20 



FOEESTATIOX, SAXD HILLS XEBEASKA AXD KANSAS. 



BEGINNINGS OF FOREST PLANTING IN THE SAND-HILL REGION. 



It is thought that the first suggestion that the Federal Govern- 

 ment should plant forests in the sand hills of Xebraska came from 

 Dr. Charles E. Bessey, of the University of Nebraska, about 1890. 

 Before tliis time settlers had made plantings m the sand hills, as 

 throughout N'ebraska and the other Middle Western States, under the 

 timber-culture act (1878-1891). This planting did httle to justify 

 the purpose of the act, which was to stimulate the cultivation of tim- 

 ber in the treeless region, and almost without exception the planta- 

 tions of hardwood trees failed because of drought, fight sofi, and lack 

 of protection from cattle. About the only successful plantations 

 were those made with cottonwood in the low, moist swales where 

 farmsteads were estabfished. Some of these plantations have attained 

 good size and the trees have been of inestimable benefit in protecting 

 the ranch buildings. In many cases these groves of cottonwood have 

 furnished the only shelter for herds of cattle in the most severe 

 winters. 



In 1891 the Federal Division of Forestry adopted Dr. Bessey's 

 suggestion and established a small plantation* of jack and Norway 

 pines on the ranch of the Bruner brothers, in Holt County, 4 nfiies 

 west of Swan, Nebr., with trees cofiected m the woods of Wisconsin. 

 Other species used to a fimited extent were Scotch, Austrian, and 

 western yeUow pines, Douglas fir, and arbor vitse. The yeUow pine 

 was obtained from a commercial nursery. These species were mostly 

 used in such smaU numbers as to make no showing, and the only 

 species that are at present worth considermg in the plantation are 

 the jack, western yellow, and Scotch pines. Of aU the others less 

 than 3 per cent survive. 



Most of the trees used ua this plantation were about 3 years old and 

 8 inches in height. Reports made on the plantation m 1896 and 1903, 

 which show the survival and condition of the trees of the three suc- 

 cessful species, are summarized in Tables 5 and 6. 



Table 5. — Xumher of trees planted on Bruner brothers' ranch, in Holt Couyity, Kehr., and 



number that survived.^ 



Species. 



Condition at time 

 of planting. 



Number 

 planted. 



Oct. 1, 1896, trees 

 living. 



Number. 



Per cent. 



Dec. 1, 1903, trees 

 living. 



Number. Percent 



Jack pine Fair 



Scotch pine Poor to fair. 



Yellow pine Good 



2,362 



1,350 



305 



2,055 



lc9 



1,729 

 484 

 141 



1 From paper by Charles A. Scott, Nebraska Forestry and Park Association. January, 1904. 



2 A few trees were probably overlooked, since later counts show a larger number alive. 



