Growing Forest Trees in Western Nebraska 15 



results yet. In a few plats, the trees have made more growth 

 where they were planted farther apart. 



INJURIES. 



Pocket gophers cut off about twenty-five per cent of the 

 Silver Maple, during the first winter after they were planted. 

 They cut off also nearly all the Honey Locust in one plat and 

 repeated the operation for one or two years after the plat had 

 been replanted. This plat adjoined prairie land on two sides. 

 The gophers destroyed only a very few trees of other varieties. 



Cottontail rabbits nibbled the bark off nearly all the Honey 

 Locust trees in one plat and a few in other plats. This was 

 during the first winter after the trees were planted. A tree 

 badly barked usually sprouted at the surface of the ground and 

 sent up a straight shoot more valuable than the original tree, 

 and therefore little, if any, real damage resulted. If the rab- 

 bits had continued their work during succeeding winters they 

 would, no doubt, have accomplished considerable damage. 



BOEERS. The borers have killed nearly all the Black Locust 

 on the table-land and have injured all on the bench land to such 

 an extent that they have no value. Many of the Black Locust 

 trees are entirely dead, but some still send up sprouts from the 

 roots. During 1912 we found many Green Ash affected by 

 borers. We presume the borers will accomplish the same results 

 with the Ash as they have with the Black Locust, especially if 

 their growth is checked by drouth. We found a few Honey 

 Locust trees in which borers were working, but each of tiiese 

 trees gave evidence of being in a weak, sickly condition, which 

 probably antedated the insect attack. (See figures 5 and 6.) 



WINTERKILLING,- -The effects of winter drouth and winter 

 freezing are so closely connected that no attempt to differen- 

 tiate the two was made. The Osage Orange froze to the ground 

 and nearly all were killed during the first winter. The Russian 

 Mulberry was killed on the bench land, but only froze back 

 slightly on the table-land. The Silver Maple and Catalpa freeze 

 back some each winter with little or no injury. 



SPECIES MOST PROMISING. 



The following table gives the names of the species of decidu 

 ous trees that give the most promise on the Substation farm : 



