, 1883-05-19

efforts of certain interested parties to se
cure its repeal, the following letter from
MIR. j. T. Allen Of Omaha, viii be o
Interest
On the prairiss Of the West il vhsr,
exists the great necessity Of forests, and
where the benefits Of tbs timber cultur'
act is felt. Nothing is moro important
to increase the quantity Of crops, TO pre-
vent the evaporation Of moisture. to
ameliorate the climate, and afford protsc
tion for man and beast, both in wintel
and summer. There vii no doubt be N
effort made in Congress to repeal the
timber culture act. Mr.: Q. 8. Sargent,
in the North American Rrrieir. says ;
at has failed entirely in accomplishing
what WAS honestly expected; it hsa given
riss to gigantic frauds, and encourages
the planting of tres whore trees cannot
grow unlsss srti6oaIly irrigated, ETC." In
regard to the working Of the oct in Wss-
torn Nebraaks, q far Wst - the 100tk
meridian and beyond, the writer has
given personal observation, and the prac-
tical results Of planting trees on timber
claims differ widely from the foregoing
statement In Buffalo Q2OO miles .usst
of the Missouri river) and adjacent
counties there arc ct least 500 quarter
sections where groves Of from Eve to
thirty acres have been planted on time
entries, and arc growing we'll. On many
Of these srs thousAnds of trees thirty to
forty feet in height and from sight to
ten inches in diameter, grown from
sprouts and seeds sincs the act bcams .
Law in 1873 Hundreds Of Instances
might be given similar to the following:
One man in Dawson county. near the
Tooth meridian, where wisessres . few
ysars ago fixed the Western limit Of rain
fall. has thirty acres Of cottonwood on
his claim, where the Law only requires
ten. These trees are thirty feet high,
planted in rows north and south, half
mile long. Within mile il sold tract
of twenty scres Ct box elders, twelve fest
high, grown from the seed sown where
they stand, and half . days tide ten
claims were passed, ali the young trees
showing q good growth. Bill further
west, and beyond that imaginary rain
line, numbers of timber claims were
found, and the trees were q hourishinR
a. those $50 miles eastward. Col J. B.
Roe, of Kearney, commenced in 1876,
and has now 46, 900 trees Of cottonwood,
maple, ash, walnut and box elder, Of al
sizes up to forty feet high and thirty feet
in circumference, enough to keep two or
three families in fuel, and the trees and
LAND ARE WORTH THREE TIMES THR COST
And labor of planting. The man who says
trees will not grow On the prairies, and
grow Just a. well q corn and potatoes, il
wilfully ignorant of the facts. What has
been said about the western portion Of
Nebraska in true - to the whole State,
as we'll as those sections Of kansas and
Dakota which have been settled s:nce the
act became q Law, and it was one OF the
greatest benefits ever conferred upon the
prairie country. There in no more land
stealing under this than there is under the
homestead act, and as far a. it applies to
it il much more general in its
benefits. The latter requires the claim
ant to live on the land for term Of yssrs
before he can obtain . title.
The timber claim ia open to the doctor,
the lawyer, and, in fact, all ciasses OF citi-
zens. the only requirement being that ten
acres of the land shonld bs plowsd, crop
ped and planted with trees; that they
shall be cultivated and protected, and if
this is not done no one can get title.
Many arc plowing strip around quar-
ter section and planting, which il great
advantage to the adjacent lands, prevent
ing the force Of the wind and driving
suow. Others Who have claims In con-
nection with homesteads are putting the
whole into timber and seeding with tame
grasses, combining protection and winter
pastursge. Some may say the doctor or
the merchant has no right 10 the bsnsht
Of this set, bat it might Be difficult for
them to tell Why the mechanic, the hired
man or the hlred girl should not have .
square piece Of the public domain which u
offered, if they comply with the tsrms and
o p'ant trees 10 ninety nine cases out Of
q hundred, where new settler in . town,
no matter what his occupation, takes
timber claim he becomes interested in
getting shat be has looked forward to
the possession Of real estate and future
home. This makes him . permanent set
tier, and any one Who knows anything
shout the settlement of new western
towns. knows there is great difference
between fixed settler and one who u L.
able TO drift about according to fancy or
Upon inquiry 1 6nd that large num-
ber of timber claims are taken by towns
people. who pay the farm ssttlsrs near BY
for the breaking. improving and eulsivs-
ton. planting and protection against 6rss:
by this both parties become intsrsstsd
and benefited by the Transaction. In the
Niobrara, and districts in the northwest
ern part of the State, 400, 600 acres ars
entered, and 2O0. 600 in tho adioidinG Ne
ligh district, under the Lumbar act. E1-
Gov. Furnas. in . recent address before
the National Agricultural convention, g.
Inmates the number of trees planted in
this State from 1854 to 1882. inclusive, st
403, 600. 900. The whole West il inter
ested in the continuation Of the timber