Sherman Nursery Company, Charles City, Iowa 
41 
of trees required by any windbreak, divide the 
length of the desired windbreak by 4%. For 
example, if the windbreak needed is 600 feet 
long, 600 divided by 4% is 133 trees, the number 
needed. 
For windbreak purposes we especially recom¬ 
mend Norway Spruce, White Spruce, and Nor¬ 
way Pine. For some parts of Western Iowa, 
Nebraska, and South Dakota, Black Hills 
Spruce is the best. The first three mentioned 
are generally the most satisfactory throughout 
the middle west. 
Shade and Ornamental Trees 
How to Select Shade Trees for the 
Home Grounds 
One of the questions most often asked a 
nursery salesman is: “Where shall we plant 
our trees?” 
Here are a few simple rules of modern land¬ 
scape designing which may serve as guides to 
secure the most satisfactory arrangement: 
1. Plant a tree wherever you feel that it 
would serve a desired purpose. For example, 
if shade is desired over a certain window, do 
not hesitate to plant one or more trees at the 
places necessary to secure that shade. 
2. Do not place trees dirctly in front of the 
house as this obstructs the view from within, 
and makes it appear at a disadvantage from 
without. Frame the view toward the house be¬ 
tween thrifty strong trees. This adds promi¬ 
nence and beauty to the dwelling. 
3. Group the varieties. Do not mix too 
many kinds “salt and pepper” fashion. Re¬ 
member that trees grow in family groups. 
Three or four elms with their heads together 
give a strong and imposing effect. One tree of 
a kind often looks unrelated to the yard and 
out of place. One may often secure a pleasing- 
effect by planting three or four trees together 
so they may grow almost as one, leaving room 
for a garden seat between their trunks. 
4. Do not place the trees too near the house 
in an effort to keep the rooms cool. The heat 
that comes in the windows is largely the re¬ 
flection of the sun’s rays from the ground, not 
the direct rays. Place the trees so as to shade 
the lawn if you would have cool rooms. 
5. Plant trees so that every portion of the 
lot secures some shade during the day. This 
retains the moisture and makes for a thrifty 
growth of shrubs and grass. On the other 
hand, so plant that every portion receives the 
sunlight through a part of the day. This warms 
the soil and makes hardy shrubs and a tough 
sod. Plan that there will be on every portion 
of the lawn an ideal combination of light and 
shadow, supplying the energy of sunlight and 
the protection of shade. 
6. Much is suggested by the form of the 
various trees. An elm signifies grace and state¬ 
liness, a weeping tree is restful, an oak is stur¬ 
dy. There is a place in almost every landscape 
planting for each of these three classes of trees. 
A good way to plan the exact location of your 
trees is to place sticks in the lawn to represent 
trees. Keeping the above suggestions in mind, 
move them around until a satisfactory arrange¬ 
ment is decided upon. 
How to Plant Shade Trees 
Trim the top back about one-third. Also 
prune damaged roots so there are no ragged or 
torn places to heal. 
Dig hole large enough to take roots without 
cramping them. 
Break up subsoil so the new roots can easily 
penetrate the ground in search of nourishment. 
Dig deep enough to set the tree two inches 
deeper than it stood in the nursery. 
Spread roots naturally and work good black 
soil around them. Trample well with feet to 
make sure there are no air pockets under or 
around the roots. Fill the hole to within two 
or three inches of the top, leaving a pocket to 
catch water. 
If you have a hose, lay it at the roots of the 
tree and let it run for several minutes, thor¬ 
oughly soaking the ground. If you have no 
hose carry several pails of water and pour into 
the hole, lettng it seep away between each 
pailful until the ground will take no more 
readily. Then fill the remainder of the hole 
with loose dirt, and keep it loose so as to form 
a mulch to preserve moisture. 
SfT SLiOMTur 
PEEPCA. THAN 
