1902. 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION. 



455 



PINE TREES GROWING IN THE NEBRASKA SAND-HItLS. THIS PLANTATION BEGUN BY U. S. 

 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE IN 1890. SOME OF THE TREES ARE NOW 18 FEET TALL. 



through the valleys. At every point 

 the question was asked whether trees 

 will grow or not. It is noticed that 

 although the hills are of sand alone, 

 there is an abundance of moisture a 

 short distance below the surface. Even 

 in the ' ' blowouts," where the bare sand 

 is so dry that it blows constantly, we 

 had to dig not more than three or four 

 inches in order to find sand so moist as 

 to be easily squeezed into " forms" in 

 the hand. Everj^ grower of plants 

 knows that such soil is moist enough to 

 grow trees. Here and there we found 

 clumps of hackberry trees, and in nearly 

 every valley there are plum or cherry 

 thickets. All over the hills we found 

 innumerable low shrubs of the Sand 

 Cherry, Prairie Willow, and Red Root. 



After a drive of fifteen miles we came 

 to the river again and rode rapidh' to 

 Thedford, for the evening was cold, 

 and, besides, we were very hungry. 



Next morning we started earl)' and 

 drove southward along the western 

 boundary of the reserve, following the 

 traveled road. Here the surface is more 

 closely sodded and the settlers are mak- 

 ing hay from the rich grasses which 

 cover the surface. We drove into the 

 reserve at a couple of points and found 



the sod more open and better adapted 

 for tree planting. The hills here are 

 in distinct ranges with broad valleys 

 between. We crossed the hills through 

 passes, and then wound across the un- 

 dulating valley. Here there were thou- 

 sands of cattle and we realized that we 

 were in the region of the great cattle 

 ranges. 



At noon we reached the Dismal River, 

 which we forded in our search for a con- 

 venient place for our noon camp. We 

 found a spring, at which we satisfied a 

 prodigious thirst, and ate our luncheon, 

 while Uncle Sam's mules were assimi- 

 lating corn. We climbed the bluffs on 

 the south side of the river and got a 

 view such as is seldom seen in Nebraska. 

 Below us two hundred or more feet is 

 the Dismal River, bordered with veri- 

 table marshes ; westward we looked up 

 the river, bordered for the whole dis- 

 tance with marshes like those nearb}' ; 

 eastward the picture is of a valley with 

 bordering hills, while through it mean- 

 ders the marshy river ; northward are 

 the sand-hills, ridge on ridge, stretching 

 awa}' as far as the eye can reach. Thou- 

 sands of cattle could be seen taking their 

 slow course toward the river for water. 

 It was a peaceful sight, but it is strange 



