The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-08-23
RESERVE IN SAND HILL
Federal Government to Estab-
liSh an Experiment Station
in THE SEMI-ARID BELT
Reserve in Southwest Kansas
Will Be a Good Thing

FOR BIG RESERVE IN THE SAND
Garden City, Kan. aug. 22.-The fed
eral government will soon establish a
big reserve in the sand hills southeast
OF Garden City for the purpose of es-
tablishing an experiment staten and
.fnursery for the supply of forest trees
Sfor the semi-arid belt OF western Kan
sas. Experts from the forestry division
Of the agricultural department have gone
over the ground and recommended the es-
Enlistment of the reserve, and they say
that an order along that line can be
looked for now almost any day from the
agricultural department.
Roy Kellogg of the forestry division.
IN charge of the party of experts who
have been investigating conditions in
western Kansas says:
I'VE have advised the department to
make a reserve in the sand hills of the
southwest, and 1 am confident that ii
will soon be done. During the past two
years the department has established two
such reserves in western Nebraska and
they are proving all that We expected of
them. The reserve in southwestern Kan
sas win be a good thing for the semi
rid district. Species of forest trees will
grow that can be successfully raised in
that section. Seedlings will be distribut-
ed among people. 1t will then depend
upon the farmers how long that section
shall remain semi-arid.
1T is hardly necessary to state that
q lack Of fainfall is responsible for the
scarcity Of trees in western Kansas"
he said. THAT is known to everybody.
a,fa no do &c m
nnd the species of trees that will grow
without much water, and then get the
farmers OF the west interested In plant
ing Them These trees will bring on
more moisture, and later on other vaTie-
ties-more valuable-can be Introduces.
f.rut you must first get the moisture and
tie way TO do it is to plant any sort or
trees that viii grow. Honey locust IS
the specie that does the best in the semi
arid belt They are good for nothing
much except shade and moisture bring
ers They do not even make good fence
posts They can be used for stove wood
however, but should not be used for that
purpose as long as they will grow. Cedar ,
will grow also. So viii a few other
varieties of timber But for some years /
10 come the trees must be cultivated !
the same as any other crop. The more /
they are cultivated the more they Will /
grow and the less likelihood of their dy- /
Ssg. It is TO make demonstration along /
this lire and to raise seedlings that the |
government proposes to establish re-
sarve near Garden City"
What will be the size of the re-
serve?" he was asked.
THAT depends said Mr.. Kellogg. !
'"The government already owns a good |
portion Of the lad in the sand hills. !
Some land theresa altered here and |
there's held by settlers. If the settlers
will let the government in clude their
land in theh reserve or agree to trade il
of for land elsewhere. the reserve will
perhaps include 100000 acres But if
such a deal cannot be made with the
.settIers, then the reserve will not be
over $1,000 acres. The government can es-
tablish a $1,000 acre reserve on its own
land without disturbing anybody"
Asked what benefit the western Kan
sas people were getting out of the ogal-
lab and Dodge City forestry stations.
maintained by the state. Mr.. Kellogg
said: These stations are raising some
trees to supply the farmers on limited
scale but they are making no demon
STATIONS. Most of the big trees at tho
forestry farms are dying OF lack Of at
tention. The management should have
taken hold and demonstrated by the
cultivation OF these trees that they could
be grown successfully. BY letting the
trees die it discourages rather than en-
courages farmers of that section to plant
trees"
Can any trees Of commercial value
for timber be raised in the semiarid belt
now"
mot now. except possibly alond sons
streams They will not grow on the up
lands II isn't a question with the