Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-03-19

| IS to be evolved, until such time as the growth
OF the trees prevents further cultivation.
The proper time for cultivation is from the
| time grass starts until about the LIST of August
by dong this you enable the trees to with
stand drouth. Six inches Of finely pulyerized
earth is the best mulch you can get, and q good
mulch retains moisture and retards evapora-
toll In this connection permit me to jump
over the traces, in further illustration Of the
effects of cultivation of the soil of the open
prairie region between the Big woods and the
| loot hills of the Rocky mountains. In its I'M
cultivated state its normal condition seems one
OF aridity and sterility. The grass is generally
short and scanty, except IN the low erounos
The sod is hard. and beneath 1t is srll
harder and very compact; the whole sur
race OF the country shedding the rainfall better
than an average board sbanty In a dry time
the surface, under the exposure of hot suns
ana screening winds. becomes parched and
CRACKED into lnnumerable assures sometimes
and IN some localities to an extent that it rem
ders travelling on horseback dangerous exer-
else. L have seen large tracts of our own Min
nesota prairie in this condition, and of
no more apparent value to the casual
observer than so many acres of blue
sky Not a tree, bush or shrub within
sight Practically a desert. While the
frost Is coming out the soil be-
comes somewhat ameliorated, and occs-
slonaI showers permit the process
of breaking the sod This is the first step in
arresting the aridity. The sod soon rots
linen set the plow down as deep as you can
navigate 1t, bringing up to the surface as much
fresh dirt as possible You have now got it
where 1t feels the effect Of rainfall. 1t don't
shed rain like ducks back any longer Con-
tinue the preparation of the soil by repeated
and deeper plowings. When you get some
where in the neighborheod of ten or twelve
inches of mellow ground, stick in the cotton
wood and box elder seedlings, also seeds of the
green ash aud some willow cuttings. Apply
the culuYator. Soon the process of
sUBsom.NG
commences SummOning the silent forces of
nature, the young seedlings and the seeds and
cuttings commence the process of subsoiling
by thrusting forth inumerable roots Silently,
slowly, surely, vet with Irresistible power they
penetrate the soil They are bunting for food
and drink They are commencing the struggle
for existence. At this critical period the intel
llgent tree planter steps in and assists nature
by the cultivation of the surface soil With
this timely assistance the young plans redouble
their eXerhons. The moisture is pumped
TO their extremities-their circulation is
healthy; they grow both ways-their
roots tearing away toward the bowels
of the earth with vigor and energy that
puts TO shame the best efforts of tue most
ponderous locomotive engine. From one sea-
son to another the subsoillng process goes on;
the roots grow larger, longer, and stronger
getting down below the influence of scorehing
winds and blazing sun. The bodies and
branches shoot up toward the sun, after
heat, light and air. The overshadox-
ing branches, the deepening soil, the
falling leaves, complete the process
and tnat particular ten acres of Gods foot
stool under the auspices of the congressional
TIMBER culture act, stands forth redeemed, re-
generated-an COASTS" in the desert The
shadow OF great rock in weary land" is
nowhere beside it. 1t compels an involuntary
tribute of admiration from the most british
soul. The beasts of the field and the fowls of
the air seek shelter and find solid comfort
within its hospitable area. The belated, coa-
fused, weary, storm-buffeted traveller halls it
as a sure landmark from which to take accu-
rate bearings, and in times of exceeding peril
certain refuge and sometimes salvation from
death itself. In portions Of Western Mime
sofa there was scarcely drop of rainfall last
season from before harvest until the beginning
of winter, and not enough then to amount
TO anything The unbroken, unculhvated
prairie seemed dried out, and except in sp1ingy
places,
WHOLLY DESTITUTE OF MOISTURE.
Even the sloughs, which in ordinary times are
reservoirs OF water, were IN some localities so
thoroughly dried out that the ground was
cracked and split in ali directions Yet in the
midst of this seeming ardity the cultivated
fields showed no signs of distress-the sum-
mer-fallOwed soil was moist to within an inch
of the surface. and in the young groves OF
four TO SIX years growth the soil was absolutely
moist-nearly wet from the surface down.
Three hundred miles further out west and
north on the line of the Northern Pacific rail
way the conditions were the same They had
more rainfall out there in October and
November than in Western Minnesota,
bat all through August and September,
the season OF harvesting and threshing, there
was scarcely rain enough to wet through
mans shirt sleeves-the uncultivated ground
was parched and dry. in backsetting the
breaking, which had been done in June for rail
road tree planting, We brought up and turned
over from five TO eight inches of soil that
seemed as dry as powder Prairie fires were
running in all directions; this all through the
month of August-yet at no time during the sea-
son did our young trees grow more rapidly, or
present a more healthy or vigorous appearance.
than during this season of dFouth. We had
some days ont there, then, when it
taxed the physical endurance of men
and teams to their utmost limits: and / can
honestly record 1T as q fact that our young
trees out in Hazen's desert on and beyond the
lOOth meridian, that were planted the preced-
ing May, grown ont there from seeds, cuttings
and yearling seedlings, within 100 days from
date of planting, had thrust their roots down
into the earth to the depth of two to four feet
pumping their own water, growing like weeds,
and laughing to scorn Influences that theoreii-
cs!ly ought to have destroyed them. In fact,
their growth was so rapid l dared not use
the cultivatOr among them enough to
keep the weeds down and even with
this precautioa their terminal buds de-
layed their appearance later than usual, but
they ripened up in good shape, and have gone
into winter quarters in good condition. Al
though not strictly called for, or in order de-
sire to make mention of another fact, because
the majority Of mankind don't remember much
of anything more THAN year, and this paper
Will be part of the record in the progress of
forestry. The big freeze of May 20 1882 or
thereabouts extending all over the Northwest
giving them dose Of genuine winter all
through Central Iowa-killing down their
corn and giving it back-se5 from
which it never fully recovered-had SIM
lar disaster effec;s on forestry. Millions
of young ash and box elder plants, from the
seed, planted the preceding fail, were then
just fairly out of the ground, and were ut
terly destroyed. Our earliest planting of box
elder and cottonwood yeariings had COM
menced putting forth leaves. The binds Of tha
white willow cuttings were swollen full, and the
white willow hedges Of one years growth and
upward were nearly in full foliage. This
freeze had no apparent effect on
any of the foregoing of one years
growth and over, except the cot
tonwood. Iu our railroad work, estimate
nearly or quite one-fourth of our yearling cot
tOnwoods of the earliest planting were killed,
root and branch, by this unexpected freeze. In |
certain localities in Minnesota, in the central
portions of the State, I observed young artiti-
11M- wrl.-,