19 
and the numberless uses which a stick of timber supplies; in parks 
and along streets trees make a town “a good place to live in; ” school- 
house, church, and court-house yards require embellishment. A good 
plantation for commercial purposes will afford a steady income, aside 
from much pleasure and convenience, while it is surprising how 
greatly a few trees improve the farmstead. 
Although general soil conditions vary little throughout western 
Kansas, there is abundant room for selection. Trees, like other forms 
of vegetation, respond quickly to good soil and moisture. The species 
which will grow on the uplands may be depended upon to do as well 
or better in the bottoms, because of the better conditions. Some trees 
which grow naturally along water courses do well under cultivation 
on the upland, while others found in company with the hardy species 
fail entirely when the change is attempted. Hundreds of failures in 
upland planting in Kansas and Nebraska have resulted because cot- 
tonwood, willow, silver (soft) maple, and boxelder were expected to 
thrive in dry situations. 
Experiment has proved, however, that there are species adapted to 
almost every locality. On the upland there are local depressions 
which catch considerable run-off, and so are suited to trees which need 
more than the normal precipitation of the region. In such a situation 
on the high upland in the extreme western part of Kansas the writer 
once found, to his surprise, a row of black walnut growing in the sod, 
yet looking well and bearing nuts, though the settler who planted the 
trees had long since moved away and of his sod house only a heap of 
dirt remained. A cattle trail and wheel tracks served to conduct the 
rainfall down the gentle grade to the trees, permitting water to collect 
occasionally at this point. That the original plantation had covered a_ 
larger area was shown by a few small stumps farther on, which were 
all that was left to show the effect of drought and neglect. Nearly 
every quarter section has an acre or more of depressed land which 
can be well utilized for tree planting. By putting the moisture- 
requiring species in the favored situations, and the hardy, drought- 
resisting ones elsewhere, the planter’s range of choice is extended, 
greatly to his advantage. 
CULTIVATION. 
The object of cultivation is, first, to prevent the growth of weeds 
and grass, and, second, to conserve soil moisture. Cultivation is 
essential for the first few years after planting, and in many cases 
necessary for a long period. Before trees are set or seed is sown the 
ground should be put in good condition. Deep plowing, followed 
immediately by the harrow, saves moisture and prepares the soil for 
penetration by the roots. After the trees are set, cultivation should 
be shallow and frequent: An ideal method is surface cultivation as 
[Cir. 161.] 
