31 
at an ordinary temperature, — hence if by ex))osure of the roots of 
Evergreen trees to drying winds, or to the sun, the sap hardens and 
the circulation of the sap is arrested and cannot be revived. 
i 
Evergreen Timber-Belts, for Sheltering Orchards, Farm Crops, Live 
Stock, and Hot Beds. 
The importance of planting Timber-Belts for the purpose of shel' 
tering small fruit plants and fruit trees in the winter, and as a preventa- 
tive against the fruit from being blown off the trees in summer is so 
apparent, that we urge fruit-growers to fully investigate the subject, 
and to take action in the direction of planting trees for shelter, the 
beneficial results of which will enure to their individual benefit, to 
the community at large, and to posterity. 
The injuries to fruit-trees resulting from the extraction of heat 
and excessive evaporation of moisture from the soil, and the stems 
and branches of fruit-trees, caused by the cold and dry northerly and 
westerly winds, ir manifested in the injury or destruction of many 
kinds of small fruit plants and fruit-trees supposed to be hardy. — es- 
pecially in all those orenards that are not protected by bodies of 
water that do not freeze in winter, or by natural forests, or some 
artificial barrier that have a tendency to modify the temperature, or 
break or impair the force of the wind. 
Aside from any considerations in relation to the influence that 
forests exert upon the amount of raijifall, extreihes of heat, drought, 
volume of moisture in the atmosphere, electrical and such other me- 
teorological phenomena as have an influence upon the growth of 
vegetation in summer, there exists an abundance of facts which tend 
to show the deleterious effects which the absence or destruction of for- 
ests exert in the shortening of the length of the summer and the pro- 
longation of the winter season, and the injury resulting to dormant 
vegetation in the winter. 
The County of Milwaukee in this State was originally covered 
with a dense growth of natural forest. In the early settlement of the 
county when clearings of only a few acres in extent had been made 
in different localities, winter wheat, peaches, and many other tender 
fruits were successfully grown. Since the destruction of the jirincipal 
portion of the forest, winter wheat, peaches, and other tender fruits 
are no longer successfully grown. 
The advantages to be derived from the planting of Evergreen tree 
belts would be the lessening the force of the wind in winter, and 
thereby modifying the relative temperature by lessening the exteaction 
of heat and evaporation of moisture from the soil, and the sap of fruit 
trees, the lengthening of sjiring and autumn, the greater certainty 
of a larger average yearly yield of farm, garden and fruit crops, the 
enhanced value of real estate, and when the timber-belt plantations 
are made of considerable breadth, and closely planted, thinnings of 
the timber might be made, which would be of value for fuel and other 
economic uses. 
