Mar. 1910.] Conditions in Central and Western Kansas. 321 



accustomed to think of black walnut trees as forest giants, but 

 anyone who has had experience in growing trees on high plains 

 feels inclined to salute these squatty specimens as "squatter 

 sovereigns" ; and when one sees them bear a few bushels each 

 of nuts and sees the satisfaction that the children of the short 

 grass derive from a nutting party, and how a part of the nuts 

 are saved for seed, he appreciates how great a power for good 

 a few well-grown trees may be. For they are well grown so 

 well for their locality that they may well serve many coming 

 generations of Kansans as models, and point 'the importance 

 of taking the pains to plant the seed and care for the tree in 

 the location in which it is to stand with its blessing and bene- 

 diction for future generations. A few miles from the Dodge 

 City Station a plantation of walnut trees standing where the 

 nuts were planted has been making very satisfactory growth. 

 The location is a favorable one, the slope of a ravine or draw 

 that is rather steep for general farming, such a place as occurs 

 on hundreds of farms all over the state, and which would be 

 much more valuable and productive of much more good if 

 planted to trees than in fodders or grains. This plantation 

 has not been thinned, and considerable resemblance to forest 

 condition has been reached in a surprisingly short time. The 

 trees are in rows six feet apart and stand quite thickly in the 

 row, shading the ground and preventing in great measure the 

 growth of grass and weeds. In eight years these trees have 



PLATE 19. Walnuts near Dodge City. 



