

9 8 



THE FORESTER. 



April, 



tain the services, at their own cost, of a 

 game or forest warden, who shall be held 

 strictly responsible for fires. It also pro- 

 vides that game and forest wardens shall 

 be charged with the enforcement of the 

 act as it relates to forest fires, and "shall 

 have full power to arrest all violators and 

 to deliver them to the nearest constable or 

 sheriff to be dealt with according to the 

 law." There is further a clause compel- 

 ling railways to keep their rights of way 

 free from inflammable material, and to 

 equip their locomotives with devices for 

 reducing fire risks. The act provides for 

 suing the railway in the name of the State 

 for damages of which it may be the cause, 

 not only to the trees themselves, but to 

 those relying on them for conservation of 

 snow and irrigation waters, and to the 

 promoters of adjacent forest growth. 



J* 



Tree Planting The Division of Fores- 

 in the Sand try has decided to make a 

 Hill Regions. thorough examination of 

 tree growth in the State of 

 Nebraska during the coming summer, with 

 the object of finding out whether forest 

 production on a large scale is possible in 

 this region. Throughout the greater part 

 of Nebraska there is but a sparse timber 

 growth, while portions of the State are 

 practically treeless. From the results of 

 the proposed investigations the Division 

 of Forestry hopes to devise means of im- 

 proving and extending the present forest 

 growth, and, in the case of the treeless re- 

 gions, to formulate a plan of tree planting 

 whereby the waste lands may be reclaimed. 

 The best methods of tree culture will be 

 considered and the climate, soil, and nat- 

 ural enemies of the trees in this region will 

 be studied. The results obtained from this 

 tour of investigation will be of value to 

 several of the neighboring states, for in 

 Kansas, South Dakota, and portions of 

 eastern Colorado, and Wyoming much the 

 same conditions exist. 



The valley of the Platte River, from 

 Plattsmouth to Kearney, in the eastern part 

 ot the State, and the entire western half of 

 the State, will constitute the field of inves- 

 tigation. About May ist, two represen- 



tatives of the Division will begin work at 

 Plattsmouth, and go up the river examin- 

 ing and classifying the growth of trees. 

 Especial attention will be paid to the dis- 

 tribution of species, and to all efforts to 

 cultivate considerable bodies of timber. In 

 the investigation of tree planting experi- 

 ments the failures, as well as the successes 

 will be noted, for it is desirable to obtain 

 all possible information on the subject. 

 Kearney will probably be reached before 

 July ist. At this point, the party will be 

 increased to six members and will be 

 equipped with a complete camp outfit, 

 and saddle horses. The following four 

 months will be spent in work that will 

 practically cover the western half of the 

 State. The line of travel will be from 

 Kearney to the western boundary of the 

 State, along the Platte, thence northeast 

 to Crawford, and then in a general south- 

 easterly direction through the sand hills, 

 and down the middle Loup River to Loup 

 City. As the party will be mounted it 

 can study a wide strip of territory on each 

 side of the route. Nebraska is the meet- 

 ing ground of the plains and mountain 

 floras, and for this reason the party is likely 

 to obtain much valuable and interesting in- 

 formation. 



The Division of Forestry has received 

 sufficient encouragement from work al- 

 ready done in Nebraska to warrant the 

 thorough examination that is to be made 

 this summer. The fact that many tree 

 growers in the State are already realizing 

 substantial profits from planted timber is 

 noteworthy. A number of men, who 

 have had wide experience in dealing with 

 the problem of forestry in Nebraska, have 

 written to the Division of Forestry, stating 

 that there is no doubt in their minds of the 

 possibility of increasing the present scant 

 growth of trees, and agreeing that even 

 the sandhills can be forested. Among 

 those who have expressed such an opinion 

 are Ex-Secretary of Agriculture, J. Ster- 

 ling Morton, Prof. Charles E. Bessey, of 

 the University of Nebraska; C. S. Har- 

 rison, President of the Nebraska Park and 

 Forest Association, and E. F. Stephens.. 



The rapid spread of interest in forestry 

 will soon bring landowners to realize that 



