94 
IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 
Second, planting from the standpoint of production. 
In the light of experience in other parts of the country and abroad it is 
probable that the large areas in this section previously referred to as essen- 
tially non-agricultural land, amounting to nearly 90,000,000 acres, can only he 
effectively and profitably handled from a forestry standpoint by the states or by 
the national government. As extensive studies have been made of lands of this 
class west of the Mississippi their problems will not be considered here. 
There are, however, many millions of acres of agricultural land which should 
and will produce over small areas and in small quantities the posts, repair ma- 
terial and fuel needed on the farms of the region. The long-continued trial of 
species for windbreaks has shown to a certain extent the species best adapted to 
the requirements of farm planting. Recent studies have given considerable data 
of greater or less value upon growth and something as to soil and moisture re- 
quirements of the trees which have so far been successful. There are, however, 
some interesting problems yet to be solved. One of the most valuable trees for 
this region, the European Larch, is an exotic. There are other exotics which, 
upon thorough trial, may prove equally as valuable. Those foreigners among 
our trees which are partial failures, such as the Scotch Pine, may upon the in- 
troduction of seed from the best trees growing in Europe or by selection here, 
be made very much more profitable. Without doubt breeding and selection, 
though requiring a long period of time, will improve the hardiness and shape of 
the Hardy Catalpa, Russian Olive and Mulberry; will fix the thornless form of 
the Honey Locust, and produce a straight growing and thornless form of Osage 
Orange and last and most important produce a borer resistant Black Locust. 
Under the severe conditions of winter and summer droughts on our prairies 
proper culture is extremely important in the successful production of a forest 
crop. We may profit somewhat by the experience gained in the production of 
fruit and grain crops by dry-farming, yet as a whole the cultural methods 
necessary in successful tree growing are unsolved problems. Those who have 
been observing results of tree growing in this great central prairie region will 
agree that the plantings on the prairies have so far yielded but a fraction of a 
per cent of what they would have yielded with proper culture and protection. In 
many instances the returns from groves put out on rich prairie land have been 
fair, but this has been in spite of proper care rather than because of it. 
The early promiscuous mixed plantings made up of a great variety of species 
did not prove satisfactory and tree planters have gradually swung to the oppo- 
site extreme and are planting too much in pure stand. Either extreme is far 
from right with all species under prairie conditions, yet with our present lack 
of knowledge planters are probably safer in putting out their trees in pure 
stands than attempting mixtures. There are certain combinations of species 
usually advised for prairie plantings and yet we do not know what the result 
will be under the varying soil and climatic conditions of the prairies. We can- 
not give advice for the western country based upon results obtained here in the 
East. This problem of proper mixture of species demands early solution. 
Who Will Solve the Problems. 
A consideration of the problems suggested leads directly to the question as to 
who can best solve them. Whether the National Forest Service should take hold 
of the matter or whether the states interested are in a position to begin a series 
