30 



it succeeds fairly well. Near Paxton, in Keith County, are two splen- 

 did young plantations that were put out about 1891. 



OTHER BROADLEAF TREES. 



Hackberry, basswood, .and bur oak are other species that are hardy 

 for eastern Nebraska. The first two are rapidly coming into favor as 

 street trees. Bur oak has high value both for posts and fuel, but on 

 account of its slow growth its use in economic planting its limited. 

 Wild black cherry may prove to be a useful tree for the region. It 

 has made an unusually rapid growth on the station grounds at Lincoln 

 in the eight or nine years it has been tried there, but whether it will 

 be long lived is problematic. Coffeetree is a valuable species which 

 may- be planted with safety. Russian golden willow is proving hardy 

 under Nebraska conditions. For windbreaks it is one of the best trees 

 that can be planted. It is also very ornamental. 



WHITE FINE. 



White pine succeeds fairly well on the hard soils in the eastern 

 counties, where it has been planted sparingly. Its range for planting 

 is not determined. It will thrive for a number of years in any part 

 of the territory, with the possible exception of the sand hills. 



Plantation No. 1. This plantation is situated on upland. The soil 

 is a fertile prairie loam with a clay subsoil. The ground was thoroly 

 prepared, and the young trees were planted in pure stand, 4 feet by 

 4 feet. Two or three open spots were left to give the grove a natu- 

 ral appearance. The trees were cultivated until they became large 

 enough to form a ground cover. Later they were pruned, and still 

 more recently two-thirds of the stand were thinned out, so that there 

 are at present 916 trees per acre. No other attention has been given 

 them. Further thinning will soon be required, however, since the 

 stand is becoming crowded. 



Excellent forest conditions for so young a grove have already been 

 formed. The surface layer of humus is about 1 inch deep, and this 

 is overlaid by a layer of litter 2 inches in depth, formed from the pine 

 needles, twigs, and cones. There is no ground cover or underbrush 

 within the body of the plantation. 



The trees have grown remarkably, both in height and diameter. 

 The sample dominant tree was 23.5 feet high, and the diameter breast- 

 high 4.6 inches. There are 68 trees per acre 6 inches in diameter, two 

 7 inches, and two 8 inches, and some are nearly 30 feet high. A height 

 growth of 3 feet in a year is not uncommon. 



[Cir. 45] 



