Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-10-31
Planting Forest Trees.
From the Stats Rcsiste

Planting Forest Trees.
From the State Register.
1t is generally understood that
honey locust is of slow growth. But
the testimony of Mr.. Pratt, of Ash
land, Nebraska, is favorable and
would indicate that it is not only val
liable as o timber, but Of rapid
growth. Mr.. Pratt has on his farm q
grove of ten acres, containing 1000
walnut trees, 1000 white ash, 1900
honey locusts and 1900 cottonw0ods.
His grove has been set out five years,
and he is now thinning out his cot
tonwood, which furnishes him sufii-
cheney of fuel. But his honey locusts
appear to be his pride. Ills trees are
growing straight and tall. lie plant
ed the seed and let them stay one
year where they came up. When
transplanting he threw away those
having thOrns. He made hedge Of
the thorned, and planted the thorn
less, most of which are straight as o
bean pole, and twenty feet high, with
diameter from three to six inches.
Honey locusts can't be beat for hold
ing spikes and for framing and rail-
road purposes we have no better tim
Der. Infive years each of his honey
locusts will make two railroad ties,
which at so cents will bring 81 600 per
acre. These facts we gather from the
Nebraska Farmer.
Mr.. Barnard. of Pawnee, Nebras-
ka, at the horticultural meeting in
| that State, said that good timber
screen would protect an orchard at a
distance of a rod for every foot in
height. Mr.. Buddlong, of Franklin
county, said he formed his screens by
planting two rows of white willow,
twelve feet apart, four rows of cot
tonwood sixteen feet apart, and then
four rows of black walnut. at the
same distance. Itseems to US that it
would have been far better to have
four rows of some kind of hardy ev-
ergreens in place of the cottonwoods.
France is just waking up to forest
planting. Much Of their worn ont
lands is being planted to the very
best quality of timber And 1t is
positively stated that the timber will
net $3.50 per acre from the date of its
being planted. And Massachusetts.
State in which its farmers worked
for centuries in removing the forests,
is now moving in forest tree planting.
The Massachusetts Agricultural So
ciety offered premium of ESQ for
the best five acres of pine from seed
in ten years. And various other
prizes for tree planting.
And if such states as Massa chusetts
should be moving, what should Iowa
do, nearly in the center of this great
treeless plain, extending from Indi-
ana to the base Of the Rocky noun
tains, and from the Gulf of Mexico to
the Lake Of the Woods. Iowa has
81, 100000 acres. and even including
all the skirts of timber along her
rivers and creeks, and its brnshy Dor
was timber. .
We must, therefore, rely on cult
waited groves for timber and for pro-
lection from the cold winds Of winter
And in doing this We must have re.
gard to the value of the timber, and
its exemption from the depredatf0ns
of insects while growing to q size to
use, or to maturity.
| Nearly all the forests in Iowa were
cut twenty wears ago. Itimmediate.
i y sent forth a new growth, and near
ly all the fuel which is hauled out to
the houses on the prairie are poles
and saplinps. being the second
growth. So scarce ia the timber
these young and thrifty trees are moi
permitted to attain to timber size.
Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan
Maine and Florida can supply a. but
q few wears longer with building OF
fencing material. Our mountain
states and territories. to the west
cannot be relied on. Arizona. Now
Mexico. Colorado. Wyoming. Mon.
tana, Idaho and Dakota, each have !
meagre supply of timber. NOT enough
for their rapidly increasing popula.
ton. It was at one time stated thai
up the Niobrara, towards the Blact
Hills, there was an immense forest OF
pine timber. But further investi9a-
ton proves the supply too diminu.
tive to ever Justify building the
means of transporting it to market
Our best and most extensive timber
regions are Washington and Alasks
territories. These will do for thx
supply of the Pacific coast and fol
the heavy demand for our timhe,
which is opening up in China and
Japan.
/ This brings us to view of the nea,
future for timber. Besides the best
| and most carefully nursed groves on
some of our best lands all our waste
lands should be immediately nut GU,
in forest trees and carefully protect
ed until the trees are large enough t.
protect themselves, The necessify
and profit of this course has too otter
been demonstrated to need repetition
here. The older timber states of tho
4 Union are proving this position by
familiar examples.
Mr.. T. b. Coursey, writing on the
nronr;n%y &c <rroxvirc :, %;,nho. ....J..