Morris tribune., 1885-10-21
From the Real Estate Registerl
STATE OF MINNESOTA
FORESTS AND WOODLANDS.


and brush lands. In the earlier settled
prairie portions there are likewise
many planted groves, the aggregate
area of which is very considerable
and many of them have already be-
come sources of fuel supply. In the
counties of Cook, Lake, st. Louis
Itasca, Beltrami, Cass, Aitkin, Carl
| ton, Pine, Kanabac, Mile Laos, Nor
rison, Grow Wing, Isanti, and Chisago
and in parts of counties lying adjacent
| to these, there are forests of white
pine which cover probably one-fourth
of their entire area. mterspersed
among these, especially along the val
leys of streams and on the margins of
the larger lakes, although they are
| sometimes found on the higher plat
eaus, are belts or patches of decidous
| forests hardly less in aggregate en-
| tent than the pine-covered areas. The
| varities of trees found here embrace
| white, black and burr oak; red, rock
and swamp elm; white, black and gray
ash; blackberry; sugar and white maple
| box-elder; linden or basswood; white
and red birch; poplar; willow; cotton
wood and few other. Wet or swampy
localities occur with considerable
frequency on the more northerly
highlands, and are often covered with
growths of red and white cedar,
though more commonly with tamarack
Spruce and frs are quite prevalent in
still other places, and in the vicinity
of openings or burnt districts one
finds mountain ash, iromwood, noun
tain maple, red and choke cherry,
balm of Gilead, yew, arbor vitae, and
other similar varities. Frequent in
tervals occur in the lowlands where
there are natural meadows, on the
margins of which, the ground being
higher, nearly all the varieties of
shrubbery found in similar situations
in northern Indiana and Ohio grow
with equal luXurance, and in the
marshes, on both high and low lands,
huckleberries, cranberries and wild
rice are produced abundantly. In adj
dition to these features, there are all
through these counties, as we'll as in
other wooded parts of the State, small
dry prairies and tracts from which
the forest trees have been burned off.
These sometimes contain $4,000 acres
or even more and again are limited to
less then single section; many OF
them are covered with an excellent
growth of blue-joint, red top, or buffalo
grass, while others are partially OF
wholly overgrown with various
species of wild shrubbery amongst
which a variety called 'jack oak
usually predominates. Again there
are extensive localities where only
large black, or burr, oak trees with
wide spreading tops and scarcely any
underground are found which are
known as coax openings Goose.
berries, currants and black and red
raspberrieS are usually abundant
among the shrubbery of these open
ings, and wild strawberries abound
everywhere except in the densest
forests, swamps or low meadow lands.
All that region west of the Miss.
issippi and north of the Minnesota
river, extending west as far as and
even into the counties of Sibley. Nc.
Leod, Meeker, Kandiyohi, Pope, Grant
Douglas, Otter Tail, Becker and, to a
less extent into Norman, Polk, Mar
shall and Kittson, and also that south
of the Minnesota river including the
whole or parts of the counties of Scott
Rice, Steele, Waseca, LIE Sueur and
Blue Earth, properly belong to the
forest district. The trees which cover
it are nearly all of the deciduous
family, with occasional pines, cedars
frs, spruce and tamarack Informing.
led in some localities. In addition to
the varities above named black and
white walnut, hickory and aspen are
found in the southern parts, and there
is greater proportion of cottonwood,
soft maple, poplar and box-elder as
the neighborlng prairies are approach.
ed. Like that previously descibed this
territory is also diversified with oc.
casional prairies, meadows, oak open.
ings and tracts of shrubbery, the
prairies becoming larger and more
numerous as the limits of the wooded
region are reached. Considerable of
Houston, Fillmore and Winona and
lesser proportions of Olmsted, Dodge,
Wabasha, Goodhue, Dakota, Henne.
pin, Ramsey and Washington coun.
ties, though they belong to the prairie
district, are covered with the tim ber
that fringes the banks of the Missis-
| sippi and extends back along it's tribu-
taries, sometimes, as in the instances
VI 1lSC1O otllu CuCll
branches, to distance of sixty miles,
forming really dense and extensive
forests. The trees here are of the
I deciduous species and of varities al.
ready mentioned. There are also
considerable fringes of timber border
ing the Minnesota and Red rivers and
more or less along the smaller streams
generally; most of the lakes are like
wise partly encompassed with groves.
In short, wherever lakes or water
courses have afforded them protection
from prairie fires, groves have sprung
! up on the prairies varying in extent
from four or five to hundred or
more acres. In these situations cot
tonwood, poplar, willow, and other
soft-wood varities of trees whose
seeds are most easily carried by winds
are commonest, though naples and
i .,,4a