6 2 Nebraska State Horticultural Society, 



Forest students were sent out by the Bureau of Forestry last summer 

 under the leadership of Professor Frank G. Miller of the State Uni- 

 versity to make a Forest Survey of the planted timber in the eastern 

 part of the state. Their work extended west to the 99th Meridian, a 

 north and south line passing through Kearney. The results of their 

 work brought out many interesting points which are summed up by 

 Professor Miller as follows: 



1. The entire State of Neoraska has 286,000 acres of planted 

 timber, according to the figures returned by the assessors for 1903 and. 

 1904, 248,000 of which are in the territory east of the 99th Meridian.. 

 This is slightly more than 1 per cent of the total area of the state. 



2. The planted area east of the 99th Meridian as a whole is de- 

 creasing, owing to the fact that many of the old plantations are beings 

 cleared off and very little planting is being done to replace them. There- 

 has been a notable decline in fcJrest planting since 1894. Nurserymen 

 generally agree, however, that there is a revival of interest in tree- 

 planting at the present time. 



3. The most promising trees for economic planting in the region 

 covered are: 



For fuel: Cottonwood and Willow. On good bottom soils Cotton- 

 wood will produce three cords per acre annually for the first twenty-five- 

 or thirty years. Willow does not yield so heavily, perhaps, but its fueL 

 value is somewhat nigher. 



For posts: Catalpa, Osage Orange, Honey Locust, and Green Ash,. 

 also European Larch and Red Cedar. Catalpa should be given first 

 place wherever it will grow, and I believe it will succeed on the rig'.it 

 kind of soil through the territory covered. The western part may be a. 

 little dry and the northern a trifle cold. There is a successful planta- 

 tion at Yankton, S. D., however. The Robinson plantation at Pawnee' 

 City, thirteen acres of the best portion is worth nearly $15.00 per acre- 

 annually, and it is but 14 years old. This is on new land; eight acrej, 

 15 years old, on old land, is not so good. Mr. John Heins at Ulyssus, 

 Neb., is selling $207.00 worth of posts per acre from his 19-year-old 

 plantation. Another Catalpa plantation in Nemaha County, 25 yeais 

 old, has paid even better than the Robinson plantation. All three of 

 these groves are on upland. 



Osage Orange will yield excellent returns on good soil. 



Honey Locust and Green Ash are not so profitable, but both are 

 excellent trees for the high, dry uplands of the western and southwest- 

 ern counties. 



