FOREST PLANTING IN EASTERN NEBRASIvA. 135 



have done very poorly. They are short, often not over 5 feet high, and 

 very branchy, and will never be of much value. It is true that no 

 tree could have made its best growth on this site, but if the ground 

 had been planted to hardy catalpa the results would have been much 

 better, as is evidenced by the fact that where catalpa and Osage orange 

 are planted side by side on this tract the former is from 6 to 10 feet 

 the taller, and is a much superior tree in every way. 



With the introduction of barb-wire fences, Osage orange as a fence 

 material has gone out of favor, and its use for this purpose in Nebraska 

 is probably a thing of the past. As a post timber, however, it is un- 

 excelled, and it is chiefly for this that it is recommended for commercial 

 planting. Under favorable conditions it will reach post size in from 

 twelve to fifteen years. Because of the well-known durability of Osage 

 orange in contact with the ground and its great strength, it always 

 commands good prices. The fuel value of the tree is very high, and the 

 cordwood from a plantation gives it an added value. For farm repairs, 

 too, such as whiffletrees, plow beams, etc., it is exceedingly valuable. 



The windbreak value of Osage orange must not be overlooked. Its 

 low-branching habit and ability to grow in close stands make it one of 

 the most valuable of the broadleaf trees for this purpose. 



Plantation No. 1. — This plantation is situated on a prairie upland 

 farm. The site is low and slopes gentlj" to a ravine along the west 

 side. The soil is a rich black loam, fresh, well drained and Jeep. The 

 subsoil is a clay, underlaid with limestone at a depth of from 10 to 

 12 feet. 



The ground was used first as a seedbed for growing Osage orange 

 plants for the market when this species was being planted so exten- 

 sively as a hedge fence. When hedge fences went out of favor the de- 

 mand for plants ceased and the seed bed was abandoned. The last 

 crop of plants was sold in the spring of 1871, and the present stand has 

 sprung up from the culls that were left at that time. The young plants 

 were twice turned over in an effort to destroy them, but each time they 

 came up from the roots again. The plan was then tried of grubbing them 

 out but even this heroic treatment was a failure. It was then decided 

 to allow the plantation to stand. It has never had care of any sort. On 

 the contrary it has been very severely pastured by all kinds of live 

 stock. Despite these adverse conditions it is a valuable plantation, as 

 its products will show. 



The owner has sold 100 telegraph poles per acre from the planta- 

 tion in the past two years. The poles ran from 16 to 20 feet in height, 

 and would average 18 feet. It is estimated that 700 first-class and 500 

 second-class posts per acre have been cut from these groves in the past. 

 This estimate is believed to be conservative, since the owner states that 

 the plantation has furnished a considerable part of the posts required 

 in keeping his 450-acre farm fenced for twenty years. He has also cut 

 more or less material, such as wagon reaches, tongues, whiffletrees, and 



