1S78.] 



A ND HOR TICUL TURIS T. 



147 



especially to the managers and owners of rail- 

 roads, Mr. Barney's pamphlet will be found 

 useful and instructive readincj. 



RELATION OF SOIL-TEXTURE TO TIM- 

 BER GROWTH. 



BY L. J. TEMPLIN, HUTCHINSON, KAN. 



Some time during the past season I read an 

 extract from the pen of one of our savans — Prof. 

 Winchell, I believe, on the above subject, 

 which, if I remember correctly, teaches doctrine 

 at variance with the facts of the case. The posi- 

 tion of the professor, as I now remember it, is 

 that the treeless condition of the prairies of the 

 West is caused by the physical condition of the 

 soil composing this part of the country. I under- 

 stand the article referred to teaches that a very 

 finely pulverized soil is not congenial to tree 

 growth ; that a coarse soil, with more or less 

 rocks and gravel, is essential to the growth of 

 timber. The Western prairies being composed 

 of very finely comminuted soil, are uncongenial, 

 and, indeed, detrimental to arboreous growth. 

 Assuming that I have correctly understood and 

 remembered the meaning of the author — for I 

 have not the article now before me, I object 

 to the teaching of the theory for the following 

 reasons : First — a soil of fine texture is not neces- 

 sarily unfriendly to tree growth. There is no 

 finer sc»il in the world than some of the clay soils 

 of Indiana and Ohio where timber grows, and 

 has for ages grown luxuriantly. Second — it is 

 not true that all the soils of the prairies is of the 

 fine tilth represented. It is true that a large part 

 of prairie soil is of vegetable origin, and of course 

 this is generally finely comminuted, but there 

 are extensive districts where rocks and gravel 

 abound, and they are yet as destitute of timber 

 as other parts. Portions of Kansas are as rocky 

 as the hills of Kew England, and yet are with- 

 out timber. True, in some cases, the summit of 

 I'ocky hills is crowned with timber, that it is 

 only where the grass grows so scant that the 

 annual fires can never reach them. Third — tim- 

 ber is found growing in ravines, and, especially, 

 on the borders of streams, out of the reach of 

 fire, but where the soil is as fine in texture as 

 can be found anywhere. Fourth — it is not true 

 that timber will not grow in the soil of our prairies. 

 The millions of trees now growing luxuriantly 

 in all the settled portions of the prairies in a suf- 

 ficient refutation of the assertion. I have been, 

 all my life, familiar with timber growth, hav- 

 ing grown up in intimate acquaintance with the 



forests of Indiana; but I never saw, in that 

 State, timber grow with the rapidity and luxuri- 

 ance that it does here, on these vast plains. 

 Seedling trees set at one year old often grow 

 from five to seven feet the first year, and some 

 khids often make a growth of eight to twelve 

 feet in height, and one to one and one-half inches 

 in diameter, in a single season, after being estab- 

 lished. Does this look as though tlie soil of these 

 piraries is too fine for timber to grow ? I think not 

 Lastly — the soil of the Western prairies is as 

 various and diverse in both physical texture and 

 chemical constituents as that of any other part 

 of our country ; therefore, whatever may be the 

 cause of their treeless condition, it is clearly not 

 attributable to the fineness of the soil. The 

 cause of this distinction is, I think, clearly found 

 in the annual burnings that consume the grass 

 and with it all incipient tree growth. That this 

 is the cause is evident from the two following 

 considerations : First — it is abundantly adequate 

 to produce such a result. All over these plains 

 the fires have been accustomed to sweep every 

 year from time immemorial. These fires when 

 driven through the dry grass before a strong 

 breeze such as generally prevails during the 

 season that this burning takes place, are 

 almost resistless. These flames, when going 

 fairly with the wind, often travel with the 

 speed of a race horse, leaping sometimes 

 100 feet or more at a single bound. No smaL 

 timber can stand before such fires. A second 

 evidence that this the true explanation of the 

 absence of timber is the fact that, when- 

 ever the fires are kept out for a few j'ears a 

 spontaneous growth of timber comes i,n and takes 

 possession. All over these prairies are strag- 

 gling shrubs and seedling trees that want only 

 immunity from these destructive fires to spring 

 up and produce groves and forests. 



THE EUCALYPTUS IN VIRGINIA. 



BY HENY M. WORCESTEK, NOlfFOLK, VA. 



\ am now prepared to report fully upon tlie 

 hardin(>ss of the Eucalyptus in this latitude. 



E.bicolor (though with slight protection of straw 

 and matting) perished the last season— and this 

 is the mildest winter known since 1825 in this 

 section — proving it no more hardy than E. glo- 

 bulus aiul otlier varieties. I also lost Cassia 

 fistula (from Australia), when left out, slightly 

 protected •, which leads me to the conclusion that 

 Australian plants and shrubs will not stand out 

 north of Georgia. Our winters are too severe 



