The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-02
ADVANCE OF FORESTS AND MOISTURE

While the advance OF civilization across
the American continent has been accom-
panied by the dest ruction of the major
part Of the primeval forests it has done
the forests the service of extending their
boundaries far into the original prairie
country. Artificial plantations and the
incidental protection afforded by settle
ments to the natural growths have in
creased the timber area Of prairie states
and led to the natural growth Of trees in
places where they were formerly un-
known.
How the forest has extended it's from
tiers in Nebraska Is we'll told by William
l.. Hall Of the bureau OF forestry, in bull
letin on The Timber Resources of Ne
braska." Along almost every stream
and ravfpe." he says, "the forest has won
some ground from the prairie. Here it
has been only few square yards; there
1t has been several acres The settle
| ment of the st ate ended the trampling of
| the buffalo and, to a large extent, the de-
| struction by fire. In eastern Nebraska
| the forest has conquered 400 square miles
of new ground Nor is it confined to- the
valleys of streams and to ravines. It
springs up in every place. that any of the
works OF man. such as fencerows, protect.
| Besides this natural growth Nebraska
has planted over 100000 acres with trees.
These plantations have greatly modified
the aspect of the prairie country, have
added much to the physical comfort Of
man and beast, and have, small as their
total area, is, played a considerable part
In the economic development of agricultu-
raj regions--giv1ng the farmers fence
posts, rough timber, fuel and windbreaks
What is true OF Nebraska is true Of
minnesota, Iowa and the Dakotas. This
year, with It's great rainfall, has been
particularly favorable to the new forest
growth Seedlings may be seen starting
up In every place that a fence, an earth
bank. a building shelters and protects. It
is plain that not all Of the prairie was
treeless because it could not grow trees.
There is popular impression that the
area Of sufficient moisture Is also moving
westward. We do not know that this has
any scientific support or any foundation
In records. But In the newspaper litera-
ture Of the west the idea frequently crops
out, notwithstanding the disastrous ex.
periences of a. few years ago with farms
In western Kansas and Nebraska II
, North Dakota farmers are fearlessly en-,
tering regions formerly. considered arid
, Time was when the hundredth parable
| was considered the boundary Of the Gro,
= growing country, but nowadays farmer
have pushed far beyond that and land i
I selling at good prices in regions long ne
= elected, though supplied with railwa,
t lines.
/ These lands will be chiefly used for cat
, tie ranches, but there will be consider
r able cultivation of the ground. and the
] pioneers have an idea that the vanguard
civilizations have a tendency to draw thu
boundaries of the area Of sufficient rail-
: fall up to them. Much of the old cattl,
country of the whole west is now in pro
= cess of Transformation in this way. Til,
5 farmer succeeds the cowboy. The forme
raises crops on his low1ands or othe
available land, pastures his cattle in sum
t mer in the ranges of the back country
: and brings them in and feeds them durin,
the winter. In this way much Of tn
semi desert cattle country will rails,
y more cattle in the future than In tn
f past. the ranges will be protected an,
much agricultural land will be utilized
e Irrigation will help this tendency by Civ
: Ing the rancher land fit for agriculture
= where otherwise he would have none
e The development Of the west is not owe
. with the nominal occupation OF the who'll
}. region. In one way or another the virile
: energetic ingenious people tina t ar
r crowding into it will find means to US
), every portion. of it, even if it be only
r popular sdeluston that the desert sis, abein
n reclaimed. "a. on = .'-~.>'r's:
S --r-----'- -
d Mr.. Lind will be candidate for cor
a | eress on; the femocra fic ticket,@ Hat ha