f. ;jnivsro.i>
VOL. LIX.
INDIANAPOLIS, JULY 9, 1904.
NO 28.
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SELECTION AND   PLANTING OF SHADE
TREES.
Each Variety Hu Its Plact.
lst Premium.—Tto shade tree is a
bushy topped tree that is especially valuable for relief it affords in sunny places.
Any natural tree of the forest inclines
to spread and grow bushy rather than tall,
if other trees are removed from it; but the
maples, elms, ashes, oaks, beeches and
tulips (called poplars) are all especially
valuable. There are a few things to
avoid choosing. Thin, open tops, ike
avoid in choosing. Thin, open tops, liko
the cottonwood; crooked, ill-made stocks,
like the catalpa; frail, easily-brokei-
branehes like the sumach, and all dwarfish specimens of slow and uncertain
growtli.
The Norway maple is the all-round best
shade tree iir this climate. It makes
the blackest of shadows, does the least
of mischief with its roots, holds its foliage the best, and sheds it in tlie best possible, way. Besides, it takes a beautiful
symmetrical shapo ,'and requires no pruning.
The common sugar tree (rock maple) is
a well nigh perfwt shade; but its growth
is _s little, slow, and but few can transplant  it successfully.
The swamp nmple (soft maple, or silver
maple) is faulty in only two particulars:
lst, its roots grow troublesome along the
sidewalk; 2d, its texture being firail, it
inclines with age to become irregular and
unsightly from the effect of storms.
- The Carolina poplar is the best grower;
but the above two faults are greater, with
it than with the silver maple; for its roots
run into ditches and vwells and cellars,
about like willow roots. Then it is bad
as a dropper of foliage. It is said to
shed all summer. Being cheap and
thrifty, it is the tree to plant about the
barn or in all places where its faults are
not  seriously   cared   for.
Kims, beeches, oaks, wishlcs, chestnuts,
buckeyes, catalpas and cottonwoods, and
even I.ombardy poplars, all have their
places; and sometimes fruit trees miake
the very shade that suits best. The judgment must decide, in all questions o(
adaption. For example, the I-onibardy
poplar and iall pines and the spruces art!
usually worthless ;but as a windbreak they
have no superiors. For that purpose,
let them be planted in a row, not over
seven feet apart, and they soon make n
high   wall,   good  against  wind  or  fire.
In town, the Norway maple is the best,
and the Carolina poplar is perhaps the
worst of the usual selections. In the
. conntry, tbe variety may be without limit.
They atle all good when they stand whero
they are wanted.
In planting the shade trees, there must
be some caro taken as to the size nnd
depth of tlie holo made for th|a roots. This
should be wider from east to west, nnd the
longer roots placed westward. This
localise the winds from the west are most
likely to move them. There is no use
of a flat stone at the bottom of the hole;
and too much litter and black dirt thrown
in will do more harm than good. Select
a 4im«. (not by the moon) when the soil
is dry enough to crumble in around all
the roots, and sift it in slowly till tho
roots are covered. Then a gourd of water
will cause a close clinging of soil to root,
and the rest of the dirt may be laid on
by tho shovelful. It is generally safe to
plant just as deep as tlie tree stood in the
ground by nature.       But swamp maples
and Carolina poplars may go deeper to
lessen the tendency to disturbance of surface level. Best cut off those fibers that
■aro forming nearest tlie surface.
The tap roots may be removed from
almost any tree to be transplanted, with
no harm to the tree. It is hard to provide for, anyway. Any time will do,
after the fall of the leaves and "before
freezing for autumn planting, and after
the frost leavies the ground and before
the leaves advance for spring.
If the first summer proves especially
dry, the life of la transplanted tree may
be saved Iby laying a mulch of straw about
the roots.        A bucket of water once a
quick growing, makes a dense shade, and
when mature will yield a yearly harvest
of syrup or sugar. The elm is one of the
most beautiful in form of our forest trees,
with graceful, drooping branches but
slower in growtli than some others. OtliKr
trees desirable as shade trees are tlie
basswood or linden, the boxelder the wild
cherry ,and the I_iriodendron, or tulip poplar. The last named will bear its greeir
and yellow tulip flowers when only a small
tree.
If one wants a variety of trees, thero
aro the flowering trees of our woods,
which .will grow readily wblen transplanted;  such  as the  flowering dogwood,
"Where the Pond  Lillies Grow,"   "Webster Lake, North "Webster, Ind.
week will tide it through tho driest of
periods.
It is best to prune liberally before planting, for the feeble attachment at first secured by the roots will not enable them
to take on moisture ns fast as many
leaves will throw it off. "W. S. S.
Bush Co.
Native   Flowering   Trees   Are Wotth Planting.
2d Premium.—Most authorities agree
that the Ust time to plant shade trees
is in the fall, after the leaves are fallen
ami the trees are in n idormant state.
HoweMi r, they are often planted in spring
with success, if set out early before the
leaves have started.
In taking up young trees, care should
lro taken that the roots are broken off as
little as possible. The branches should
in carefully trimmed; especially if tho
lives are of several years growth. A
young tree which has beon transplanted
cann-ot support leaves and branches
whicb excel in area its roots. See that
the trees are planted deep enough that the
roots can always reach moisture, aad
also that the roots are spread in the natural way they grew at first, and not
doiibfod over or crowded into a small
space. Sift loose - earth carefully
through ami over the roots until" the
holes that have been dug ar© more than
filled. If planted in sod, thb sods that
were removed in digging should be turned
upside down around the tree. Firm the
earth down and water thoroughly.
There are many beautiful shade trees
among onr native Indiana trees. The
sugar  maple is a  favorite tree.        It is
the redbnd or .Tudas tree, black haw, coffee rrut, aud the wild crab apple true.
These flowering trues will not grow large
and tall, like elms, poplars and maples,
but still will make good sized shade trees.
The nurserik-s will supply one with honey
locusts, catalpas and the different
varietilis of evergreens, such as cedar,
balsam fir, juniper, larch and spruce; also
the rapid growing Carolina poplar.
If one intended to plant n grove, the
unit bearing trovs would Ik, the most profitable; such ns black walnut, shellbark
hickory, sweet chestnut and pecans. The
chestnuts will come into hearing in five
years, the pecans in six or sewn years.
The walnut trees would be valuable for
their  timlier  when   fully   grown. One
might wait a good many years to gather
nuts from hicKory trees of his own planting, but a grove of nut bearing trfees
would some timie be valuable property.
Hamilton Co. J. M. W.
A Quick Way to Dig   Holts.
3d Premium.—The maples, both the
hard and the silver, are I think, among
the best for shade trees. Either species
grows very rapidly, and with « little attention will make a very beautiful tree.
They are very easy to transplant, having
no large tap root, like the oak, hickory
and walnut, but nre surface ffeeders and
easily dug. Thb elm and ash also make
fine shade, and are particularly desirable
on low ground and along water courses.
Carolina poplftr is a quick grower and
a beautiful tree, but, like the cotton-wood,
more liable tc. inst _t depredations than
the maple.        Tlie western catalpja  is of
rapid growth and a good shade tree, tho
large leaves and spi_os of white flowers
giving it almost a tropical appearance.
In the fall is the best time to transplant, but early in spring, before growth
starts, will do. Get your trees in time,
and heel them in, never leaving tlie roots
exposed to sun or wind. When ready to
Het, (having trees heeled in) first dig the
holes, nnd, if the soil is stiff clay or hard
pan, I would uso dynamite to make the
holes, as it thoroughly loosens up the soil
and makes a fine bed for the roots. To
use dynamite, take 14 stick of 50 or 00
pkT cent, with cap and fuse. Take crowbar aud make hole about 10 indues deep.
Drop in the % cartridge with fuse, and
kick dirt tight around fuse at top of
gronnd. Ijght the fuse and "light out."
It will cost only four or five cents each
for digging this way, and the soil will be
in 1. tter tilth; and it is play instead of
hard work. When holes are ready, take
out one tree at a time. Trim the roots
where they are mangled, and cut off
enough of tin. top to balance. Set tree
in, and throw top soil in and work around
tine roots. As you fill up, tramp the soil,
so that when you are done the tree will
l>e as solid as oi post
Trees should be set on south and west
side of buildings, being careful to put
them far enough from house so that, when
they have made their full growth, they
will not be too near the dwellings. If
the trees 'are set pretty thickly, say four
or five feet apart, they will give shade
and protection much sooner and as they
grow and begin to crowd, every oth»»r
one can bs cut out, and as the years go
by, still others mnst be removi-d, but
those cut can be utilized Hor fire-wood,
and thus be a gain rather than a loss.
The trees should have a mulch of straw,
orsimilarmaterial, in order to conserve the
soil moisture during the summer season,
and some coarse mannre added will
mako them grow very rapidly.
•Tay Co. J. B. O.
Premiums of $1, 75 cents, 50 cents
are given for the first, second and third
best articles for the Experience Department each week. Manuscript should be
sent direct to the Indiana Farmer Company and should reach oa one week before date of publication.
No. 430, July 10.—Show how our country schools can be Improved.
No. 487, Jnly 23. Give the general
principles governing the cooking of meats
and vegetables.
SUPPOSING. "
Jes' s'pos'n that you didn't have to work
to  earn your bread,
An' every month was summer, with the
blue sky overhead.
.Tks' s'pos'n that a    fortune    growed    in
every one's back yard,
An'  drouth    was    never    prevalent    an'
times was never hard.
I  tell you,  when  you'ne weary  with  the
troubles of the day,
An' tho shadows gather round    you    an'
the  sunshine fades  away,
There's nothin' soothes your    spirit    jaa*
revives you half so well
An jes' to sit in solitude an' s'pos'n    for
a spell.
Your dreams ain't likely to    come    true,
as Mory well you know,
.but Jill the world, they say,    is    nothin'
but a fleetiu' show,
An'  mid  the  disappointments  an'    illusions that beguile,
I'm thankful fur the privilege of s'pos'n
awhile.—Washington  Star.