THE GREAT AMERICAN DESERT 



231 



the river- — and this is possible in a great many places. There are hun- 

 dreds of acres on flats along the Loup Elver that could be made to yield 

 high returns from truck crops. A small irrigation plant would cost but 

 little, and the luxury of fresh vegetables would gladden the whole life 

 of many a Sand Hill housewife who too often " digs " or " pulls " all of 

 her garden truck from cans. 



Much has been said and written about the possibility of covering 

 the Sand Hills with trees. About ten years ago the U. S. Department 

 of Agriculture, acting upon a suggestion from Professor Charles E. 

 BesseA^, made a preliminary examination of the region to determine if 

 the conditions warranted an attempt at forestation. The examination 

 resulted in the setting aside of about 80,000 acres in the worst portion 

 of the hills between the Middle Loup and Dismal rivers as a national 

 forest. The flats along the Loup afforded very favorable sites for the 

 forest nursery, and, since it was thought best to raise the stock in the 

 hills, a permanent station was established on the south side of the Loup 

 about two luiles west of Halsey in Thomas County. 



In the spring of 1903 small jack pines Avere imported from Minne- 

 sota and these were set out on the hills. During this summer the forest 

 nursery was started and from that time the Forest Service has continued 

 to raise its own stock in its own nursery and every spring to plant 



Fig. 15. The Pine Teees do Better in the more open Sand than in 

 Competition with the Grasses. 



