understand its importance, before we can expect much hearty support in this direction. Much could be attained through our school system, the public press, farmers' institutes, etc., that would act as incentives to this end.

The settler of the forest region, like his predecessor in the older states, attacks all trees and shrubs, with a mania for clearing everything, regardless of position or the influence they may exert on his future comfort or happiness, leaving his home as exposed and cheerless as on some open prairie. On the other hand, no one feels the need of or appreciates their value better than the prairie resident. Without their modifying and congenial influence, success with fruits would be an impossibility. The benefits derived therefrom largely depend on the position and the method of planting. The prime object of a shelter belt is for the protection and comfort it affords, and in setting one out there are two essentials that should not be overlooked: first, the trees must not be placed too close to buildings or paths, as drifting snow from them will cause inconvenience; second, choose varieties that will do well in that section and do not use short-lived trees entirely.

Those trees that can be readily grown from cuttings are more commonly seen in tree planting as pioneer trees, and some of them are very desirable. The cottonwood makes a very good tree in places, but, like the Lombardy poplar, it reaches maturity in a short time unless in favorable soil or where its roots can reach permanent moisture. The white willow is one of the most satisfactory and is more commonly used for this purpose than any other tree. The golden willow, as far as tried, seems very satisfactory, and owing to its bright colored bark it is more attractive.

The most practical plan in vogue at present for a shelter belt consists of planting an outside row of willows-green ash or elm is also desirable but of slower growth. A space of three or four rods should be left between that and the next or inner row, to hold the drifting snow. The second set may be a single row or more, as desired, of the same kind of trees, or, quite acceptably, of such hardy evergreens as white spruce or Scotch pine.

Within this enclosure, as soon as our windbreak shall have attained some size, we can safely plant such hardy ornamental and fruit trees as desired. White birch will be found to contrast very nicely with evergreens. Very few farms have any nut trees on them. The walnut, butternut and hickory can easily be grown in most parts of the state and will be found remunerative as well as adding to the attractiveness of the farm and home.

In the selection of the varieties of fruits, we would again urge the necessity of planting only the hardiest standard sorts-leave the novelties for some one else.

It will be found more economical as well as convenient to plan everything in long, straight rows, running them north and south preferably. By planting the apple and plum thus, currants, gooseberries and cherries and top-growing varieties of the raspberry may be grown in the same rows between the trees without injury to either, trees being set about twelve feet apart in the row and the

rows two rods or more apart. Planted in this manner, the plots between can be used constantly and conveniently for cultivated crops, and if the rows of trees and berries are mulched there will be a great saving of labor during the busy season, and they will do the better for it.

That we can and do raise fruit in all parts of the state was proved beyond a doubt to any person interested in the subject enough to visit the horticultural building at the last state fair, under the roof of which was arrayed a display which any fruit-producing state might well have taken pride in.

All of our successful horticulturists are located in timber sections or have surrounded themselves with shelter belts, recognizing the dependence of the one upon the other.

With the rapid clearing and settling up of the land in the east, there has been a notable decline in the fruit industry, and the New England states, New York and Ohio no more boast of their unfailing crops of apples, which with them are no surer crop at present and not as good in appearance or quality as our own, while a quarter of a century ago a failure of the fruit crop was an unknown thing to them.

Conclusively, he is dependent upon forestry not only for his fuel and lumber but also the influences it exerts in checking the force of those piercing arctic blasts as well as modifying the intensity of the scorching winds that sweep upon us from across that section known as the American Desert. Besides the protection it affords to the tenderer forms of plant life, to men and beast, more favorable climatic and crop conditions prevail, and last, but not least, it lends beauty to the landscape and home, wherein the greatest of our civilizing influences lie.

A SOUTH DAKOTA ORCHARD.

OLIVER GIBBS, JR., PRESCOTT, WIS.

The orchard is situated in the town of Ramsey, the northeast town of McCook county, South Dakota, thirty-five miles northwest of Sioux Falls and about ten miles south of the line of the Southern Minnesota Division of the C., M. & St. P. railway. I settled there in the fall of 1885.

Going from Lake City, Minnesota, I carried with me a hundred apple trees, with an assortment of seedling apple trees, native plum, currant, gooseberry, rose bushes, etc., from my own garden there. Of the apples there were fifty Wealthy, twenty-five Duchess and twenty-five of my favorite crabs, and some others that Mr. Underwood wished to have me make a trial of. My object was to grow, as I had always grown elsewhere, a supply of fruits, flowers and vegetables for my own family and of such sorts and qualities that they would suit the market if there should be a surplus of anything.

I buried my trees and shrubs for the winter, and planted them out in the spring of 1886, with ninety more trees obtained from Prof. J L. Budd, of the Iowa College of Agriculture, consisting of apple, pear, cherry and plum, all Russians.

In the spring of 1887 he sent me sixty more, and the same spring I got six more Russians from A. G. Tuttle, of Baraboo, Wisconsin, and the same number from E. Y. Teas, of Indiana. This has been all of my orchard planting except to fill out vacant places in the orchard with seedling apples and native plum trees of my own growing.

For an orchard site I selected a northeast slope. There was some timber near by on the east and a young grove on the upper side of the slope, southerly-west and north there was full exposure, the windiest place on my farm. This exactly suited me, for I had notions of my own about "protection" of orchards.

I was glad to find my orchard site already well subsoiled by the pocket gophers. This saved me several years' time and a great deal of hard labor in getting the soil and subsoil into proper condition for orchard growth. I did not have to plow or subsoil at all, but just dug down holes about two feet in diameter and set my trees, placing them about four inches deeper than they had stood in the nursery, trampling the surface soil solid over their roots, filling up with the under soil, trampling again and covering with loose fine earth-the dust blanket so much talked of today. This dust blanket I preserved for six years by use of hoe and spade, gradually extending the circle around each tree, till on the average in 1891 the diameter of the clean space was six feet or more, meantime mowing the rank growth of weeds and grass in the intervening spaces twice each summer to avoid "Bre'er Rabbit" using the orchard for his "briar patch."

I had helped to fight the Transcendent crab off the list of the Minnesota society, and often said I would not have this variety any. where within half a mile of my orchard if I could prevent it. And I planted there in my South Dakota orchard neither this nor any other variety of apple or crab known to be an original blighter; that is to say, found by general observation to be inflicted with the summer blight, when standing in groups or single trees alone. To this opinion and practice I attribute the fact that from first to last, up through five years of the bearing period of my orchard I have had no blight whatever. My neighbors to whom I gave warning that the Transcendent would blight and give out the infection to other varieties, have had their orchards burnt up by this summer blight.

The growth of the trees was slow, for we were passing through a series of dry years that culminated in 1894, when the great crop failure occurred. But the gopher sub-soiling and the dust blanket carried my orchard through in a steady, healthy progress. Some of the trees made a weak growth their first season. but these I sawed off close to the ground the second spring, and in every case but one obtained a strong renewal from the graft. In that one case I had a shrub instead of a tree, which I presume is a French paradise stock, and have preserved it for a curiosity. A number of the trees died out the first season and were replaced.

In planting I did not set the trees "leaning to the one o'clock sun." I could not remember having seen any trees during my boyhood or at

any other time, forest or orchard tree, in its natural situation, enjoying its own way of growth, having any trouble to stand erect, and I did remember that the winds blew as stiff on the Vermont hills as over the Dakota prairies. I kept my jacknife in my pocket, and my trees came up spreading, stocky, sturdy, shading their roots and trunks, wide at the base, conifer-shaped and erect. Once in a while I would find a crotch forming with the threat of breakage, and this I would prune, but this was all.

My Russian trees from Prof. Budd were mostly of his own importation and of varieties whose fruit I had not seen anywhere in orchard or at fruit exhibitions. I had made a plat and a list for further identification, both of which were destroyed by fire in 1893. Up to that time only the Cross Apple No. 413 and the Titovka (Titus apple), of this Russian list, had come into bearing; the other fruit of '91 and '92 had been Duchess and Wealthy. The Cross proves to be a true all winter keeper, of good grain and good quality, mild subacid, and of extra nice external finish and color, and it is a heavy cropper, but I am not quite sure of its adaptation to our climate in hardiness and would like to see it top-worked on some congenial stock known to be of the first degree of hardiness, perhaps on the Hibernal. By no means would I discard it. Titovka (which must not be confounded with the old Russian Tetovski, with which it has no similarity in the tree or fruit) took my fancy at the start. It is very large, slightly oblong, brilliantly striped, waxy in finish, of good, sprightly, sub-acid flavor, a little coarse in grain, but tender, a better street apple every way than the best Ben Davis, an annual abundant bearer, and the trees, according to their showing in my orchard, perfectly hardy; season of its fruit two weeks later than the Duchess; a good variety to come between the Duchess and the Wealthy. It is one of the Russian "smelling apples," so fragrant that, as Uncle Remus says of the musk melon, it "hollers at you when you go down de road by de gardin."

Of the succeeding Russians I have been able as yet to identify only the Yellow Transparent and the Antonovka. The Yellow Transparent is ready for use in July and has no fault in tree and fruit, is every way desirable for home use and fits our market for a profitable early apple exactly. Size medium to large, form slightly conical, color a rich light yellow, almost white until ripe, sub-acid tender, juicy, good skin and finish to bear handling; a good cropper. There are complaints of this variety blighting elsewhere in Iowa and Minnesota. All I can say of this is what the Frenchman said of his gun: "It no kick me, may be it kick stranger." If I found it blighting elsewhere, I should want to observe its neighbors and surroundings before condemning it. The Antonovka sustains all the recommendations of Prof. Budd, only in the soil and location I have given it it ripens too early and seems to be a misfit as com. pared to others we have of same season. Possibly on heavier soils and higher elevations it may mature slower and later and be a late fall or early winter apple. In that case I should mark it high in the list.