Forestry on the Plains. 147 



not yet been completed, but an approximat'on places the yield at nearly 

 10,000,000,000. 



" It is readily perceived, therefore, that the day is not far oft", if the cutting- 

 continues at this rate, when the lumber fields of the Northwest will be things 

 of the past. Fully alive to the inevitable result, capital is being invested in the 

 South, particularly in Mississippi and Alabama, where the pine belts are enor- 

 mous in extent and apparently inexhaustible. Unlike the white pine of the 

 Northwest, the yellow pine of the South grows rapidly and is not killed by 

 civilization. The young pines of the Northwest ai-e not reckoned in the cal- 

 culation, as maturity is too indefinite, and growth is stunted by the smoke 

 and camp-fires of the lumbermen. The hardy yellow pine of Southern Mis- 

 sissipjii, Arkansas, portions of Tennessee and Alabama, grow, the smoke of 

 .settlers to the contrary notwithstanding. The Mississippi pine lands, wdaich 

 have recently attracted the attention of a wealthy syndicate of western men, 

 are seemingly inexhaustible. Their richness is no new discovery, and bil- 

 lions of feet have been cut from them and transported to every port in the 

 civilized world."* 



With these figures before us, together with the well-known constantly in- 

 creasing consumption of timber, and consequent growing demand, there is 

 well founded solicitude, not only on the part of the United States, but of the 

 whole civilized world, as to future timber supply. 



Solicited by this Society to prepare and read a paper on this occasion, and 

 the subject, " Forestry on the Plains," designated, the object will be, not so 

 much a treatise, as to present as briefly as may be practical what has been 

 done, what is being done, and what may be done, converting naturally tim- 

 berless portions of country into tree-growing regions. The presentation is 

 substantially the experience and observation of the writer during a residence 

 of twenty-seven years west of the Missouri river, in what is now the States 

 of Nebraska and Kansas, familiarly known as " Twin Sister " territories, or- 

 ganized under the same act of Congress. 



Taking the geography of boyhood days, together with official reports of 

 Captain Miles, U. S. A., and the western explorer. Colonel Fremont, relating 

 to that portion of the national domain situated between the Missouri river 

 and the Rocky Mountains, as a basis for conclusions, there was at date of ex- 

 tinguishment of Indian title to these lands, in 1854, nothing enticing to en- 

 terprising adventurei's seeking new homes in the Far West, especially in 

 matters of tree-growing. The thought that the then naked plains would 

 ever be transformed into groves of valuable timber was not entertained. 



Those who first came, during the years 18-51-55-56, soon discovered, how- 

 ever, that, particularly along the borders of streams and where prairie fir( s 

 were kept out, there was jjromising spontaneous indigenous growth of valua- 

 ble varieties of timber : Oaks, black walnut, hickories, elms, ash, red mul- 

 berry, honey-locust, hackberry, linden, soft maple, sycamore, Kentucky cof- 



"Chicago Times, .January, 188.3. 



