282 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION. 



July, 



allowed, they are restricted to certain 

 parts of the reserves, to protect areas 

 specially subject to erosion or other- 

 wise likely to be damaged, and also to 

 avoid conflict between cattle and sheep, 

 which, as is well known, do not thrive 

 together. 



Aside.from the work incidental to this 

 permit system, these grazing privileges 

 involve considerable effort and time on 

 the part of the field force in seeing to a 



proper distribution of stock, and pre- 

 venting trespass by men without per- 

 mits or by flocks on closed areas. 



The miscellaneous work in connection 

 with the examination of land and min- 

 ing claims, rights of way of roads, rail- 

 ways, canals, etc., and also in connec- 

 tion with applications for the privilege 

 of building and running saw-mills, 

 hotels, etc., can only be alluded to in 

 this outline. 



THE RED CEDAR IN NEBRASKA. 



By Louis C. Miller, 



Bureau of Forestrj\ 



IN May, 1901, a party was sent to Ne- 

 braska by the Bureau of Forestry to 

 investigate the condition of natural and 

 planted timber in that state. In mak- 

 ing this investigation the Platte River 

 was followed from its mouth to the 

 Wyoming line. The party then turned 

 north to the Pine Ridge district, then 

 southeast, through the sand-hill region, 

 to the Middle Loup River. Particular 

 attention was paid to the two most val- 

 uable timber trees the Red Cedar and 

 the Rock Pine. It is the purpose of 

 this article to give a few facts gained 

 from the investigation of the Red Cedar. 



The quantit}' of cedar timber produced 

 in Nebraska has never been great, but 

 in certain localities it has been a boon 

 to the pioneer, in that it furnished ma- 

 terial for fencing and other important 

 purposes. 



The quantit}' of Red Cedar in the 

 Platte River region fell short of expec- 

 tations. The growth in most places is 

 small and scattering, and on islands on 

 which it was reported as growing it is 

 not to be found. This is explained in 

 this way : all the seed trees have been 

 cut for posts, and the young seedlings 

 have been removed foj door-yard plant- 

 ing. 



Nearly every county investigated has 

 a scattering growth of Red Cedar, but 

 it is found in greatest abundance on Lee 

 Island, in the Platte River, near Fre- 

 mont. This island has an area of about 



50 acres and contains a mixed growth 

 of Red Cedar, Cottonwood, White Elm, 

 and Green Ash. Taking the island as 

 a whole, the Red Cedar is the predomi- 

 nant species, the Cottonwood ranking 

 next. Conditions are extremely favor- 

 able for tree growth, and, as the owner 

 has protected this growth from fire and 

 stock, the indications are that he will 

 soon have a crop of valuable timber. 



A scattering growth of Red Cedar is 

 found along the bluffs of Cedar Creek, in 

 the vicinity of Fullerton, Nance Count}'. 

 There is also a fine growth on an island 

 in the Platte River near Central City, 

 Merrick County. From Central City to 

 Kearney the cedar is rare, and is not 

 common again until the loess bluffs 

 south and west of Gothenburg are 

 reached. Here it is found only as scat- 

 tering specimens, often growing on the 

 bare, steep bluffs at a height of 200 feet 

 from the base. That trees of fair size 

 once grew in that localit}' is evident 

 from the great number of stvimps that 

 are found. When the Union Pacific 

 Railroad was being constructed through 

 the Platte River Valley, every canyon 

 was literally stripped of Red Cedar, as 

 well as of all other timber. As a result 

 of this, the only growth that remains is 

 scattering and of little value. 



In the bluff regions of the North 

 Platte, in the vicinity of Ogallala, the 

 Red Cedar is found growing on verj^ 

 steep and rock}^ slopes. No large speci- 



