1062 



NATIVE PLANTS 



NEBRASKA 



NATIVE PLANTS. It has been said that Americans 

 do not appreciate the indigenous plants of the country. 

 This may have been true, but it is not true now. The 

 desire for native and natural plants is one of the promi- 

 nent movements of the present time. It is not strange 

 that wild plants are not appreciated in a new country. 

 The first necessity of our civilization was to fell the 

 trees that ground might be tilled and habitations be 

 built. The necessities of life were imported; the litera- 

 ture was exotic; the plants were transported from other 

 lands. In Europe the conditions of living had become 

 established. People had outgrown the desire to remove. 

 They appreciated their own plants and also those from 

 the New World. American plants attracted attention in 

 Europe rather than in America. 



Ten years ago, the writer made a census of indige- 

 nous American plants which were known to have been 

 introduced to cultivation. The statistics were published 

 in "Annals of Horticulture for 1891." It was found "that 

 there are in North America, north of Mexico, about 

 10,150 known species of Native Plants, distributed in 

 1,555 genera and 168 families. Of these, 2,416 species 

 are recorded in this census, representing 769 genera 

 and 133 families. Of this number, 1,929 species are now 

 offered for sale in America; 1,500 have been introduced 

 into England, of which 487 are not in cultivation in this 

 country." All these species are catalogued in the census. 

 The only other account of the entire cultivated flora is 

 that which is contained in this Cyclopedia, and for 

 which the lists often years ago were a preparation. The 

 final summing up of these volumes will show an in- 

 creased number of Native Plants in cultivation in this 

 country. A brief sketch of the history of recent efforts 

 towards the introduction of Native Plants is given in 

 the preface to the census above mentioned. 



Formerly, the term "American Plants" had a tech- 

 nical meaning in England. William Paul in his book 

 on " American Plants," published in London in 1858, 

 writes as follows : The history of American plants 

 may be briefly told. The term is popularly applied to 

 several genera, principally belonging to the natural 

 order Ericacese. They are generally 'evergreen,' pro- 

 ducing their flowers for the most part in the months of 

 May and June." The book is devoted largely to rhodo- 

 dendrons, azaleas and kalmias, although European and 

 other heaths are included. 



There is a strong tendency towards the production of 

 peculiarly American types and races even in Old World 

 domesticated species, as of the carnation and sweet 

 pea. As American plant-breeders come to give greater 

 attention to native species, the divergencies between 

 the horticulture of the Old World and that of the New 

 World will be accentuated. L jj B 



NAUMBURGIA (after Naumburg). Primuldcece. 

 SPIKED LOOSESTRIFE. A monotypic genus of the north 

 temperate zone, with opposite Ivs. and fls. in short, 

 axillary, peduncled spikes; corolla 5-7-parted, rotate; 

 stamens 5-7, opposite the divisions of the corolla: cap- 

 sule 1-loculed; seeds several on a central placenta. Dif- 

 fers from Lysimachia in the spiked flowers, nearly sepa- 

 rate stamens, and the presence of tooth-like staminodia. 



guttata, Moench (I/ysimdchia thyrsifldra, Ait.). 

 Erect, perennial herb, 1-2% ft. high: Ivs. lanceolate, 

 acute, narrowed at the base, lower cau- 

 line scale-like: fls. 2-3 lines broad, 

 yellow, purple-dotted ; lobes of the 

 corolla linear - oblong. May -July. 

 Swamps. B.M. 2012. Grows best in 

 shallow water. K< M . WIEGAND. 



NEBRASKA, HORTICULTURE IN. 



Fig. 1463. The state of Nebraska pre- 

 sents somewhat peculiar horticultural 

 conditions. It consists, for the most 

 part, of gradually rolling prairies, 

 slowly ascending toward the northwest. 

 The elevation of the southeastern part of the state 

 is about 900 feet above sea-level, while that of the 

 extreme northwestern part approaches 5,000 feet, the 

 . t highest points somewhat exceeding that. The south- 

 ' eastern portion is rolling and broken, even rough in 



places, but affords the best general horticultural condi- 

 tions. This is in part owing to soil and the possibility 

 of more favorable sites, in part to the milder climate, 

 and in part to the heavier rainfall of the region. The 

 central part of the state is more even in surface, and 

 subject to a high rate of evaporation from dry summer 

 and winter winds, therefore less favorable. Beyond the 

 prairies, to the westward, lie the sand-hills, which are in 

 turn followed by the buttes and Bad Lands of the ex- 

 treme western part. West of the 100th meridian fruit- 

 growing of all kinds is difficult and uncertain, though, 

 as the conditions come to be better understood and 

 guarded, planting is being pushed farther and farther 

 westward. As irrigation develops, fruit will be far 

 more grown than now. 



Commercial orcharding under irrigation is just begin- 

 ning in the western and central portions of the state. 

 According to E. F. Stephens, of Crete, Neb., who has 

 closely followed its development, only about 300 acres 

 have been planted, the largest number being in Lin- 

 coln county, which has about 180 acres. A beginning 

 is also being made in small fruits under irrigation. 

 Shipping facilities are excellent, since several fast 

 freight lines already run through the state. 



The State Horticultural Society has divided the state 

 into nine fruit districts, which are very generally recog- 

 nized in the discussions and recommendations of the so- 

 ciety. These districts are indicated on the accompany- 

 ing map. They are known, in the order numbered, as 

 the (1) Southeastern, (2) Northeastern, (3) East-central, 

 (4) West-central, (5) Lower Republican, (6) South- 

 western, (7) Lower Niobrara, (8) Northwestern and (9) 

 Western districts. In the revised fruit list published 

 by the society, apples are recommended for general 

 planting in Districts Nos. 1 and 2, and for trial in the 

 balance of the state. Peaches are recommended for 

 general planting in District No. 1 and for trial in Dis- 

 tricts Nos. 5 and 6. Plums (native varieties) and cher- 

 ries are recommended for Districts Nos. 1,2, 5 and 6, 

 and for trial in the balance of the state. Black rasp- 

 berries are recommended in Districts Nos. 1 and 2, and 

 for trial elsewhere. Grapes are recommended in Dis- 

 tricts No. 1, 2, 5 and 6, and for trial in the other 

 districts. 



The fruits which thrive best in the state are apples, 

 native plums, sour cherries and, in the southeastern 

 part, peaches. Extensive apple orchards occur adjacent 

 to the Missouri river, both north and south of the Platte. 

 In some respects the methods in vogue differ from those 

 in the eastern states. The trees are shorter-lived and are 

 planted closer. Low heads are commonly employed as a 

 means of protection against the high winds and intense 

 sun, but this practice is not uniform. Trees demand less 

 pruning than in the East, for the climate is dry and the 

 sunlight so intense that fruit colors well even in shade. 

 This is one of the reasons why low-headed trees prove 

 satisfactory. Fungovis diseases seldom cause serious 

 trouble. In a series of wet years the apple-scab becomes 

 noticeable, but it is usually conspicuous only by its 

 absence. Among insect enemies, the codlin-moth is par- 

 ticularly troublesome, because several broods appear 

 during the long, warm summer. The apple-maggot and 

 bud-moth have not yet become prevalent. Apples tend 

 to mature early, and most varieties do not keep well. 

 The chief problem is the one of water supply ; hence 



1463. The Nine Pomologrical Districts of Nebraska, 



