Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1889-08-31
TREES.
A Visitor to the Forestry Station
Makes a Report.

To Whom it May Concern:
On Friday last, about 10 o'clock A. NJ,
We took our favorite team and buggy,
drove to Collyer for dinner, thence to the
forestry station, one mile this side of
Ogallah, found the forester, Mr.. Wynn.
took him into the buggy and drove to
Ogallah, and stopped ourself and team
with mine host, Yetter. who does the
hotel and barn business for the village.
We spent most of the evening talking
with Mr.. Wynn about forestry. forest
trees, their natures, habits and prefer
ences; as to soils, cultivation, times OF
planting. transplanting, etc. We Jared
sumptuously, as we always do at Yetter's,
and were greatly pleased with Mr.. Wynn,
who has been for six years at work on
forestry farms, and fully understands the
business. For the past six months he
has been experimenting the Trego
county station, and is one of the most
affable, courteous and genial young men
we have ever met.
The Yetters, by the way, are quite a
practical family. One of the girls, Miss
Nora, is agent and telegraph operator at
the railroda station; the other girls and
their mother run the motel, and Mr..
Yetter and the boys run the barn and
farm and care for the cattle.
Next morning we were up with the
sun, and after breakfast was over and
our favorite team was harnessed and
hitched, we drove up to the forestry,
where We met.Mr. Wynn, according to ap-
pointment, at o'clock. We took him
into the buggy and drove slowly all about,
through and around the station, while
the forester answered our many questions
and told us hundreds of things that we
never would have thought of inquiring
about.
There are two forestry stations in
Kansas, under the care and SUPER
vision Of Mr.. Martin Allen, state COM
missioner of forestry. The farm at Ogal-
lab was started three years ago, and
has made remarkable progress and
is in fine condition to-day. About
seventy acres are planted with trees, all
well cultivated and cared for, healthy
and thriving. Not dead tree, nor even
a dead limb or twig is to be seen, and
scarcely weed appears on or about the
premises.
The station is north, and about three
hundred yards from the railroad, and
has along its south front row of large
box elder shade trees, planted there when
the farm was started, with an imposing
arched gateway in the center, bearing the
inscription, Estate Forestry Station" A
short distance north of the gateway is
line frame residence-the forest mansion
which, en- PEASANT, the present forester
cannot fully occupy just yet; but, being
bachelor, he boards as the Hotel de
Yetter, down town. The house is sur
rounded by shade trees, grassy lawns,
walks and drives. Extending north from
the house and. barn, a wide roadway
divides the station into two nearly equal
portions. The east and west halves, or
sections, are each again sub-divided into
about 6, 8 and 10 acre lots by parallel
rows of trees running east and west,
planted quite close together, hedge fash
ion, for wind brakes. These trees are
three years old and have grown to con-
siderable size and height-say from
eight to ten feet, and are mostly black
locust. They form quite protection for
the Seeding trees.
These subdivisions are every year
plowed, narrowed, rolled, pulverized,
cleaned of any possible weeds, and then
planted, from April to August, with tree
seeds, in east and west parallel rows,
three or four feet apart, quite close, closer
and very close together in the rows, &C.
cording as how each kind of tree requires.
Then they are cultivated like corn, during
the spring and summer, until the middle
of August, when the main force of hands
employed is paid off and discharged. and
the forester alone cares for them until
digging time arrives. Now, the forester
tells me, as winter approaches, when the
stems have hardened, the twigs have ma
tured, the buds have npened and the
leaves have fallen, and before the ground
freezes, they dig the little trees and cover
them over (heel them in) in bitches for
the winter. When spring comes, and the
frost is out of the ground, in March, they
take up the little trees out of the bitches
and pack them in bundles, so many in
number as each applicant has ordered.
and ship them by rail. This must be
done by the middle of April; then they
begin blowing and planting again.
how TO GET TREES.
You send your name, post-office address
and nearest railroad station, to the
forester, Mr.. Thomas Wynn, at Ogallah,
Kansas, any time before winter. Some