Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1888-02-25
TREES AND BLEzARDS

r.
pie and stock In the Northwest, In the
fearful storms which have lately swept
over that region, forcibly reminds rs OF .
duty the government has too long neg
lected, namely to erect barriers to check
the force of the wind, by judicious and
systematic planting OF forest trees. Some
viii say this is not practicable. say It
7vas practicable before the land was sold
to settlers, and is yet, to a certain extent.
Had our government profted by the ex-
ample Of old despotic Russia and sent
corps of tree-planters into this treeless
region of the Northwest in advance OF
settlement, allowing the settlers to follow
after the trees had made a few years
growth, there would not have been so
many innocent school children forced to
perish in the cold embrace of the Ice
Fiend of the North. And it is not too
late to move in the matter, that future
disasters of like nature may be averted
II the general government could be
reused to the great necessity OF tree
planting on these bleak and open plains,
and would plant the lands unsuited for
agricultural purposes still in its posses
sion. and induce the farmers to plant
literally on their farms, it need be but a
few years until the hoary-headed old
blizzard would be fenced out, or at least
shorn of his mighty and killing power.
Again, as a government, unlike an indi-
vidual, expects to live for all time, the
forests, If properly managed, would
Eventually pay back the money expended.
and be lasting source OF revenue.
The mode of caring (or rather not car
ing) for our forest lands must be changed,
for year by year tie axe and the fire are
making our natural or original growth
thinner and thinner, and the open or
treeless acres broader and broader, and
with only 8 per cent. of the area OF Da-
kota covered with forest, per cent OF
Nebraska, IL per cent. OF Iowa, and only
per cent of Nevada, with the openings
that have been made in Minnesota, Wis
consin and Michigan, is it any wonder,
with all this vast region for parade
ground, that the billiards break from
their moorings, and 60 raging and shrek
ing over the defenseless prairies like
unclaimed demons, while the dance OF
death goes on! l think the suggestion of
the editor of the Prairie Farmer about
setting posts along the highways and
stretching wire or cord to guide the trav-
elers, good one for present use, but
wish he had gone further and urged the
planting of lines of trees along the roads
and on the farms for permanent guidance
and shelter. I certainly think careful
and systematic planting of fair and
reasonable number of trees FIVE years ago
would have prevented much suffering
and many deaths the present winter.
But we are sometimes told we are
cyanks and alaymists, that we have all the
trees we will ever need, and it is not
practicable to grow forests, and then
point to Europe and say the alarmlsts
over there have been predicting dire
calamities for the last hundred years, but
nothing serious has come to pass. Well,
I too will point to the old country, and
call attention to the great amount OF work
both in planting and management OF
forests that has been done in the last
hu ndred years-to their schools OF for
estry, the systematic and strict enforce
ment of laws regulating and controlling
the planting and cutting of timber, and
if the evils predicted by the alarmists
have not come to pass, it is because the
rulers were aroused by the threatened
evil, and went to work with energy, there
by averting the threatened calamity.
And I would to God that there were
enough alarmists in our country to arouse
our government to a like action MIL
Barnard, President Illinois State H0rfienf
uyal Soc iety, in Prairie Farmer.
Mr.. Barnard writes with fuency
upon a subject which is very deal
to every intelligent student OF prog.
ress on the plains Of the New West
His remarks concerning tree alarm
lists and the work Of the European
schools Of forestry are as true az
Holy Writ.
Just what our general government
may ultimately be prevailed upon tt
do toward promoting forestry, is ye
involved in doubt. That liberal ex
penditures on it's part in the direction
Of establishing permanent schools
Of forestry in every prairie state
would be accompanied with la
greater recompense than has crowned
its vast appropriations for the i'm
provement Of river channels, Their
is no room to doubt. At the SAM
time, the direct profit to each Of tn
plains states and territories which
would follow the enactment OF sen
sible forestry laws by their individ
ual legislatures is SO apparent, tina
we have no objection to the solution
of this great question being worke
out in this direction.
To-day, Kansas has upon he
(statute books the only comprehensive
/ forestry law known to any state il
&ho TIu1ou TT tho legislatures q