 

 out the rootlets, sifting the dirt well around them and stan)ping it down 

 solid. A mulching around the tree, if nothing more than of small 

 stones, will be of much benefit to i^revent the rapid drying of the ground. 

 The irrigation .ditch should run 2 or 3 feet from the tree, and a small 

 branch ditch carried around a foot from the trunk, in which the water 

 may stand and soak into the ground. In dry weather irrigate once a 

 week, and during the rainy season only when the tree seems to need 

 it. Irrigate in the autumn at such time as to freeze the soil around 

 the tree, and two or three times in the latter part of winter when con- 

 tinued warm dry weather occurs. Remember that a tree may have too 

 much water even in this dry climate. Sno«^ heaped around the tree is 

 beneficial. During the winter matting should be wrapped around the 

 trunk to protect it from sun and wind. 



With such treatment trees may be made to succeed well in this hard 

 climate, and, though never so rapid and luxuriant in their growth as in 

 lower elevations, they will amply repay the planter. 



Nowhere are trees more needed than in this State, and nowhere should 

 more efforts be made to obtain them. They should be planted on the 

 plains, for shelter, and to hold the little moisture that falls. They should 

 be planted on the mountains, to store up the rain-fall and keep the 



