30 FOREST BELTS OF WESTERN KANSAS AND NEBRASKA, 
and still more fail to develop properly, so that the proportion of poor 
seed is sometimes very high. 
The best reproduction of red cedar in Nebraska, in the valley type, 
is probably on the Dismal River. Along the lower half of the South 
Fork of the Dismal River both red cedar and green ash were for- 
merly exceedingly abundant. Although most of the large trees have 
been cut, and cattle and fire are doing much injury to what is left, 
thousands of young cedar, from a few inches to 15 feet in height, are 
to be seen, besides much healthy sprout growth of ash. 
The cedar is mostly on the bluffs and in the lateral canyons on the 
south side of the river. Where undisturbed by fire and cattle the 
young growth is thriving and tends to spread up to the tops of the 
bluffs. Above any of the larger trees fine young cedars, from 1 to 
4 feet in height, can be found growing isolated in the bunch grass. 
Around the north side of one old, scrubby tree, on a steep north 
exposure, 23 young trees from 2 inches to + feet high were counted, 
and in the bottom of op of the canyons a circular space 9 feet in 
diameter contained 36 cedars between + and 15 feet high. There 
is every reason to believe that with protection a very valuable growth 
of timber could be secured. 
The following table illustrates the rate of growth of young cedar 
in this region. The trees grew on a north slope in very sandy soil. 
TaBLE NVI.—Young ved cedar on the Dismal River. 
Diame- ae 
Tree No. Seana terat Height. iden 7 
Eran. 1900. 1901, 
Years. Tach. Feet. Inches.) Inches. 
; 9 OF 3.3 1.0 5.0 
2 é 2 ll} 4.0 2.0 
3 10 { 3.5 6.0 6.0 
1 10 3 a4 20 2.0 
5 10 2 Pas 3.0 4.0 
6 14 | 3. 1 1.0 1.0 
7 ; 18 th 3. 1.0 2.0 
2 Ee Sn Seen ee a re aA : 3 | 4 1.0 1.0 
} Cg ee ees ee oom eee 1] 2 4.0 2.0 6.0 
CI Te in on eS en ee 1] 6 5.1 5.0 5.0 
PG ESO Gs Pes. 2 en, Cee ee ee ee eee 10 .4 2.8 3.5 3.8 
The original amount of red cedar in Kansas was much less than in 
Nebraska, and the few trees that are left are mostly inferior indi- 
viduals. scattered about over the bluffs. Reproduction is generally 
poor. The best original growth was on Cedar Creek, in South 
County. where many thriving little trees may now be found. A few 
striking clumps of old cedar are still standing on the bluffs of Big 
