20 Growing Forest Trees in Western Nebraska 



insects have completely destroyed the Black Locust groves in 

 this locality. Ash resisted the borers for a longer time but are 

 now; being attacked to an extent that indicates this species will 

 be either killed outright or badly injured. We have taken 

 every precaution possible to secure the true hardy t:atalpas, but 

 .we have not found them hardy here. Some of them > after many 

 years, may make a fence post, but they freeze back so much and 

 are so scrubby that they do not seem to be worth planting. We 

 are dealing only with conditions as they have existed on this farm 

 since the spring of 1907, and are not indicating what these trees 

 may do on irrigated land or in other localities. 



The species not included in either Table 3 or Table 4 are giv- 

 ing poor results or have not been tried sufficiently for us to 

 judge now of their merit. 



CONIFERS. 



W T ith one exception our results with the conifers, or ever- 

 greens, have been quite discouraging. Altho we purchased the 

 best stock obtainable and have given it good care, after planting 

 several thousand trees only a few are alive. 



The best results were with fifty Black Hills Spruce which 

 were set out in 1908. These were 18 inches high, three or four 

 times transplanted, and shipped with a ball of earth on each 

 tree. Nearly every one is living and making a fair growth. The 

 next best results have been with three-year-old transplants of 

 the Western Yellow Pine, often called Bull Pine, and with Jack 

 Pine, both being planted in the canyons, where on the heavily 

 grassed, northern slopes the best results were obtained. Plant- 

 ing in furrows seems to be better than planting without the 

 furrows. Canyon planting, however, does not appear encourag 

 ing. The trees planted in the canyon in 1908 were killed by 

 fire in 1910. The space was replanted the following spring, but 

 not with as good results. Tt is probable that the heavy growth 

 of grass on the ground at the time of the first planting furnished 

 beneficial protection from the wind and sun. Since the later 

 results with conifers at Halsey, Nebraska, by the Forest Service 

 are much more encouraging than their earlier results, it is pos- 

 sible that with improved methods at this Substation we shall 

 later be able to speak more highly of conifers for this locality. 



Where we set conifer trees on cultivated land there has been 

 almost complete failure, altho a few Jack Pine and Western 

 Yellow Pine trees survived, and are growing well. Western 

 Yellow Pine are growing faster than the Jack Pine. It is prob- 

 able that in order to grow conifers on the tilled land the stock 



