180 
IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 
In central and western Iowa we find the red oak fre- 
quently displacing the scarlet oak. The white oak is fre- 
quent, along with the bur oak, which is stately or shrubby, 
according to location. Occasionally a few chestnut oaks 
occur along the bluffs in central Iowa. In central Iowa is 
also found the Texan red oak (Q. texana Buckley), an 
unusual find. It will be seen that central and western 
Iowa have few species as compared with the eastern and 
southern portions. Forests are more extensive in the 
eastern portion. The larger rivers of the state are all 
eastern, and the Father of waters is our eastern border. 
The forest primeval established itself in a narrow strip 
along our eastern border, sending out branches of tenuous 
width up the tributaries. The forests of central and west- 
ern Iowa are meager because they had to be established in 
a fire-swept zone and had not reached their fullness ere the 
advent of civilized man. The problem of forest condi- 
tions, especially near the rivers, having been solved in the 
eastern portion, there was opportunity for the increase of 
species. But the hardy ones were established first, and 
others followed. The forests of central and western Iowa 
had made their beginning. The sturdy species had stood 
the test on favorable ground, and others were following, 
but the advent of man changed conditions. He made the 
the prairie a farm and converted the young forests into 
heat and building materials. 
Passing backward in time for a space of fifty years we 
find the state but thinly settled and nearly all its inhab- 
itants on the eastern side. There were many oak forests 
with fine, large oaks. The settler chose the best of con- 
venient size to build his home. The sawmill on being 
brought and conveniently located was energetically 
employed in producing building materials to be used in 
the rising villages or on the farms. Thousands of trees 
were made into rails to be used in the old-fashioned worm 
fences. The advent of the railways caused an increase in 
the demand for oak timber for many years. The timber 
was rapidly disappearing and many citizens felt apprehen- 
sive. But as time goes on conditions change. The uni- 
