392 ANNUAL REPORT 



in planting the claim. The ground was simply prairie Trees 

 have been fairly well cultivated each year, and yet I found cot- 

 tonwoods, that at the surface were as large as my wrist, only five 

 feet high. The money that he has paid out for pruning those 

 trees would have filled those rows with cottonwoods, standing a 

 foot apart in the row. The expense of trimming those trees 

 standing out by themselves, has been more than the first expense 

 of planting would be. My conclusion is, ordinarily it is a mis- 

 take to plant trees on the prairie eight or ten feet apart, what- 

 ever variety they are; trees that are closely planted do the best, 

 and there is the greatest success when not over four feet apart. 

 I have been observing the condition of these plantations in prai- 

 rie counties for the past six years. When trees are finally 

 thinned out they should stand six or eight feet apart. They do 

 better if planted close; the time saved in trimming will more 

 than pay the entire expense of close planting. 



Again, I think a great deal of money has been wasted, not as 

 much probably during the last year, or the preceding year as in 

 previous years, in trying foreign varieties of trees. I have heard 

 a great many things about the value of foreign varieties of tim- 

 ber and their habits of growth. I was at Mr. Fuller's place. 

 Some of the foreign cottonwoods had a remarkable growth and 

 were promising trees; but on the whole when I come to gather 

 together the exact faci s of the history of plantations, as they are 

 growing throughout the state, I must say that so far as actual 

 timber now growing in our state is concerned, there is nothing 

 in the character of the foreign trees that have been planted to 

 justify us in putting any more money in that direction, or to 

 warrant us in planting them in place of native varieties of trees. 

 The ash, box elder, cottonwood, and maple seem to me far su- 

 perior to any of the foreign trees we hear so much about. 



I have been very suspicious of the catalpa. I must say that 

 my experience during the past two winters and the present win- 

 ter is such that I can not recommend it for general planting. 

 That, however, is not a foreign tree, but it has lately come to the 

 front more particularly as a timber tree for the Northwest. 



Col. Stevens. I want to correct you there. The catalpa is a 

 native of Minnesota. The first tree that I saw was found not far 

 from here and it was larger round than that stove. 



Mr. Smith. I said it was not a foreign tree, but I have noticed 

 it was killing back. I got some seed from Northern Illinois and 

 planted here four years ago and I must say that the results were 



