586 FOREST-CULTURE IN NEBRASKA. 



Saline County. — Both Osage and honey-locust succeed as hedges. With the same 

 amount of trimming the former makes the thickest fence, but the latter does not re- 

 quire 80 much protection. For wind-breaks, box-elder and willow are used, though 

 Cottonwood is most common. The willow makes a good wind-break, but not a good 

 hedge.— (TraHS. Keb. St. Hort. Soc, 1877, p. 74.) 



Saunders County. — The majority of our farmers have groves covering from 1 to 15 

 acres each. We shall not reach the profit-maximum of tree-planting until 10 per 

 cent, of every farm is devoted to thrifty-growing forest-trees. The trees mostly 

 planted are cottonwood, maple, walnut, ash, elm, box-elder, and Lombardy poplar, and, 

 among the evergreens, cedar, Scotch jjine, Norway spruce, &c. — {Trans. Neb. St. Hort. 

 Soc, 1877, p. 80.) 



This conuty has had many failures in Osage hedges, yet a number of good ones have 

 been started — showing that with proper care it will succeed. Some farmers are trying 

 honey-locust, which seems to do well, and others, the box-elder, which is haidy, 

 and will bear crowding, which produces a stiff brush that will suiiiiort wires when 5 

 years old.— (Transac. Aeb. St. Hort. Soc, 1877, p. 69.) 



The indigenous trees most cultivated in this county are cottonwood, box-elder, red 

 maple, white ash, black walnut, red cedar, basswood, and red mulberry. The elms, 

 oaks, and hickories have not as yet been tried to much extent. The red-bud is planted 

 for ornameHt. Of trees not native of this part the Scottish, Austrian, and white pines, 

 hirch, butternut, silver-leaved maple, spruces, firs, and gray willows thrive, but the 

 pines, spruces, and firs do not appear to grow as well as in sandy and granitic soils. 

 Trees thrive best on a north slope. The chestnut generally fails, whether started from 

 seed or transplanted, unless shaded for a few years. The heat appears to scald it, as 

 also the tender varieties of fruit-trees. The Osa,go orange and Lombardy poplar fre- 

 quently winter kill, as does the French willow. The sugar-maple has been tried, but 

 with indifferent success. The silver-maple and balm of Gilead, when once rooted, can 

 scarcely be exterminated. The black locust grows rapidly, but is sure to be wholly 

 destroyed by the borer, which als.> works on the soft maple, killing perhai>s 15 per 

 cent., and a little upon the cottonwood, and upon all sun-scalded fruit-trees. From 

 1856 to 1870 the tent caterpillar was a great pest upon the wild jilum, but has now 

 mainly disappeared. The curculio and codling moth are now most troublesome to 

 fruit. Blight affects the pear and tender apple-trees. The best remedies against the 

 curculio are shaking off by concussion, and insectivorous birds ; with the codling moth, 

 birds, and a paper-band fastened around the trunk of the tree. 



Cottonwood does well when planted 4 feet apart each way ; box-elder and red maple, 

 2 feet ; black and white walnut, 1 by 4 feet, and white ash the same. But a better 

 way is to alternate maples, walnuts and ash, with cottonwood, giving them the benefit 

 of shade of the latter, until the third year, aud then thin out annually. This practice 

 prevents low branching, to which these trees have a tendency. To prevent sun-scald 

 our fruit-trees must be headed low and leaned to the southwest so that the trunk may 

 be shaded. According to the assessor's returns of 1876, the x)lautingof this county was 

 2,651,537 forest trees, and 62,953 fruit-trees. Add to this the planting of 1876,'there 

 must be now at least 3,000,000 planted forest trees. 



It is the prevailing opinion among early settlers in Nebraska, that the breaking of 

 the prairie, and the planting of treas have increased the rain-fall, and a residence of 

 twenty-three years in the State has impressed me thoroughly with the belief that such 

 is the fiict. Springs now exist where water was not formerly found, and crops do not 

 suffer from droughts as in early days. The rank-growing blue-stem grass is constantly 

 traveling westward, and crowding out the dwartish buffalo-grass. We think that the 

 good efl'ects of planting ai'e already felt in an increase of moisture, and the multipli- 

 cation of insectivorous birds, aud as a consequence the decrease of noxious insects. 

 Young timber comes up, when fires are kept out, and trees of the same kinds, when 

 large trees are cut. — (Moses Sfocking, Wahoo, Saunders County, Nebraska.) 



Sewahd County. — Osage hedge can be raised here as well as in Iowa. Many farm- 

 ers, however, are trying locust, which m said to be doing well. In raising a hedge, 

 the chief enemy to be overcome is the gopher. — (Trans. Ae&. St. Hort. Soc, 1877, p. 69.) 



Washington County. — The European White Willow is highly ^8teemed as a hedge 

 and wind-break. It grows rapidly, is easily cultivated, and is valuable for fuel and 

 poles. Cottonwood, box-elder, soft maple, aud ash are being planted as groves. — {Trans. 

 Ac&. St. Hort. Soc, 1877, pp. 72, 87.) 



York County. — There are numerous fine groves in all parts of the county, which 

 have been set one to five years, mostly of cottonwood. There are from 250 to 300 acres 

 planted in timber besides wind-breaks on boundary-lines, &;c. The law exempting 

 from taxation has been a great assistance. In 1876 there were $21,675 exempted on ac- 

 count of timber and orchard planting. Hedges in York County have not proved 

 very successful, there being not more than five miles. The failures are attributed to 

 poor plants, poorer setting, and still poorer culture. — ( Trans. Neb. St. Hort. Soc, 1877, 

 p. 70, 82.) 



