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Show TREES IN DRY AREAS Success May Be Attained If Work Is Done Intelligently.. Ground Must Be Properly Prepared. Trees Carefully Planted and Given Cultivation for Several Years Plant a Windbreak. One would imagine in traversing much of the semi-arid country that but little can be done in growing windbreaks, wind-breaks, groves or forest trees and also fruits because of the almost entire en-tire absence of these In the dry country coun-try To conclude thus, however. Is a great mistake. The truth is. that these are not much in evidence because no attempts have been made to grow them, or if such attempts Irave been made, they have not been made along intelligent lines. When one may travel day after day in a tillable country, and see no sign of a shrub or tree, save low down by the edge of a stream, the j conclusion is not unnatural that these j cannot be grown. The truth is that where crops can be grown, trees can be grown, it grown on proper lines. It would seem possible to grow trees more surely on a low precipitation than crops, for when the trees are once well rooted, the trees can go down and find moisture mois-ture at greater depths than are usu-ly usu-ly traversed by the roots of plants. This means, then, that where the rainfall Is ten inches, it is possible to grow trees. It Is possible to grow good crops of grain wRh an annual precipitation of ten Inches. This is done. The ground should be semmer-fallowed semmer-fallowed for at least one year before the trees are planted. Moisture Is thus allowed to penetrate the soil and the grass is given soi.ie lime in which to decay. ,f V ' J "ft.lVti, 4 i An Orchard in the Seml-Arld Region. being done In certain areas in the Big Bend country in Washington. True, these crops cannot be obtained every year, but they are obtained once In two years. It may not be possible to depend on getting a crcp of fruit every ev-ery year on a rainfall so low. but it may be done In areas not too far south on a rainfall of twelve to fifteen inches. A grower In Colorado has obtained ob-tained excellent returns from growing apples, plums and cherries, without irrigation, on a rainfall of about fourteen inches. In Tunis, northern Africa, olives are grown on a precipitation precipi-tation of about fourteen inches in a year. To try to grow trees, however, as they are grown in humid areas, would be folly. If a hole is dug in the ground and the tree is put In there and left I it will almost certainly die either the ! year of planting or the year follow-i follow-i ing The ground must be properly j prepared, the tree must be carefully ( planted, and It must be given caieful ' cultivation for several years after It is planted. . Fruits must be given i equal care, even tha small varieties. I It should certainly be the aim of ' the homesteader to plant a windbreak i at the earliest date possible. He should : break up some ground on which to I plant the trees as soon as this can be |
