Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-05-02

OFFICIAL PAPER OF JERAULD COUNTY
Dakota Timber snd Fuel.
Along most Of the streams there is
generally some iimb9r, buJ not always.
The principal part of the timber in
southern Dakota Is along che Missouri
river, which consists of soft maple, cot
tonwood, oak ash, blackberry, elm, and
some black walnut. Along the big
Sioux, there is considerable timber.
Some good sized bodies Of timber are
found along the Vermillion and James
rivers; but they are isolated and geler-
ally several miles apart. Some very
line bodies Of timber are found in "a
wines that make down from the rolling
prairies to the streams or bottom lands.
On many of the lakes there. is consider
able timber. The Black Hills, lying in
the southwestern portion Of the Terri
tory. are covered with alleayy growth
of good pine timber This country is
now cut off by the Sioux Indian reser-
walton, which will Don be opened,
when plenty Of good pine lumber will
be shipped into southern Dakota, cheap.
AT present pine lumber is shipped here
from the mills at Minneapolis and sold
very reasonably, as it can be shipped
right through by rail without change
of cars.
i The general government has made a
very good provision to encourage the
cultivation Of forest trees, by the dona-
ton Of s quarter section Of land to per
sons who will plant and cultivate tim
Der. Forest trees can he cultivated as
easily as corn. Plenty Of small cotton
woods one to two years old a be had
on the sand bars along the Missouri.
where they may be pulled up by hand,
Any quantity Of soft maple, bog elder.
and ash seed can be gathered This
seed can be planted in drills and the
second year taken up and tr%ansplanted
as required. Cottonwood is one Of the
most rapid growing trees known; 1t
will grow in five years from the size OF
a whip to a tree twenty to twenty
five feet high; and in a few years furn-
ish wood enough to supply a family
with fuel. Settlers who have beenhere
a few years, and who paid proper at
tention to setting out trees, when they
first settled, have now nice groves of
thrifty timber, which adds much to the
beauty and comfort Of their places.
People'in those parts Of the east that
are favored to a greater extent than the
west is. are liable to form an erroneous
idea on the fuel question. Wood is as
cheap in Dakota as it is in any of the
states, and is selling on the streets OF
our town at 50 per cord for cottonwood
and SIS per cord for good body HARD
wood. Coal is brought by rail from
Chicago and from the coal beds Of Iowa
Good coalin vast quantities is found
in the Black Hills, and on the Missouri:
river and other streams, a few hundred
miles above here, large veins of goo6
coal crop out. 1t is only a matter of {
littletime when railroads will be crowd
ing ahead into these districts to bring
forward their known mineral wealth
and coal will be brought to, Southern
Dakota at prices much below What i
can be had in many of the eastern
states. There is enough timber fount
along the streams to furnish fuel for
number Of years for a much large
number Of settlers than are now here
and by exercising a little care to keel
the fires out Of it, it will all the tim
increase; beside, the settlers are al
planting timber to a great extent, an,
a few years will see a large increase o
timber in the country, each farmer hav
ing his own beautiful grove which will
furnish him his fuel, without subject
ing him to the inconvenience of goinl
off from his own land to get his wood
Press s. Dakotaian.