ya” at ee 
~ FORESTRY. 519 
found. Above the Big Bend the cottonwood is scrubby and straggling. 
The growth of cottonwood on Milk River is greater than on the Muscle- 
shell. Along the Missouri, from Cow Tsland to a short distance above 
the mouth of the J udith, the hills are covered with pine. From the lat- 
ter point to Benton only afew patches of cottonwood are found, and no 
other timber, except back on the mountains. 
On a ereat many of the small streams in the mountainous regions 
more or less of box-elder is to be found, but it is of small size and of no 
value. It is very difficult to make it purn. The amount of timber does 
not seem to vary from year to year. 
No timber is found in the Bad Lands. 
The rainfall throughout the two Territories does not usually exceed = 
inches. ‘ 
PLANTING OF TREES. 
‘The planting of trees has received attention at but few of the military 
posts in this department. 
The farmers of Dakota have, tio wever, paid considerable attention: to 
this subject, and I understand have been generally successful, and I 
believe, from the information which I have been able to procure, that 
trees of all the ordinary varieties can be grown with success and profit 
throughout the Territories. 
Attention is invited to what Colonel Carlin says in his report in refer- 
ence to this subject. 
Fruit trees have been planted in the Bitter Root Valley of Montana 
with complete success. 
Mr. James B. Power, general land-agent of the Northern Pacific Rail- 
road, has kindly furnished me with the following information: 
In the nursery at Castleton there were planted, ir 1874— 
Box-elders, from seed. —Four feet high after four years’ growth. 
White willow, from cuttings.—Ten feet high after four years’ growth. 
Cottonwood, from cuttings. ;-—Ten to fourteen feet high after four years’ growth. , 
Lombard poplar 8, from euttin gs.—About six feet high: after four years’ growth. These 
were frozen down twice. 
White ash, from seed.—Six inches high after one year’s growth. 
Soft maple, from seed.—Four to six feet hi gh after four years’ growth. 
For successful growth the ground should be prepared as for ‘wheat ; ; plant the sec- 
ond season, after breaking ground. During the growing season the trees should re- 
ceive a cultivation similar to that given ‘to corn. This cultivation, with ordinary 
care, will make the trees self-sustaining at the end offouryears. The trees were planted 
in rows of 10 feet apart, and with a , distance of two feet between the trees of each 
row. The object in planting them so thickly was to make them grow tall, asis shown 
by the fact that in dense forests the trees are,as a general rule, tall and spindling. 
By being near together they aid each other’s growth in keeping up the moisture. 
One great secret of causing them to grow tall is ‘to trim them, since all plants have a 
tendency to spread out near the ground, and by trimming, the substance, which would 
otherwise be taken up by the spreading branches, is kept i in the main stem, which in- 
creases in height. 
The cost of } preparing the ground and transplanting has been about $25 per thou- 
sand trees along the Northern Pacific Railroad. 
The loss of trees in cases where seed were used has been nothing, while the loss 
from cuttings has been about 50 percent. The summer winds seem to dry up the tops- 
of the enttings, but this fault is local to the near neighborhood of the Northern Pa- 
cific, as in Southern Dakota great success has been met with in the use of cuttings. 
The farmers in this latter section recommend planting the cuttings rentirely under 
ound. Black walnuts have been grown very successfully along the line of the road. 
. Power says that, as a general ‘Tule, the planting of trees on the western prairies 
has succeeded admirably. 
Judge C. E. Whiting, of Whiting, Iowa, says that timber can be grown 
upon all of our prairies easily and with absolute success, and that there 
is a cost value in every tree planted. The judge has had such great sue- 
