BEGINNINGS OF FOREST PLANTING. 



21 



TABLE 6. Relative rate of growth of the three species of pines on Bruner Bros.' ranch 



up to 1903. 1 



1 From paper by Charles A. Scott, Nebraska Forestry and Park Association, January, 1904. 



From Tables 5 and 6 it is apparent that jack pine has far outstripped 

 the other species in the percentage of survival and that it has made 

 much better height growth, there being a relatively small proportion 

 of the Scotch pine in the tallest class, and no yellow pine. Yet it is 

 also noteworthy that Scotch pine made good height growth and 

 that there was no loss among the yellow pines between the years 

 1896 and 1903. In other words, once fairly established, yellow 

 pine is quite certain to persist, and there can be little doubt but 

 that, in the course of time, it will outstrip the jack pine, since the 

 latter is a species which never attains a height of more than about 

 60 feet except in the very best soils which it occupies in the Lake 

 States. Scotch pine also, if the proper variety is planted, is un- 

 doubtedly a good tree for sandy soils and for this climate. 



The conditions in this miniature forest are entirely different from 

 those in the surrounding hills, showing that the trees are perma- 

 nently established. The grass has been killed out, the ground is 

 covered with a light coat of needles, and, best of all, young seedlings 

 of jack pine have appeared from time to time, from seed dropped by 

 the planted trees. This is clear evidence of the adaptability of the 

 species to the climate and soil of the region. 



Another example of coniferous planting is the Charles Arter planta- 

 tion of western yellow, or "bull" pine at Kirkwood, in the northern 

 part of Rock County, Nebr. This plantation is just at the edge of 

 the sand hills, and is not strictly in sand-hill soil, but rather in the 

 heavier soil of the Arikaree formation as it appears on both sides 

 of the lower Niobrara River. The plantation was made in the 

 spring of 1893, with trees 12 to 20 inches high, obtained on the 

 Niobrara River. The trees were planted 16 feet apart each way 

 and were thoroughly cultivated for the first 10 years, after which 

 care was taken to exclude stock and fire. The careful attention 

 given this small grove doubtless explains in a large measure its 

 phenomenal success. Very few of the trees died. In spite of the 

 wide spacing of the trees the crowns now fully meet, and the trees 

 have attained an average diameter at breast height of 9 inches. 



