The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1872-01-25
Correspondents Of the News.
LETTER FROM KANSAS.
Kansas as a Timber-GrOWing
State-RaPid Growth of For
est and FFUit TPecs-Abud-
anse of Fine Building Stone,
GOOD INTENT, Kan. !
Dec. 27, 1871. (

anse of Fine Building Stone,
&c. &c.
GOOD INTENT, Kan.
Dec. 27, 1871.
DEAR News Il will now en-
deavor to redeem my promise to
give your readers some idea of the
capacity of Kansas soil to grow
timber. In doing this shall give
my own experience, and my own
measurements; not because they are
greater than that of others, but be-
cause I am more familiar with
them.
I have a small grove of about four
J acres, composed of locust, walnut
and cottonwood. The cottonwood
seed fell where the trees now stand,
in 1858, and took root. Having
only ten acres under cultivation, I
did not think I could spare the en-
bryo grove, and so I plowed it up
and cultivated in corn, without re-
gard to the young cottonwOods, in
1859. In 1860 many of them were
still alive, and I saved as many of
them as I could in cultivating a crop
ofcorn. I planted with the corn,
walnuts and locust seed, but that
] being the year of the drouth, the
locusts and many of the walnuts
/ perished. In '6I [ planted in corn.
and in the fall sowed in wheat; in
90 cut and threshed 80 bushels of
wheat to the acre, showing that the
trees were not much hindrance to
growing crops at that age. con-
tinued to farm amongst these trees
| till 81, adding some locust sprouts oc-
casiOnally, which made rapid growth
for a time, but were soon cut down
by the borers. In '65 completed the
grove by plowing under cottonwood
cuttings where the voluntary growth
was too thin.
And, row to give your readers
some idea ofthe rapidity with which
timber grows here, I will give the
result of some measurements taken
last August. Five trees measured
(at about the height of an ordinary
stump in circumference, respective.
Iy, A, 46, 48, 50 and 80 inches.
The height of these trees ranges
from So to 81 feet few if any, of
the original growth are less than 40
feet high. I have observed that
cottonwood groves make from f to 6
feet in height anauallyE From my
experience and observation, 1 am
well satisfied that if man, in be-
ginning a farm in the Kansas prai-
rie, were to plant ten acres of cot
touwood in rows, say u feet apart,
aud intersperse them with walnut,
oak, chestnut, mulberry, honey-lo-
Gust and some other good varieties,
in ten years he would have ample
timber for one family on one
quarter section of land, except for
buildings. AS the. thrifty cotton
wood is culled from the grove, the
slower growth, but more durable
kinds, would be coming on, and he
who would neglect to hedge his
farm would have ample post timber
in fifteen or twenty years. 4
The cost of these groves is small
little more than planting crop, of
corn. The plants can be had for the
pulling, along the rivers and creeks.
The method Of setting is to run a
deep furrow-throW the roots of
your plants in the furrow-tops all
leaning to the side with the plow,
throw a furrow on the roots-take
the tops and set them up with a
slight pull, throw another furrow in
the opposite direction, and the work
of transplanting is done.
Almost all farmers in this section
of the country have started groves,
more or less. The phantom which
has deferred many a homeless fam.
lily from emigrating from crowded
cities and settlements of the old
States to Kansas, is fast vanishing.
The name, "Kansas," a few years
ago, when it appeared in Eastern
papers, was apt to be preceded by
the adjective "Dromh5" now we see
that soaring word supplanted by
that more pleasing one, "PrOsper-
Ous."
Until civilization made its inroads
on the red mans game-felds, you
might stand on many an elevation,
and see the rolling surface for scores
of miles, with scarcely a tree to lure
your gaze for though small bodies
of timber were not very rare, they
fringed the streams, and lay entirely
below the general surface of the
country. What wonder, then, if
geographers fortuitously laid down
this garden as a "Desert." Now,
these cheering little groves, the
planting of which is the work Of
man, stud the prairie over, and
serve to relieve the eye of the mon
otOny of the vast plains.
1t is impossible to estimate the
valuO of groves to prairie farms.
Aside from the cheerful aspect they
give, they foster thousands of friend
/ ly birds, that take their meals on
the enemies of our crops, and then
sing us sweet music, as though they
would thank us for the privilege Of
doing US good.
Though the breaking up of this
tenacious sod, which, until it is
broke nup, is almost impervious to an