The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1874-06-11
From the Kansas Farmer.
Trees in Kansas.

Having read the reports of {. w.
johnson on growing timber on Kansas
Plains (whicl, call very damaging to
our beautiful Young statc) and also the
remarks made by New Yorker who
SAWS lac LA. been so much discouraged
by Mr.. Johnson's writings. | will give
You my experience of over eighteen
wears in Kansas on tree growing. L
am not much used to writing pieces
for papers. especially those flowcry,
meteorological and high-lowing kinds,
but will give ycu my own and other
mems experience, whom ! have been
acquainted with for many wears.
came to Kansas ia 1850 and settled
on the Little Wakarusa. three miles
south of the old and we'll known Blue
Jacket crossing of the Big Wakarusa,
Oh piece of branch bottom land with
about fifteen acres of timber on il.
mostly walnut and elm. The third
year set on, some fruit trees of near
lv all kinds. which, with my care | be-
slowed on them. grew very thrifty and
looked fine when | sold my place in
1873, 10 Il gentleman fresh from Ire
land. who told me he was a practical
farmer. Butt soon found out that he
knew but little about it, for under the
care OF numerous herds of cattle they
100, ,,.n,t tn n.ppIt
planted but few forest trees, but
they grew finely, too, on That place.
Then | went into another business tor
some wears. and finally located AT my
present residence, which was then a
mere very high point or prairie, about
two miles 10 any timber, and three
foarths of mile to any running stream.
with ret single grass root disturbed
on it.
| settled here in October, 1867, built
a barn that fall. and moved into one
shed room of il. The next spring
began to plow and set ont trees, both
forest and fruit. set them right in
the fresh plowed sod. They were
mostly dwarf apples. pears. cherries,
apricots and peaches two years old, all
different varieties, not more than from
one 10 three of kind. This did for
the sake of finding out what varieties
would suit my soil the best, and alter
wards adopted those that would grow
the most thrifty, for at that time there
had been no experiments made by any
body in the county on rs high ground
as live on.
Offorest trees. planted cottonwood
poles. without any roots, about two
inches in diameter, and dug up some
elms, waluu,s. red and post oak and
pos, oak and some soft naples, planted
these out in piece of ground | had
selected for my building plot. The
next fall | gathered large quantity of
walnuts and acorns. froze them well
in the ground during winter, and plant
ed them the next spring. set out also
some evergrcens, cedars, native spruce.
white pine, black, Austrian and Nor
way spruce.
Now for my success with all my
paintings. My dwarf apples. out of
fifty-three. kept their dwarf habit: the
others turned out standards, and all
have had fruit on, more or less. for the
last two wears. Peaches and apricots
have fruited very full for three years.
Pears, out of forty, mostly different
varieties, all have gone into standards,
but four: which have kept their dwarf
habits. The cottonwood poles are now
about six to eight inches in diameter,
smaller ones have generally beaten the
larger. All the hard wood varieties
have grown but little, although they
were six to seven years old when set
out. Walnuts and acorns planted, now
three to five years old, are from four to
ten feet high. and from one TO three
and half inches in diameter.
The native evergreens have made a
fair growth, red cedar most OF all sown
being four years set out, and from six
to twelve inches high when set out, at
tanning the height Of eight to ten feet.
Black Austrian pine set out eighteen
inchee high, are now ten feet high