Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1885-01-31

geTi ygu nave saIen the nulG ou
have lived "a see the time Whea applies.
Tor Instance have been shipped nom
Kansas on the same day TO Minneapo.
lis and Mobile.
You have noticed, with the assurances
OE success, the rising ineerest felt
Ia horticulture; you have noticed that
because You are interested in It.
Let nae tell you that there has been a
corresponding increase Of faith and
works IN regard TO forest trees.
You can take into consideration the
larger area Of cultivated ground in Kan
sas; the larger agricultural population,
and estimate for yourselves what has
been done In our State.
AS an example Of what has been done.
/ can cite the States Of Kansas and Ne
braska. In the latter State il is estimated
that there are growing $4,000 forest
trees planted by the hand of man. /
suppose 1t it is safe to estimate the same
number to the acre as is required under
the Timber Culture Act-that is go.
This would give q little over "a, 600 acres
in forest trees in that State
In Kansas the statistics given by the
report Of the Secretary of
the State Board of Agricul-
ture shows 1852 acres. If We make
the same calculations in artificial forest
trees as to the number planted
70 the acre that we have in Nebraska, it
would show the number Of trees in ar
tificial forests in the State to be 70,4S6,-
$50.
1t has generally been conceded that
/ Nebraska was far ahead Of Kansas in the
number Of forest trees planted; but if Pm
/ right IN the above calculations, and do
not see but that am, Kansas exceeds
/ Nebraska in the number Of trees planted
/ out by IL, 466 $50, and In acres, Al ,682.
It must be remembered that the above
/ estimate does not In either State include
! the number Of acres Of trees Of volunteer
/ growth. That this is very large every OBJ
| server knows, and that It is equal to at
| least fifty per cent. Of the number of
/ artificial growth is quite evident.
/ have not an estimate of the num-
| Der Of fruit trees in Nebraska, but the
authority have given above states that
/ of ali the varieties of fruit trees in
/ Kansas there are 20, S5l ,276. Reduce this
to acres, at 40 trees to the acre, which is
! believed to be a fair average, makes
! 80, I28 or total Of acreage in forest and
! fruit trees, almost all set out during the
! past fifteen years, of III $40.
Besides this, there are 6,228 acres in
small fruits, and 1866 acres in vine
yards.
The sentiment in regard to the value
of trees prevails in all the prairie States,
and is especially strong in the States
west of the Mississippi and the Missouri
/ Minnesota has q State Forestry Asso-
citation, Colorado has just formed one,
Nebraska invented and proudly main
tains ArbOr Day, and how much Kansas
thinks Of trees, you yourselves are the
best judges.
In the timbered States there is a grow
ing sentiment against the wasteful de-
structiOn of timber, but as this sPnti-
uent conflicts with the self-interest of
the destrOyers, slow progress is made.
We, in the West, can say to the Eastern
slashers, eco ahead, and chop down
your forests; dry UP your streams; and
convert your hillsides into guliies; but
we, wise men of the West, will make
trees grow where yousay it isstili desert
We will bring depth and a constant flow
to our streams; we will change the sky
itself, and make it rain where it did not
before; and if that fails, we will dig
irrigating bitches hundreds Of miles
long, and plant trees the whole length
Of the Arkansas river"
That all this is not impossible, you
gentlemen, know.
The constant discussion of the subject
of Forestry, the immense accommodation
OF experience, the demonstration Of what
man has done, gives hope Of what man
may do.
The only thing to be done now is t.
get away from experiment and 60 into
the business Of Forestry on what Ameri
cans call a big scale. We must accustOm
ourselves to speak of a hundred or q
thousand acres of trees Just as we now
do about so much corn. 1t takes but
little more time to plant a mile Of treel
along the highway than it does to set out
a dozen trees in a dOOryard. We were
us older men, born in an age when men
put in life time chOpping down trees
We have fortunately lived to see the
first development in this country Of the
new art Of Forestry, the art of making
trees grow. Everything is in its favor
Let US do our part In the great work
resting assured that we shall be doing
good part for ourselves and the genera
f tons to follow US.