Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1883-05-30

| IL 10 be evolved, until such time rs The growth
OF the Trees prevents further cultivation.
The proper time for cultivation il from tho
time grass STARTS until about the LIST OF August.
by dong this you enable the trees to with
stand droutn. Sly inches of finely pulverized
earth IS the best mulch You can got, and good
mulch retains moisture and retardS evapora-
ton. 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
foot hills OF the Rocky mountains. In its un-
cultivated state its normal condition seems one
OF atld1ty anf sterility. The grass is generally
short and scanty, except in the low grounds.
The sod IL hard, and beneath 1t is still
harder and very compact; the whole sur
tac3 Of the country shedding the rainfall better
than an average board shanty In a dry time
the surface, under the exposure of hot suns
and sc0rching winds, becomes parched and
cracked into innumerabe fssures, some times
ana III sOEl3 localities to an extent that 1t rem
deIs travelling on horseback dangerous exer-
cls7. L have seon large tracts of our own Min
nosota prairie in this condition, and of
no more apparent value 10 the casual
observer than so many acres of blue
sky. Not tree, bush or shrub within
frost is coming out the soil be-
comos somewhat ameiiorated, and occa-
sl9nal showers permit the process
OF breaking the sod. This is the first step IN
arrosting the ariGity The sod soon rots.
Tnen set the pillow down as deep as you can
navigate 1t, bringing up to the surface IS much
fresh dirt az possible. You have now got it
whore it feels tho effect Of rainfall. 1t don't
shed rain like ducks back any longer. Con-
unue the preparation of the soil by repeated
and deeper plowngs. When you get some
where i'll the neighBorh0od OF ten or twelve
inches of mellow ground, stick i'll the cotton
wood and box elder seedlings also seeds OF the
green ash and some willow cuttings. Apply
the cuitlvator. Soon the process of
SUBSoIL.NG
commences. SummOlinE the silent forces Of
nature, the Young seedlings and the seeds and
cuttings commence the pruces8 of suDsoihng
BY thrusting forth Vulnerable 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
IGent tree planter steps in and assists nature
by the cultivation of the surface soil. With
this timely assistance the young plans redOub!o
their exertions. The moisture is pumped
10 their extremities-their circulation is
healthy; they grow both Ways-thelr
ROOFS tearing away toward the bowels
Of the earth with a vigOr and energy that
puts to shame the best efforts of the most
ponderous locomotive engine. From one sea-
aon to another the subsoillng process goes on;
the roots grow larger, longer, and stronger.
getting down below the influence Of scorching
winds aud blazing sun. The bodies and
branches shoot up toward the sun. after
heat, light and All. The overshadoW-
ing branches, the deepening soil, the
falling leaves, complete the process.
and that particular tan acres of Gods foot
stool under the auspices of the congressional
timber culture act, stands forth redeemed, re-
generated-an 'ossis' 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
Col no haas IF ha fiGl5 nd fOrrlR Of
the air seek shelter and find solid comfort
within its hosDitable area. The beated con-
fused, weary, storm buffeted traveller halls it
as a sure landmark from which to take accu
rate bearings, and i'll times Of exceeding peril
a 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, uncultivated
prairie seemed dried out, and except IN spllngy
places,
WHOLLY DESTITUTE OF MOISTURE.
Even the sloughs, which in ordinary times are
of water, were ID some localities so
thoroughly dried out that the ground was
era cked and split in all 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
wet from the surface down. !
Three hundred miles further out west aad
north on the line Of the Northern Pacific rail-
way the conditions were the same They had |
moro rainfall out there in October and |
November than in Western Minnesota,
but 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 backsettiHg the |
breaking, which had been done in June for rail- !
road tree planting, we brought up and turned |
over from five 10 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 more healthy or vigorous appearance,
than during this season of drOuth. We had
come days out there, then, when 1t
and teams to their utmost limits: and I can
honestly record it as a fact that our young
rees out in HaZens desert, on and beyond the
Tooth meridian, that were planted the preced-
ing May, grown out there from seeds, cuttings
md yearLing seedlings, within 100 days from
nto the earth to ths depth of two to four feet
pumping their own water, growing like weeds,
and laughing to scorn influences that theOreti-
,ally ought to have destroyed them. In fact,
their growth was so rapid l dared not use
he cultivator among them enough to
keep the weeds down, and even with
his precaution their terminal buds de-
aged their appearance later than usual, but
hey ripened up in good shape, and have gone
nto winter quarters in good condition. AL
though not strictly called for, or in order, de-
IRE to make mention of another fact, because
he majority of mankind don't remember much
If anything more than year. and this paper
will be a part of the record in the progress of
orestry. The big freeze of May 20, 1882, Or
hereabouts, extending all over the Northwest
r;xiY nf int oil
through Central 1owa-killing down their
,orn and giving it bsck-set from
which it never fully recovered-had SINH
ar disaster effects on forestry. Millions
# young ash and box elder plants, from the
eed, planted the preceding fall, were then
ust fairly out of the ground, and were ut
ery destroyed. Our earliest planting of box
lder and cottonwood yearlings had COM
nenced putting forth leaves. The buds of the
white willow cuttings were swollen FULL and the
upward were nearly in full foliage. This
reeze had no apparent effect on
my of the foregoing of ono years
;rowth and over. except the cot
onwood. IN our railroad work, l estimate
learly or quite one fourth of our yearlipg cot
onwoods of the earliest planting were killed,
DOT and branch, by this unexpected freeze. La
certain localities i'll Minnesota, in the central
,ortions of the State, observed young artifi-
,ial forests where rows of cottonwoods, ten to
welve feet hlgh, were Killed out root and
ranch. by this same freeze; the rows of ash,
lm box elder, willow aud other varieties in
he Same grove escaping unframed. have
lwavs been staunch friend of the cotton
wood, and am yer, and don't propose to go back
n it 1t is good friend of ours; but for all
hat this weak spot i'll its character should be
ecorded.
LEGISLATION.
Some of You may deem this DEPRESSION
Tot So We are here on bu siness, the vigorous
prosecution OF which promotes the common
wealth. The machinery Of state was con-