1899. 



AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION. 



109 



very great), the mere fact that there is 

 a law on the statute books intended to 

 guard against the damage from forest 

 fires is in itself of great value. Protec- 

 tion against fire can never be fully suc- 

 cessful until it is based on an active and 

 healthy public sentiment. 



"Such sentiment, as I understand it, 

 the present law has done very much to 

 promote. That it is capable of im- 

 provement I have no doubt, but to re- 

 peal it instead of improving it would be 

 a backward step, especially in view of 

 the enormous loss of life and property 



caused by so recent a conflagration as 

 the great Hinckley fire, 



"The Minnesota law is one of the best 

 and most progressive in force in any 

 of the States, and it would be a national 

 misfortune if it should be repealed. 

 Public sentiment throughout the coun- 

 try has made such important strides in 

 the last three or four years in the direc- 

 tion of a keener and more effective in- 

 terest in forest protection that any retro- 

 grade step is all the more to be regret- 

 ted." 



Tree Planting in Kansas. 



Kansas has been settled for a long 

 time, but its timber-covered area is not 

 increasing very rapidly. To readers of 

 the papers it must seem that there are 

 more persons writing about the de- 

 sirability of increasing the timbered area 

 than there are persons planting trees and 

 tree seed. There are so few planting, 

 because every one wishes to reap the 

 results of his labor at once. They can- 

 not afford to wait a few years. If this 

 Spring and every Spring, land owners 

 would all plant an acre to trees, Kansas 

 would improve in beauty, climatic con- 

 ditions and prosperity, to such an ex- 

 tent that a Kansan returning to his 

 State fifteen or twenty years hence would 

 scarcely recognize it. Another reason, 

 aside from selfishness and impatience, 

 why so little planting is done, is in- 

 experience. Very few know how easy 

 it is to raise a large supply of forest 

 trees, such as Box Elder, Soft Maple, 

 Ash, Walnut, Pecan, Oak, Catalpa, 

 Honey Locust, and many others. It will 

 take but an earnest trial, properly made, 

 to convince most farmers that they can 

 raise trees as well as corn. 



To start a forest plantation by buy- 

 ing the trees is rather expensive ; but to 

 start one by raising the trees costs only 

 a little more than the work. Seeds of 

 many kinds may be obtained from trees 

 that grow naturally along the streams. 

 Of other kinds the seed may be pur- 

 chased of seed supply houses. Addresses 

 of such firms will be furnished by the 



Horticultural Department of the Kansas 

 State Agricultural College ; or the De- 

 partment, if requested at the proper 

 season, will often be able to gather and 

 ship seeds of some kinds such as are 

 mentioned above, excepting Pecans, for 

 the cost of the labor. 



For Box Elders and Soft Maples the 

 seeds should be gathered in July or as 

 soon as ripe, and planted immediately 

 in loose, moist soil, covered very lightly, 

 not more than one-half inch deep. Four 

 feet apart is a good distance for the 

 rows. They will come up at once ; if 

 too thick, they can be thinned, but more 

 and better trees will be obtained by re- 

 setting in similar rows, placing the trees 

 a foot apart. In three or four years, 

 with careful cultivation, they will be 

 ready for the plantation. 



Most seeds should be gathered in the 

 fall and stored in moist sand till spring. 

 If they are surrounded by a hard shell, 

 as Walnut and Honey Locust seeds, it 

 is essential that they be placed where 

 they will stay moist and be exposed to 

 the freezing and thawing of winter. 

 Plant in spring as soon as the ground 

 will work well, letting the size of tin- 

 seed govern the depth of covering. 

 Walnuts, Butternuts, and Pecans should 

 be covered two or three inches deep. If 

 the ground is not needed for otht r pur- 

 poses, these can be planted where they 

 are to remain ; but most trees should be 

 grown in nursery ro^vs for a few years. 



With the work and attention one 



