Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1890-03-20
Tree Culture.

s.@>>>
Tree Culture.
Paper read by Jos. Mellicker before the Ford
County Farmers' Institute, Feb. 2sth, 1885,
Trees, are among the rarest orna
ments with which this beautiful earth Is
decked, while at the same time, one Of
the most valuable gifts to man BIZ
strange to say this portion Of sod NJ
er earth" is not doned with
gift, the ever living, green ~"
beautiful, the stree. 1t isa neceseitY
and next, for the preservation OF a.
good things on this great earth Mkt
to man an animal. A tree inspires 'he
heart of man, it is indowed with 'e
There is nothing that goes over re-.
the trees, a grove, the timber, a,
woods: They inspire childhood with
reverence, and warm the heart of age
With youth and love. The sight Of a
.sbraye I'D oak" or the large and hand
some honey locust, the generous cir
or towering pine, Or meia"ch'' e.
has awakened the lateD, af
many a man. This country Is u I'd
as being a desert country, by people
living in the east where there is plenty
of timber, they say this counfryis via,
bleak and desolated, dry a,'i b g.,
en- vast, with billiards in the " -
time, and parched and bak' d ia 1i'e
summer time; that there are hot w'nde
or simoons, or what they cali it. lc-.
that this country is not fit; FIR farm. !,
and that it is almost unfit for habiIatiou
Now in this thercis good deal of truth,
why? all because this country is almost
destitute and void of trees. The real
life of a country is not here, To naSe 4
country good, what 1t should be; the
timber is not here. Yet We have as
fine country that mans eye ean touch.
The very best soil good water to drink,
the best of climate for health, incest
kind of land and al that; intact it is "a
country where you will always want t'
return if you have lived here onc. Az
went away: but there is always the great
draw-back-there is no timber. If We
had sufficient amount of timber hero
we would be alright, and this weut
the finest country in the w"rii y
ture has not supplied us wiz +
so it is left with us to d. a. a.
do, to plant and grow tree, '+e., :,
will get timber. Now to jamp riga.
down to my essay on ''tree culture
for which have been selected, and i.
will be asked of me "'can we grow re :
or timber in this country | SLY y'.u
can, providing you get the right ki".'.
prepare your ground the right wa'
plant properly, and cultivate ard 're
for your trees properly. All this t,h's
time and is attended with good de-,
of work. But 1 say do bot resai.'
the time," better plant 100 trees I'D
care for them, and get 100 trees t.
grow well; than to SLOUGH il l0M =:
have nothing in the end Ms /"
you my experience in T. c. C.-m
to F. Co. in the early spring of 76, j.
eating in the N. E. E., where l have
ever since lived. With the early resi-
dence Of this country, and as young a
l was then, and noticing the want at
trees for the beautiful! country, / was
soon inspired with love for tree p!ant-
ing, that has grown within me f,om
year to year, as l have grown more ;rH
more trees, although not su, cess =,
most trees, or varieties. l would 40,
stay in this country if l could not plant
trees. l think every person interested
in this country and wants to make his
home here should take an active part N
the planting and cultivation of treeo.
believe this should be one of the best
subjects for us to discuss and one that
should be encouraged by every man and
citizen of western Kansas. My first
tree planting was in the spring Of 1878
hey wers all cotton-woods nice young
plants, the ground new, pulverized
deep. never seen young trees grow
faster and look harder as they did for
the next 4 or years. had something
like 10000 growing, but l don believe
that there are now 300 alive.
The Cottonwood will never again ne
planted by me, because, it is failure
On the upland. l have since tried the |
Y. C. and popler; they also proved a
failure. The next year 1 planted some
more C. W. you see there was big
craze for that particular tree, as quick
grower, w all wanted to cut saw-loges
IN few years. few acres of walnuts.
and 100 honey locust. The walnuts
came up and made fine stand and like
The C. W. done remarkable for the first
4 or FIVE years Of their growth, then
heavy hail storm came along in the year
1885 July II. also the year following
June II which battered them badly,
md almost stripped and pealed them
from the north, besides few years
If drouth and hot winds so that now the